Yi Lightning vs Stable Image Ultra
Compare Yi Lightning and Stable Image Ultra: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.
Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology
| Feature | Yi Lightning | Stable Image Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Open Source | Image |
| Parameters | 200B MoE | ~12B |
| Context Window | 128K | N/A |
| Input Price | $0.04/1M tokens | $0.008/image/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $0.08/1M tokens | N/A/1M tokens |
| Latency | ~300ms | ~4s |
Choose Yi Lightning when:
- ✓ High-volume APIs
- ✓ Fast Q&A
- ✓ Real-time chatbots
Fast inference, Good multilingual, Strong reasoning
Choose Stable Image Ultra when:
- ✓ Premium photography
- ✓ Marketing
- ✓ Product shoots
Highest quality, Photorealistic, Professional
Verdict: Yi Lightning vs Stable Image Ultra
For cost efficiency, Stable Image Ultra wins at $0.008/image/1M input tokens. For speed, Yi Lightning is faster at ~300ms. Yi Lightning excels at High-volume APIs while Stable Image Ultra is better for Premium photography. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.
Detailed Analysis
Pricing Comparison
Yi Lightning costs $0.04/1M input tokens and $0.08/1M output tokens. Stable Image Ultra costs $0.008/image input and N/A output. Stable Image Ultra is 5.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.
Performance & Context
Yi Lightning has a 128K context window with ~300ms latency. Stable Image Ultra offers N/A context at ~4s. Yi Lightning has the larger context window.
Best For
Yi Lightning (Open Source) is optimized for: High-volume APIs, Fast Q&A, Real-time chatbots. Stable Image Ultra (Image) works best for: Premium photography, Marketing, Product shoots.
Try Both on XALEN
Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:
from xalen import XALEN
client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")
# Use Yi Lightning
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
model="yi-lightning",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)
# Use Stable Image Ultra
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
model="stable-image-ultra",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Yi Lightning or Stable Image Ultra?
Yi Lightning (Open Source, 200B MoE) offers Fast inference. Stable Image Ultra (Image, ~12B) offers Highest quality. Choose Yi Lightning for High-volume APIs or Stable Image Ultra for Premium photography.
How much does Yi Lightning cost vs Stable Image Ultra?
Yi Lightning: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Stable Image Ultra: $0.008/image/1M input, N/A/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.
Can I use both models on XALEN?
Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Yi Lightning and Stable Image Ultra by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.
Related Comparisons
Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.