Nano Banana
Image, Logo & Design
Google's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same.
Image, Logo & Design
FLUX
Black Forest Labs' image models: pay per image in the browser or run them free yourself.
4.0our ratingNo community reviews yet. Add yours
FreemiumFrom From $0.041 per imageWorks with Claude Code
Quick take
- Most people use FLUX inside another app like Krea, Magnific or Photoshop. You can also use it directly in BFL's Playground with pay-as-you-go credits.
- FLUX 3 Image (October 2026) lets you place elements with boxes, use up to ten references and render at 4K. Early tests suggest it drifts less than rivals over repeated edits.
- No subscription: about 5 cents for a standard image and 10 cents at 2K. That is cheap for occasional use.
- The Playground is built for developers testing models, not for designing, and some open models are non-commercial.
What is FLUX?
FLUX is a family of image (and now video) models from Black Forest Labs, a German lab started by the people behind Stable Diffusion. Most people meet FLUX inside other apps: it powers options in Magnific, Krea, Leonardo, OpenArt, Photoshop and many more. You can also use it directly in BFL's Playground: sign up, add credits (one credit is one US cent) and type a prompt or upload a photo to edit.
The newest model, FLUX 3 Image (1 October 2026), generates and edits in one place. You can draw boxes to say exactly where each element goes, give it up to ten reference images and render up to 4K. Early tests on Reddit found it changes less of the picture over repeated edits than Nano Banana or GPT Image. The older FLUX.2 models and FLUX Kontext are cheaper and still widely used.
There is no monthly plan: images cost about 4 to 10 cents, or 61 cents at 4K. Developers and hobbyists can download smaller 'open weights' versions (FLUX 3 Image Klein, FLUX.2 klein) and run them on their own computer, but licences vary and some are non-commercial. For a non-technical owner, using FLUX through an app you already pay for is usually easier.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Developers
- Designers
- AI hobbyists
- Product teams
- Agencies
Developers, designers and hands-on marketers who want precise, cheap image generation and editing without a subscription.
Key features
FLUX 3 Image
Generate and edit in one model, with up to ten reference images and native 4K output.
Box layouts
Draw a box and say what goes in it, so the product, headline or person lands exactly where you want.
Precise edits
Change one thing in a photo, like the background or a colour, and keep the rest as it was.
Open models
Smaller versions such as FLUX 3 Image Klein run on a gaming PC with 8GB of graphics memory, through ComfyUI.
Pay as you go
Buy credits once and spend them in the Playground or API at the same price. No seats or monthly fees.
Video and MCP
FLUX 3 also makes video with sound, and an MCP server lets Claude generate images directly.
How we rate it
4.0overall, out of 5
Our rating, from using the tool ourselves. Each score is out of 5.
- Ease of use
- 3.0
- Features
- 4.0
- Output quality
- 4.5
- Value for money
- 4.5
- Speed & reliability
- 4.0
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
Community rating
No community reviews yet. Be the first to leave one.
FLUX pricing
Open weights
Free
Developers and hobbyists with a decent graphics card.
- FLUX 3 Image Klein, free for commercial use under $5M annual revenue
- FLUX.2 klein 4B under Apache 2.0
- Some models are non-commercial only
- Our pick
Playground and API
From $0.041 per image
Anyone who wants the best FLUX models without a subscription.
- FLUX 3 Image $0.041 to $0.10 per image up to 2K, $0.607 at 4K
- FLUX 3 Image Klein from $0.008 per image
- FLUX.2 pro from $0.03 per megapixel
- Same price in the Playground and API
Self-hosting licence
Custom
Companies running FLUX on their own servers.
- Commercial licence for the full model weights
- Tiers from builder to enterprise
Which plan should you pick?
Top up $10 to $20 of Playground credits and you will get a couple of hundred standard images. If you already pay for Krea, Magnific or Leonardo, try FLUX there first. Only look at open weights or a self-hosting licence if you have a developer and a reason to run it yourself.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 21 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways FLUX can slot into your week.
- 1
Ad layouts with exact placement
Put the product bottom left, the headline top and the model on the right, using boxes rather than hoping the prompt lands.
- 2
Product photo edits
Swap backgrounds or colours on a product shot over several rounds without the label or shape drifting.
- 3
Bulk images through the API
Have Claude Code or an automation generate catalogue or blog images at a few cents each.
- 4
Private, local generation
Run an open FLUX model on your own PC for work that can't leave the building.
How it fits your tech stack
FLUX is an engine more than an app. Use it inside the tools that host it (Krea, Magnific, Leonardo, OpenArt, Photoshop), through the API and MCP from Claude Code, or locally in ComfyUI. Finish layouts in Canva or Figma.
Connects to
- ComfyUI
- Hugging Face
- Krea
- Magnific
- Adobe Photoshop
- OpenRouter
- Claude
Pros and cons
Pros
- FLUX 3 Image is among the most precise editors available
- No subscription, and cheap per image
- Open models you can run privately on your own PC
- Built into many apps you may already use
- Same price in the Playground and the API
Cons
- The Playground is a developer test bench, not a friendly design app
- Licences are confusing: some open models are non-commercial
- Strict filters, and users say the open models are weak at people
- 4K images are expensive at about 61 cents each
- Reviews of the small Klein model are mixed
FLUX alternatives
The closest alternatives to FLUX in the library, best rated first.
- Nano Banana4.6/5· best for editing photos by describing the changeFLUX vs Nano Banana
- Canva4.5/5· best for social media posts and storiesFLUX vs Canva
- ChatGPT Images4.2/5· best for mockups and signage with real textFLUX vs ChatGPT Images
- Figma4.1/5· best for website and app designFLUX vs Figma
Why it made the list
FLUX models sit behind a large share of the AI image tools people use, and FLUX 3 Image is one of the most controllable editors available.
Not sure FLUX is the one?
Put it next to a similar tool and see the differences side by side.
FLUX FAQ
How much does FLUX cost?
There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $0.041 per image. Prices checked 21 October 2026 against FLUX's pricing page.
Is FLUX free?
No. There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $0.041 per image.
What is FLUX best for?
FLUX is best for precise layouts with elements placed where you want, editing one part of a photo and keeping the rest and cheap images through an API. Developers, designers and hands-on marketers who want precise, cheap image generation and editing without a subscription.
What are the best FLUX alternatives?
The closest alternatives are Nano Banana, Canva, ChatGPT Images and Figma. Nano Banana is best for editing photos by describing the change.
Community reviews
Nobody has reviewed FLUX here yet. If you use it, your take helps everyone else choose.
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