--- title: Text to Image API Pricing Comparison 2026 | ModelsLab description: Side-by-side pricing comparison of text to image APIs. ModelsLab at $0.002/image vs OpenAI at $0.040/image. Calculate your real costs. url: https://modelslab.com/text-to-image-api-pricing-comparison canonical: https://modelslab.com/text-to-image-api-pricing-comparison type: website component: Seo/TextToImageApiPricingComparison generated_at: 2026-04-09T03:06:13.436584Z --- 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. [Start Free — $0.002/Image](https://modelslab.com/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 starts at $0.002 per image — a 20x difference. 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 | $0.002 | 10,000+ | $29/mo | 100 calls/day | 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 | $2 | $40 | $6 | $4 | $5 | | 10,000 images | $20 | $400 | $60 | $40 | $50 | | 15,000+ images | $29 (unlimited) | $600 | $90 | $48 (unlimited) | $75 | | 50,000 images | $29 (unlimited) | $2,000 | $300 | $48 (unlimited) | $250 | | 100,000 images | $29 (unlimited) | $4,000 | $600 | $48 (unlimited) | $500 | Start Generating at $0.002/Image --- Simple REST API — no complex SDK setup required. ### Generate at $0.002/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 = $0.008 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 $0.002 = $0.030 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.com/cheapest-ai-image-api) [### Best AI Image Generation API 2026 Full comparison across quality, models, and developer experience.](https://modelslab.com/best-ai-image-generation-api-2026) [### Image Generation API Guide Complete guide to ModelsLab image generation capabilities.](https://modelslab.com/image-generation-api) ### ModelsLab Pricing Tiers ModelsLab offers simple, transparent pricing. Pay-as-you-go at $0.002/image with no monthly commitment. The unlimited plan at $29/month gives unlimited access to all 10,000+ models including Flux, SDXL, and community models. Enterprise plans at $299/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 $29/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 $0.002 per image — 20x cheaper than OpenAI DALL-E Unlimited plan at $29/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 Free tier with 100 calls/day for evaluation No cold start billing — you only pay for generation Enterprise plan at $299/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 text to image API at $0.002 per image. This is 20x cheaper than OpenAI DALL-E ($0.040), 3x cheaper than Stability AI ($0.006), and 2.5x cheaper than fal.ai ($0.005). ModelsLab also offers an unlimited plan at $29/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 $0.002 per image at 1024x1024 with no resolution upcharges. At 10,000 images/month, DALL-E costs $400 vs ModelsLab $20 (or $29 unlimited). ### Is there a free text to image API? ModelsLab offers a free tier with 100 API calls per day, providing access to all 10,000+ models including Flux and SDXL. No credit card required to start. 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 unlimited plan at $29/month is the best value. It includes unlimited access to 10,000+ models with no per-image charges. Leonardo AI offers unlimited at $48/month but with fewer models. 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 $0.002/image pricing with no hidden fees. ### How much does it cost to generate 100,000 images per month? With ModelsLab unlimited plan: $29/month. With OpenAI: $4,000/month. With Stability AI: $600/month. With fal.ai: $500/month. ModelsLab unlimited plan is the most cost-effective option for any volume above 15,000 images/month. ### Does ModelsLab charge more for higher resolution images? No. ModelsLab charges $0.002/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 a free tier with pay-as-you-go pricing, a Standard plan at $47/month for 10,000 API calls, and a Premium plan at $199/month with unlimited calls. All plans include access to Flux, SDXL, Stable Diffusion 3, and 10,000+ community models. Cancel anytime. Coming Soon --- We are making some changes to our pricing, please check back later. Get Expert Support in Seconds We're Here to Help. --- Want to know more? You can email us anytime at Chat with support[View Docs](https://docs.modelslab.com) Explore Our Other Solutions --- Unlock your creative potential and scale your business with ModelsLab's comprehensive suite of AI-powered solutions. [Audio Gen ### AI Audio Generation Text-to-speech, voice cloning, music generation, and audio processing APIs. Explore Audio Gen](https://modelslab.com/audio-gen) [Video Fusion ### AI Video Generation & Tools Create, edit, and enhance videos with AI-powered generation and transformation tools. Explore Video Fusion](https://modelslab.com/video-fusion) [Chat ### Engage Seamlessly with LLM Access powerful language models for chatbots, content generation, and AI assistants. Explore Chat](https://modelslab.com/custom-llm) [3D Verse ### Create Stunning 3D Models Transform images and text into 3D models with advanced AI-powered generation. Explore 3D Verse](https://modelslab.com/3d-verse) Plugins Explore Plugins for Pro --- Our plugins are designed to work with the most popular content creation software. [Explore Plugins](https://modelslab.com/pro#plugins) [Learn More](https://modelslab.com/pro) API Build Apps with ModelsLab ML API --- Use our API to build apps, generate AI art, create videos, and produce audio with ease. [API Documentation](https://docs.modelslab.com) [Playground](https://modelslab.com/models) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### In unlimited plan can i make 1M API calls? Yes, there's no limit of how many API calls or generations you can do in unlimited plan. ### How about generations of Google etc? it will cost on unlimited plan? To use google etc models, we provide 100$ of free credits apart from $199 of credits to generate from google etc models. ### Why should i get unlimited plan? If you make 10,000 generations, it will pay for itself and beyond that it will be free. --- *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 - 2026-04-09*