Ranking

Text to Image AI Tools Compared on Price and Limits

Text to image AI tools compared on one scorecard: entry price, free plans, monthly credits, commercial use and private generations, with check dates.

By Updated Data checked through 5 min read

Text to image AI tools are cheap to start and hard to compare, because each vendor prices a pool of credits or images in its own way. Pixlr leads the AI image category with 100 out of 100, and Z-Image has the highest cost-per-image score: $0.97 per 100 images on Pro (3,000 per month, billed monthly).

How text to image AI pricing works

A prompt-to-image generator is not priced like a scheduler or an editor. You rarely pay per seat. You pay for a monthly pool of credits or images, and what one image costs in that pool depends on the model, the size and whether you re-run a prompt. That is why a low monthly price tells you little until you know what the pool holds.

So read the table with two questions: what does it cost to start, and what does the pool look like one step up. The sections below pair each tool's entry price with its stated monthly allowance wherever the vendor publishes one, and say plainly when it does not.

How we picked

Every tool in the AI image category is scored with the same criteria. For text to image, the ones that matter most are the entry price, whether a free plan exists, how openly the vendor publishes its plans and how many of the tracked image features are verified. Read the methodology for the formulas and what happens when data is missing.

Every one of the 91 AI image generators we looked at is scored by the same 7 criteria (scorecard version 1), each from the vendor's own pricing page, docs or changelog. 62 had enough verified data to be ranked. A criterion without verified data is left out and the remaining weights are re-normalised; under 60% of the weight covered means the tool is not ranked.

Scorecard criteria, weights and what each measures
CriterionWeightTypeWhat we measure and how
Entry price25%CorePrice per month of the cheapest paid plan, against the prices of other AI image generators on the same billing basis (monthly-billed prices against monthly, annual-billed against annual).Formula: Log scale. Billed monthly: $6.99/month or less = 100, $29 or more = 0. Only billed annually: $5/month or less = 100, $20.83 or more = 0. Only free plans = 100. Usage-priced and one-time plans are not scored.
Free plan or trial15%CoreWhether you can use the tool before paying: a free plan, or failing that a free trial, as shown on the vendor's pricing page.Formula: Free plan = 100. No free plan but a free trial = 60. The pricing page lists plans but shows neither = 0. No plans read = not scored.
Pricing transparency10%CoreHow much of the pricing is public: the share of plans with a published price ("contact sales" counts against), and whether there are at least 3 published tiers.Formula: 80 x (plans with a public price / plans listed) + 20 x (public plans, up to 3) / 3. No plans read = not scored.
Verified features15%CoreHow many of the 10 features we track for this category the vendor's own pages verifiably show (analytics, team access, templates, ai assistant, text to image, image to image / reference images, upscaling, inpainting or object editing, commercial use on paid plans, private generations). This counts verified features only: a tool that documents less scores lower here, and only here.Formula: Linear: verified features / 5 (half the tracked list) x 100, capped at 100. No tracked feature verified = not scored.
API, integrations and export10%CoreWhether a public API exists, how many integrations the vendor states, and whether the vendor documents a way to export your data.Formula: Average of the parts with data: public API yes = 100, no = 0; integrations on a log scale (100 or more = 100); a documented data export = 100. None verified = not scored.
Cost per 100 images15%CategoryPrice per 100 images on the cheapest paid plan that states a monthly allowance limit (monthly price / allowance).Formula: Log scale: $1 per 100 images or less = 100, $20 or more = 0. Unlimited or unstated allowances = not scored.
Cost per user (team of 3)10%CategoryMonthly price per user for a team of 3, on the cheapest paid plan that is priced per seat or states room for at least 3 users.Formula: Log scale: $4 per user or less = 100, $79 or more = 0. Plans that do not state a user limit are not used. No such plan = not scored.

The ranking

The table covers the whole AI image category, so it includes editors and upscalers as well as generators. A high rank means a low entry price, a free plan and openly published plans, not better pictures. The sections that follow only cover tools whose text to image feature is verified in the catalogue. The full list is on the AI image category page, and you can sort it on the best AI image tools page.

AI image generators, ranked by score
#ToolScoreCoverageFrom, billed monthlyFree planChecked
1Pixlr100/10065%4 of 7 criteria$2.49/moYesOct 14, 2026
2Photofy100/10060%4 of 7 criteria$4.99/moYesOct 14, 2026
3Recraft95/10065%4 of 7 criteriaFreeYesOct 14, 2026
4Clipdrop94/10075%5 of 7 criteriaFreeYesOct 14, 2026
5Krea93/10065%4 of 7 criteria$9/moYesOct 14, 2026
6Geneso.ai91/10065%4 of 7 criteriaNot offeredYesOct 14, 2026
7nodetool89/10065%4 of 7 criteriaFreeYesOct 14, 2026
8Z-Image Edit87/10065%4 of 7 criteria$7.90/moYesOct 14, 2026
9mlx-serve86/10075%5 of 7 criteriaFreeYesOct 14, 2026
10Vidnoz84/10065%4 of 7 criteriaFreeYesOct 14, 2026
11Pika82/10075%5 of 7 criteria$10/moYesOct 14, 2026
12waifu2x.online82/10065%4 of 7 criteria$3.50/moYesOct 14, 2026
13Z-Image80/10090%6 of 7 criteria$9.90/moYes, 10 images per monthOct 14, 2026
14PhotoForge79/10075%5 of 7 criteria$7.99/moNoOct 14, 2026
–KittlNot ranked55%3 of 7 criteriaFreeYesOct 14, 2026
–TuziyoNot ranked55%3 of 7 criteriaFreeYesOct 14, 2026
–Based Labs AINot ranked50%4 of 7 criteriaContact salesNoOct 14, 2026
–Kling AINot ranked50%4 of 7 criteria–NoOct 14, 2026
–PixGridNot ranked50%4 of 7 criteriaNot offeredYesOct 14, 2026
–AI Headshot GeneratorNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteriaNot offeredNoOct 14, 2026
–CVPICNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteriaNot offeredNoOct 14, 2026
–FlowHeadshotsNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–NoOct 14, 2026
–GetAIMediaNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteriaNot offeredNoOct 14, 2026
–HeadshotslyNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteriaNot offeredNoOct 14, 2026
–HolyShot.aiNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–YesOct 14, 2026
–Instant PhotosNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–YesOct 14, 2026
–letsmkvideoNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–YesOct 14, 2026
–Nano Banana AINot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–NoOct 14, 2026
–OpenCreatorNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–YesOct 14, 2026
–PhotoGuruAINot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–NoOct 14, 2026
–PhotoPromptNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–Yes, 10 credits per monthOct 14, 2026
–Printotr AINot ranked40%3 of 7 criteriaNot offeredYesOct 14, 2026
–Provamoda AINot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–NoOct 14, 2026
–Real Estate Photo AINot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–NoOct 14, 2026
–Remove WatermarkNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–YesOct 14, 2026
–SnapsJoNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteriaNot offeredYesOct 14, 2026
–VibePictureNot ranked40%3 of 7 criteria–NoOct 14, 2026
–awesome-generative-ai-appsNot ranked25%2 of 7 criteria––Oct 14, 2026
–locally-uncensoredNot ranked25%2 of 7 criteria–YesOct 14, 2026
–LooktaraNot ranked25%2 of 7 criteria––Oct 14, 2026
–FotorNot ranked15%1 of 7 criteria––Oct 14, 2026
–GERAEW AINot ranked15%1 of 7 criteria––Oct 14, 2026
–GraficsNot ranked15%1 of 7 criteria–YesOct 14, 2026

Each value links the vendor page it was read from (hover for the check date). Coverage is the share of the scorecard's weight with verified data, and "N of M criteria" how many criteria the score is based on; a tool is ranked at 60% or more.

Score is 0 to 100 on the category scorecard; coverage is the share of scorecard weight with verified data. Prices are list prices in US dollars from each vendor's pricing page; the Checked column is the newest date any fact of that tool was verified. 29 listed without a score because under 60% of the weight has verified data. How the score works: methodology.

The tools

Each section starts with the computed scorecard for the AI image category. The judgement paragraphs and bullets are written by hand and tied to verified facts.

Krea

Krea

Rank 5 with a score of 93/100 (based on 4 of 7 criteria, 65% of the scorecard weight verified). Pricing checked Oct 14, 2026.

Scores highest on

  • Free plan or trial (100/100): Free plan (Free)
  • Verified features (100/100): 6 of 10 tracked features verified: ai assistant, text to image, image to image / reference images, upscaling, inpainting or object editing, commercial use on paid plans

Scores lowest on

  • Entry price (82/100): $9/month billed monthly on Basic; $5/month billed annually on Basic (scored on the monthly price)
  • Pricing transparency (100/100): 3 of 3 plans have a public price
  • API, integrations and export: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per 100 images: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per user (team of 3): no published data, left out of the total
Full score breakdown with sources
How Krea's score is calculated
CriterionWeightScoreBasis
Entry price38%82$9/month billed monthly on Basic; $5/month billed annually on Basic (scored on the monthly price) source
Free plan or trial23%100Free plan (Free) source
Pricing transparency15%1003 of 3 plans have a public price source
Verified features23%1006 of 10 tracked features verified: ai assistant, text to image, image to image / reference images, upscaling, inpainting or object editing, commercial use on paid plans source 1source 2
API, integrations and export–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per 100 imagescategory criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per user (team of 3)category criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Total65% covered4 of 7 criteria93/100Rank #5 in this category, based on 4 of 7 criteria

Krea pairs a free plan with a large paid credit pool, so it suits someone who wants to explore several models before committing. Its first paid plan, Basic, costs $9 per month and lists 5000 credits per month. The price drops to $5 per month, billed annually if you pay yearly.

The step up to $35 per month lists 20000 credits per month. The catalogue does not say how many images a credit buys on each model, so work that out on the free plan before you pay for a higher one.

  • Free plan: Yes, plan price Free.
  • Commercial use on paid plans: Yes.
  • Image to image and inpainting: Yes and Yes.
  • Text to video from the same account: Yes.

Read the full Krea profile for every plan.

Clipdrop

Clipdrop

Rank 4 with a score of 94/100 (based on 5 of 7 criteria, 75% of the scorecard weight verified). Pricing checked Oct 14, 2026.

Scores highest on

  • Entry price (100/100): Free: the pricing page lists no paid plan
  • Free plan or trial (100/100): Free plan (Free)

Scores lowest on

  • Verified features (80/100): 4 of 10 tracked features verified: text to image, upscaling, inpainting or object editing, commercial use on paid plans
  • Pricing transparency (87/100): 1 of 1 plans have a public price
  • Cost per 100 images: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per user (team of 3): no published data, left out of the total
Full score breakdown with sources
How Clipdrop's score is calculated
CriterionWeightScoreBasis
Entry price33%100Free: the pricing page lists no paid plan source
Free plan or trial20%100Free plan (Free) source
Pricing transparency13%871 of 1 plans have a public price source
Verified features20%804 of 10 tracked features verified: text to image, upscaling, inpainting or object editing, commercial use on paid plans source
API, integrations and export13%100public API source
Cost per 100 imagescategory criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per user (team of 3)category criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Total75% covered5 of 7 criteria94/100Rank #4 in this category, based on 5 of 7 criteria

Clipdrop is a toolbox of single-purpose image tools with a text to image generator alongside them, which makes it a fit for quick jobs such as removing a background after you generate. The catalogue lists one plan, Free, and no paid price, so it cannot tell you what you would pay to go beyond the free limits.

That gap matters. If you expect to generate images every week for a team, you will need to read the vendor's own plan page before you decide, because this comparison has no paid price to rank it on.

  • Text to image: Yes; inpainting: Yes; upscaling: Yes.
  • Commercial use on paid plans: Yes.
  • Background remover: Yes; API: Yes.

See the Clipdrop profile for the editing tools it lists.

Pixlr

Pixlr

Rank 1 with a score of 100/100 (based on 4 of 7 criteria, 65% of the scorecard weight verified). Pricing checked Oct 14, 2026.

Scores highest on

  • Entry price (100/100): $2.49/month billed monthly on Plus; $1.99/month billed annually on Plus (scored on the monthly price)
  • Free plan or trial (100/100): Free plan

Scores lowest on

  • Pricing transparency (100/100): 4 of 4 plans have a public price
  • Verified features (100/100): 7 of 10 tracked features verified: templates, ai assistant, text to image, image to image / reference images, upscaling, inpainting or object editing, private generations
  • API, integrations and export: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per 100 images: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per user (team of 3): no published data, left out of the total
Full score breakdown with sources
How Pixlr's score is calculated
CriterionWeightScoreBasis
Entry price38%100$2.49/month billed monthly on Plus; $1.99/month billed annually on Plus (scored on the monthly price) source
Free plan or trial23%100Free plan source
Pricing transparency15%1004 of 4 plans have a public price source
Verified features23%1007 of 10 tracked features verified: templates, ai assistant, text to image, image to image / reference images, upscaling, inpainting or object editing, private generations source 1source 2
API, integrations and export–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per 100 imagescategory criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per user (team of 3)category criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Total65% covered4 of 7 criteria100/100Rank #1 in this category, based on 4 of 7 criteria

Pixlr is first and foremost a browser photo editor with AI generation inside it, so it suits people who already crop, retouch and add text to their images and want a generator in the same place. Its entry price is $2.49 per month on the Plus plan, with 80 credits per month, which is a small pool next to the 5000 on the first Krea plan, although credits are not comparable across tools.

The $9.99 per month plan lists 1000 credits per month. That jump is large, so if you generate often, price the second plan rather than the first.

  • Free plan: Yes.
  • Private generations: Yes; image to image: Yes.
  • Mobile app: Yes.

The Pixlr profile lists the higher plans.

Geneso.ai

Geneso.ai

Rank 6 with a score of 91/100 (based on 4 of 7 criteria, 65% of the scorecard weight verified). Pricing checked Oct 14, 2026.

Scores highest on

  • Entry price (100/100): $3.19/month billed annually on Starter; no monthly-billed price published (scored against annual-billed prices)
  • Free plan or trial (100/100): Free plan (Free)

Scores lowest on

  • Verified features (60/100): 3 of 10 tracked features verified: templates, text to image, commercial use on paid plans
  • Pricing transparency (100/100): 8 of 8 plans have a public price
  • API, integrations and export: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per 100 images: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per user (team of 3): no published data, left out of the total
Full score breakdown with sources
How Geneso.ai's score is calculated
CriterionWeightScoreBasis
Entry price38%100$3.19/month billed annually on Starter; no monthly-billed price published (scored against annual-billed prices) source
Free plan or trial23%100Free plan (Free) source
Pricing transparency15%1008 of 8 plans have a public price source
Verified features23%603 of 10 tracked features verified: templates, text to image, commercial use on paid plans source 1source 2
API, integrations and export–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per 100 imagescategory criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per user (team of 3)category criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Total65% covered4 of 7 criteria91/100Rank #6 in this category, based on 4 of 7 criteria

Geneso.ai publishes a low-priced ladder of credit plans. Its Starter plan is $3.19 per month with 4500 credits per month, and the $11.99 per month plan lists 20000 credits per month. It also sells usage-based packs, for example $6.99 per month (usage-based).

It suits someone who wants volume at a low monthly price and is willing to learn the platform. It is a weaker fit if you need editing features, because the catalogue verifies text to image (Yes) and templates but no inpainting or upscaling for it.

  • Free plan: Yes.
  • Commercial use on paid plans: Yes.
  • Templates: Yes; text to video: Yes.

See the Geneso.ai profile.

Z-Image

Z-Image

Rank 13 with a score of 80/100 (based on 6 of 7 criteria, 90% of the scorecard weight verified). Pricing checked Oct 14, 2026.

Scores highest on

  • Free plan or trial (100/100): Free plan (Free)
  • Cost per 100 images (100/100): $0.97 per 100 images on Pro (3,000 per month, billed monthly)

Scores lowest on

  • Verified features (20/100): 1 of 10 tracked features verified: text to image
  • Entry price (76/100): $9.90/month billed monthly on Starter (scored on the monthly price)
  • Cost per user (team of 3): no published data, left out of the total
Full score breakdown with sources
How Z-Image's score is calculated
CriterionWeightScoreBasis
Entry price28%76$9.90/month billed monthly on Starter (scored on the monthly price) source
Free plan or trial17%100Free plan (Free) source
Pricing transparency11%1003 of 3 plans have a public price source
Verified features17%201 of 10 tracked features verified: text to image source
API, integrations and export11%100public API source
Cost per 100 imagescategory criterion17%100$0.97 per 100 images on Pro (3,000 per month, billed monthly) source
Cost per user (team of 3)category criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Total90% covered6 of 7 criteria80/100Rank #13 in this category, based on 6 of 7 criteria

Z-Image states its plan limits in images rather than credits, which makes the cost easy to read. It has the highest score on cost per 100 images: Z-Image at $0.97 per 100 images on Pro (3,000 per month, billed monthly). The free plan lists 10 images per month, the Starter plan is $9.90 per month for 600 images per month and Pro is $29 per month for 3000 images per month.

The trade-off is breadth. It does text to image and little else in the catalogue, so you would pair it with an editor.

  • Image to image: No.
  • API: Yes.
  • Free plan: Yes.

Check the Z-Image profile for the full plan list.

Photo Studio

Photo Studio

Rank 23 with a score of 67/100 (based on 4 of 7 criteria, 65% of the scorecard weight verified). Pricing checked Oct 14, 2026.

Scores highest on

  • Verified features (100/100): 5 of 10 tracked features verified: text to image, image to image / reference images, upscaling, commercial use on paid plans, private generations
  • Pricing transparency (100/100): 4 of 4 plans have a public price

Scores lowest on

  • Free plan or trial (0/100): No free plan or free trial shown on the pricing page
  • Entry price (75/100): $10/month billed monthly on Starter (scored on the monthly price)
  • API, integrations and export: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per 100 images: no published data, left out of the total
  • Cost per user (team of 3): no published data, left out of the total
Full score breakdown with sources
How Photo Studio's score is calculated
CriterionWeightScoreBasis
Entry price38%75$10/month billed monthly on Starter (scored on the monthly price) source
Free plan or trial23%0No free plan or free trial shown on the pricing page source
Pricing transparency15%1004 of 4 plans have a public price source
Verified features23%1005 of 10 tracked features verified: text to image, image to image / reference images, upscaling, commercial use on paid plans, private generations source 1source 2
API, integrations and export–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per 100 imagescategory criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Cost per user (team of 3)category criterion–ExcludedNo published data: left out, the other criteria are re-weighted.
Total65% covered4 of 7 criteria67/100Rank #23 in this category, based on 4 of 7 criteria

Photo Studio has no free plan, so it only makes sense if you already know you will pay. Its Starter plan is $10 per month with 375 credits per month, and the next plan, at $20 per month, lists 750. What it adds is a verified feature set aimed at finished photos: upscaling, enhancement and private generations.

  • Free plan: No; free trial: No free trial.
  • Private generations: Yes; upscaling: Yes.
  • Commercial use on paid plans: Yes.

The Photo Studio profile has the full plan list.

Who should not pick it

Each tool above fails some readers. Check the one that describes you:

  • If you cannot spend anything yet, skip Photo Studio: its free plan is listed as No and its trial as No free trial.
  • If you need a price for a team before you start, skip Clipdrop: the catalogue has no paid price for it, only a Free plan.
  • If you need to start from a reference picture, skip Z-Image: image to image is listed as No.
  • If you want to compare plans by image count rather than credits, skip Geneso.ai and Krea: they list only credits, such as 5000 per month on Basic.
  • If your main need is video, an image-first tool is the wrong start: Krea lists text to video as Yes, but video tools have their own scorecard in the AI video generators for social media guide.

What we did not test

We did not use any of these tools. Everything above is read from vendor pages and scored by code, so it shows what a vendor publishes and what it costs. It says nothing about how sharp the images are, how well a model follows a prompt, how fast it renders, how often a generation fails or how good support is. Those are the things that decide whether a credit is well spent, so try the free plan with your own prompts first. For the full list of what we leave out, see what we do not test.

– = not published by the vendor, or not verified yet.

Frequently asked questions

Can I turn text into images for free?

Yes, on some tools. Krea lists a free plan (Yes) and Z-Image lists a free plan with 10 images per month. Pricing was read from each vendor's pricing page on Oct 14, 2026, so check the page itself before you rely on a limit.

Is a credit the same thing on every text to image tool?

No. Krea lists 5000 credits per month on its Basic plan at $9 per month, while Photo Studio lists 375 credits per month at $10 per month. Each vendor decides what a credit buys, so credit counts only compare inside one tool.

Can I use AI-generated images commercially?

The catalogue tracks whether commercial use is allowed on paid plans. It reads Yes for Krea and Yes for Photo Studio. A yes in the catalogue is not legal advice, so read the vendor's terms before you publish or sell what you generate.

Which text to image tools offer an API?

Clipdrop shows an API as Yes and Z-Image shows Yes on their vendor pages. If you want to generate images from your own code, confirm the API terms and pricing separately, because the catalogue records only that one exists.

Which of the AI image generators ranks first on SaaSHunter?

Pixlr has the highest score, 100 out of 100, among the 62 AI image generators with enough verified data to be ranked. Its facts were last checked Oct 14, 2026. Scores are computed from the published scorecard and change when the underlying facts change.

Which AI image generators have a free plan?

26 of the 62 ranked AI image generators list a free plan: Pixlr, Photofy, Recraft, Clipdrop, Krea, Geneso.ai, nodetool, Z-Image Edit, mlx-serve, Vidnoz, Pika, waifu2x.online, Z-Image, Orelon, VistaCreate, LoraAI, Awesome-GPT4o-Image-Prompts, awesome-gpt-image-2-5-prompts, Let's Enhance, Verbatik AI, Kairval, Nanoart, Remix Mart, Snapitect AI, KreatorFlow AI, Weezard. What the free plan allows differs, so check the limits column before choosing.

What is the lowest starting price among AI image generators?

Among the ranked AI image generators, Pixlr has the lowest paid starting price at $2.49 per month. Tools charge per seat, per connected account or per workspace, so the units differ and the lowest sticker price is not always the lowest bill for your setup.

How are the AI image generators scored?

Each tool is scored from 0 to 100 on 7 weighted criteria taken from the same scorecard for every tool: entry price, free plan or trial, pricing transparency, verified features, api, integrations and export, cost per 100 images, cost per user (team of 3). Criteria without verified data are left out and the weights re-normalised; a tool with under 60% of the weight covered is listed as not ranked.