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AI Image Generation Pricing

Compare per-image cost across 12+ providers — OpenAI DALL-E 3, Flux Pro, Imagen 4, SDXL, Recraft, Ideogram, Midjourney effective rate.

Pricing data refreshed:

The AITOT AI Image Generation Pricing calculator compares cost per image across 12 providers — OpenAI DALL-E 3, Black Forest Labs Flux Schnell/Dev/Pro, Google Imagen 4, Stable Diffusion XL, Recraft V3, Ideogram 3.0, Midjourney (subscription effective rate), Adobe Firefly, and Luma Photon.

Flux Schnell at $0.0027/image is the cheapest production-grade option. Flux 1.1 Pro at $0.04 leads on price-quality. Google Imagen 4 at $0.06 has the best text rendering. DALL-E 3 HD at $0.08 is premium-priced for commercial-license clarity. The calculator surfaces all 12 side-by-side.

Toggle image count + quality to see monthly bill at your scale. Commercial-use tier is surfaced per provider — Midjourney requires Pro plan; some providers restrict EU/government use. Pricing refreshed monthly from official docs.

Cheapest

OpenAI · GPT Image 1 mini

Fast / draft · 1024×1024

$20.00

ProviderModelQuality / sizePer imageMonthly cost
OpenAIGPT Image 1 mini

Token-based: $2.50/M input, $8/M output (verified 2026-06-06). Calculator estimate.

Fast / draft
1024×1024
$0.002$20.00
ReplicateSDXL (community)

Per-second compute billing; varies by hardware

Fast / draft
1024×1024
$0.0025$25.00
Black Forest LabsFlux SchnellFast / draft
1024×1024
$0.003$30.00
ReplicateFlux Schnell (hosted)Fast / draft
1024×1024
$0.003$30.00
OpenAIGPT Image 2 (low)

Token-based: $8/M input, $30/M output. Calculator estimate at 1024².

Fast / draft
1024×1024
$0.006$60.00
GoogleImagen 4 FastFast / draft
1024×1024
$0.02$200.00
Black Forest LabsFlux DevStandard (1024)
1024×1024
$0.025$250.00
IdeogramIdeogram 3.0 TurboFast / draft
1024×1024
$0.03$300.00
GoogleImagen 4Standard (1024)
1024×1024
$0.04$400.00
Black Forest LabsFlux Pro 1.1Standard (1024)
1024×1024
$0.04$400.00
Stability AISDXLStandard (1024)
1024×1024
$0.04$400.00
Stability AISD3.5 TurboFast / draft
1024×1024
$0.04$400.00
RecraftRecraft V3

Best for text-in-image

Standard (1024)
1024×1024
$0.04$400.00
MidjourneyMidjourney v7 (effective)

$30/mo Standard plan ÷ ~750 fast images

Standard (1024)
1024×1024
$0.04$400.00
OpenAIGPT Image 2 (medium)

Token-based — varies with prompt detail and reference images.

Standard (1024)
1024×1024
$0.053$530.00
GoogleImagen 4 UltraHD / Pro (2K+)
2048×2048
$0.06$600.00
Black Forest LabsFlux Pro 1.1 UltraHD / Pro (2K+)
2048×2048
$0.06$600.00
Stability AIStable Diffusion 3.5 LargeHD / Pro (2K+)
1024×1024
$0.065$650.00
RecraftRecraft V3 SVG

Vector output

HD / Pro (2K+)
vector
$0.08$800.00
IdeogramIdeogram 3.0HD / Pro (2K+)
1024×1024
$0.08$800.00
OpenAIGPT Image 2 (high)

Token-based; edit-heavy workflows can run 2-3× baseline.

HD / Pro (2K+)
1024×1024
$0.211$2,110.00
OpenAIGPT Image 1.5 (high)

Token-based: $8/M input, $32/M output (verified 2026-06-06). Estimate; now pricier than GPT Image 2.

HD / Pro (2K+)
1024×1024
$0.225$2,250.00

Prices for default resolution per provider. Some models charge per generation step or token — quoted rates are average steady-state per final image.

What this calculator does

12 providers compared

DALL-E 3, Flux 1.1 family, Imagen 4, SDXL, Recraft, Ideogram, Midjourney, Firefly, Luma Photon.

Quality / size toggle

See cost difference for HD vs SD, 1024² vs 2048². DALL-E 3 HD is 2× SD.

Monthly + per-image

Both per-image cost and total monthly bill at your generation volume.

Commercial-use surfaced

Each provider's commercial-use tier shown — important for production work.

Text rendering quality

Imagen 4 + Ideogram 3.0 lead on text rendering. Tool flags this in details.

Refreshed monthly

All 12 providers updated on the 1st from official pricing docs.

Quick comparison

Cost per 1024×1024 image (2026 list price)

ProviderPer ImagePer 1kBest For
Flux Schnell$0.0027$2.70Cheap dev iteration
SDXL (Replicate)$0.0035$3.50Customizable
Ideogram 3.0$0.04$40Text rendering
Flux 1.1 Pro$0.04$40Best quality / price
Recraft V3$0.04$40Vector + brand consistency
Google Imagen 4$0.06$60Photorealism + text
DALL-E 3 HD$0.08$80OpenAI ecosystem

Midjourney effective rate ~$0.020 on $30/mo Pro plan (200 fast generations).

How to use this calculator

Find the cheapest AI image generator for your use case across 12 providers.

  1. 1

    Set images per month

    Your expected monthly generation volume. The calculator scales per-image cost to monthly bill.

  2. 2

    Pick quality tier

    Standard for drafts, HD for final. DALL-E 3 HD doubles cost; Flux Pro vs Schnell is 15×.

  3. 3

    Filter by commercial-use

    If you sell the output, filter out providers with restricted commercial tiers.

  4. 4

    Compare and pick

    Sort by monthly cost or by quality tier. Save scenarios for budgeting.

Why use this calculator

  • 12 providers refreshed monthly
  • Commercial-use tier surfaced
  • Quality + size variation modeled
  • Text rendering quality flagged
  • Free tier limits surfaced
  • No login required

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest AI image generator in 2026?+
For commercial use: Flux Schnell at $0.0027 per image is the cheapest. SDXL on Replicate at $0.0035 and Recraft Flux at $0.04 follow. OpenAI DALL-E 3 HD at $0.080 and Midjourney effective rate at $0.020 (subscription / 200 fast/month) are mid-tier.
How much does Flux Pro vs DALL-E 3 vs Imagen 4 cost per image?+
Flux 1.1 Pro: $0.04 per image. DALL-E 3 HD: $0.08 per image. Google Imagen 4: $0.06 per 1024×1024. Recraft V3: $0.04. For quality at production scale, Flux 1.1 Pro is the best price-quality balance. Imagen 4 has the best text rendering.
How does image size affect AI generation cost?+
DALL-E 3: HD costs 2× SD ($0.08 vs $0.04). Flux: 1024×1024 base, 2048×2048 doubles cost. SDXL: scales with steps × resolution. Use 1024×1024 as the default — quality difference at 2K is minimal for most use cases.
Can I use AI-generated images commercially in 2026?+
Yes for most providers (DALL-E 3, Imagen 4, Flux Pro, SDXL, Recraft, Ideogram). Midjourney requires Pro plan ($30/mo+). Always check provider TOS — some restrict EU/government use, some require attribution at lower tiers. The calculator surfaces commercial-use tier in details.
How many images can I generate for $100?+
At Flux Schnell ($0.0027): ~37,000 images. SDXL on Replicate: ~28,500. Flux 1.1 Pro: 2,500. DALL-E 3 HD: 1,250. Midjourney via subscription: 2,500 fast images on $30 plan ($120/year). Plug your provider mix into the calculator.
Which AI image model has the best text rendering in 2026?+
Google Imagen 4 leads on text rendering quality (legible captions, signage, UI mockups). Ideogram 3.0 is a close second and cheaper at $0.04. Flux 1.1 Pro is third. DALL-E 3 and SDXL frequently produce garbled text — avoid for text-heavy designs.