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Grok Imagine Image 2.0vs.Seedream 5.0 Lite

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Seedream 5.0 Lite has no arena rating yet. Seedream 5.0 Lite has no API price.

Test images

Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run
Grok Imagine Image 2.075 out of 100
Seedream 5.0 Lite: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run
Seedream 5.0 Lite49 out of 100

Result for “Character and detail”:Grok Imagine Image 2.0 slightly ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square cinematic full-body portrait of a fictional bicycle courier waiting under a transparent umbrella at a rainy tram stop in Hamburg at blue hour. She wears a mustard raincoat, navy trousers, red sneakers, a silver helmet, and carries a teal messenger bag. Keep both hands visible, render the bicycle correctly, use realistic wet-street reflections, and include no readable brand names.

What the rating looks at: Anatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency.

“Ahead”: better in all three rating rounds. “Slightly ahead”: a higher value, but not in every round.

Test protocol of the images

Each test attempt uses the same archived prompt and one request. The first output of that attempt counts. Repeats after technical test failures are disclosed for the affected images. Files are normalized to 1,024 × 1,024 pixels without cropping. Provider resolution, randomness, quality tier and prompt processing can still differ. The images are a practical visual test, not a reconstruction of the arena configuration.

Character and detail

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, quality medium, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.060000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:46 AM. Source

Seedream 5.0 Lite: fal, requested 2560x2560 square, the route's minimum native pixel width, n=1, seed=69737196, estimated cost $0.035000, source 2560x2560, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 2:54 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6

Grok Imagine Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 95148f93193910361a680d5cff305d51bb06d967cb8b35e7ec732bd8501beccc

Seedream 5.0 Lite image SHA 256: e462824323b9bc065e16a0ab8da5835ea1d32541153fa535fc3a94ef5cec85cd

Infographic

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, quality medium, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.060000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:47 AM. Source

Seedream 5.0 Lite: fal, requested 2560x2560 square, the route's minimum native pixel width, n=1, seed=464378822, estimated cost $0.035000, source 2560x2560, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 2:54 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f

Grok Imagine Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 732d7d3978293b5acd7aba0ec8534056bfa9bd5f6d2024c5eb7275d5bf203ba6

Seedream 5.0 Lite image SHA 256: 6fab6f06e5f001f85b4c049f79e4220b50345b08eb3a8954e778c1d5802d2cf0

Product photography

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, quality medium, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.060000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:45 AM. Source

Seedream 5.0 Lite: fal, requested 2560x2560 square, the route's minimum native pixel width, n=1, seed=1604459337, estimated cost $0.035000, source 2560x2560, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 2:53 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3

Grok Imagine Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 57f2809d2dc95671f5207c2cfc25f629c05be17edfe9bf87ca42d3d33119200e

Seedream 5.0 Lite image SHA 256: 3d6bb69ff171c033881277a81b933654b6213b317462c0be1e1f75150501fd64

Typography and layout

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, quality medium, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.060000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:44 AM. Source

Seedream 5.0 Lite: fal, requested 2560x2560 square, the route's minimum native pixel width, n=1, seed=1149290713, estimated cost $0.035000, source 2560x2560, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 2:52 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419

Grok Imagine Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 4dae1c4c90d277eed2983780d71f40b4758238ea15a020047c1329fb220e5b51

Seedream 5.0 Lite image SHA 256: 8642e711e827c543a8bdd23be9d3142e014cb746d885dd37f9b7405666ed4350

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better
1,317

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Rank 5 of 21

n/a

Seedream 5.0 Lite

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
73

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Rank 16 of 108

67

Seedream 5.0 Lite

Rank 32 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better
$0.06

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

fairly cheap

n/a

Seedream 5.0 Lite

no API price

Ranks among the 21 image models with an arena rating and the 108 with a GraduallyBench run; prices compared with 28 models with an API price.

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Subscription
No xAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €15.90 a month (Runway Standard, with limited credits). 5 plans in Germany.
Via API
$0.06 per image, 100 images $6.

Seedream 5.0 Lite

Subscription
No ByteDance / Volcengine subscription includes this model. Through other providers from €6.83 a month (Poe Basic, with limited points). 27 plans in Germany.
Via API
No API price known. Access: API, Web app.
Weights
unknown.

Subscriptions only count plans that name exactly this model. Subscription prices include VAT, API prices are in dollars.

Arena rating (LMArena) from Nov 6, 2026 · GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · API prices from Nov 6, 2026 · Subscription database from Sep 29, 2026 (38 days old)

All data side by side

The better value is bold. For ratings only when the gap is clear.

KennzahlGrok Imagine Image 2.0Seedream 5.0 Lite
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better1,317n/a
Arena rankRank 5 of 21n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating10,830n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1007367
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition7176
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details6889
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency7549
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization7756
API price
Per imagelower is better$0.06n/a
100 images$6n/a
Profile
ReleasedAug 7, 2026Feb 13, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locallyproprietaryunknown
Lifecycleno noticeStill-listed T2I/I2I model ID; Ark marks it as pending shutdown without giving a date in the reviewed source
AccessAPI, Web appAPI, Web app
Parametersnot publishednot published
Largest output2Knot consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model527

API prices for one image at 1,024 × 1,024 pixels according to Artificial Analysis.

Sources: Grok Imagine Image 2.0 model source (verified Sep 28, 2026) · Seedream 5.0 Lite model source, status source (verified Nov 1, 2026)

Arena ratings by category

From blind votes on LMArena. “Ahead” means the lead is clear.

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

The stored benchmark database contains no measurement for Grok Imagine Image 2.0 and Seedream 5.0 Lite from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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