Is Midjourney V8.2 better than Seedream 5.5?

Too close to call so far: in the BudgetPixel AI Image Arena, Midjourney V8.2 wins 50% and Seedream 5.5 50% of 10 blind head-to-head votes (ties 0%), within what chance alone would produce. The per-prompt results on this page show where each model wins.

Which is faster, Midjourney V8.2 or Seedream 5.5?

Seedream 5.5 is faster: 25.5s median per 1:1 image against 102.0s for Midjourney V8.2, measured on the same 4 prompts at default settings in the BudgetPixel AI Image Arena.

Which is cheaper, Midjourney V8.2 or Seedream 5.5?

Midjourney V8.2 is cheaper on BudgetPixel: 40 credits ($0.040) per 1:1 image against 46 credits ($0.046) for Seedream 5.5, at default settings.

How is this comparison made?

Both models render the identical prompt at default settings; voters see the two images blind and pick the better one. Model names are revealed only after the vote.

Midjourney V8.2 vs Seedream 5.5

4 identical prompts, default settings, blind community votes. Head-to-head: 50% preferred Midjourney V8.2, 50% preferred Seedream 5.5, 0 ties, 10 votes.

Midjourney V8.2 and Seedream 5.5 have met in 10 blind head-to-head votes on 4 identical prompts in the BudgetPixel AI Image Arena. The votes are too close to call so far: Midjourney V8.2 50%, Seedream 5.5 50%, 0 ties. Seedream 5.5 was faster, at 25.5s median per image against 102.0s for Midjourney V8.2.

Midjourney V8.2 in the arena Try Midjourney V8.2Seedream 5.5 overview Seedream 5.5 in the arena Try Seedream 5.5

Midjourney V8.2

Seedream 5.5

“Fog lifts around a pedestrian suspension bridge in contemporary Nordic engineering style, its weathering-steel cables anchored to granite pylons above a cedar-plank deck; cool sunrise light, viewed obliquely from the riverbank, reveals taut lines and credible supports.”Architecture & interiors
Midjourney V8.2 · 98.2s · 40 crTry
Seedream 5.5 · 26.7s · 41 crTry
“A phantom owl, ethereal and translucent, composed of moonlight and mist, silently gliding through a spectral, enchanted forest. Ancient trees with glowing, spectral eyes watch its passage, and a faint, otherworldly mist shrouds the path. The subject is a mythical creature in its natural, haunting habitat. The style blends surrealism and gothic fantasy.”Concept art & fantasy
Midjourney V8.2 · 105.8s · 40 crTry
Seedream 5.5 · 23.5s · 41 crTry
“A beautiful adult woman sitting on a stool in a modern brutalist-style kitchen, wearing black frills. She has long red hair and is calmly smoking a cigarette. Art rendered in a sophisticated scribbled ink sketch with watercolor and colored pencil rendering. Chiaroscuro effect. Architectural interior sketch with remnants of guideline sketches. She is resting while drinking a glass of whiskey.”Illustration & anime
Midjourney V8.2 · 117.2s · 40 crTry
Seedream 5.5 · 24.3s · 41 crTry
“Cyberpunk wallpaper, techno wallpaper with multiple colors of neon lights. Buildings and circuits.”Concept art & fantasy
Midjourney V8.2 · 97.1s · 40 crTry
Seedream 5.5 · 43.0s · 41 crTry

From the BudgetPixel blog

FAQ

Is Midjourney V8.2 better than Seedream 5.5?: Too close to call so far: in the BudgetPixel AI Image Arena, Midjourney V8.2 wins 50% and Seedream 5.5 50% of 10 blind head-to-head votes (ties 0%), within what chance alone would produce. The per-prompt results on this page show where each model wins.
Which is faster, Midjourney V8.2 or Seedream 5.5?: Seedream 5.5 is faster: 25.5s median per 1:1 image against 102.0s for Midjourney V8.2, measured on the same 4 prompts at default settings in the BudgetPixel AI Image Arena.
Which is cheaper, Midjourney V8.2 or Seedream 5.5?: Midjourney V8.2 is cheaper on BudgetPixel: 40 credits ($0.040) per 1:1 image against 46 credits ($0.046) for Seedream 5.5, at default settings.
How is this comparison made?: Both models render the identical prompt at default settings; voters see the two images blind and pick the better one. Model names are revealed only after the vote.