OpenAI Images (gpt-image) vs Google Imagen / Gemini Image pricing
Both are in image generation apis. OpenAI Images (gpt-image) is billed per token (~$0.02-0.25/image); Google Imagen / Gemini Image is billed per image / per token ($0.02-0.15). Numbers below are copied from each vendor's pricing page.
OpenAI Images (gpt-image)No free tier
- Free tier
- None (pay-per-use; shared org credits)
- Billed
- Per token (~$0.02-0.25/image)
- Best for
- Frontier image gen + editing inside the OpenAI platform
- Verified
- Jun 27, 2026
Google Imagen / Gemini ImageFree tier or trial
- Free tier
- Free AI Studio key + limited free tier
- Billed
- Per image / per token ($0.02-0.15)
- Best for
- Hyperscale image gen across AI Studio + Vertex AI
- Verified
- Jun 27, 2026
OpenAI Images (gpt-image) plans
| Plan | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| gpt-image-1-mini | $2.50 in / $8.00 out per 1M tokens | Cheapest/fastest tier; cached input $0.25/1M. Batch: $1.25 in / $4.00 out. |
| gpt-image-1.5 | $8.00 in / $32.00 out per 1M tokens | Dec 2025 model; per-image square approx $0.009/$0.034/$0.133 for low/med/high. Batch: $4 in / $16 out. |
| gpt-image-2 (flagship) | $8.00 in / $30.00 out per 1M tokens | Current top model; per-image square approx $0.006/$0.053/$0.211 low/med/high. Batch: $4 in / $15 out. |
| gpt-image-1 (original) | ~$0.02 / $0.07 / $0.19 per image | Per-image low/medium/high quality (1024x1024); token-based ($5 text in, $10 image in, $40 image out per 1M). |
- More expensive and slower than self-hosted open-weight diffusion models for high-volume use
Google Imagen / Gemini Image plans
| Plan | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Standard) | $0.039 / image | 1024px image = 1290 output tokens at $30/1M output tokens; $0.30/1M input tokens |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Batch/Flex) | $0.0195 / image | 50% discount via batch (24h) or flex tier; $0.15/1M input tokens |
| Imagen 4 Fast | $0.02 / image | Cheapest Imagen tier; deprecated, shutdown Aug 17 2026 |
| Imagen 4 Standard | $0.04 / image | Standard photorealism tier; deprecated Aug 2026 |
| Imagen 4 Ultra | $0.06 / image | Highest-quality Imagen tier; deprecated Aug 2026 |
| Gemini 3 Pro Image | $0.067-$0.12 / image | $120/1M output tokens; ~$0.067 at 1K/2K, $0.12 at 4K (batch/flex) |