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WaveSpeed AI alternativeElyum, pay only for keeps

WaveSpeed AI charges every completed generation; Elyum returns a free preview and only bills the takes you KEEP.

Only on Elyum · Keep what you love. Every render is a free preview; keep it to pay, kill it for a full refund.
Try Elyum freeSee pricingOur algorithm may grant you 150 free credits · no card required
Real Seedance 2.5 output, rendered on Elyum, untouched. Prompt: “Macro slow motion: a hummingbird hovers at a red trumpet flower, iridescent feathers shimmering, dew drops scattering, soft green garden bokeh.”
WaveSpeed AI fromFree tier
Elyum from$9/mo · Free plan
Bad renders on WaveSpeed AISee policy below
Bad renders on ElyumKill for a full refund
Facts verified2026-09-07

WaveSpeed AI is a pay-per-use inference platform: 1,000+ third-party image, video, audio, and 3D models behind one API key, one bill, a playground, and a ComfyUI node pack. It is an aggregator, not a first-party model lab. Seedance, Wan, Veo, Nano Banana, Kling, Grok Imagine, FLUX, MiniMax, and GPT Image land there quickly, often within days of upstream release. WaveSpeed AI's pricing page lists no subscription tiers. You pay per image or per video-second. Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Ultra account tiers unlock higher rate limits from cumulative top-up spend. For a developer who wants breadth and a single invoice, that design is the win.

The friction is billing shape, not catalog size. There are no plans. Costs scale with every completed call across many unit prices. WaveSpeed AI auto-refunds failed requests, system errors, and timeouts within about 3 hours, but a Sync Mode client timeout is not refunded if the job finished server-side. Trustpilot sat at 2.6/5 from 4 reviews at the September 2026 check. A Trustpilot reviewer wrote that a deposit was demanded mid-flow despite trial-credit messaging. Another wrote that about half of a batch of 20 purchased generations came back unusable, and that support did not answer email. A third said auto-topup set to $15 produced two $55 charges with no checkout confirmation.

Elyum is one studio and one credit balance across 50+ models. 1 credit is $0.01. Free is up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them) (no card). Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, Ultra $69/mo; top-ups exist. Pro and Ultra include fair-use unlimited images on selected models. Every render returns a free preview. KEEP is the only charge; KILL refunds automatically. Failed jobs are never billed. Free gets one kill a month; paid plans kill freely. Kept files have no watermark and include commercial use. The pricing page lists the live rates. A 5s Seedance 2.5 480p take is 40 credits ($0.40) only if you KEEP it, versus WaveSpeed AI's about $0.81-$0.90 per completed run.

This page is not for someone who needs WaveSpeed AI's full 1,000+ catalog, LoRA-heavy ComfyUI graphs, or LLM token APIs such as Claude Opus 4.8. Elyum does not ship a timeline editor, stock footage, talking-head avatars, a mobile app, team seats, or a community feed. If those are the job, stay. If the job is iterating Seedance, Wan, Kling, or Veo without paying for every discarded take, the rest of this page is the comparison.

Why people switch from WaveSpeed AI

  • Pay only when you KEEP

    On Elyum, credits move only when you KEEP a preview. WaveSpeed AI bills a completed Seedance 2.5 480p 5s run at about $0.81-$0.90, so three discarded iterations are three paid completions before you keep one.

  • Same Seedance clip, listed keep price

    WaveSpeed AI's Seedance 2.5 720p 5s run is about $1.80, while Elyum's keep is 95 credits ($0.95) on the Seedance 2.5 page, billed only after you accept the preview.

  • Plans instead of surprise top-ups

    WaveSpeed AI has no subscription tiers; reviewers describe top-ups around $100, $1k, and $10k, and one Trustpilot review said a $15 auto-topup setting billed two $55 charges with no checkout confirmation. Elyum is Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, Ultra $69/mo, at 1 credit = $0.01.

  • Failed jobs and unusable takes

    WaveSpeed AI auto-refunds failures, errors, and timeouts in about 3 hours per WaveSpeed AI's refund policy. Unusable completed videos are different: a Trustpilot reviewer said about half of 20 paid generations came back unusable, and Elyum's KILL refunds those takes.

  • Studio cut vs aggregator SKUs

    Elyum's listed rates already sit about 20% under Higgsfield, OpenArt, and Runway anchors. WaveSpeed AI is a pay-per-call aggregator, so compare a specific SKU on WaveSpeed vs Elyum for Seedance 2.5 instead of assuming every line wins.

Where WaveSpeed AI still wins

  • 1,000+ models and ComfyUI

    WaveSpeed AI's catalog is an order of magnitude larger: Vidu Q3, Qwen Image, Ideogram, Recraft, upscalers, 3D tools, plus LLM token APIs (Claude Opus 4.8 at $5 input / $25 output per 1M tokens). Elyum lists 50+ studio models and does not ship a ComfyUI node pack; WaveSpeed AI publishes WaveSpeedAI/wavespeed-comfyui.

  • No monthly plan required

    WaveSpeed AI has no subscription lock-in, and the refund-policy page says the balance never expires. If you generate in bursts and want prepaid Bronze-to-Ultra rate limits, that is simpler than Elyum's $9/$29/$69 months.

  • Faster, wider new-model API

    WaveSpeed AI typically listed Seedance 2.5, Wan 3.0, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, and Nano Banana 2/Pro shortly after launch, while Gemini Omni Flash was still described as weeks away from Google in WaveSpeed AI's own blog (not confirmed live). Breadth and API speed remain a reason to stay.

  • Per-second unit economics

    Granular per-image and per-second prices (Z Image Turbo at $0.005, FLUX 2 Klein at $0.008, Wan 2.2 Ultra Fast at $0.01/second) let a high-volume API shop optimize mix. Elyum's keep/kill studio is for iteration, not for shaving tenths of a cent across a thousand SKUs.

WaveSpeed AI vs Elyum, side by side

What mattersWaveSpeed AIElyum
Starting priceNo plans. $1 trial credits, then pay-as-you-go. Top-ups described around $100 / $1k / $10k.Free $0 (up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them)). Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, Ultra $69/mo.
Free tier$1 one-time trial credits, no card required. Some premium/partner models may be excluded. Not recurring.up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card. One kill per month on Free.
Bad or failed renderAuto-refund in about 3 hours for failures, errors, timeouts. Sync Mode client timeouts not auto-refunded if the job completed.Failed generation never charged. KILL refunds a completed take you reject.
Watermark on paidNot publishedNo watermark on kept paid takes
Flagship video modelsSeedance 2.5/2.0, Wan 3.0, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Grok Imagine 1.5, MiniMax H3 listed.Same set in the studio: Seedance 2.5/2.0, Wan 3.0, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Grok Imagine 1.5, MiniMax H3.
Flagship image modelsNano Banana 2/Pro, Seedream 5.0 Pro, GPT Image 2 listed. FLUX 2 Pro SKU not confirmed.Nano Banana 2/Pro, Seedream 5 Pro, GPT Image 2. Nano Banana 2 fair-use unlimited on Ultra.
Commercial useSeparate Commercial Use Policy page exists; specific terms not captured.Commercial use included on kept takes.
API or agent accessAPI-first, one key for all hosted models, playground, ComfyUI node pack.Web studio plus MCP (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor) and REST API.
Catalog and rate limits1,000+ models. Bronze/Silver/Gold/Ultra tiers raise limits with spend. Credits never expire.50+ models. One shared credit balance. No team seats.
Max clip (Seedance 2.5)Up to 30s single-shot; 480p/720p/1080p; about $0.81-$0.90 per 5s 480p run.Clips 4-30s. 5s 480p keep: 40 credits ($0.40).

WaveSpeed AI facts from its own pricing and help pages plus independent reviews, verified 2026-09-07 (sources at the end). Elyum numbers are computed from the live rate card.

What it actually costs

WaveSpeed AI's pricing page lists no plans. Billing is per generation: per image or per video-second. Published examples include Z Image Turbo at $0.005/image, FLUX 2 Klein at $0.008/image, Seedream 4.5 at $0.04/image, Wan 2.2 Ultra Fast at $0.01/second, and Veo 3.1 Fast at $0.15/second. Seedance 2.5 is about $0.81-$0.90 per 5s 480p run and about $1.80 per 5s 720p run. The free grant is $1 in one-time trial credits. Top-ups are manual (reviewers mention roughly $100 / $1k / $10k) with optional auto-topup. Credits do not expire.

Elyum sells months plus credits. Free is up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them). Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, Ultra $69/mo. 1 credit = $0.01. You can top up. Pro and Ultra add fair-use unlimited image generation on selected image models. Keep/kill sits on those rates: the preview is free, KEEP is the bill. Walk a Seedance 2.5 5s 480p clip. WaveSpeed AI charges about $0.81-$0.90 when the run completes. Elyum charges 40 credits ($0.40) only if you KEEP it. Two previews and one keep is one Elyum charge against two WaveSpeed AI completions at about $0.81-$0.90 each. Live rates sit on the model catalog.

Image lines split the same way. WaveSpeed AI lists Seedream 4.5 at $0.04/image (Seedream 5.0 Pro is offered; a 5.0 unit price was not in the research). Elyum's Seedream 5 Pro keep is 4 credits ($0.04). Nano Banana 2 is 3 credits ($0.03) at 1K, and Ultra includes fair-use unlimited on that model.

Same models, priced on Elyum

Models WaveSpeed AI also offers, with Elyum's live price for the shortest common take. Each one has a head-to-head page.

WaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Seedance 2.5Sharpest realism, native audio, up to 30 references — also edits clipsfrom 40 credits / 5s on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Seedance 2.0Strong realism, 9 images and 3 clips — also edits clipsfrom 30 credits / 5s on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Wan 3.0One take up to 30 s at 1080p, 10 images and 5 clips — also edits clipsfrom 15 credits / 5s on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Nano Banana 2Fast, sharp, keeps people and products exactly themselvesfrom 3 credits on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Nano Banana ProBest 4K images, near-perfect textfrom 5 credits on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Kling 3.0Strong, physical motion up to 15 sfrom 65 credits / 5s on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Veo 3.1Cinematic, native audio, speaks your dialoguefrom 105 credits / 5s on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Grok Imagine 1.5Stylised and quick, up to 15 sfrom 30 credits / 5s on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for Seedream 5 ProConsistent people, logical scenesfrom 4 credits on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for MiniMax H3The H3 look up to 4K, from text, a frame or referencesfrom 25 credits / 5s on ElyumWaveSpeed AI vs Elyum for GPT Image 2Near-perfect text, strong instruction followingfrom 6 credits on Elyum

What the models look like on Elyum

Seedance 2.0Aerial drone shot: a turquoise ocean wave curls and breaks over black volcanic sand, white foam drawing swirling patterns, bright daylight.
Wan 3.0One continuous shot: a paper boat drifts down a rain gutter stream through a miniature city of moss and pebbles, camera tracking alongside at water level, soft overcast light.

Why generate with Elyum?

  • Pay only for what you keep. Kill a take and every credit comes back.
  • 50+ video, image and audio models on one balance.
  • Rates about 20% under comparable platforms, and the cut is already in the price.
  • Kept files download clean and full quality, no watermark, commercial use included.
  • Works from the studio, or from Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor via MCP.
  • Free plan, our algorithm may grant you 150 credits, no card required.

Moving from WaveSpeed AI

  1. Export or re-download files you still need from WaveSpeed AI's playground or via prediction IDs. Credits there do not expire, so leftover balance can sit if you keep the account.
  2. Sign up free (up to 150 credits (our algorithm may grant them), no card). Open Wan 3.0 or Seedance 2.5 / Veo 3.1 and match the WaveSpeed AI checkpoint you were calling.
  3. Run a preview on that model. Judge the take. KEEP only what you will download; KILL the rest for a full refund. Free allows one kill a month; paid plans kill freely.
  4. If you came from WaveSpeed AI's API, wire Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor through Elyum's MCP server, or call the REST API. The studio balance still uses keep/kill.
  5. Leave WaveSpeed AI connected if you still need a SKU Elyum does not list (Vidu Q3, Qwen Image, 3D, or Claude Opus token metering). Dual-running is normal.

Frequently asked questions

Is Elyum cheaper than WaveSpeed AI?
On overlapping video SKUs, the keep is often lower. WaveSpeed AI's Seedance 2.5 480p 5s run is about $0.81-$0.90; Elyum's keep is 40 credits ($0.40). The 720p 5s Seedance 2.5 line is about $1.80 vs 95 credits ($0.95). Veo 3.1 Fast is $0.15/second on WaveSpeed AI vs 105 credits ($1.05) for a 5s 720p Elyum keep. WaveSpeed AI can still win on Z Image Turbo at $0.005/image and on SKUs Elyum does not sell. Iteration favors Elyum: discarded previews are free.
Does Elyum have the same models as WaveSpeed AI?
No. WaveSpeed AI lists 1,000+ models; Elyum lists 50+. Shared and live on both: Seedance 2.5 and 2.0, Wan 3.0, Nano Banana 2 and Pro, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Grok Imagine 1.5, Seedream 5 Pro, MiniMax H3, and GPT Image 2. WaveSpeed AI also has Vidu Q3, Qwen Image, Ideogram, Recraft, 3D tools, and LLM APIs. Gemini Omni Flash was not confirmed live in WaveSpeed AI's catalog in the research.
What happens to a bad render on Elyum vs WaveSpeed AI?
Elyum never charges a failed generation. A completed take you dislike can be KILLed for a full refund (one kill a month on Free; paid plans kill freely). WaveSpeed AI auto-refunds failed requests, system errors, and timeouts within about 3 hours. Sync Mode client timeouts are not auto-refunded if the job completed server-side; retrieve it by prediction ID. A Trustpilot reviewer wrote that about half of 20 purchased generations came back unusable, and that support did not respond to email.
Can I use WaveSpeed AI and Elyum together?
Yes. Keep WaveSpeed AI for ComfyUI, long-tail SKUs, or LLM token metering. Use Elyum for studio iteration on the shared flagships, or for MCP from Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor. WaveSpeed AI credits do not expire, so leftover balance is not a reason to rush a full cutover.
Does WaveSpeed AI have a free plan or subscriptions?
There is a one-time $1 trial credit grant with no card required. Some premium or partner models may be excluded. There are no subscription tiers. Rate limits scale on Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Ultra account tiers from cumulative top-up spend, not from a monthly seat.
Do WaveSpeed AI credits expire?
No. WaveSpeed AI's refund-policy page says the balance never expires. Elyum sells monthly plans plus a one-time Free grant of up to 150 credits (our algorithm may grant them) (Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, Ultra $69/mo, 1 credit = $0.01).
Is WaveSpeed AI's $1 trial enough to test video?
The grant is $1, once. Seedance 2.5 at about $0.81-$0.90 per 5s 480p run uses most of that dollar in a single completion. Veo 3.1 Fast at $0.15/second is about 6.6 seconds per $1. Reviewers also described a deposit prompt mid-flow despite trial messaging. Elyum's Free grant is up to 150 credits (our algorithm may grant them) (no card) and previews are free until KEEP.
Facts checked 2026-09-07
WaveSpeed AI pricing, policies and model availability on this page come from these sources. If something changed since, tell us and we will re-verify.
  1. WaveSpeed AI Pricing page (accessed 2026-09-07)
  2. Seedance 2.5 API — Pricing, Playground (accessed 2026-09-07)
  3. Browse 1000+ AI Models — WaveSpeed model catalog (accessed 2026-09-07)
  4. WaveSpeedAI Refund Policy (accessed 2026-09-07)
  5. Wavespeed AI reviews - Trustpilot (accessed 2026-09-07)
  6. Gemini Omni Flash Shipped: what actually launched — WaveSpeed Blog (accessed 2026-09-07)
  7. WaveSpeed Pricing Explained: How Billing Works + Cost Examples (2026) (accessed 2026-09-07)
  8. WaveSpeedAI ComfyUI node pack — GitHub (accessed 2026-09-07)

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The models you use on WaveSpeed AI, plus the ones it doesn't have, on one balance. Every render is a free preview.

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