Sume API: 0% markup model access, takes aim at Higgsfield pricing
Sume explains its zero-markup model API strategy, plans to monetize workflow SaaS, and claims Higgsfield marks up Seedance heavily.
FAQ on Sume API - is it really 0% markup : yup. no cap. pay as you go - how will you make money : not from the models. our thesis is that, as Peter Thiel argues in Zero to One, perfect competition competes away profits. we think model APIs are heading in that direction, so we’re just pricing at cost before the market forces everyone else to we’re just getting there first. and probably we’ll eventually charge a "separate" SaaS subscription for workflow tools. - does this make economic sense : if this works, we’re losing a few million dollars in potential model margins on the table at most. but if Higgsfield cuts prices to compete with us, they should be giving up hundreds of millions. so let them cut prices. that’s counter-positioning. checkmate. - can i upload faces to Seedance? : yes. you need a “creation rights” agreement to enable that, and the agreement itself costs quite a bit. my guess is that platforms like Higgsfield put especially high markups on Seedance partly to recoup that cost. we just absorbed it and enabled face uploads anyway. getting more users matters more to us! - what’s the long-term plan : keep offering credits at cost, grow our user base, and build services on top. especially workflow tools covering everything from ad research to campaign execution. don’t want any of that? you can just keep using the models at cost. The APIs will be converged into original cost anyway. We're so glad to be in this kind of position.