Seedream 5.0 Flash vs Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Seedream 5.0 Flash and Grok Imagine Image 2.0 side by side: specs, capabilities, parameters, and live pricing from the EmpirioLabs catalog.

ByteDance xAI Image Generation

Seedream 5.0 Flash vs Grok Imagine Image 2.0 at a glance

Seedream 5.0 Flash from ByteDance and Grok Imagine Image 2.0 from xAI are both in the Image Generation category, available through the EmpirioLabs API.

Key differences

  • Seedream 5.0 Flash is the newer release (Sep 28, 2026); Grok Imagine Image 2.0 was released on Aug 7, 2026.
  • Capabilities listed only for Seedream 5.0 Flash: layer decomposition, interactive editing, multi reference, multilingual text, transparent background.
  • Capabilities listed only for Grok Imagine Image 2.0: multi image.

Seedream 5.0 Flash vs Grok Imagine Image 2.0: specs

SpecSeedream 5.0 FlashGrok Imagine Image 2.0
Model IDseedream-5-0-flashgrok-imagine-image-2-0
AuthorByteDancexAI
ReleasedSep 28, 2026Aug 7, 2026
Input
Text Image
Text Image
Output
Image
Image
RegionMalaysia-
Endpoints
POST /v1/images/generations
POST /v1/images/generations POST /v1/images/edits
Capabilities
image generation image editing layer decomposition interactive editing multi reference text rendering multilingual text transparent background
image generation image editing multi image text rendering

Seedream 5.0 Flash vs Grok Imagine Image 2.0: API pricing

Live rates from the EmpirioLabs catalog for both models. Each rate card always matches what the API charges.

Seedream 5.0 Flash vs Grok Imagine Image 2.0: API parameters

Request parameters each model lists on EmpirioLabs, with the allowed values or range where one applies. A dash marks a parameter the model does not list.

ParameterSeedream 5.0 FlashGrok Imagine Image 2.0
promptstringstring
imagearrayarray
imagesarrayarray
aspect_ratioauto, 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3, 21:9 Default: autoauto, 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3, 2:1, 1:2, 21:9, 5:... Default: auto
layer_decompositionboolean Default: false-
quality1K, 1.5K, 2K Default: 2Kauto, low, medium Default: auto
sizestring-
use_custom_sizeboolean Default: false-
custom_width15 to 8600-
custom_height15 to 8600-
watermarkboolean Default: false-
output_formatjpeg, png Default: png-
backgroundopaque, transparent Default: opaque-
response_formaturl, b64_json Default: urlurl, b64_json Default: url
resolution-1k, 2k Default: 1k
num_images-1 to 10 Default: 1

Seedream 5.0 Flash vs Grok Imagine Image 2.0: limits and notes

Seedream 5.0 Flash

Modes

  • Text to image
  • Single or multi-image to image
  • Interactive editing with coordinate or sketch markers
  • Layer decomposition into a base image plus up to 16 layers

Interactive editing

Mark the region to change directly on the input image with a sketch, circle, or arrow, then describe it in the prompt. For exact placement, use coordinate tags on a 0 to 1000 normalized grid:

Place the subject from image 1 <bbox>179 283 796 986</bbox> at the position in image 2 <bbox>118 331 933 871</bbox>.

Layer decomposition

Set layer_decomposition to true with exactly one input image to split it into a base image plus up to 16 transparent PNG layers. Every returned image carries its stacking order as z_index, and each layer also carries its position in the base image as bounding_box.absolute and bounding_box.normalized, plus a name and a description. Leave the prompt empty to let the model choose the elements, or name the elements or coordinate regions to separate. Resolution accepts 1K, 1.5K, or 2K, and matches the input image when unset.

Limits

  • One output image per request, except layer decomposition, which returns the base image plus its layers
  • Up to 10 reference images, and exactly one for layer decomposition or a transparent background
  • 1K, 1.5K, and 2K resolution tiers
  • PNG or JPEG output, and layers are always PNG
  • A transparent background needs one input image that already has an alpha channel, and PNG output
  • No grouped output, streaming, or web search

Billing

Every resolution tier bills at the same per-image rate, and reference images are free. Layer decomposition bills every returned image, the base image and each layer, at that same rate.

Content safety

Generated images pass an automated content-safety check. An image flagged as explicit is not returned. Because the image is generated before the check runs, a flagged generation is still billed.

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Generates images from a text prompt, or edits up to five source images from a natural-language instruction.

Modes

  • Text-to-image: send a prompt with no image.
  • Image editing: attach one image and describe the change you want.
  • Multi-image editing: attach two to five images to combine subjects, transfer a style, or compose a scene. Refer to them in the prompt as <IMAGE_0>, <IMAGE_1>, and so on.

Example multi-image prompt

Place the product from <IMAGE_0> onto the marble surface in <IMAGE_1>.

Defaults

  • Auto quality at 1K resolution
  • Auto aspect ratio, so the model picks the best fit for the prompt
  • One output image per request

Quality and resolution

Quality selects how much work goes into the render. Auto lets the model choose the tier for each request and currently serves low for a text prompt and medium for an edit. Low returns in a few seconds. Medium takes longer and resolves finer detail. Resolution selects the 1K or 2K output tier. Quality and resolution combine into four price points, so a low 1K image is the cheapest option and a medium 2K image the most detailed.

Controls

Supports prompt, source images (URL or upload), quality, resolution, aspect ratio across sixteen ratios including auto and the 21:9 and 5:2 widescreen formats, number of images, and response format.

Limits

  • Up to 5 source images per edit
  • Up to 10 output images per request
  • Prompt up to 8,000 characters

Billing

  • Charged per output image at the quality and resolution served, plus a per-image fee for each source image you attach. Text-to-image has no source-image fee.
  • With auto quality the charge follows the tier the model served for that request. Set quality to low or medium when you want the price fixed in advance.
  • A request that fails validation or is rejected before any image is produced is not billed.
  • An image that is produced but then blocked by content policy is still billed. This follows xAI usage policy, which charges for the generation even when the output is blocked by the content safety check. Keep prompts and source images within the usage policy to avoid this.

Content safety

Generated images pass an automated content-safety check. An image flagged as explicit is not returned. Because the image is generated before the check runs, a flagged generation is still billed.

How to call Seedream 5.0 Flash and Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Seedream 5.0 Flash runs through POST /v1/images/generations. The request returns a job_id right away; poll GET /v1/jobs/{job_id} until the job completes and read the output URLs from the result. Or add "sync": true to skip polling: the request stays open and returns the finished OpenAI-style image response directly, so OpenAI SDKs work as-is. Both models are called through the same endpoint. Set model to seedream-5-0-flash or grok-imagine-image-2-0. Get an API key from the EmpirioLabs dashboard.

cURL: submit the job
curl https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1/images/generations \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $EMPIRIOLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "seedream-5-0-flash",
    "prompt": "Describe what you want Seedream 5.0 Flash to generate."
  }'

Seedream 5.0 Flash vs Grok Imagine Image 2.0: common questions

What is the difference between Seedream 5.0 Flash and Grok Imagine Image 2.0?

Seedream 5.0 Flash is the newer release (Sep 28, 2026); Grok Imagine Image 2.0 was released on Aug 7, 2026. Capabilities listed only for Seedream 5.0 Flash: layer decomposition, interactive editing, multi reference, multilingual text, transparent background. Capabilities listed only for Grok Imagine Image 2.0: multi image. The specs, rate cards, and parameters on this page come from the live EmpirioLabs catalog.

Which is newer, Seedream 5.0 Flash or Grok Imagine Image 2.0?

Seedream 5.0 Flash is the newer release (Sep 28, 2026); Grok Imagine Image 2.0 was released on Aug 7, 2026.

Which has the lower rate, Seedream 5.0 Flash or Grok Imagine Image 2.0?

The two models are priced on different units or tiers, so compare the live rate cards on this page. They always match what the API charges.

Can I switch between Seedream 5.0 Flash and Grok Imagine Image 2.0 without rebuilding my integration?

Yes. Both models use POST /v1/images/generations with the same EmpirioLabs API key, so most integrations switch by changing the model value. Check the parameters table on this page first if you rely on a model-specific parameter.

Can I try Seedream 5.0 Flash and Grok Imagine Image 2.0 in the browser before integrating?

Yes. Open each model in the EmpirioLabs playground and run the same prompt on both, with the parameters the API exposes.

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