The formula
credits = rate_per_megapixel × (width × height ÷ 1,000,000)- rate_per_megapixel
- 1 to 15 credits depending on the model — 4 on Flux 1.1 Pro. It is a rate, not a per-image price: the same number covers a single megapixel and gets multiplied for anything larger.
- width × height
- the pixel dimensions of the output. Both edges enter the formula, which is why aspect ratio matters far less than total area.
Worked example — A 2048 × 2048 print-ready square at 4 credits a megapixel
- 1.2048 × 2048 = 4,194,304 pixels
- 2.4,194,304 ÷ 1,000,000 = 4.19 megapixels
- 3.4.19 × 4
= ≈ 17 credits
The only square law in Versely's pricing
Area billing is the only formula on this hub with a square law in it. Every other meter is linear — twice the seconds, twice the credits — but a canvas twice as wide and twice as tall is four times the area and four times the charge. Buyers underestimate this by exactly that factor.
It also inverts the usual advice. On a flat-billed model you should always ask for the largest output available, because size is free. On a per-megapixel model, asking for a poster when you needed a thumbnail is the most expensive mistake on offer.
There is a third way images get priced by size, and it behaves differently again: 5 models publish one flat price for standard resolutions and a higher flat price for 4K. That is a two-step band rather than a continuous meter, so every size within a band costs the same and crossing the band is a cliff.
Canvas sizes, doublings and rate spread
Every figure below is computed from Versely's live price matrix — the same matrix the app quotes you from before it charges. These are prices, not verdicts: the buyer's guides are where models get ranked.
Canvas size to credits at 4 credits per megapixel
Figures are what the formula produces. Versely quotes the exact whole-credit charge before a render runs.
| Canvas | Megapixels | Arithmetic | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1024 × 1024 — square social | 1.05 | 1.05 × 4 | ≈ 4 |
| 1280 × 720 — HD landscape | 0.92 | 0.92 × 4 | ≈ 4 |
| 1080 × 1920 — vertical story | 2.07 | 2.07 × 4 | ≈ 8 |
| 2048 × 2048 — large square | 4.19 | 4.19 × 4 | ≈ 17 |
| 3840 × 2160 — 4K landscape | 8.29 | 8.29 × 4 | ≈ 33 |
| 4096 × 4096 — print-scale square | 16.78 | 16.78 × 4 | ≈ 67 |
A vertical story frame and an HD landscape frame differ in shape but barely in area, which is why they cost nearly the same — while the 4K frame costs several times either.
What doubling the edge does
The reason area billing surprises people.
| Edge | Canvas | Megapixels | Credits | vs. previous row |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 512px | 512 × 512 | 0.26 | ≈ 1 | — |
| 1024px | 1024 × 1024 | 1.05 | ≈ 4 | 4× |
| 2048px | 2048 × 2048 | 4.19 | ≈ 17 | 4× |
| 4096px | 4096 × 4096 | 16.78 | ≈ 67 | 4× |
Each step doubles the edge and quadruples the credits. Three doublings is a 64× bill.
Rate spread across the 29 per-megapixel models
The rate multiplies the area, so a model at the top of this range is expensive at every canvas size, not only at large ones.
| Credits per megapixel | Models | A 4K landscape frame | A print-scale square |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | ≈ 8 | ≈ 17 |
| 2 | 6 | ≈ 17 | ≈ 34 |
| 3 | 1 | ≈ 25 | ≈ 50 |
| 4 | 4 | ≈ 33 | ≈ 67 |
| 5 | 1 | ≈ 41 | ≈ 84 |
| 8 | 3 | ≈ 66 | ≈ 134 |
| 9 | 2 | ≈ 75 | ≈ 151 |
| 15 | 1 | ≈ 124 | ≈ 252 |
At the bottom of the range a print-scale square is about 17 credits; at the top it is about 252.
What changes the cost of a large render
Output dimensions
The whole formula. Every pixel you did not need is billed like every pixel you did.
Aspect ratio
Only through area. A 16:9 and a 9:16 frame of the same pixel count cost the same; a wider frame at the same height costs more.
Generating small and upscaling
Often cheaper than rendering large in one pass, but the upscale is its own charge on its own model — compare the two totals rather than assuming.
Number of images
Multiplies the whole thing. Area billing and batch volume compound: ten large canvases is ten times a large canvas.
What the area charge does not cover
- Upscaling, billed separately per the upscale model you choose.
- Flat-billed models, which ignore dimensions entirely and are covered by the batch page.
- Print production itself. Credits buy the file and nothing downstream of it.
Social-size versus print-scale on one plan
A Monthly plan's 580 credits is roughly 138 social-size renders at 4 credits a megapixel — or about 8 at print-scale 4096 × 4096.
Plan sizes and what each grants are on the cost hub.
Image models billed by area
Every model page shows its own price matrix, its published credit range, and the option table this formula reads from.
Flux 1.1 Pro
per_megapixelFlux · 4–4 credits
HunyuanImage 3.0 Instruct Edit
per_megapixelHunyuan · 9–9 credits
HunyuanImage 3.0 Instruct Text to Image
per_megapixelHunyuan · 9–9 credits
HiDream O1 Image
per_megapixelHiDream · 1–1 credits
HiDream O1 Image Edit
per_megapixelHiDream · 1–1 credits
HiDream O1 Image Dev
per_megapixelHiDream · 1–1 credits
HiDream O1 Image Dev Edit
per_megapixelHiDream · 1–1 credits
Flux 2 Flex
per_megapixelFlux · 5–5 credits
Flux 2 Klein 9B Base
per_megapixelFlux · 2–2 credits
Flux 2 Flash Turbo
per_megapixelFlux · 2–2 credits
Flux 2 Flash
per_megapixelFlux · 1–1 credits
Flux 2 Klein 4B Base Edit
per_megapixelFlux · 1–1 credits
Frequently asked questions
Why does the model page list a single credit figure if billing is per megapixel?+
The figure on a model card is the rate, not the bill. On Flux 1.1 Pro it is 4 credits per megapixel — ask for more canvas and the charge scales with the area, which is what "per megapixel" means. The app quotes the exact whole-credit total before the render runs.
Is a wide image more expensive than a tall one?+
Only if it contains more pixels. The formula multiplies width by height, so shape is irrelevant and total area is everything.
Should I generate large, or generate small and upscale?+
Work out both. A large render is one area-priced charge; small-plus-upscale is a small area-priced charge plus a separate upscale charge on a different model. Which wins depends on the upscale model.
Do all image models charge more for large output?+
No. 74 flat-billed models ignore size completely and 5 charge one price up to HD and a higher one at 4K. Only the 29 per-megapixel models scale continuously with area.
Does a discarded render still cost the area price?+
Yes — the charge attaches to the render, at whatever size you asked for. Test prompts on a small canvas before committing to a print-scale one.
Different job, different arithmetic
These are not variations on the formula above — each one meters something else entirely.
What does a batch of 100 AI product images cost?
credits = price_per_image × images_generatedIt charges one fixed price per call, so the image's size and shape are free.
What does exporting in 4K instead of 1080p cost?
credits = rate_per_second(resolution) × secondsIt switches the per-second rate by resolution band, and the premium differs by model.
What does editing a video cost if I keep changing it?
credits = (0 × preview_renders) + (export_price × final_exports)It charges per finished export, so iteration is free and the count is the whole bill.
Which model should I actually pick?
This page prices the job. The buyer's guides rank the models, with the sort criterion stated on every one.
Best AI image generator
Filtered to models with the text-to-image category, sorted by best leaderboard position (unranked models after, cheapest complete job first).
Best value AI image model
Filtered to image models that hold a leaderboard position and publish a complete-job cost, sorted by (leaderboard Elo ÷ credits per job) descending.
Jobs billed this way
Further reading
See the price before you spend it
Versely quotes the exact credit cost of every generation before it runs, and the agent will estimate a whole batch on request. The all-in-one AI studio for creators. 60+ models for video, image, voice, music and lipsync in a single app.