Verified 2026 API Rates • Prompt Caching & Batch ROI

Tencent: Hy4 vs ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo

Compare real-world API costs for Tencent: Hy4 ($0.417/$1.2505) vs ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo ($0.5/$2.5). Calculate Prompt Caching ROI & Batch API savings.

Tencent: Hy4 saves up to 17% on base input tokens
Tencent

Tencent: Hy4

hy4
Base Input Rate
$0.42 / 1M
Output Rate
$1.25 / 1M
Prompt Cache Read
$0.021 / 1M (-94.96%)
Cache Write Surcharge
$0.00 (Free write)
Batch API Discount
Not Supported
Context Window
1,048.576k tokens
Quality Index (MMLU)
88
ByteDance

ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo

seed-2-1-turbo
Base Input Rate
$0.50 / 1M
Output Rate
$2.50 / 1M
Prompt Cache Read
$0.20 / 1M (-60%)
Cache Write Surcharge
$0.00 (Free write)
Batch API Discount
Not Supported
Context Window
262.144k tokens
Quality Index (MMLU)
88
Differential Module 1

Prompt Caching ROI & Write Surcharge Break-Even Analysis

Prompt caching drastically reduces input token costs for static prefixes like system prompts, tool schemas, and document chunks. Compare caching mechanisms between Tencent: Hy4 and ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo:

Tencent: Hy4 Caching Profile-94.96% read discount

  • Cached Read Price: $0.021 per 1M tokens.
  • Write Surcharge: $0.00 (automatic caching with zero write penalty).
  • Minimum Cache Prefix: 1,024 tokens.
  • Amortization Rule: Immediate net savings from first cached read call.

ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo Caching Profile-60% read discount

  • Cached Read Price: $0.200 per 1M tokens.
  • Write Surcharge: $0.00 (automatic caching with zero write penalty).
  • Minimum Cache Prefix: 1,024 tokens.
  • Amortization Rule: Immediate net savings from first cached read call.
Differential Module 2

Batch API 50% Discount Offload vs Real-Time SLA

Asynchronous Batch APIs cut total token expenditures in half (50% off input and output) in exchange for non-realtime execution (up to 24-hour turnaround SLA).

Model / ArchitectureStandard Input / OutputBatch 50% Off Input / OutputTurnaround SLAOptimal Use Cases
Tencent: Hy4$0.42 / $1.25Standard on-demand rateInstant real-timeBulk evaluation, dataset labeling, background summarization
ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo$0.50 / $2.50Standard on-demand rateInstant real-timeOffline document translation, embedding backfills, test suites
Differential Module 3

Context Window Escalation & Tiered Pricing Architecture

Massive context windows allow ingesting entire repositories or books, but pricing models differ drastically between flat-rate vendors and tiered step-up pricing.

Tencent: Hy4 Context Capacity

Provides a 1,048.576k token context window with a maximum output limit of 65.536k tokens.✓ Flat-rate billing across all prompt sizes up to max context ceiling.

ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo Context Capacity

Provides a 262.144k token context window with a maximum output limit of 235.929k tokens.✓ Flat-rate billing across all prompt sizes up to max context ceiling.

Quill Strategic Content

Real-World Production Scenarios: Monthly Spend Projections

Pre-computed monthly engineering bill projections across 3 representative enterprise application workloads:

Scenario 1

RAG Knowledge Base & Enterprise Search

100,000 queries/month, 3,500 input tokens (system + 5 retrieved chunks), 400 output tokens, 75% prompt cache hit rate.

Tencent: Hy4:$92.02/mo
ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo:$196.25/mo
Delta Savings:-$104.23 (53%)
Architecture Verdict:Tencent: Hy4 delivers 53% lower monthly spend ($104.23/mo savings) for this workload profile.
Scenario 2

Multi-Turn Coding Agent & ReAct Loops

25,000 tasks/month, 8,000 input tokens (accumulating conversation context & tool schemas), 1,200 output tokens, 85% cache hit rate.

Tencent: Hy4:$53.59/mo
ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo:$124.00/mo
Delta Savings:-$70.41 (57%)
Architecture Verdict:Tencent: Hy4 delivers 57% lower monthly spend ($70.41/mo savings) for this workload profile.
Scenario 3

High-Throughput Offline Data Extraction

500,000 records/month, 1,500 input tokens, 250 output tokens, 100% batch offload (24-hour turnaround SLA).

Tencent: Hy4:$409.66/mo
ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo:$642.50/mo
Delta Savings:-$232.84 (36%)
Architecture Verdict:Tencent: Hy4 delivers 36% lower monthly spend ($232.84/mo savings) for this workload profile.
ミリ秒単位の対話型シミュレータ

Tencent: Hy4 vs ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo

エンタープライズの代表的な3大ユースケース(RAG検索、コーディングAgent、バッチ抽出)で精密試算:

Live 50ms Engine
月間リクエスト数 (Requests)100,000
入力トークン数/回 (Input Tokens)4,000
出力トークン数/回 (Output Tokens)1,000
Prompt キャッシュヒット率 (Cache Hit)70%
Batch API 分流比率0%
Tencent: Hy4 安価

月間推定削減額

Tencent: Hy4$180.97$1.810// 1,000リクエスト
vs
ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo$366.00$3.660// 1,000リクエスト
Developer FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions: Tencent: Hy4 vs ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo

Authoritative answers on API rate limits, pricing math, break-even thresholds, and architectural migration.

1Which model is cheaper overall: Tencent: Hy4 or ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo?

At base pricing, Tencent: Hy4 costs $0.417/1M input and $1.2505/1M output, while ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo costs $0.5/1M input and $2.5/1M output. The cheaper option depends on your input-to-output token ratio and whether prompt caching or batch discounts are utilized.

2How does Prompt Caching impact the cost of Tencent: Hy4 vs ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo?

Tencent: Hy4 offers a 94.96% read discount ($0.021/1M), whereas ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo provides a 60% read discount ($0.2/1M). High cache hit ratios (>70%) significantly compress the cost delta in agentic and RAG architectures.

3Can I use Batch API with Tencent: Hy4 or ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo to save 50%?

Tencent: Hy4 does not have a native 50% batch endpoint. ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo uses low base on-demand pricing.

4What are the context window limits and tiered pricing rules for Tencent: Hy4 vs ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo?

Tencent: Hy4 features a 1,048.576k context window with flat per-token pricing. In comparison, ByteDance Seed: Seed 2.1 Turbo supports 262.144k tokens with flat per-token pricing.