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AI Image Generation Cost per Image, Compared
Jonhisking · October 2, 2026
AI image prices are quoted per image, and the range is wider than most people expect: from about one cent to forty cents for a single picture. For a one-off that hardly matters. For a product catalog, a game's art pipeline or an app that generates images for users, it is the difference between a rounding error and a real line in the budget.
Price per 1024px image
API prices checked September 30, 2026:
| Model | Maker | 1 image | 1,000 images |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT Image 2.5 · low* | OpenAI | $0.010 | $10 |
| FLUX.2 [klein] 4B | Black Forest Labs | $0.014 | $14 |
| Grok Imagine Image | xAI | $0.020 | $20 |
| Runway Gen-4 Image Turbo | Runway | $0.020 | $20 |
| FLUX.2 [pro] | Black Forest Labs | $0.030 | $30 |
| Nano Banana 2 Lite | $0.034 | $34 | |
| Seedream 5 Lite* | ByteDance | $0.040 | $40 |
| GPT Image 2.5 · medium* | OpenAI | $0.050 | $50 |
| Nano Banana 2 | $0.067 | $67 | |
| FLUX.2 [max] | Black Forest Labs | $0.070 | $70 |
| GPT Image 2.5 · high* | OpenAI | $0.160 | $160 |
| Nano Banana Pro* | $0.200 | $200 |
* Rate from Runway's API for that model.
Resolution changes the price
Most models charge more for larger images, but not in the same way:
- Nano Banana 2 goes from $0.067 at 1K to $0.101 at 2K and $0.151 at 4K.
- FLUX.2 bills per megapixel: the first megapixel at one price, each additional one cheaper. A 2048px image is 4 MP.
- GPT Image 2.5 · medium costs the same $0.05 at 1K and 2K, then $0.11 at 4K.
If you only need images for the web or social media, 1K is usually enough, and upscaling a good 1K image can be cheaper than generating at 4K.
Quality tiers are the biggest lever
The same model can cost very different amounts depending on the quality setting. GPT Image 2.5 is 16 times more expensive at high than at low. Use the low or draft tier to find a composition that works, then regenerate only the keepers at higher quality.
Plan for retries
As with video, the list price is the cost of one attempt. Hands, text inside images, and consistent characters often need several tries. Budget two to four generations per usable image for anything detailed.
Which one to pick
- Bulk and drafts: GPT Image 2.5 low, FLUX.2 [klein], Grok Imagine Image.
- Good quality at a fair price: FLUX.2 [pro], Nano Banana 2, Seedream 5.
- Hardest prompts, text in images, final assets: Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2.5 high, FLUX.2 [max].
Quality is subjective, so test your own prompts on two or three models before you commit to one for a large batch.
Price your batch
The AI image cost calculator compares every model above for your resolution and number of images.
Prices change often. Confirm on the provider's pricing page before a large job.
Pick a resolution and number of images to compare every model.
Open the image cost calculator →