Pick the billing meter first
| Buying route | What you pay for | What the headline excludes |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed per-image API | Output image at a stated resolution and quality | Input images, retries and application costs |
| Token-metered image API | Text/image inputs and generated image tokens | A universal fixed cost per finished asset |
| Creative subscription | Vendor-specific access, credits or generation time | A guaranteed API allowance or accepted-output count |
| Self-hosted model | Compute, storage and operations | Engineering, utilization and image QA |
| Pricing data: How we verify → | ||
The chart is built from active fixed-per-image catalog rows. Source dates are shown for each option; a build or an article update does not verify the rates. These are independent tracked options, not a claimed successor or migration target for a retired model.
For token-metered image products, use the provider’s request-level image accounting. A prompt’s text tokens alone cannot establish the output-image charge. See OpenAI pricing and xAI pricing for the different meters and model catalogs.
Budget accepted outputs
Use the image and video pricing calculator for fixed output-image rates and separately priced video subscriptions. It only selects records with current evidence; overdue rows are not current quotes.
A practical estimate adds output generation, any input-image charges, retries, moderation, storage and editing. Measure the fraction of outputs you can actually publish. A lower rate can be more expensive per accepted asset when quality or consistency requires repeated generations.
The token calculator helps with a separately billed writing or prompt-preparation stage. It does not turn text-token estimates into image-output prices.
Subscriptions and video workflows
Choose a creative subscription when its editing workflow and included rights are what you need. Confirm the exact plan’s commercial terms, credits, concurrency, resolution and billing basis on the official product page. Do not reuse an old subscription price as a live quote.
Pictory is relevant when the deliverable is a finished video built from a script, article or recording, not merely a generated image. Compare its exported-minute allowances and editing workflow in our Pictory pricing guide.
Disclosure: the following is a sponsored link and may earn us a commission.
Check Pictory’s video-production plans.
FAQ
Which image API is cheapest?
Compare exact settings in the recorded rate table, then measure accepted output. Different quality, resolution, input-image fees and retry rates prevent a universal winner.
Why is Imagen 4 no longer recommended here?
The previously recorded shutdown date has passed, and the current Google card reviewed for this refresh does not list that model. No successor price or availability is inferred.
Does a subscription include API access?
Only if the exact plan’s official terms say so. A consumer or creative subscription does not establish an API entitlement.