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Together AI Added Image & Video — But Can It Match WaveSpeedAI?

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Together AI Added Image & Video — But Can It Match WaveSpeedAI?

Together AI made its name as an LLM inference platform—fast, affordable, and OpenAI-compatible. In 2026, it added 40+ image and video models through a partnership with Runware, signaling a push into generative media.

But bolting multimedia onto an LLM platform isn’t the same as building one from the ground up. Here’s how Together AI’s new visual generation capabilities compare to WaveSpeedAI.

What Is Together AI?

Together AI is an inference and training platform valued at $3.3B, primarily known for running open-source LLMs at scale. It offers 200+ models across text, code, and now image and video categories, with an OpenAI-compatible API.

In 2026, Together AI partnered with Runware to add 15+ image models and 20+ video models. This expansion gives it multimedia capabilities, but the infrastructure is routed through a partner—not native to Together AI’s stack.

Head-to-Head: Visual Generation

FeatureTogether AIWaveSpeedAI
Image models~15 (via Runware)600+ (native)
Video models~20 (via Runware)50+ (native)
Image gen infrastructurePartner (Runware)Native, optimized
Speed (image)StandardSub-second on optimized models
Exclusive modelsNoneSeedream, Kling, Seedance, Wan
LoRA/ControlNetLimitedFull support
Image editing modelsLimitedExtensive (upscale, face swap, bg removal)
Pricing (FLUX dev)$0.025/megapixelCompetitive
Video pricingVia Runware ratesTransparent per-video
Core focusLLM inferenceVisual AI generation

The Partnership Problem

Together AI’s image and video generation is powered by Runware, not by Together AI’s own infrastructure. This means:

  • Not natively optimized: Together AI’s speed advantages (custom kernels, inference optimization) apply to LLMs, not to image/video generation
  • Additional latency: Requests route through a partner, adding overhead
  • Limited control: Together AI can’t optimize or customize the visual generation pipeline the way a native platform can
  • Dependency risk: If the Runware partnership changes, so does your image/video API

WaveSpeedAI’s visual generation is its core product—built, optimized, and maintained in-house. Every model is tuned for speed and reliability on WaveSpeedAI’s own infrastructure.

Where Together AI Excels

Together AI’s real strengths are in text inference, not visual generation:

  • 200+ LLM models with OpenAI-compatible API
  • $0.10–$3.50/M tokens — competitive LLM pricing
  • Fine-tuning pipeline: Full LoRA and DPO training support
  • GPU clusters: Dedicated compute for training workloads
  • OpenAI drop-in replacement: Change one line (base_url) to switch from OpenAI

If you need an LLM inference platform that also happens to do some image generation, Together AI works. If image and video generation is core to your product, WaveSpeedAI is purpose-built for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Together AI generate images natively?

No. Together AI’s image and video generation is powered by a partnership with Runware. The FLUX models run natively, but the broader multimedia catalog is routed through a partner.

Is Together AI good for image generation?

Together AI offers basic image generation (FLUX family) with decent quality. But with only ~15 image models and limited editing capabilities, it’s not competitive with dedicated visual AI platforms like WaveSpeedAI (600+ models).

Can I use Together AI for video generation?

Yes, Together AI recently added 20+ video models via Runware, including Veo 3, Sora 2, and Kling. However, this is a new addition and not native infrastructure.

Which is cheaper for image generation?

Together AI charges $0.025/megapixel for FLUX dev. WaveSpeedAI offers competitive pricing starting at $0.003/image for optimized models. For high-volume image generation, WaveSpeedAI’s pricing and native optimization make it more cost-effective.

Bottom Line

Together AI is an excellent LLM inference platform that recently added visual generation capabilities. For teams that primarily need text inference and occasionally generate images, it’s a convenient all-in-one option.

But for any team where image or video generation is a core requirement, WaveSpeedAI is purpose-built for visual AI: 600+ natively optimized models, sub-second inference, exclusive model access, and a mature API designed specifically for image and video generation.

Get started with WaveSpeedAI — free credits included.