# How to choose an AI image generator Compare tools by job, pricing model, resolution, commercial-use terms and consistency features before you pay. Updated 2026-11-13. Also on the [web page](https://aiimagegen.fyi/guides/choose-an-ai-image-generator). AI image tools are not one product. A tool that writes good marketing art is not always the right tool for product photos, logos or batch API work. Choose by job first, then check price, limits and terms. This guide gives you a checklist. Every example price below was read on the vendor's own page on 2026-11-13 and can change. ## Step 1: Name the job Write down what you will actually make: - Product photos for a shop listing or ad - Artwork, illustration or social posts - Edits to photos you already own - Logos or brand assets - Bulk images through an API or script The job decides the category. The [taxonomy](/) on this site splits tools into text-to-image generators, image editors and inpainting, AI product photography, upscalers, background removal and open image models. Filter to the category that matches your job before you compare prices. ## Step 2: Check the pricing model Tools charge in five common ways. The vendor's pricing page names the model; each listing on this site links to the vendor's own site so you can check it there. - **Subscription.** A flat monthly or yearly fee. Photoroom's pricing page lists a Pro plan at $12.99 per month or $89.99 per year, with 8,000 credits and 1,000 exports (read 2026-11-13). - **Credits or packs.** You buy credits and each generation spends some. Krea lists plans from $0 to $200 per month on its pricing page (read 2026-11-13). - **Usage-based API.** You pay per image or per megapixel. Black Forest Labs charges per image or per megapixel on its API pricing page: for example FLUX.1 [pro] at $0.05 per image and FLUX.1 [dev] at $0.025 per image (read 2026-11-13). - **Freemium.** A free tier with limits, then paid plans. - **Free and open source.** You run the model yourself. FLUX.1-schnell is published under the Apache-2.0 licence on its Hugging Face model card (read 2026-11-13). A subscription is predictable for steady volume. Credits suit bursty work. An API suits pipelines. Open weights suit privacy and cost control, but you supply the hardware. ## Step 3: Check the limits that matter to you Three limits decide whether a plan fits: 1. **Output resolution.** A 1024-pixel image is fine for a thumbnail and too small for a print ad. OpenAI's image API documentation lists output sizes such as 1024x1024 and 1024x1536 on its prompting guide (read 2026-11-13). Black Forest Labs lists FLUX 3 Image output from 768 x 768 up to 4K on its pricing page (read 2026-11-13). 2. **Generation volume.** Count images per month, not per week. Include retries; most workflows need several attempts per final image. 3. **Commercial-use rights.** Read the terms, not the marketing page. Stability AI's Community License allows commercial use for individuals and organizations under $1M in annual revenue (read 2026-11-13). FLUX.1-dev is published under a non-commercial licence on its model card (read 2026-11-13). The terms differ by model and by plan inside one vendor. ## Step 4: Check consistency features If you need the same product, person or style across many images, look for features such as style references, character consistency, reference images and LoRA training. Black Forest Labs' editing documentation describes multi-reference input for FLUX.2, and its docs include a guide to training a style LoRA on FLUX 3 Image Klein (read 2026-11-13). OpenAI's prompting guide recommends restating critical constraints when results drift between edits (read 2026-11-13). ## Step 5: Try before you subscribe Most tools offer a free tier, trial or free credits. Stability AI's API pricing page says new accounts get 25 free credits, and 1 credit equals $0.01 (read 2026-11-13). remove.bg gives new users 1 free credit on its API page (read 2026-11-13). Use the free tier on your real job, not a demo prompt. ## Sources All sources below were fetched and checked on 2026-11-13. Prices are as published on that date and can change. - [Black Forest Labs API pricing](https://www.blackforestlabs.ai/pricing), accessed 2026-11-13. - [OpenAI image generation guide](https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/image-generation), accessed 2026-11-13. - [OpenAI image prompting guide](https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/image-prompting), accessed 2026-11-13. - [Stability AI API pricing](https://platform.stability.ai/pricing), accessed 2026-11-13. - [Photoroom pricing](https://www.photoroom.com/pricing), accessed 2026-11-13. - [Krea pricing](https://www.krea.ai/pricing), accessed 2026-11-13. - [Stability AI Community License](https://stability.ai/license), accessed 2026-11-13. - [FLUX.1-dev model card](https://huggingface.co/black-forest-labs/FLUX.1-dev), accessed 2026-11-13. - [FLUX.1-schnell model card](https://huggingface.co/black-forest-labs/FLUX.1-schnell), accessed 2026-11-13. - [remove.bg API page](https://www.remove.bg/api), accessed 2026-11-13. ## Sources - [blackforestlabs.ai](https://www.blackforestlabs.ai/pricing) - [platform.openai.com](https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/image-generation) - [platform.stability.ai](https://platform.stability.ai/pricing) - [photoroom.com](https://www.photoroom.com/pricing) ## Questions ### Should I start with the cheapest plan? No. Match the plan to your job first. A cheap plan that caps resolution or blocks commercial use costs more in rework than a fitting plan costs in subscription.