GPT Image 2.5 costs $0.05 per image at 1K, $0.08 at 2K and $0.12 at 4K on HiAPI. Flare and Sunburst cost the same, and editing an image costs the same as generating one. Until November 8, 2026 (16:00 UTC), both variants are 50% off: $0.025, $0.04 and $0.06.
| GPT Image 2.5 on HiAPI | 1K | 2K | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50% off, until Nov 8 | $0.025 | $0.04 | $0.06 |
| List price | $0.05 | $0.08 | $0.12 |
Per output image, for Flare and Sunburst, text-to-image and image-to-image. Checked September 28, 2026.
OpenAI bills GPT Image 2.5 by tokens at the same rates as GPT Image 2 and hasn't published a per-image price, so you estimate each image from its token count. On HiAPI the price is set by the resolution you choose, which makes a batch easy to budget. To show what each price buys, we ran one prompt with a lot of small text through GPT Image 2.5.
What Each Resolution Buys
We asked GPT Image 2.5 Flare for a bakery menu board, a job where every word and price has to come out right:
A photograph of a chalkboard menu hanging behind the counter of a small neighborhood bakery in the morning.
The board title reads 'MAPLE STREET BAKERY'.
Below it, five menu lines in neat white chalk lettering read exactly:
'Butter Croissant $3.50', 'Almond Croissant $4.25', 'Sourdough Loaf $8.00',
'Cinnamon Roll $4.00', 'Flat White $4.50'.
A glass pastry case with croissants in the foreground,
warm window light from the right, realistic photography.
Flare, 1K, $0.025 with the current discount. The file is 1280×720 and took 45 seconds.
Flare, 4K, $0.06 with the current discount. The file is 3840×2160 and took 60 seconds.
At 1K, 2K and 4K, Flare wrote the title, all five items and all five prices exactly as asked. The 1K image is already usable for a website or social post. The 4K file has nine times the pixels, so it holds up on a printed menu, a large screen or a tight crop.
More pixels don't check spelling for you. On its own, the 4K image added small labels to the pastry case, and one of them reads "Cimamon Roll":
The text you asked for came out right; the text the model added on its own is where mistakes show up. Zoom in on labels, signs and packaging before an image goes live, at any resolution.
Flare or Sunburst: Same Price
Flare and Sunburst cost the same at every resolution, so pick by the result. Here is the same prompt at 2K on each:
Flare, 2K, 2560×1440. Finished in 45 seconds.
Sunburst, 2K, 2560×1440. Finished in 60 seconds.
Both boards are correct, word for word, and both models added price tags that match the board. Sunburst also invented a multigrain loaf at $8.50 that isn't on the menu. For a real menu or product listing, that item would need to come out.
HiAPI describes Flare as the pick for fast everyday generation and edits, and Sunburst for detailed generation and high-fidelity editing. For a fuller comparison, see GPT Image 2.5 Flare vs Sunburst: Which to Use?
Editing Costs the Same as Generating
Image-to-image is billed like text-to-image: one price per output image, with the source image included. We gave Flare and Sunburst the 1K menu photo from above and asked for one change:
Edit this photo: change the Flat White price on the chalkboard to '$4.75'.
Keep everything else exactly the same.
Left: the source image. Right: the Flare edit at 2K, finished in 53 seconds.
Both versions changed $4.50 to $4.75 and left the other lines, the price tags and the shop as they were. Our billing log shows each 2K edit at $0.04 during the discount, exactly what a 2K generation costs.
GPT Image 2.5 vs GPT Image 2 Price
| On HiAPI | 1K | 2K | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT Image 2 | $0.03 | $0.04 | $0.06 |
| GPT Image 2.5, until Nov 8 | $0.025 | $0.04 | $0.06 |
| GPT Image 2.5, list price | $0.05 | $0.08 | $0.12 |
Right now, GPT Image 2.5 costs the same as GPT Image 2 at 2K and 4K, and less at 1K. This is the cheapest time to try it on your own images.
We ran the menu prompt through GPT Image 2 at 2K as well:
GPT Image 2, 2K, 2560×1440. Finished in 75 seconds.
GPT Image 2 also got every line of the board right, and added a "Pain au Chocolat" label for an item that isn't on the menu. For clear, large text like this, both models do the job. In our GPT Image 2 pricing test, 2.5 went further on small text, writing readable titles on book covers where GPT Image 2 left them decorative. Once the discount ends, GPT Image 2 is half the price at 2K, so keep 2.5 for images where small text or fine detail matters.
What 100 to 5,000 Images Cost
| Images generated | Until Nov 8 (1K / 2K / 4K) | List price (1K / 2K / 4K) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $2.50 / $4 / $6 | $5 / $8 / $12 |
| 500 | $12.50 / $20 / $30 | $25 / $40 / $60 |
| 1,000 | $25 / $40 / $60 | $50 / $80 / $120 |
| 5,000 | $125 / $200 / $300 | $250 / $400 / $600 |
Count every image you generate, including the ones you throw away. A café chain that needs menu boards for 40 locations, with three 2K candidates each, runs 120 images: $4.80 during the discount, $9.60 at list price. If a task fails, HiAPI refunds the amount reserved for it automatically.
To try it, open GPT Image 2.5 Flare or Sunburst, paste the menu prompt above with your own items, and run it at 1K. For code, the GPT Image 2.5 API guide covers creating a task and downloading the result.
FAQ
How much does GPT Image 2.5 cost per image?
On HiAPI, $0.05 at 1K, $0.08 at 2K and $0.12 at 4K at list price. Until November 8, 2026 (16:00 UTC), it is 50% off: $0.025, $0.04 and $0.06.
Is Sunburst more expensive than Flare?
No. Flare and Sunburst have the same price at every resolution.
Does image-to-image cost more than text-to-image?
No. On HiAPI, GPT Image 2.5 image-to-image costs the same per output image as text-to-image, for both Flare and Sunburst.
Is GPT Image 2.5 more expensive than GPT Image 2?
At list price, 2.5 costs about twice as much at 2K and 4K. During the current discount, it costs the same as GPT Image 2 at 2K and 4K and less at 1K.
Do I pay for failed generations?
No. On HiAPI, the amount reserved when a task is created is refunded in full if the task fails.
