Recraft V4 from Recraft and Seedream 5 Pro from ByteDance, run on the same six prompts. Which one is better depends on the prompt, so the images are the comparison; the facts below are what differs regardless of prompt.
| Recraft V4 | Seedream 5 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Recraft | ByteDance |
| Credits per megapixel | 2 | 2 |
| Refinement | No | Yes |
| Native aspect ratios | 5 of 10 | 10 of 10 |
| Listed strengths | Typography, Realism | Versatile, Realism |
Unedited, at 1 megapixel, with the exact prompt each pair was given. How we ran the test.
What to look for: skin texture, natural light and a believable shallow depth of field.
“Close-up portrait of an elderly fisherman with a weathered face and grey stubble, wearing a yellow raincoat, soft overcast light from a window, shallow depth of field, 85mm photograph”
What to look for: both lines of text spelled correctly and placed on the sign, not floating beside it.
“A vintage enamel sign on a brick wall that reads "FRESH BREAD DAILY" in bold red serif letters, with "since 1962" in smaller script below, morning sunlight”
What to look for: glass, metal and water rendered convincingly in one studio setup.
“A frosted glass perfume bottle with a brass cap on wet black slate, droplets on the glass, soft rim light, reflections on the stone, studio product photography”
What to look for: exactly three red cubes on the sphere, with the cone on the left and the cylinder on the right.
“Three red cubes stacked on top of a blue sphere, a green cone to the left and a yellow cylinder to the right, on a black and white checkerboard floor, soft studio lighting”
What to look for: a consistent watercolor-and-ink style rather than a photo with a filter.
“Children's book illustration of a fox in a knitted scarf reading a book under a large mushroom in light rain, soft watercolor and ink, warm palette”
What to look for: mixed light sources, wet reflections and several subjects in one frame.
“A narrow street in Tokyo at night after rain, neon signs reflecting in puddles, a cyclist with an umbrella passing a lit ramen shop, cinematic”
Sending one prompt to several models at once is part of the Basic and Pro plans.
