Stable Diffusion 3.5 Mediumvs.Seedream 4.5

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.

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium: Typography and layout, first image from the fixed test run — Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium22 out of 100

Seedream 4.5: Typography and layout, first image from the fixed test run — Seedream 4.584 out of 100

Result for “Typography and layout”:Seedream 4.5 ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square editorial poster for an imaginary night train called MONDFALTER. Show the exact German headline MONDFALTER and the exact subline BERLIN NACH LISSABON. Use a restrained midnight-blue and warm-cream palette, one stylized moth, strong Swiss-grid typography, generous negative space, and no additional words or logos.

What the rating looks at: Legible text, hierarchy, and composition.

“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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:17 PM. Source

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

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium image SHA 256: 6b8aa732e94479ad302904096c5031908141e4083ee099f080185aa04c2ea800

Seedream 4.5 image SHA 256: 614d5b810be9f7cc54c999fb930e5bb1a7a5b58f7211a3b71aa92e83a360cf78

Infographic

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:17 PM. Source

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

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium image SHA 256: 61b12e227431387098e51c6ce6d059be9d8df9c85263b994bee62602e2ddfd16

Seedream 4.5 image SHA 256: ec1e2be1080670edf050cff00a094ff471c1b480a11a3922cf8c25f0ef0f6a5e

Product photography

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:16 PM. Source

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

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium image SHA 256: 2412a20e61c118ce7ab7ff83e285b96eb32d5c0f1171cc769e153db6655b8f67

Seedream 4.5 image SHA 256: 48a36dede8c680fa8e2231ac33a95b1417dcded96ad753c98218cc78ed96a65b

Typography and layout

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:16 PM. Source

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

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium image SHA 256: bc854c3269ea8bada6f764545f4a09abedc110219018c09f2fa5708a14d9af7e

Seedream 4.5 image SHA 256: 62d4e5b0b3c9ca5a55952dc2c5aca878ed687c76f302ad632136bd3e6bee3872

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium

not in the arena

n/a

Seedream 4.5

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium

Rank 90 of 108

Seedream 4.5

Rank 64 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium

no API price

n/a

Seedream 4.5

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.

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, local.
License: Open weights.

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.

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.

Kennzahl	Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium	Seedream 4.5
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	n/a
Arena rank	n/a	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	25	48
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	22	84
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	29	44
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	31	37
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	20	27
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	Oct 29, 2024	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	open	unknown
Lifecycle	no notice	Still-listed T2I/I2I model ID; Ark marks it as pending shutdown without giving a date in the reviewed source
Access	API, local	API, Web app
Parameters	2.5 billion	not published
Largest output	not consistently published	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	n/a	39

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

Sources: Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium model source (verified Nov 1, 2026) · Seedream 4.5 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 Stable Diffusion 3.5 Medium and Seedream 4.5 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

More comparisons

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