The FLUX by Black Forest Labs Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about FLUX by Black Forest Labs in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
FLUX by Black Forest Labs
The Insider’s Guide
FLUX image and video models, paid per use via API and playground
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI image and video generators, read from FLUX by Black Forest Labs’s own pages.
Made by Black Forest Labs · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from FLUX by Black Forest Labs’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on FLUX by Black Forest Labs’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 2 of the 21 other AI image and video generators we grade
Black Forest Labs makes the FLUX models, which generate and edit images and, with FLUX 3, video with sound. People use them in a browser playground or through an API, both paid per generation from prepaid credits with no subscription. Several models are also released as open weights that can be downloaded and run on your own hardware, with paid licenses for commercial self-hosting.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about FLUX by Black Forest Labs, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It's an engine rather than an app, though: no phone app, and little around the playground.
- 1
Best for pay-per-image FLUX models and open weights
Black Forest Labs makes the FLUX models, and you use them in a browser playground or through an API, paying per image with no subscription.
- 2
There is a free plan
The FLUX.2 [klein] 4B weights are free to download and run yourself under Apache 2.0, commercial use included. The hosted playground and API need bought credits.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
FLUX 3 image and video
One model family covers images with accurate text rendering and video clips of up to 20 seconds with optional generated speech, effects and ambience.
- 5
Image editing tools
FLUX.2 models edit images from a prompt, and FLUX Tools add outpainting, object erasing and deblurring.
- 6
Browser playground
Try the models without code in the playground, which charges the same credit prices as the API.
- 7
A 2.0 GPA, above 2 of 21
That is against the other AI image and video generators we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace FLUX by Black Forest Labs you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
FLUX by Black Forest Labs at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Black Forest Labs
- Category
- AI Image & Video Generators
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for pay-per-image FLUX models and open weights
Black Forest Labs makes the FLUX models, and you use them in a browser playground or through an API, paying per image with no subscription. A FLUX 3 image is under 5 cents, and some weights are free to run on your own machine. It's an engine rather than an app, though: no phone app, and little around the playground.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No subscription, so no monthly plan to set against this category. You prepay credits at $0.01 each: a FLUX 3 image costs $0.048 and a Klein one $0.009, so $10 makes about 200 FLUX 3 images. Light use beats any plan here, heavy use won't. |
| Free plan and trial | C | The FLUX.2 [klein] 4B weights are free under Apache 2.0, commercial use included, but only if you can run them on your own hardware. The hosted playground and API have no free credits on record. |
| Features | C | FLUX 3 makes images with accurate text and clips up to 20 seconds with sound, and FLUX Tools erase, outpaint and deblur. For a person, though, the listing shows a playground over an API, with no styles, projects or gallery around it. |
| Ease of use | C | No app rating on record. The playground needs no code, but you're buying credits, picking models and resolutions and paying per image, which is a developer's way of working. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | A web playground and an API, plus open weights to run on your own machine. No phone app and no integrations in the listing. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who FLUX by Black Forest Labs is for
- Great if you make the odd image and would rather pay per picture than monthly
- Handy when you're building image or video generation into your own product
- A treat if you have a strong graphics card and want to run and fine-tune a model yourself
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want an app with styles, projects and a gallery, not a playground
- Not for you if you need a known monthly bill, since you pay per image
- Pricey if you make hundreds of FLUX 3 images a month, as every one is charged
Good to know
Good for
- Developers adding image or video generation to their own product
- Teams that want to self-host and fine-tune an image model
- Occasional users who prefer paying per image over a subscription
Worth knowing
- Hosted use is pay as you go: FLUX 3 Image costs $0.048 per 1K image, Klein $0.009, and FLUX 3 video $0.17 a second at HD.
- There is no subscription for the playground or API, and no published monthly price for any self-hosting license.
- FLUX.2 [klein] 9B, FLUX.2 [dev] and FLUX.1 [dev] weights are non-commercial; running them commercially needs a paid license.
- There is no student discount, and volume discounts on API use are arranged through sales.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
5
plans to choose from
FLUX by Black Forest Labs has a free plan.
No subscription, so no monthly plan to set against this category.
FLUX.2 [klein] 4B open weights
$0
Download from Hugging Face and host it yourself under Apache 2.0, with free commercial use.
Builder license
Custom
Self-serve monthly license bought in the dashboard; price not published. 10K images a month, 1 domain, 10 users.
Platform license
Custom
For products offering FLUX to their own users: 100K images a month on 1 domain, sold through sales.
Professional license
Custom
For agencies making images for named clients: 100K images a month, first 3 clients included, sold through sales.
Enterprise
Custom
All models and new releases, custom volume, volume discounts and an SLA, with combined API and weights pricing.
The free plan
The FLUX.2 [klein] 4B weights are free to download and run yourself under Apache 2.0, commercial use included. The hosted playground and API need bought credits.
Read from bfl.ai on Oct 17, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
FLUX image and video models, paid per use via API and playground. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: self-hostable, public API, AI features, image generation, video generation.
For a person, though, the listing shows a playground over an API, with no styles, projects or gallery around it.
- FLUX 3 image and video
- One model family covers images with accurate text rendering and video clips of up to 20 seconds with optional generated speech, effects and ambience.
- Image editing tools
- FLUX.2 models edit images from a prompt, and FLUX Tools add outpainting, object erasing and deblurring.
- Browser playground
- Try the models without code in the playground, which charges the same credit prices as the API.
- API with prepaid credits
- Credits cost $0.01 each, are shared across an organization's projects, do not expire, and can be topped up automatically.
- Open weights
- Models such as FLUX 3 Image Klein and FLUX.2 [klein] can be downloaded from Hugging Face and GitHub and fine-tuned on your own hardware.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
FLUX by Black Forest Labs is made by Black Forest Labs.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
2/21
Other AI image and video generators it is graded above
FLUX by Black Forest Labs's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 2 of the 21 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 3.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 AI image and video generators we grade, cut by the letter each got. FLUX by Black Forest Labs’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 21
- CFree plan and trialAbove 3 of 21
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 21
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 21
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 21
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace FLUX by Black Forest Labs you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 16 of the 21 other AI image and video generators grade higher.
What you could not
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- A video model, which you can rent by the second but not make.
- An API that other software can build on.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. FLUX by Black Forest Labs’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Stability AI, Ideogram, Midjourney, Recraft and Krea
The 5 tools FLUX by Black Forest Labs is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.8GPA
Stability AI
Free plan
Stable Diffusion image models to self-host or call through an API.
- 2.8GPA
Ideogram
Free plan · from $15/mo
Image generator for designs with text, plus editing and video apps.
- Only Ideogram lists an iOS app.
- FLUX by Black Forest Labs is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.0GPA
Midjourney
From $8/mo
Image and short-video generator run on monthly GPU time.
- FLUX by Black Forest Labs has a free plan. Midjourney does not.
- FLUX by Black Forest Labs is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Recraft
Free plan · from $10/mo
Image and vector generator built for designers and brand work.
- Only Recraft lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Recraft lists a browser extension.
- FLUX by Black Forest Labs is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
Krea
Free plan · from $5.25/mo
Image, video and 3D generation with real-time canvas and plugins.
- Only Krea lists an iOS app.
- FLUX by Black Forest Labs is self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is FLUX by Black Forest Labs free?
FLUX by Black Forest Labs has a free plan. The FLUX.2 [klein] 4B weights are free to download and run yourself under Apache 2.0, commercial use included.
How much does FLUX by Black Forest Labs cost?
FLUX by Black Forest Labs lists 5 plans. FLUX.2 [klein] 4B open weights: $0.
What platforms does FLUX by Black Forest Labs work on?
FLUX by Black Forest Labs is available on Web.
Does FLUX by Black Forest Labs have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. FLUX by Black Forest Labs is listed for Web.
Does FLUX by Black Forest Labs have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. FLUX by Black Forest Labs is listed for Web.
Is FLUX by Black Forest Labs open source?
FLUX by Black Forest Labs is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Can FLUX by Black Forest Labs be self-hosted?
Yes. FLUX by Black Forest Labs's own site says it can be run on a server of your own.
Does FLUX by Black Forest Labs have an API?
Yes. FLUX by Black Forest Labs offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes FLUX by Black Forest Labs?
FLUX by Black Forest Labs is made by Black Forest Labs.
What are the alternatives to FLUX by Black Forest Labs?
The closest alternatives to FLUX by Black Forest Labs in our directory are Stability AI, Ideogram, Midjourney, Recraft and Krea.
How does FLUX by Black Forest Labs compare with other AI image and video generators?
FLUX by Black Forest Labs's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 2 of the 21 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 3.
Could I make my own version of FLUX by Black Forest Labs?
To replace FLUX by Black Forest Labs you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from FLUX by Black Forest Labs’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Black Forest Labs' own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Black Forest Labs. Prices change, so check bfl.ai before you buy.
- bfl.ai/pricing
- bfl.ai/
- bfl.ai/licensing
- bfl.ai/models/flux-3-image-klein
- help.bfl.ai/articles/7986977817-what-are-the-costs-associated-with-using-your-models
- help.bfl.ai/articles/9272590838-self-serve-dev-license-overview-pricing
- help.bfl.ai/articles/8986571742-billing-payment
- help.bfl.ai/articles/8031234243-what-are-credits
- docs.bfl.ai/account_management/credits_billing
- docs.bfl.ai/quick_start/pricing
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,880
Tools graded, in 47 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,880
tools graded
47
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- FLUX by Black Forest Labs, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/black-forest-labs
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "FLUX by Black Forest Labs: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/black-forest-labs
Know someone choosing between AI image and video generators?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/black-forest-labs/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI image and video generators after FLUX by Black Forest Labs, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Image & Video Generators Insider's GuideEvery one of the 22 AI image and video generators we grade, compared
- Adobe Firefly Insider's GuideAdobe's image, video and audio generator, with partner models3.0 GPA
- Leonardo.Ai Insider's GuideImage, video and 3D generator with its own and partner models3.0 GPA
- Magnific Insider's GuideFormerly Freepik: AI image, video and audio tools plus stock library3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what FLUX by Black Forest Labs’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. FLUX by Black Forest Labs is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Black Forest Labs. Prices and plans change: check bfl.ai before you buy.