Compare AI image generation costs across DALL-E 3, Flux Pro, Midjourney, Stability AI, and Ideogram. Enter your image count and instantly see the cheapest model for your budget.
Choosing the right AI image generator means balancing quality against cost. Pricing models vary wildly — from per-image API charges to monthly subscriptions. This calculator converts everything to a cost-per-image so you can compare apples to apples.
| Model | Per Image | Free Tier | API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flux Schnell (BFL) | $0.003 | Yes (Replicate) | Yes |
| Stability AI SDXL | $0.0065 | 25 free/mo | Yes |
| DALL-E 2 (1024px) | $0.020 | No | Yes |
| Midjourney Standard (est.) | $0.015 | No | No |
| DALL-E 3 Standard | $0.040 | No | Yes |
| Flux Pro (BFL) | $0.055 | No | Yes |
| Ideogram 2.0 | $0.080 | 10 free/day | Yes |
| DALL-E 3 HD | $0.080–$0.120 | No | Yes |
For bulk API use, Flux Schnell is the clear winner at $0.003 per image — that is 13x cheaper than DALL-E 3 Standard. For quality-sensitive work, Flux Dev at $0.025 gives a strong middle ground. Midjourney does not expose an API, so its cost depends entirely on how many fast-mode images you need per month.
Midjourney charges flat monthly fees: Basic ($10/mo, ~200 fast images), Standard ($30/mo, 900 fast + unlimited relaxed), and Pro ($60/mo, 1800 fast). If you generate more than 750 images a month, a Flux Schnell API account costs less than Midjourney Standard and gives you faster throughput.
DALL-E 3 HD doubles the cost ($0.080 vs. $0.040 for 1024px). For marketing assets and product visuals it can be worth it; for drafts and ideation, Standard is identical in speed and good enough. Upscaling a Standard image in post-processing is often cheaper than generating in HD.