Actually, many third-party API providers also have official agreements with ByteDance. The main difference is that their pricing is usually quite a bit higher.
Here’s a recent comparison I made:
| Provider | Fast 720p | Pro 720p | Human References |
|---|---|---|---|
| BytePlus (Official API) | $0.12/s | $0.152/s | No |
| SeeGen AI | $0.13/s | $0.16/s | Yes |
| PiAPI | $0.16/s | $0.20/s | Yes |
| AtlasCloud | $0.159/s | $0.194/s | No |
| Replicate | $0.15/s | $0.18/s | No |
| Fal AI | $0.242/s | $0.302/s | No |
So BytePlus is still the cheapest official option, but some third-party providers offer additional features such as support for real human references.