ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Seed 2.0 Mini vs Seed 1.6 Flash

Too close to call on our weighted score (Seed 2.0 Mini 80, Seed 1.6 Flash 78). The right pick depends on what you value most.

  1. ByteDance Seed

    Seed 2.0 Mini

    Released Feb 14, 2026

    80/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.03 / $0.297
    • Context256K
  2. ByteDance Seed

    Seed 1.6 Flash

    Released Aug 28, 2025

    78/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.022 / $0.223
    • Context256K
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Too close to call

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Seed 2.0 Mini 80/100, Seed 1.6 Flash 78/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Seed 1.6 Flash on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceSeed 1.6 FlashSeed 1.6 Flash $0.072 · Seed 2.0 Mini $0.097 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameSeed 2.0 Mini 256,000 · Seed 1.6 Flash 256,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSeed 2.0 MiniSeed 2.0 Mini: Text, Images, Video · Seed 1.6 Flash: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightSeed 2.0 MiniSeed 1.6 Flash
Price50%98100
Inputs & features30%8070
Context window20%3636
Overall100%80/10078/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Seed 2.0 Mini vs Seed 1.6 Flash specifications side by side
SpecificationSeed 2.0 MiniByteDance SeedSeed 1.6 FlashByteDance Seed
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.03$0.022 (best)
Output$0.297$0.223 (best)
Cached input$0.0059$0.0044 (best)
Blended (3:1)$0.097$0.072 (best)
Long-context rateOver 32K: $0.059 / $0.594Over 32K: $0.045 / $0.445
Price sourceOfficial Volcengine Ark APIOfficial Volcengine Ark API
Limits
Context window256,000 tokens256,000 tokens
Max output32,000 tokens32,000 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYesminimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · maxYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesYes
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDdoubao-seed-2-0-mini-260428doubao-seed-1-6-flash-250828
API providers8 (best)2
ReleasedFeb 14, 2026Aug 28, 2025
Knowledge cutoff——
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Seed 2.0 Mini$0.891
  • Seed 1.6 Flash$0.668
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Seed 2.0 Mini or Seed 1.6 Flash?

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Seed 2.0 Mini 80/100, Seed 1.6 Flash 78/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Seed 1.6 Flash on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Seed 2.0 Mini or Seed 1.6 Flash?

Seed 1.6 Flash is cheaper at $0.022 input / $0.223 output per million tokens (official Volcengine Ark API price). Seed 2.0 Mini costs $0.03 input / $0.297 output per million tokens (official Volcengine Ark API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.072 per million tokens for Seed 1.6 Flash versus $0.097 for Seed 2.0 Mini (1.3× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Seed 2.0 Mini has not been scored yet and Seed 1.6 Flash has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Seed 2.0 Mini and Seed 1.6 Flash yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Seed 2.0 Mini and Seed 1.6 Flash share the same 256,000-token context window. Maximum output per response: Seed 2.0 Mini up to 32,000, Seed 1.6 Flash up to 32,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Seed 2.0 Mini accepts text, images and video; Seed 1.6 Flash accepts text and images. Seed 2.0 Mini handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

No. Seed 2.0 Mini and Seed 1.6 Flash are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

Seed 2.0 Mini is the newest, released Feb 14, 2026. Seed 1.6 Flash came out Aug 28, 2025.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.