Recraft vs Seedream (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Recraft grades higher than Seedream: 2.6 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Recraft grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Recraft
Image and vector generator built for designers and brand work
Seedream
ByteDance's image generation and editing model, sold by the image
Which one is for you
Pick Recraft if
- Fits if you need icons and logos as SVGs you can edit
- Works for Figma and Framer users who want it inside the design tool
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to sell what you make on the free plan, as free images are public, belong to Recraft and can't be used commercially
- Not for you if video's the point, since Basic covers images only and video starts at Pro for $16
- Tight if your team wants to pool credits, as Teams credits are per seat, with a 2-seat minimum
- Watch out: monthly credits don't roll over, and top-ups at $2 per 200 are sold only on paid plans
- Tight if you stay free: 3 uploads a day, 2 images per prompt and Recraft's own models only
Pick Seedream if
- Fits if you generate images in volume and want to pay per image
- Works for developers who want an image model behind their own app
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a finished app with a gallery and editor, as this is a model
- Tight if you buy packs and use them slowly: they expire after 30 days and unused images are lost
- Pricey if you read the discounted prices as the real ones, since $6.99, $24.99 and $49.99 are for a first purchase only
- Watch out: versions 4.0, 5.0 Lite and 5.5 all appear across ByteDance pages, and the packs are stated for 5.5
How we grade them
| 2.6GPARecraftGood | 1.6GPASeedreamWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBasic is $10 a month on yearly billing ($12 monthly) for 1,000 credits, level with this category's cheaper quarter of $9.99. That's about 500 Recraft V4.1 images, plus partner models, private images and commercial rights. Video needs Pro at $16. | C$13.99 for 700 images, about 2 cents each, and $35.99 for 1,800. Those are pay-as-you-go packs the category's monthly figures can't be set against, so it sits in the middle. The cheaper first-purchase prices apply once. |
| Free plan and trial | CDaily credits on Recraft's own models, vectors included, but only 3 uploads a day and 2 images per prompt. Free images are public, belong to Recraft and can't be used commercially. | FNo free plan or trial on the listing. A first pack is discounted to $6.99, which is still a purchase. |
| Features | BEditable SVG icons, logos and illustrations, raster-to-vector, custom styles and brand palettes, editing, mockups, an assistant mode, and video on Pro. It covers the job, with vectors as its focus. | CText-to-image and prompt-based editing in one model, transparent backgrounds and multi-turn edits. It's a model, not a full app, so there is no gallery, library or editor around it. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. Styles, palettes, mockups and a canvas give a designer plenty to set up before it pays off. | CNo store rating on record. It's sold as API access and image packs, which suits people who are comfortable calling a model rather than opening an app. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension, with plugins for Figma, Framer, Google Docs and Google Slides and a separate API. No desktop app, which an A needs. | CWeb only, with an API through BytePlus. No phone or desktop apps and no integrations are named. |
| Best for | icons and logos as editable vectors | an image model bought by the pack or through an API |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Recraft and Seedream. How we grade
Where they differ
- Recraft also covers video generation.
At a glance
| Recraft | Seedream | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $10 per month for 1,000 credits, billed annually ($12 billed monthly) | $13.99 for 700 images, valid 30 days ($6.99 first purchase) |
| Free plan | Limited daily credits, 3 image uploads a day and up to 2 images per prompt, Recraft models only. Free images are public, owned by Recraft and not licensed for commercial use. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Recraft, Inc. | ByteDance |
| Price read from | recraft.ai | byteplus.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Recraft
- Free-plan images are public, belong to Recraft and cannot be used commercially.
- Video generation needs Pro or Teams; Basic covers images only.
- Monthly credits do not roll over. Top-ups cost $2 per 200 credits, never expire and are sold only on paid plans.
- Teams credits are assigned per seat and cannot be shared between members.
Seedream
- Seedream is a model, not an app of its own; the pages read here sell API access and image packs.
- Packs expire after 30 days and unused images are not carried over.
- The discounted prices apply to a first purchase only; the listed figure is the regular price.
- Versions 4.0, 5.0 Lite and 5.5 appear across ByteDance pages; the packs are stated for 5.5.
Key features
Recraft
- Vector generation
- Generates editable SVG icons, logos and illustrations, and converts raster images to vectors. Vector tools are on every plan, including Free.
- Custom styles and palettes
- Pick from a style library or create your own style from reference images, and set brand color palettes to keep a set of images consistent.
- Editing tools
- Edit with plain-language instructions, erase or modify areas, extend images, remove or replace backgrounds and upscale.
- Mockups
- Generate a product mockup and apply your own design to it inside Recraft Studio, at 2 credits per mockup.
- Agentic and manual modes
- Chat with an assistant that sets up generations over several turns, or control model, style, aspect ratio and artistic level by hand.
- Plugins and API
- Plugins for Figma, Framer, Google Docs, Google Slides and Chrome use your plan's credits; a separate API is billed in prepaid units.
Seedream
- Generation and editing in one model
- Seedream 4.0 combined text-to-image and prompt-based editing in a single architecture, according to ByteDance Seed's page.
- Multi-turn editing
- Seedream 5.5 makes targeted changes across successive edits while keeping the unedited parts of the image as they were.
- Transparent backgrounds
- Seedream 5.5 can output images with transparent or semi-transparent backgrounds, including separate layers.
- Multi-image fusion and series
- BytePlus lists multi-image fusion, image series generation, style transfer and element deletion or modification.
- Per-image API pricing
- BytePlus advertises image generation and editing from $0.02 per image through its API.
Plans
Recraft
Free$0
Daily credits for Recraft's own models, vector generation and basic editing; personal use only.
Basic$10
per month for 1,000 credits, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Partner image models, private images with commercial rights, credit top-ups. About 500 Recraft V4.1 images a month.
Pro$16
per month for 2,000 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Adds video models such as Kling and Veo and priority generation. Price rises with credits: $128 a month yearly at 16,000.
Teams$18
per seat / month for 2,000 credits, billed annually ($22 monthly)
Shared workspace and custom styles, central billing, SSO and 24/7 support. Credits are per seat. Minimum 2 seats.
Seedream
Starter$13.99
for 700 images, valid 30 days, paid once
Seedream 5.5 image pack. First purchase is $6.99 (50% off); unused images expire.
Professional$35.99
for 1,800 images, valid 30 days, paid once
Seedream 5.5 image pack. First purchase is $24.99 (31% off); unused images expire.
Team$69.99
for 3,500 images, valid 30 days, paid once
Seedream 5.5 image pack for heavy use. First purchase is $49.99 (29% off).
Ways to pay less
Recraft
- Annual discount
Save up to 20% with annual billing
Annual billing brings Basic from $12 to $10 a month, Pro from $20 to $16 and Teams from $22 to $18 per seat.
Seedream
- Other savings
First-purchase pack discount
New BytePlus customers pay $6.99, $24.99 or $49.99 for the three packs, 29% to 50% below the listed prices.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Recraft or Seedream?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Recraft starts at $10 per month for 1,000 credits, billed annually ($12 billed monthly), and Seedream starts at $13.99 for 700 images, valid 30 days ($6.99 first purchase).
Which has a free plan, Recraft or Seedream?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Recraft has a free plan. Seedream does not.
Which platforms do Recraft and Seedream run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Recraft lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.