Comparison · WaveSpeed
The WaveSpeed AI Alternative for Cheaper 3D and Images
Synexa is a WaveSpeed AI alternative with one API for image, video, audio and 3D models, billed per request: Hunyuan3D 3.1 at $0.16 against WaveSpeed's $0.30 starting price. Here is where it is cheaper, where WaveSpeed wins, and how to switch.
- Pay per request, no subscription
- Hunyuan3D from $0.025
- $0.10 free credit on sign-up
- Python, Node and plain HTTP
Synexa or WaveSpeed: the short verdict
Pick Synexa as your WaveSpeed AI alternative if most of your spend goes to 3D, Nano Banana Pro or cheap fast images. Stay on WaveSpeed if you need language models, the widest catalog, a bigger free trial or GPT Image 2 at its lower price.
- Turn images into 3D: Hunyuan3D 3.1 is $0.16 and Hunyuan3D 2 is $0.025 a request, against WaveSpeed's $0.30 starting price
- Generate with Nano Banana Pro: $0.10 an image against $0.14
- Run bulk drafts on Z-Image Turbo: $0.002 an image against $0.005
- Want one flat price per request shown on every model page
- Need language models such as Claude or GPT through the same key
- Use GPT Image 2 heavily: $0.01 an image against Synexa's $0.10
- Want a $1 free trial instead of $0.10
- Need no-code apps, a desktop app or a signed enterprise SLA
What is WaveSpeedAI, and why look for an alternative?
WaveSpeedAI is an inference platform founded in 2025 and based in Singapore. It advertises more than 1,000 image, video, audio, 3D and language models behind one REST API, plus no-code generators, a desktop app and enterprise plans. Billing is pay-per-use with no monthly fee, and eligible new accounts get $1 in free credit without a card.
People look for a WaveSpeed AI alternative for three reasons: the per-model price on the models they actually use, a simpler bill, and a catalog that fits a media-focused product. WaveSpeed's list shows a starting price at the lowest resolution or quality, and the final cost scales with resolution, duration and other settings. Synexa lists one price per request for most models, and per-second or per-character pricing only where the output length varies.
Synexa is a generative media API: image generation and editing, video, speech and music, upscaling and image-to-3D, all called with one key. It does not serve chat LLMs such as Claude or GPT; its only text outputs are LLaVA-13B image answers and Whisper speech transcripts. Browse the full catalog in Explore.
Synexa vs WaveSpeedAI: features side by side
How Synexa stacks up as a WaveSpeed AI alternative on public features, as of November 2026.
Billing model
- Synexa
- Pay per request (per second or per 1k characters on some models)
- WaveSpeed
- Pay per use; starting prices scale with settings
Free credit for new accounts
- Synexa
- $0.10, Google sign-in
- WaveSpeed
- $1 for eligible accounts, no card
Image models
- Synexa
- Yes, including Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2, Seedream, Ideogram, Recraft, FLUX
- WaveSpeed
- Yes, including Seedream, Nano Banana, GPT Image, Qwen Image
Video models
- Synexa
- Yes, including Veo 3.1, Seedance, Kling, Hailuo, Wan
- WaveSpeed
- Yes, including Seedance, Wan, Kling, Veo, MiniMax
Image-to-3D
- Synexa
- Hunyuan3D 2 and 3.1, TRELLIS, TRELLIS 2, Tripo, Meshy
- WaveSpeed
- Hunyuan3D v3, Tripo and Meshy, among others
Speech, music, sound
- Synexa
- Yes, including ElevenLabs, Kokoro, Suno, Lyria 2, Whisper v3
- WaveSpeed
- Yes
Language models (LLMs)
- Synexa
- Not offered (image captioning and speech-to-text only)
- WaveSpeed
- Yes, including Claude, GPT and Gemini models
Clients
- Synexa
- Python, Node, HTTP
- WaveSpeed
- Python, JavaScript, HTTP, CLI and MCP
No-code tools
- Synexa
- Model playgrounds
- WaveSpeed
- Generators, apps and a desktop app
Enterprise
- Synexa
- Enterprise features mentioned in docs; no public plan or SLA
- WaveSpeed
- Volume discounts, SLAs, dedicated support
| Feature | Synexa | WaveSpeed |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | Pay per request (per second or per 1k characters on some models) | Pay per use; starting prices scale with settings |
| Free credit for new accounts | $0.10, Google sign-in | $1 for eligible accounts, no card |
| Image models | Yes, including Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2, Seedream, Ideogram, Recraft, FLUX | Yes, including Seedream, Nano Banana, GPT Image, Qwen Image |
| Video models | Yes, including Veo 3.1, Seedance, Kling, Hailuo, Wan | Yes, including Seedance, Wan, Kling, Veo, MiniMax |
| Image-to-3D | Hunyuan3D 2 and 3.1, TRELLIS, TRELLIS 2, Tripo, Meshy | Hunyuan3D v3, Tripo and Meshy, among others |
| Speech, music, sound | Yes, including ElevenLabs, Kokoro, Suno, Lyria 2, Whisper v3 | Yes |
| Language models (LLMs) | Not offered (image captioning and speech-to-text only) | Yes, including Claude, GPT and Gemini models |
| Clients | Python, Node, HTTP | Python, JavaScript, HTTP, CLI and MCP |
| No-code tools | Model playgrounds | Generators, apps and a desktop app |
| Enterprise | Enterprise features mentioned in docs; no public plan or SLA | Volume discounts, SLAs, dedicated support |
"Not listed" means the feature is not on that provider's public pages, not that it is impossible.
WaveSpeed AI pricing vs Synexa, model by model
Same model or the closest version on both platforms, so you can see where a WaveSpeed AI alternative actually saves money. List prices as of November 2026. WaveSpeed figures are its published starting prices; Synexa figures are the per-request prices on each model page.
Hunyuan3D (3.1 and 2 on Synexa, v3 on WaveSpeed)
- Synexa
- $0.16 (3.1), $0.025 (2)
- WaveSpeed
- from $0.30 (v3)
- 1,000 outputs on Synexa vs WaveSpeed
- $160 or $25 vs $300
Nano Banana Pro
- Synexa
- $0.10 / image
- WaveSpeed
- from $0.14 / image
- 1,000 outputs on Synexa vs WaveSpeed
- $100 vs $140
Z-Image Turbo
- Synexa
- $0.002 / image
- WaveSpeed
- from $0.005 / image
- 1,000 outputs on Synexa vs WaveSpeed
- $2 vs $5
GPT Image 2
- Synexa
- $0.10 / image
- WaveSpeed
- from $0.01 / image
- 1,000 outputs on Synexa vs WaveSpeed
- $100 vs $10
Seedance 2.5 (video)
- Synexa
- $0.22 / second (priced at 720p)
- WaveSpeed
- from $0.18 / second
- 1,000 outputs on Synexa vs WaveSpeed
- 1,000 five-second clips: $1,100 vs $900
Free trial credit
- Synexa
- $0.10
- WaveSpeed
- $1
- 1,000 outputs on Synexa vs WaveSpeed
- about 1 vs 7 Nano Banana Pro images
| Model | Synexa | WaveSpeed | 1,000 outputs on Synexa vs WaveSpeed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunyuan3D (3.1 and 2 on Synexa, v3 on WaveSpeed) | $0.16 (3.1), $0.025 (2) | from $0.30 (v3) | $160 or $25 vs $300 |
| Nano Banana Pro | $0.10 / image | from $0.14 / image | $100 vs $140 |
| Z-Image Turbo | $0.002 / image | from $0.005 / image | $2 vs $5 |
| GPT Image 2 | $0.10 / image | from $0.01 / image | $100 vs $10 |
| Seedance 2.5 (video) | $0.22 / second (priced at 720p) | from $0.18 / second | 1,000 five-second clips: $1,100 vs $900 |
| Free trial credit | $0.10 | $1 | about 1 vs 7 Nano Banana Pro images |
WaveSpeed's starting prices apply at the lowest resolution or quality; higher settings cost more. The last column is our arithmetic from the list prices.
Where WaveSpeedAI falls short
The gaps show up in price, not features. For image-to-3D, WaveSpeed's Hunyuan3D v3 starts at $0.30 a model. Synexa's Hunyuan3D 3.1 is $0.16 and Hunyuan3D 2 is $0.025, so 1,000 models cost $160 or $25 instead of $300. Synexa also lists TRELLIS at $0.02, Tripo at $0.16 and Meshy at $0.40 for image-to-3D, so you can match price to quality per asset.
The same pattern holds for Nano Banana Pro, at $0.10 against a $0.14 starting price, and for Z-Image Turbo, at $0.002 against $0.005.
The other gap is predictability. A WaveSpeed starting price is the floor, and the playground preview shows the real cost for your settings. Most Synexa models charge one flat amount per request, and each model page shows how many requests $1 buys. Budgeting a batch job is one multiplication. Lower 3D prices and that predictability are where a WaveSpeed AI alternative earns its keep in asset pipelines.
When WaveSpeed is the better pick
Be honest about your workload. If your app needs a language model and a media model behind one bill, WaveSpeed offers both, while Synexa has no LLMs. WaveSpeed is also far cheaper for GPT Image 2 ($0.01 against $0.10), a little cheaper on Seedance 2.5 video ($0.18 against $0.22 a second), and its $1 trial is ten times Synexa's $0.10. If those are your main models, a WaveSpeed AI alternative will not save you money.
- You need LLMs and media models on one key
- Most of your volume is GPT Image 2 or Seedance 2.5
- You want an enterprise SLA, volume discounts or a desktop app
Why Synexa works as a WaveSpeed AI alternative
Synexa fits products whose spend is mostly 3D, Nano Banana Pro or high-volume cheap images. The prices are flat per request, the catalog covers image, video, audio, upscaling and 3D, and one API key works for all of it. Upscaling is cheap too: Real-ESRGAN costs $0.0015 a request and GFPGAN face restore $0.0008. See the Tencent models on Synexa for the full 3D line.
- Hunyuan3D 3.1 at $0.16, Hunyuan3D 2 at $0.025
- Nano Banana Pro at $0.10 an image
- Flat per-request prices on most models
How to switch from WaveSpeed to Synexa in 4 steps
Moving to a WaveSpeed AI alternative is mostly a new base URL and key, because both are REST APIs that take a model name and a JSON input.
Create a key
Map your models
google/nano-banana-pro or tencent/hunyuan3d-3.1, and each page lists its inputs and price.Change the call
api.synexa.ai/v1/predictions with an x-api-key header and a body of model plus input, or install the synexa package for Python or Node. The quickstart has copy-paste examples.Compare and top up
How to compare WaveSpeed AI pricing fairly
A fair test takes an afternoon and saves guessing.
- Price your real settings: resolution, duration and output count
- Compare the same model version on both sides
- Count the cost of 1,000 outputs, not one
- Check the free credit against what one test run costs
- Compare a starting price with a full-resolution price
- Assume a model with the same family name is the same version
- Move LLM traffic to Synexa; it does not serve language models
- Skip a side-by-side quality check on your own prompts
Related pages
New models and more on Synexa's catalog.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best WaveSpeed AI alternative?
For media-heavy apps that lean on 3D or Nano Banana Pro, Synexa is a strong pick. Hunyuan3D 3.1 costs $0.16 a model against WaveSpeed's $0.30 starting price, Hunyuan3D 2 costs $0.025, and Nano Banana Pro costs $0.10 against $0.14, as of November 2026. If you also need language models on the same bill, WaveSpeed covers that and Synexa does not.
How does WaveSpeed AI pricing work?
WaveSpeed is pay-per-use with no monthly fee. You add credit and each generation is charged from it. Its price list shows a starting price per image, per second of video or per million tokens, set at the lowest resolution or quality, and higher settings cost more. Account levels from Bronze to Ultra depend on the size of a single top-up.
Is WaveSpeedAI free?
Not beyond the trial. Eligible new WaveSpeed accounts get $1 in free credit with no card required, and some premium models may not accept trial credit. After that you pay per use. Synexa gives new accounts $0.10 of credit, which covers testing cheap models like Z-Image Turbo at $0.002 an image or Hunyuan3D 2 at $0.025 a model.
Is Synexa cheaper than WaveSpeed?
On some models, yes, and on others, no. Synexa is cheaper for Hunyuan3D (from $0.025 against $0.30), Nano Banana Pro ($0.10 against $0.14) and Z-Image Turbo ($0.002 against $0.005). WaveSpeed is cheaper for GPT Image 2 ($0.01 against $0.10) and Seedance 2.5 video ($0.18 against $0.22 a second). Price the models you actually use.
Does Synexa offer language models like WaveSpeed?
No. Synexa's catalog covers image generation and editing, video, speech, music and sound, upscaling and image-to-3D. It does not serve text-generation models such as Claude, GPT or Tencent Hy4. Many teams call an LLM provider directly for text and use Synexa for the media their app generates, which keeps each bill simple.
How hard is it to move from WaveSpeed to Synexa?
Usually an hour or two of work, which makes Synexa an easy WaveSpeed AI alternative to test. Both are REST APIs that take a model name and a JSON input. On Synexa you POST to the predictions endpoint with an x-api-key header, or use the Python or Node package. Map each WaveSpeed model to its Synexa owner/name ID, check the input fields on the model page, and run both side by side.
Which is the cheaper Hunyuan3D API, Synexa or WaveSpeed?
Synexa, as of November 2026. Synexa lists Tencent's Hunyuan3D 3.1 at $0.16 a request and Hunyuan3D 2 at $0.025, while WaveSpeed lists Hunyuan3D v3 from $0.30. At 1,000 models that is $160 or $25 on Synexa against at least $300. Synexa also offers TRELLIS, TRELLIS 2, Tripo and Meshy for image-to-3D.
What is the minimum top-up on Synexa?
Credit packs on Synexa start at $100, with $500 and $1,000 packs or a custom amount of $100 or more. New accounts get $0.10 of free credit first, so you can test before paying. WaveSpeed's minimum top-up is not listed on its pricing page; its account level depends on the size of a single top-up.
Try the WaveSpeed AI alternative
Run Hunyuan3D, Nano Banana Pro and the rest of Synexa's image, video, audio and 3D catalog with one API key. Pay per request and start with $0.10 free credit.