--- title: Text to Image API Pricing Comparison 2026 | ModelsLab description: Side-by-side pricing comparison of text to image APIs. ModelsLab at $0.0047/image vs OpenAI at $0.040/image. Calculate your real costs. url: https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/text-to-image-api-pricing-comparison canonical: https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/text-to-image-api-pricing-comparison type: website component: Seo/TextToImageApiPricingComparison generated_at: 2026-09-18T07:35:25.061890Z --- Imagen Text to Image API Pricing Comparison --- Detailed pricing comparison of every major text to image API. See exactly what you will pay at 1K, 10K, and 100K images per month. [Get Started — $0.0047/Image](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/register) [API Documentation](https://docs.modelslab.com) The Real Cost of Text to Image APIs in 2026 --- ### Why Pricing Comparison Matters Text to image API pricing varies wildly across providers. OpenAI charges $0.040 per image for DALL-E 3, while ModelsLab is a flat $0.0047 per image — about 8.5x cheaper. At production volumes, this gap becomes thousands of dollars per month. Understanding the true cost of each provider is critical before committing your infrastructure. This comparison breaks down per-image costs, volume pricing, hidden fees, and total cost of ownership across the six most popular text to image API providers in 2026: ModelsLab, OpenAI, Stability AI, Leonardo AI, fal.ai, and Replicate. ### Hidden Costs to Watch For Per-image price is not the whole story. Watch for these cost traps: - Resolution upcharges — Some providers charge 2-4x more for 1024x1024 vs 512x512 - Model switching fees — Locked into one model? Switching costs add up fast - Cold start overhead — Pay for wasted compute while models spin up - Rate limit overage — Unexpected charges when you exceed plan limits - Storage fees — Some providers charge for generated image hosting - API call minimums — Monthly minimums that inflate low-usage costs Per-Image Pricing Comparison --- What each provider charges per image at standard resolution (1024x1024). | Provider | Per Image (1024px) | Models Included | Unlimited Plan | Free Tier | Hidden Fees | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | ModelsLab | $0.0047 | 10,000+ | $149/mo | Paid, from $21/mo | None | | OpenAI (DALL-E 3) | $0.040 | 1 | No | Limited credits | Resolution upcharge | | Stability AI | $0.006 | ~10 | No | 25 credits/day | Model upcharge | | Leonardo AI | $0.004 | ~50 | $48/mo | 150 tokens/day | Token complexity | | fal.ai | $0.005 | ~200 | No | $1 free credit | Cold start billing | | Replicate | $0.005 | ~5,000 | No | Limited | Cold start billing | Prices as of April 2026. Standard resolution (1024x1024). Some providers charge more for higher resolutions. Monthly Cost at Different Volumes --- What you would actually pay per month at typical production volumes. | Monthly Volume | ModelsLab | OpenAI | Stability AI | Leonardo AI | fal.ai | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1,000 images | $4.70 | $40 | $6 | $4 | $5 | | 10,000 images | $47 | $400 | $60 | $40 | $50 | | 15,000+ images | $70.50 (pay-as-you-go) | $600 | $90 | $48 (unlimited) | $75 | | 50,000 images | $149 (unlimited) | $2,000 | $300 | $48 (unlimited) | $250 | | 100,000 images | $149 (unlimited) | $4,000 | $600 | $48 (unlimited) | $500 | Start Generating at $0.0047/Image --- Simple REST API — no complex SDK setup required. ### Generate at $0.0047/image (Python) Python ``` 1import requests 2 3url = "https://modelslab.com/api/v7/images/text-to-image" 4payload = { 5 "key": "YOUR_API_KEY", 6 "model_id": "flux", 7 "prompt": "professional product photo, studio lighting, white background", 8 "width": 1024, 9 "height": 1024, 10 "samples": 4 # 4 images = $0.0188 total 11} 12 13response = requests.post(url, json=payload) 14data = response.json() 15 16for img_url in data["output"]: 17 print(img_url) ``` ### Batch generation for cost efficiency Python ``` 1# Generate up to 15 images per request 2# 15 images at $0.0047 = $0.0705 per batch 3payload = { 4 "key": "YOUR_API_KEY", 5 "model_id": "sdxl", 6 "prompt": "social media ad creative, modern design", 7 "width": 1024, 8 "height": 1024, 9 "samples": 15 # Maximum batch size 10} 11 12response = requests.post(url, json=payload) 13# Returns 15 image URLs in a single API call ``` Related pricing guides --- [### Cheapest AI Image API The most affordable option for high-volume image generation.](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/cheapest-ai-image-api) [### Best AI Image Generation API 2026 Full comparison across quality, models, and developer experience.](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/best-ai-image-generation-api-2026) [### Image Generation API Guide Complete guide to ModelsLab image generation capabilities.](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/image-generation-api) ### ModelsLab Pricing Tiers ModelsLab offers simple, transparent pricing. Pay-as-you-go at $0.0047/image with no monthly commitment. The unlimited plan at $149/month gives unlimited access to all 10,000+ models including Flux, SDXL, and community models. Enterprise plans at $249/month add dedicated GPUs, 99.9% SLA, and priority support. All plans include: every model in the catalog, all generation modes (text-to-image, image-to-image, inpainting, ControlNet), up to 15 parallel generations, and 24-hour image hosting. No resolution upcharges, no model switching fees. ### Total Cost of Ownership Analysis When comparing text to image API costs, factor in the full picture: - Integration cost — ModelsLab single API covers image + video + audio + LLM, saving multi-provider integration work - Model experimentation — 10,000+ models included at no extra cost, vs paying separately per model elsewhere - Scaling cost — Unlimited plan caps cost at $149/month regardless of volume growth - Support cost — Enterprise plans include dedicated support, reducing internal troubleshooting burden Why ModelsLab Wins on Price --- Key advantages that set us apart $0.0047 per image — ~8.5x cheaper than OpenAI DALL-E Unlimited plan at $149/month caps your costs 10,000+ models included in every plan No resolution upcharges (1024x1024 standard) No model switching fees Batch generation — up to 15 images per request Plans start at $21/month (Basic, 3,250 API calls) No cold start billing — you only pay for generation Enterprise plan at $249/month with dedicated GPUs Single API key for image, video, audio, and LLM Text to Image API Pricing FAQ --- ### What is the cheapest text to image API? ModelsLab is the cheapest unified API for 10,000+ models at a flat $0.0047 per image. This is about 8.5x cheaper than OpenAI DALL-E ($0.040) and cheaper than Stability AI ($0.006), and competitive with fal.ai ($0.005) and Replicate. At scale it is even cheaper: the $149/month unlimited plan works out to ~$0.0015/image at 100k+ images per month. ### How does DALL-E 3 pricing compare to ModelsLab? DALL-E 3 costs $0.040 per image at standard resolution and $0.080 at HD. ModelsLab costs $0.0047 per image at 1024x1024 with no resolution upcharges. At 10,000 images/month, DALL-E costs $400 vs ModelsLab $47 (pay-as-you-go). ### Is there a free text to image API? ModelsLab is a paid service — plans start at $21/month (Basic, 3,250 API calls) and include access to all 10,000+ models including Flux and SDXL. Creating an account is free; API generation requires an active plan. Stability AI offers 25 free credits/day and fal.ai gives $1 in free credits. ### What is the best unlimited image generation API plan? ModelsLab's unlimited plan is $149/month with access to 10,000+ models — far more than Leonardo AI's $48/month unlimited, which is limited to its own models. For most workloads ModelsLab's $0.0047/image pay-as-you-go is among the lowest-cost options, and it is a flat rate across all 10,000+ models with no per-model upcharge. OpenAI and Stability AI do not offer unlimited plans. ### Are there hidden fees in text to image API pricing? Many providers have hidden costs: resolution upcharges (OpenAI), model-specific pricing tiers (Stability AI), cold start billing (fal.ai, Replicate), and token complexity charges (Leonardo AI). ModelsLab has flat $0.0047/image pricing with no hidden fees. ### How much does it cost to generate 100,000 images per month? At 100,000 images/month: ModelsLab $149 (unlimited) vs OpenAI $4,000, Stability AI $600, fal.ai $500. ModelsLab's flat $149/month is the most cost-effective option at very high volume (above ~100,000 images/month). ### Does ModelsLab charge more for higher resolution images? No. ModelsLab charges $0.0047/image at all supported resolutions up to 2048x2048. OpenAI charges $0.040 for standard and $0.080 for HD. Some providers charge 2-4x more for higher resolutions. Your Data is Secure: GDPR Compliant AI Services --- ![ModelsLab GDPR Compliance Certification Badge](https://imagedelivery.net/PP4qZJxMlvGLHJQBm3ErNg/28133112-07fe-4c1c-44eb-36948d51ae00/768) AI Image API Pricing Starting at $0.0047 Per Image --- ModelsLab offers subscription plans from $21/month (Basic) and $47/month (Standard, 10,000 API calls) to $149/month (Open Source Unlimited). All plans include access to Flux, SDXL, Stable Diffusion 3, and 10,000+ community models. Choose a paid plan, cancel anytime, 100% refund policy. Coming Soon --- We are making some changes to our pricing, please check back later. Get Expert Support in Seconds We're Here to Help. --- Want to know more? You can email us anytime at Chat with support[View Docs](https://docs.modelslab.com) Yes — on the $149/month Open Source Unlimited plan, every open-source model (Flux, SDXL, Qwen, WAN, and more) hosted on our own infrastructure gives you unlimited generations with zero credit deduction. You also get 15 parallel API requests, so multiple generations can run at once instead of queuing one by one. Yes, if you plan to use any premium third-party model. The $149/month subscription covers unlimited open-source generations and 15 parallel requests — it doesn't include any wallet credit. Add funds separately whenever you want to call Google, Kling, Seedance, or other premium APIs. No. ModelsLab is paid-only — there is no free tier, no free credits and no trial plan. Plans start at $21/month (Basic), which includes 3,250 API calls and access to every model in the catalogue. To judge a model before subscribing, open its page: each one shows example outputs and the exact request body you would send. Yes. Wallet top-ups are for active subscribers, which is why no "Add Funds" option appears on an account with no plan. Subscribe to any plan and wallet funding unlocks. Accounts that already held a wallet balance keep the ability to top up. Your plan allowance resets at the start of each billing period and unused allowance does not carry forward. Wallet balance works differently: money you have topped up stays on the account until you spend it, and is not cleared when the plan renews. Open-source models we host ourselves — Flux, SDXL, SD 1.5, WAN and similar — are unlimited on the $149/month Open Source Unlimited plan. Premium third-party models such as Google, Kling, Seedance, Vidu and ByteDance are billed per call from your wallet on every plan, including the unlimited one. The pricing tables on this page carry an "Unlimited" column marking exactly which models are included. Video is priced per second of output or as a multiplier on the model's base rate, depending on the provider — the exact rate for each model is in the AI Video table on this page. A single video clip can cost considerably more than an image, so check the rate for your chosen model before running a batch. Basic at $21/month includes 3,250 API calls and 5 concurrent requests. Standard at $47/month includes 10,000 calls and 10 concurrent requests. Open Source Unlimited at $149/month removes the call limit on open-source models and allows 15 concurrent requests. Every plan can reach every model — plans differ on volume and concurrency, never on which models you may use. Cancel from Dashboard → Subscription at any time. Cancelling stops future renewals and you keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for. Monthly and yearly plans carry a 100% refund policy — email support@modelslab.com if you would like a refund processed or if the cancellation flow does not complete for you, and we will handle it directly. Yes. Output you generate through the API is yours to use commercially on every paid plan. Individual third-party models can carry their own upstream licence terms, so check the model page if you are building on one specific closed-source provider. Yes. The agent control plane at /api/agents/v1 covers the whole lifecycle: POST /auth/signup creates the account, POST /billing/payment-link returns a Stripe checkout URL, POST /subscriptions starts a plan, and POST /api-keys issues the key. An agent can go from no account to a working API key without a browser. Plans start at $21/month for 3,250 API calls; ModelsLab is paid-only, so a subscription is required before generation. Explore Our Other Solutions --- Unlock your creative potential and scale your business with ModelsLab's comprehensive suite of AI-powered solutions. [Audio Gen ### AI Audio Generation Text-to-speech, voice cloning, music generation, and audio processing APIs. Explore Audio Gen](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/audio-gen) [Video Fusion ### AI Video Generation & Tools Create, edit, and enhance videos with AI-powered generation and transformation tools. Explore Video Fusion](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/video-generation) [Chat ### Engage Seamlessly with LLM Access powerful language models for chatbots, content generation, and AI assistants. Explore Chat](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/custom-llm) [3D Verse ### Create Stunning 3D Models Transform images and text into 3D models with advanced AI-powered generation. Explore 3D Verse](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/text-to-3d) Plugins Explore Plugins for Pro --- Our plugins are designed to work with the most popular content creation software. [Explore Plugins](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/pro#plugins) [Learn More](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/pro) API Build Apps with ModelsLab ML API --- Use our API to build apps, generate AI art, create videos, and produce audio with ease. [API Documentation](https://docs.modelslab.com) [Playground](https://modelslab-frontend-v2-927501783998.us-east4.run.app/models) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### If I buy the Open Source Unlimited plan, are all my generations really unlimited? Yes — on the $149/month Open Source Unlimited plan, every open-source model (Flux, SDXL, Qwen, WAN, and more) hosted on our own infrastructure gives you unlimited generations with zero credit deduction. You also get 15 parallel API requests, so multiple generations can run at once instead of queuing one by one. ### Do I still need to fund my wallet even though I'm paying $149/month? Yes, if you plan to use any premium third-party model. The $149/month subscription covers unlimited open-source generations and 15 parallel requests — it doesn't include any wallet credit. Add funds separately whenever you want to call Google, Kling, Seedance, or other premium APIs. ### Is there a free tier or a free trial? No. ModelsLab is paid-only — there is no free tier, no free credits and no trial plan. Plans start at $21/month (Basic), which includes 3,250 API calls and access to every model in the catalogue. To judge a model before subscribing, open its page: each one shows example outputs and the exact request body you would send. ### Do I need a subscription before I can add funds to my wallet? Yes. Wallet top-ups are for active subscribers, which is why no "Add Funds" option appears on an account with no plan. Subscribe to any plan and wallet funding unlocks. Accounts that already held a wallet balance keep the ability to top up. ### Does my plan allowance roll over, or reset every month? Your plan allowance resets at the start of each billing period and unused allowance does not carry forward. Wallet balance works differently: money you have topped up stays on the account until you spend it, and is not cleared when the plan renews. ### Which models are included in unlimited, and which are billed per call? Open-source models we host ourselves — Flux, SDXL, SD 1.5, WAN and similar — are unlimited on the $149/month Open Source Unlimited plan. Premium third-party models such as Google, Kling, Seedance, Vidu and ByteDance are billed per call from your wallet on every plan, including the unlimited one. The pricing tables on this page carry an "Unlimited" column marking exactly which models are included. ### How much does video generation cost? Video is priced per second of output or as a multiplier on the model's base rate, depending on the provider — the exact rate for each model is in the AI Video table on this page. A single video clip can cost considerably more than an image, so check the rate for your chosen model before running a batch. ### How many API calls and concurrent requests does each plan include? Basic at $21/month includes 3,250 API calls and 5 concurrent requests. Standard at $47/month includes 10,000 calls and 10 concurrent requests. Open Source Unlimited at $149/month removes the call limit on open-source models and allows 15 concurrent requests. Every plan can reach every model — plans differ on volume and concurrency, never on which models you may use. ### How do I cancel, and how does the refund policy work? Cancel from Dashboard → Subscription at any time. Cancelling stops future renewals and you keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for. Monthly and yearly plans carry a 100% refund policy — email support@modelslab.com if you would like a refund processed or if the cancellation flow does not complete for you, and we will handle it directly. ### Can I use what I generate commercially? Yes. Output you generate through the API is yours to use commercially on every paid plan. Individual third-party models can carry their own upstream licence terms, so check the model page if you are building on one specific closed-source provider. ### Can an AI agent sign up and pay for ModelsLab without a human? Yes. The agent control plane at /api/agents/v1 covers the whole lifecycle: POST /auth/signup creates the account, POST /billing/payment-link returns a Stripe checkout URL, POST /subscriptions starts a plan, and POST /api-keys issues the key. An agent can go from no account to a working API key without a browser. Plans start at $21/month for 3,250 API calls; ModelsLab is paid-only, so a subscription is required before generation. --- *This markdown version is optimized for AI agents and LLMs.* **Links:** - [Website](https://modelslab.com) - [API Documentation](https://docs.modelslab.com) - [Blog](https://modelslab.com/blog) --- *Generated by ModelsLab - 2026-09-18*