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Seedream 4.5vs.GPT Image 1 Mini

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Neither has an API price.

Test images

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

Seedream 4.5: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
Seedream 4.544 out of 100
GPT Image 1 Mini: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
GPT Image 1 Mini74 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:GPT Image 1 Mini ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square premium product photograph of a brushed titanium wristwatch standing upright on dark green marble. The watch has a cream dial, thin black hands set to 10:10, twelve distinct hour markers, a realistic crown, and a dark brown leather strap. Soft window light from the left, controlled reflections, shallow depth of field, no text, no logo, no extra objects.

What the rating looks at: Materials, reflections, and fine details.

“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

Seedream 4.5: fal, requested native 2048x2048 square, n=1, seed=607017308, estimated cost $0.040000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 2:50 PM. Source

GPT Image 1 Mini: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, quality low, Fal rounds per-request image plus text-token cost up to $0.01 for the fixed prompts, estimated cost $0.010000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:52 PM. Source

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

Seedream 4.5 image SHA 256: 614d5b810be9f7cc54c999fb930e5bb1a7a5b58f7211a3b71aa92e83a360cf78

GPT Image 1 Mini image SHA 256: c0e2174457ec7197947f10d76d4c5a8fa49aec091b31652f0247cf7e11e903ba

Infographic

Seedream 4.5: fal, requested native 2048x2048 square, n=1, seed=467481828, estimated cost $0.040000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 2:51 PM. Source

GPT Image 1 Mini: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, quality low, Fal rounds per-request image plus text-token cost up to $0.01 for the fixed prompts, estimated cost $0.010000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:52 PM. Source

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

Seedream 4.5 image SHA 256: ec1e2be1080670edf050cff00a094ff471c1b480a11a3922cf8c25f0ef0f6a5e

GPT Image 1 Mini image SHA 256: 08bac6b96a08de0ca51bedd1b6f0648e65d24461446b15231e80f668aaf6d603

Product photography

Seedream 4.5: fal, requested native 2048x2048 square, n=1, seed=1880157282, estimated cost $0.040000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 2:50 PM. Source

GPT Image 1 Mini: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, quality low, Fal rounds per-request image plus text-token cost up to $0.01 for the fixed prompts, estimated cost $0.010000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:51 PM. Source

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

Seedream 4.5 image SHA 256: 48a36dede8c680fa8e2231ac33a95b1417dcded96ad753c98218cc78ed96a65b

GPT Image 1 Mini image SHA 256: a5e15f006cd5c689b9588fa55b37ea0d610cd9edb4bd167fabefda5d72f21480

Typography and layout

Seedream 4.5: fal, requested native 2048x2048 square, n=1, seed=775629027, estimated cost $0.040000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 2:50 PM. Source

GPT Image 1 Mini: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, quality low, Fal rounds per-request image plus text-token cost up to $0.01 for the fixed prompts, estimated cost $0.010000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:51 PM. Source

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

Seedream 4.5 image SHA 256: 62d4e5b0b3c9ca5a55952dc2c5aca878ed687c76f302ad632136bd3e6bee3872

GPT Image 1 Mini image SHA 256: 16fcb3be0f7ea7a48eabaacb5052ebccc221c00dd9ed3ff9d8e2f38f91b66c15

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better
n/a

Seedream 4.5

not in the arena

n/a

GPT Image 1 Mini

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
48

Seedream 4.5

Rank 64 of 108

51

GPT Image 1 Mini

Rank 59 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better
n/a

Seedream 4.5

no API price

n/a

GPT Image 1 Mini

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.

Seedream 4.5

Subscription
No ByteDance / Volcengine subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €6.36 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 39 plans in Germany.
Via API
No API price known. Access: API, Web app.
Weights
unknown.

GPT Image 1 Mini

Subscription
No OpenAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from €6.83 a month (Poe Basic, with limited points). 14 plans in Germany.
Via API
No API price known. Access: API.
Weights
unknown.

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

GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 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.

KennzahlSeedream 4.5GPT Image 1 Mini
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is bettern/an/a
Arena rankn/an/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer ratingn/an/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1004851
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition8468
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details4474
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency3731
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization2732
API price
Per imagelower is bettern/an/a
100 imagesn/an/a
Profile
Releasedn/an/a
Weightsopen means: runs locallyunknownunknown
LifecycleStill-listed T2I/I2I model ID; Ark marks it as pending shutdown without giving a date in the reviewed sourceDeprecated; API shutdown announced for December 1, 2026
AccessAPI, Web appAPI
Parametersnot publishednot published
Largest outputnot consistently publishednot consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model3914

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

Sources: Seedream 4.5 model source, status source (verified Nov 1, 2026) · GPT Image 1 Mini 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 Seedream 4.5 and GPT Image 1 Mini from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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