TL;DR
- The Imagen 4 family is billed per image on HiAPI, three model IDs at three prices:
imagen-4.0-fast$0.03,imagen-4.0(standard) $0.06,imagen-4.0-ultra$0.09. - Typical single-image costs: $0.06 for everyday standard output, $0.03 for Fast drafts, $0.09 for Ultra finals — $10 yields about 333 / 166 / 111 images respectively.
- All three tiers are live: the standard model page, Fast, and Ultra. New accounts get 200 free credits.
Price table
| Model | Per image | 100 images | 1,000 images |
|---|---|---|---|
imagen-4.0-fast | $0.03 | $3.00 | $30.00 |
imagen-4.0 (standard) | $0.06 | $6.00 | $60.00 |
imagen-4.0-ultra | $0.09 | $9.00 | $90.00 |
HiAPI current prices, checked October 21, 2026.
Only the tier affects the price: aspect_ratio, prompt length, and negative_prompt are free variables. You pay for successful images; failed tasks refund in full after the terminal failure state. The calling convention is identical across tiers — see the API guide.
Same prompt, three tiers, real outputs
Identical prompt and aspect; only model changes:
Ceramic teapot and two cups on a wooden tray; soft morning light; minimalist product photo
imagen-4.0-fast $0.03 | imagen-4.0 $0.06 | imagen-4.0-ultra $0.09 |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Same prompt, same 1:1 aspect, no seed or negative_prompt, one render each. Left to right: Fast $0.03, standard $0.06, Ultra $0.09.
Fast tier → | Standard → | Ultra →
What you can see (checked against the actual outputs):
- Three independent samples of one prompt, so layouts vary: the pot's orientation and camera angle differ across all three.
- Up close: Fast renders broader glaze highlights and smudged wood grain, standard has the most even tonal transitions, and Ultra adds faint iron speckling on the pot with tighter highlights. Whether Ultra is worth the extra $0.06 is best judged with your own prompt, one render each.
Choosing a tier and spending less
- Draft with Fast: direction-finding, brainstorms, social-media volume at $0.03 — half the standard cost.
- Standard for everyday: $0.06 covers most delivery scenarios.
- Ultra for finals: upgrade material- and lettering-critical frames at $0.09.
- Reproduce with
seed: Fast takes an integer, standard and Ultra take strings (≤500 chars); same inputs plus the same seed reproduce the image, cutting re-rolls. - A common mix: 700 Fast drafts plus 300 standard deliveries per month runs about $39.00 — $21.00 less than all-standard.
Compared with related models (HiAPI prices)
| Model | Per image | Notes |
|---|---|---|
imagen-4.0-fast | $0.03 | No reference images |
imagen-4.0 | $0.06 | No reference images |
imagen-4.0-ultra | $0.09 | No reference images |
gemini-nano-banana-2.1 | 1K $0.022; 2K $0.036; 4K $0.058 | Up to 10 references |
nano-banana-2 | 1K $0.036; 2K $0.057; 4K $0.086 | — |
Nano-Banana-2-Lite | $0.033 | — |
gpt-image-2/text-to-image | 1K $0.03; 2K $0.04; 4K $0.06 | — |
seedream-5.0-lite/text-to-image | $0.035 | — |
recraft-v4.1/text-to-image | $0.05 | — |
Need resolution options (1K/2K/4K)? Look at the Nano Banana family. For pure text-to-image volume at the Fast price point, imagen-4.0-fast and gpt-image-2 at 1K match. Scene-by-scene recipes are in the prompt guide; the same-prompt match-up with Nano Banana 2.1 is in the comparison page.
Monthly budgets
| Images / month | All Fast | All standard | All Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $3.00 | $6.00 | $9.00 |
| 1,000 | $30.00 | $60.00 | $90.00 |
| 10,000 | $300.00 | $600.00 | $900.00 |
Real projects usually mix "Fast drafts + standard or Ultra delivery": the higher the draft share, the closer the bill sits to the Fast column.
FAQ
Do failed tasks cost anything?
No. Credits held on creation refund in full at the terminal failure state.
Do the three tiers share one calling convention?
Yes — change only the model field; the seed type differs (integer on Fast, string on standard and Ultra). Aspect never changes the price either: 1:1 and 16:9 cost the same.
What's the cheapest way to run?
Draft everything on Fast at $0.03 — half the standard rate — and upgrade finals only. The same prompt with a different model is a new tier, and a saved seed reproduces the composition.
How far does $10 go?
About 166 standard images at $0.06, or 333 Fast images at $0.03. New accounts get 200 credits (2,000 credits = $1).
Is there a subscription or minimum?
No. Pay per image — the bill is images × tier rate, credits top up as needed, stop anytime.
Next: copy the teapot prompt above, generate your first standard image, then swap to Fast and Ultra to compare the detail layer; code and parameters are in the API guide.
