Imagen 4 is the latest AI image generation model released by Google DeepMind. The AI image generator is capable of capturing finer details. Imagen 4 can create lifelike images with textural accuracy, visual depth, high fidelity, and unmatched photorealism.

But these AI image generation capabilities come with a cost … or is Imagen 4 free to use?

Let’s dive in.

Imagen 4 Pricing: Free vs Paid Plans

When it comes to exploring Imagen 4 and its potential, there are two possibilities: the free access and paid subscriptions. Depending on your requirements and the number of AI image generations, you can opt for either one.

Imagen 4 Free Plan & Access

You can access Imagen 4 for free on Google AI Studios, Google Vertex AI, and Google Gemini image generation features.

Features of the Free Plan:

• The free access comes with limited monthly credits. You will have to wait for the next month or the upgrade cycle for credits to refill.
• The free plan offers basic image quality without any native upscaling features. It supports 720p or 1080p image resolution, which might not meet the standards of professional quality.
• Imagen 4 free plan doesn’t support large-scale business use and comes with restricted API calls.
• With free access, you can use the core AI image generation features, but can’t access advanced options, including styles, templates, and premium models.
• The free plan has restricted image manipulation features.
• The exported images have an imperceptible and invisible watermark, Google SynthID.

Who It’s For

• The free access is for casual users, hobbyists, or those exploring AI image generation.
• Ideal for small-scale personal projects and social media content creators.
• Designers or creators who want to explore Imagen 4 without a financial investment.

Explore Google AI Studios features and use cases on ImagineArt blog.

Imagen 4 Paid Plans

Imagen 4 paid plans offer higher resolution results, commercial usage rights, and increased credits. You can access these paid plans on the Google Gemini API and Google Vertex AI.

Features of Paid Plans:

• Imagen 4 paid plans come with additional credits, allowing you to create multiple visuals without running out of AI generation credits.
• Paid users can access features with higher resolutions of up to 1080p, 2K, and 4K — making it ideal for professional-grade visuals, creative ads, product photography, branding assets, and more. It also features advanced image editing features.
• Commercial users get extended API access, which means more frequent calls and the ability to integrate Imagen 4 into their workflows, automating the generation of large volumes of images.
• Paid plans allow for commercial usage rights, making sure the generated visuals are licensed to be used for marketing, branding, advertising, and business-related purposes.
• With a paid plan, you get priority support that is important for large-scale teams and businesses in case of guidance or troubleshooting.
• The exported images have an imperceptible and invisible watermark, Google SynthID.

Who It’s For:

• Businesses and marketing agencies with a requirement to produce a higher volume of quality visuals.
• E-commerce brands and websites that need realistic renders and product shots for online stores.
• Advertising agencies that are looking to create commercial ads with high resolution and a faster turnaround.
• These plans are suitable for businesses, marketing agencies, content creators, and enterprises that rely on AI-generated content for high-quality advertisements, eCommerce platforms, or large-scale design projects.

Pricing:

On Vertex AI:

• Image generation with text prompt and Imagen 4 ultra model costs $0.06 per image.
• Image upscaling with an image-based prompt and Imagen 4 model costs $0.06 per image.
• Image generation with a text prompt and Imagen 4 model costs $0.04 per image.
• Image generation with text prompt and Imagen 4 Fast model costs $0.02 per image.

On Google Gemini API:

• Imagen 4 Fast image price: $0.02
• Imagen 4 Standard image price: $0.04
• Imagen 4 Ultra image price: $0.06

Imagen 4 ImagineArt Integration

ImagineArt AI image generator offers a set of well-integrated AI image generation models, including Imagen 4. ImagineArt offers a credit-based system, and Imagen 4 consumes 24 credits per image generation. Here’s a pricing breakdown of ImagineArt AI image generator:

• The free plan comes with 50 credits for only a couple of generations.
• The basic plan starts at $10/month with up to 18k credit/year.
• The professional plan starts at $41/month with up to 180k credits/year.

Conclusion

If you're just getting started with AI image generation, the free plan lets you experiment and test out Imagen 4 capabilities. However, if you require visuals for commercial use, then you will have to subscribe to one of the paid plans.A bonus tip: if you use Imagen 4 on ImagineArt, you can explore other AI image generators at the lowest cost and free daily credits!

Interested in exploring Google Imagen 4 in more detail? Read: Google Imagen 4 Overview | How to Use Imagen 4