Seed Models by ByteDance
ByteDanceProprietary
ByteDance releases · 19 in the last 12 months · this family litChangelog →
7 models2024–2026Up to 256k ctxFrom $0.075/1M input
Last refreshed 2026-07-10. Next refresh: weekly.
Details
ResearcherByteDance
LicenseProprietary
Commercial useCommercial use: conditional
Models7
Released2024–2026
Max context256k
Capabilities
Vision4 of 7 models
Multimodal4 of 7 models
Reasoning3 of 7 models
JSON / Tool use4 of 7 models
Structured Outputs3 of 7 models
Links
WebsiteAbout
ByteDance Seed's multimodal foundation-model family for general reasoning, vision and coding tasks, served through Volcengine Model Ark. The family includes separately addressable legacy routes that remain live while scheduled for retirement.
Decision facts
- Best fit
- codingvision and multimodal workreasoning
- Capability starting point
- Seed 1.6 with 256k context and reasoning, JSON / Tool use, structured outputs, and multimodal inputs
- Lowest tracked input
- Seed 1.6 Flash · $0.075/1M · OpenRouter
- Closest related family
- BAGEL
Current Variants
Use-when guidance is based on each model's tracked capabilities, context window, release date, and replacement status.
7 in view
Seed 1.6Current
Use when the workload needs 256k context, reasoning, and JSON / Tool use.
2026-03256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use
Seed 1.6 FlashCurrent
Use when the workload needs 256k context, reasoning, and JSON / Tool use.
2026-03256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use
Seed 1.8Current
Use when the workload needs 256k context, reasoning, and JSON / Tool use.
2025-12256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use
Seed 1.6 VisionCurrent
Use when the workload needs vision, JSON / Tool use, and multimodal inputs.
2025-08visionJSON / Tool usemultimodal inputs
| Model | Use when | Released | Signals | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed 1.6 | Use when the workload needs 256k context, reasoning, and JSON / Tool use. | 2026-03 | 256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use | Current |
| Seed 1.6 Flash | Use when the workload needs 256k context, reasoning, and JSON / Tool use. | 2026-03 | 256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use | Current |
| Seed 1.8 | Use when the workload needs 256k context, reasoning, and JSON / Tool use. | 2025-12 | 256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use | Current |
| Seed Code Preview | Use when the workload needs coding. | 2025-10 | coding | Current |
| Seed 1.6 Vision | Use when the workload needs vision, JSON / Tool use, and multimodal inputs. | 2025-08 | visionJSON / Tool usemultimodal inputs | Current |
| Seed Large | Use when provider availability and model metadata match the workload. | 2024-09 | — | Current |
| Seed XL | Use when provider availability and model metadata match the workload. | 2024-09 | — | Current |
Release Timeline
5 release groups2026-03
2 current
Seed 1.6
Current256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use
Seed 1.6 Flash
Current256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use
2025-12
1 current
Seed 1.8
Current256k contextreasoningJSON / Tool use
2025-10
1 current
Seed Code Preview
Currentcoding
2025-08
1 current
Seed 1.6 Vision
CurrentvisionJSON / Tool usemultimodal inputs
2024-09
2 current
Current
Current
Specifications(7 models)
| Model | Released | Context | Vision | Multimodal | Reasoning | JSON / Tool use | Structured Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed 1.6 | 2026-03 | 256k | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Seed 1.6 Flash | 2026-03 | 256k | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Seed 1.8 | 2025-12 | 256k | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Seed Code Preview | 2025-10 | — | No | No | No | No | No |
| Seed 1.6 Vision | 2025-08 | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Seed Large | 2024-09 | — | No | No | No | No | No |
| Seed XL | 2024-09 | — | No | No | No | No | No |
Available From(3 providers)
Pricing
| Model | Provider | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed 1.6 Flash | OpenRouter | $0.075 | $0.3 | Serverless |
| Seed 1.6 | Vercel AI Gateway | $0.25 | $2 | Serverless |
| Seed 1.8 | Volcengine | $0.25 | $2 | Serverless |
| Seed 1.6 | OpenRouter | $0.25 | $2 | Serverless |
