FLUX
FLUX is Black Forest Labs' family of image and video generation models—available via a pay-per-use API, open-weight releases for local deployment, and a free browser Playground. It is the most widely adopted open image model family in 2026, with commercial licensing split by revenue and deployment mode.
What is FLUX?
FLUX is a family of image and video generation models developed by Black Forest Labs (BFL), a company founded by researchers involved in the original Stable Diffusion work. It is not a single product with a consumer interface in the conventional sense. FLUX is distributed through three distinct channels: a hosted API billed per image or per megapixel, open-weight releases intended for local deployment, and a browser-based Playground for evaluation.
The distinction that matters for selection is licensing and deployment, not just image quality. The same FLUX model family carries different commercial terms depending on whether you call the API, download the weights and run them yourself, or build a product on top of a self-hosted instance. Those terms are the practical constraint most users encounter after the model itself.
How does FLUX work?
API users create an account at dashboard.bfl.ai, add credits (1 credit = $0.01 USD), and generate an API key. Requests are sent to api.bfl.ai with a model selection and prompt. FLUX.2 models accept text-to-image and image-editing requests; editing operations can reference up to multiple source images depending on the variant ([pro] supports up to 8; [flex] supports up to 10). The API returns generated images at a resolution determined by the request, and the submission response includes the cost of that request. Billing is calculated per megapixel of output, rounded up to the next whole megapixel, with reference images billed separately for editing operations.
Local deployment uses the open-weight releases. [klein] 4B runs under Apache 2.0 and can be used commercially by businesses below the $5 million revenue threshold. [klein] 9B and [dev] are non-commercial unless a commercial license is purchased. Self-hosted commercial deployment through an API to third parties is prohibited under the standard self-hosted terms and requires a separate arrangement. The Playground provides a browser interface for testing models without an API integration, with a reported daily rendering limit.
Use Cases
- Integrating image generation into an application via API, with per-image cost predictability and no monthly commitment
- Generating photorealistic product or marketing visuals at up to 4 MP, with multi-reference editing for consistency across scenes
- Local image generation on consumer GPUs with FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, including commercial use for businesses under the $5M revenue threshold
- Evaluating model output across [pro], [flex], and [max] tiers in the Playground before committing to an API integration
- Video generation with synchronized audio through FLUX 3, where per-second pricing aligns cost with clip length
Pricing
Pricing model: Pay-per-use
| Plan | Price | Billing | Included usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLUX.2 [max] | $0.07 | — | 1 credit = $0.01. First megapixel $0.07, additional MP $0.03. Highest visual fidelity across FLUX.2 models, outputs up to 4 MP, exclusive grounding search with real-time web information. Commercial production use. | — |
| FLUX.2 [pro] | $0.03 | — | First megapixel $0.03, additional MP $0.015. Balance of quality and speed, up to 8 reference images, ~10 second generation. Text-to-image $0.03/MP; editing $0.045/MP. | — |
| FLUX.2 [flex] | $0.05 | — | Text-to-image $0.05/MP; editing $0.10/MP. Adjustable steps and guidance, best text rendering in the FLUX.2 family, flexible MP-based billing with no per-image minimum. | — |
| FLUX.2 [klein] 4B | $0.014 | — | Open weights under Apache 2.0, free for commercial use. Ultra-compact 4B model, maximum generation speed, runs on consumer GPUs. API from $0.014/image (4B). | — |
| FLUX.2 [klein] 9B | $0.015 | — | Open weights under FLUX Non-Commercial license. Compact 9B architecture for high throughput and low latency. API from $0.015/image. | — |
| FLUX.1 [pro] / [dev] | $0.025–$0.05 | — | FLUX.1 [pro] API at $0.05/image; [dev] open weights under non-commercial license with no hosted API endpoint. FLUX.1 [schnell] under Apache 2.0. | — |
| Playground (Free tier) | Free | — | Try FLUX models in the browser Playground at playground.bfl.ai. Reports indicate a limit of approximately 50 renderings per user per day, subject to change. | — |
Common Limitations
- Commercial license revenue threshold · FLUX 3 Image Klein and FLUX.2 [klein] 4B open weights permit free commercial use for individuals and businesses with annual revenue below $5 million. Larger organizations need a separate commercial arrangement or must use the hosted API. The $5 million threshold combines gross annualized revenue with affiliates.
- Output resolution cap · FLUX.2 models cap output at 4 megapixels. Requests exceeding 4 MP are resized to 4 MP and billed at the 4 MP rate. This applies to editing and reference-image operations as well.
- Self-hosted commercial API prohibition · The Self-Hosted Commercial License Terms prohibit distributing FLUX [dev] models or derivatives to third parties through an API endpoint, or reselling the models. Providing a FLUX model to users via API requires a separate commercial arrangement with Black Forest Labs. The license also requires content filtering and manual review measures.
- Model availability and API-only access · FLUX.2 [max] and [flex] are available only through the hosted API and Playground; their weights are not published for local deployment. FLUX.2 [dev] is free for non-commercial local use but has no hosted API endpoint. Commercial self-hosting requires a paid BFL tier.
- No subscription or all-you-can-generate plan · BFL does not offer a flat-rate subscription. Every API call consumes credits at per-image or per-megapixel rates. Costs scale directly with output volume and resolution, which can accumulate for high-throughput production workflows.
- Playground free rendering is not unrestricted · The free Playground is intended for evaluation. Reported daily rendering limits (approximately 50) apply. It is not a substitute for API access in production workflows, and the limit is not a contractual entitlement.
- FLUX.1 [dev] is non-commercial by default · FLUX.1 [dev] weights are released under the FLUX [dev] Non-Commercial License v2.0. Commercial use of [dev] requires purchasing a self-hosted commercial license from BFL. Generating images through a third-party hosted provider (e.g., Replicate) may carry different commercial terms than downloading and running the weights yourself.
Key Features
- Photorealistic image generation up to 4 MP with FLUX.2 [pro], [flex], and [max]
- Multi-reference image editing with precise hex color control and reliable text rendering
- Open-weight releases: [klein] 4B under Apache 2.0, [klein] 9B and [dev] under non-commercial licenses
- FLUX 3 video generation with synchronized audio, up to 20 seconds at HD or FHD, priced per second
- Pay-per-use API with credit-based billing (1 credit = $0.01), no subscription or seat fees
FLUX vs. Midjourney and Stable Diffusion
This comparison focuses on documented access model, licensing structure, and output constraints. FLUX, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion occupy different positions on the open-versus-managed spectrum; the aim is to clarify what each is built to do and under what terms, not to rank artistic output.
| Tool | Positioning | Key differences | Best fit | Pricing note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLUX Official pricing Credit pricing overview Help Center — models and pricing | A pay-per-use image and video generation API from Black Forest Labs, with open-weight releases for local deployment and a free evaluation Playground. | Strictly metered API billing (1 credit = $0.01), no subscription. Commercial licensing is split by revenue threshold ($5M for klein open weights) and deployment mode. Output capped at 4 MP. API-only models ([max], [flex]) are not downloadable; open-weight models ([klein] 4B, [klein] 9B, [dev]) carry different commercial terms. Midjourney is subscription-based with no official public API; Stable Diffusion is open-weight with a $1M revenue threshold under its Community License. | Developers and technical teams who want pay-per-image cost control, open-weight flexibility for local deployment, or API integration into a production pipeline—and who can navigate license terms by revenue and deployment mode. | Pay-per-use from $0.014/image ([klein] 4B) to $0.07/MP ([max]). No subscription or seat fee. Playground offers limited free evaluation rendering. Open weights for [klein] 4B are free for commercial use under $5M revenue; [klein] 9B and [dev] are non-commercial without a separate license. |
| Midjourney Pricing Terms of service (commercial use) | A subscription-based image generation service known for distinctive, stylized aesthetics, operated primarily through a web app and Discord. | Midjourney has no broad, self-serve public API; access has historically been through Discord, with limited enterprise access reported. Billing is subscription-based ($10–$120/month) rather than per-image. Commercial rights are wrapped into subscription terms and require a paid plan. FLUX offers per-image API billing and open-weight options; Midjourney offers a curated aesthetic with a subscription commitment. | Individual creators and teams who prioritize a distinctive visual style and prefer a monthly subscription over metered API costs, and who do not require a public API for programmatic integration. | Basic $10/month; Standard $30/month; Pro $60/month; Mega $120/month. Annual billing discounts available. No free tier. Commercial use requires an active paid subscription. |
| Stable Diffusion Community License Official site | An open-weight image generation model family from Stability AI, designed for local deployment, fine-tuning, and self-hosted customization. | Stable Diffusion's Community License permits free commercial use for organizations under $1 million in annual revenue—a lower threshold than FLUX's $5 million for [klein] 4B. It is fully open-weight and widely supported by local tooling (ComfyUI, Automatic1111, etc.), but Stability AI's hosted API is a separate offering. In 2026, FLUX has largely displaced Stable Diffusion as the default open image model for quality-sensitive work, while Stable Diffusion retains an ecosystem advantage in fine-tuning and community tooling. | Users who need a fully open, fine-tunable model with a well-established local tooling ecosystem, and whose commercial scale falls below the $1 million revenue threshold (or who do not require commercial rights). | Free to self-host under the Community License (commercial use free under $1M annual revenue). Hosted API pricing varies by provider. No mandatory subscription for local use. |
Comparison checked against official product information on 2026-11-08. Features and pricing may change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FLUX free to use commercially?
It depends on which FLUX model and deployment mode you use. FLUX.2 [klein] 4B open weights are free for commercial use for individuals and businesses under $5 million in annual revenue, under Apache 2.0. FLUX.2 [klein] 9B and FLUX.1 [dev] open weights are non-commercial unless you purchase a self-hosted commercial license. API usage (including [pro], [flex], [max], and hosted klein) is billed per image or per megapixel, and API terms generally permit commercial use of outputs. The self-hosted commercial license does not permit reselling FLUX models or serving them to third parties via API without a separate arrangement.
Does FLUX have a subscription plan?
No. Black Forest Labs does not offer a flat-rate subscription. API access is strictly pay-per-use, with 1 credit equal to $0.01 USD. You purchase credits and they are consumed per image, per megapixel, or per second for video. There is no monthly seat fee or all-you-can-generate tier. The Playground offers limited free evaluation rendering, but it is not a production substitute.
What is the difference between FLUX.2 [pro], [flex], and [max]?
According to Black Forest Labs' current documentation: [pro] is the production workhorse, priced from $0.03/MP for text-to-image, with up to 8 reference images and ~10-second generation. [flex] prioritizes fine-grained control (adjustable steps and guidance) and the best text rendering in the FLUX.2 family, priced from $0.05/MP. [max] targets the highest visual fidelity and includes exclusive grounding search that pulls real-time web information, priced from $0.07/MP. All three cap output at 4 MP.
Can I run FLUX locally on my own hardware?
Yes, for the open-weight variants. FLUX.2 [klein] 4B and 9B, and FLUX.1 [dev], can be downloaded and run on local hardware. BFL specifies an 8 GB minimum for [klein] on GeForce RTX hardware, though the company notes it has not tied that minimum to a particular model variant, output size, or generation time. Commercial use of local weights depends on the license: 4B is Apache 2.0 (free commercial use under the $5M revenue threshold); 9B and [dev] are non-commercial by default. API-only models ([max], [flex], [pro]) cannot be downloaded.
What is the $5 million revenue threshold in the FLUX license?
For FLUX.2 [klein] 4B and FLUX 3 Image Klein open weights, Black Forest Labs permits free commercial use for individuals and businesses whose annual revenue falls below $5 million. The threshold is based on gross annualized revenue combined with affiliates. Organizations above that threshold need a separate commercial arrangement or must use the hosted API. This threshold does not apply to the hosted API itself; API usage is pay-per-use regardless of company size.
Alternative Tools
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GPT Image GPT Image is OpenAI's image generation model family, accessed through ChatGPT or the API. It leads on in-image text rendering and multi-constraint instruction following, but has a documented style ceiling, strict content moderation, token-based API billing that resists simple per-image cost estimates, and a free tier too small for production work. -
Nano Banana Nano Banana is Google's Gemini image-generation and editing experience for creating visuals, transforming reference images, combining photos, and placing text into designs. -
Ideogram Ideogram is an AI image generation platform built around text rendering accuracy, with a free weekly credit tier, priority-credit subscriptions from Plus to Team, and per-image API pricing across three quality tiers. -
Adobe Firefly Adobe Firefly is a generative AI platform built around commercially safe, licensed training data and deep integration with Adobe’s creative applications, offering image, video, audio, and partner-model generation through a credit-based subscription system. -
Canva Canva is a template-driven visual design platform whose AI layer—Canva AI 2.0—is a paid-plan feature for conversational editing inside the design editor, metered by a pooled monthly allowance that Free users can access only in a limited, earlier-generation form. -
Figma Figma is a browser-based collaborative interface design platform with a free tier that caps team files at 3 per file type and a seat-based pricing model where Full, Dev, and Collab seats carry different costs and AI credit allowances.