Choosing the Right Image Model — GPT Image 2, Midjourney, or Seedream?

With so many image generation models available on Relay AI, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. Here's a practical guide to help you pick the best model for your use case.

GPT Image 2 — Best for Instruction Following

GPT Image 2 (OpenAI) excels at following detailed prompts with high fidelity. If you need precise control over composition, text rendering, or specific visual elements, this is your go-to model.

Best for: Product photos, marketing assets, images with text, detailed compositions

Pricing: 5 credits (low) / 8 credits (medium) / 12 credits (high) / 8 credits (auto)

Strengths:

• Excellent text rendering in images
• High instruction following accuracy
• Supports multiple aspect ratios
• Image-to-image editing via /images/edits

Midjourney — Best for Artistic Quality

Midjourney produces stunning, artistic images with a distinctive aesthetic. It's the go-to for creative projects where visual impact matters more than precision.

Best for: Concept art, illustrations, creative exploration, mood boards

Pricing: 12 credits per generation

Strengths:

• Exceptional aesthetic quality
• Strong artistic styles
• Great for creative exploration

Nano Banana Pro — Best Value

Nano Banana Pro offers excellent quality at a lower credit cost. With support for 10 aspect ratios and good instruction following, it's the best balance of quality and price.

Best for: General purpose, social media content, prototyping

Pricing: 6 credits per generation (flat)

Strengths:

• 10 aspect ratios supported
• Good instruction following
• Most affordable option

Seedream 5.0 — Best for Chinese-Style Art

ByteDance's Seedream models excel at generating images with East Asian aesthetics and styles. If your project targets Chinese or Asian markets, Seedream is the ideal choice.

Best for: Chinese-style art, Asian aesthetics, regional marketing

Pricing: 6 credits per generation

Strengths:

• Excellent Chinese/Asian style generation
• Supports image-to-image editing
• Multiple versions available (3.0 through 5.0)

Quick Comparison

Live pricing: For the most up-to-date pricing, see our Model Pricing page. All prices are in credits — 1 USD = 100 credits.

Model	Quality	Speed	Cost	Best For
GPT Image 2	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Medium	5-12 cr	Precision & text
Midjourney	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Slow	12 cr	Artistic quality
Nano Banana Pro	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Fast	6 cr	Value & speed
Seedream 5.0	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Medium	6 cr	Asian aesthetics
Flux Pro	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Fast	7 cr	Open-source quality
Ideogram	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Medium	7 cr	Typography

Our Recommendation

• Start with GPT Image 2 for most use cases — it's the most versatile
• Use Nano Banana Pro when you need speed and value
• Try Midjourney for creative projects where aesthetics matter most
• Use Seedream for region-specific content targeting Asian markets

All models are accessible through the same API endpoint — just change the model parameter. No additional integration needed.