There are three ways to put the same models to work on this site: the browser studio, WaveSpeed Desktop, and the unified API. They are not three products with three balances. They are three doors into one account, and the choice between them comes down to what you are doing at the moment - exploring a look, working through a batch of sessions, or wiring generation into something you build.
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The browser studio
The studio is the fastest way in. You sign in with Google, open the image, video, or music generator, write a prompt, and generate. Nothing to install, and the credit balance sits above the generator so you can see what each session is costing.
Use it when the work is exploratory. The three formats share one account, so you can generate a still, try a clip from it, and add a music bed without opening a second service or a second subscription.
WaveSpeed Desktop
WaveSpeed Desktop packages the same workspace as a focused creative application: a tool sidebar, a canvas, and the media generators in one window, without the setup usually involved in assembling a model pipeline yourself.
The difference from the browser studio is context rather than capability. A desktop window survives the tab you closed, keeps its own place on screen, and does not compete with the rest of your browser. If a session involves a lot of iteration - refining one image, then another pass, then a clip - keeping it in its own window is the point.
Either way, the work lands in the same account: the credits you generate with are the credits from your plan, and the pricing page describes what each plan includes.
The unified API
The API is for the work you do not want to do by hand. Every model is reachable through the same request shape:
curl https://api.wavespeed.ai/v1/generateKeys are created and managed under Settings -> API keys, and the key travels with each request. Because the shape is shared across formats, an integration written for image generation does not need to be rewritten when you add video later - the same request structure carries the new model.
API access is part of the plans: Starter and above list unified API access, Studio lists higher API rate limits, and the balance that API calls draw on is the same credit balance the studio shows.
Choosing between them
| What you are doing | Start with |
|---|---|
| Trying the models for the first time | The browser studio - sign in, pick a plan, generate |
| Refining a visual through many passes | WaveSpeed Desktop, where the session keeps its own window |
| Generating on a schedule or from your own code | The unified API at api.wavespeed.ai |
| Mixing image, video, and audio in one project | Any of the three - all of them draw on one account and one balance |
A common path is all three in sequence: prototype in the studio, iterate in the desktop workspace, then move the prompt that worked into an API call so it can run without you. The prompt is the transferable part - a description that produced a good still in the studio behaves the same way through the API, because it is the same model behind both.
Getting started
- Sign in with Google.
- Pick a plan on the pricing page. Generating requires an active subscription, and new accounts do not start with free credits.
- Generate in the studio, or open WaveSpeed Desktop if you prefer the app.
- When you want to automate something, create a key under Settings -> API
keys and call
https://api.wavespeed.ai/v1/generate.
The documentation collects the reference material for credits, models, and the API in one place, and the pricing and credits guide explains how a plan's allowance turns into output.
FAQ
Do I need a separate account for the API? No. The API is part of the same account and draws on the same credit balance as the studio; you only need a key from Settings -> API keys.
Is WaveSpeed Desktop a different product from the studio? It is the same workspace presented as a desktop application, for sessions that benefit from a dedicated window. Both use your plan's credits.
Do all models share one API shape?
Yes. Image, video, and audio models are reached through the same request shape
at https://api.wavespeed.ai/v1/generate.
Which plan do I need for API access? Unified API access is listed on every plan from Starter upward, with higher rate limits on Studio.