FLUX.3 Image and Klein on fal: Per-Megapixel Pricing, Ten References and Where Each Tier Fits (October 2026)
FLUX.3 image generation and editing bills by the megapixel, $0.048 for the main model and $0.009 for the small Klein variant. What that means per image, what the edit endpoint accepts, and how it compares with Nano Banana 2.1 and Seedream.
Black Forest Labs' image models changed their billing unit with FLUX.3: instead of a flat fee per image, they charge per megapixel. The main FLUX.3 image and edit endpoints list at $0.048 per megapixel, and the small Klein variants at $0.009 per megapixel. That is a different way to think about cost, and it makes the resolution you choose the biggest lever on the bill. This guide does the arithmetic and explains where each tier belongs.
What a picture costs
A megapixel is a million pixels. A 1024 by 1024 image is just over one megapixel; a 2048 by 2048 image is about four; a vertical 1080 by 1920 frame is about two.
| Output | Size (megapixels) | FLUX.3 ($0.048/MP) | Klein ($0.009/MP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1024 by 1024 | about 1.0 | about $0.05 | about $0.01 |
| 1080 by 1920 (vertical) | about 2.1 | about $0.10 | about $0.02 |
| 2048 by 2048 | about 4.2 | about $0.20 | about $0.04 |
Read from fal on 18 October 2026. For comparison, FLUX.2 Pro, which FLUX.3 replaces in our preview pipeline, was $0.03 per megapixel. FLUX.3 is dearer per pixel and does more with each reference.
What the endpoints accept
- Text-to-image and edit-image endpoints, plus the Klein versions of both.
- References: up to ten images in an edit, so a character, a product and a style reference can travel together.
- Sizes: from 512 pixels square up to 4K.
- Aspect ratios: fifteen of them, which covers vertical 9:16, 4:5 feed posts and wide banners without cropping afterwards.
The edit endpoint follows instructions like "put this person at a kitchen table, same clothes, window light", with the references defining who and what.
Which tier for which job
FLUX.3 main: the final image, a character reference you will reuse, or anything printed or shown large. Pay for it once, at the resolution you will use.
Klein: drafts and volume. At about a cent per square image you can try fifty compositions for fifty cents, which is the right way to spend while you are still deciding what the shot is. Switch to the main tier when you have a winner.
In a video workflow the same logic holds as for video tiers: decide the composition cheaply, then pay for the keeper. The principle is the same one we lean on across these guides: decide composition in images, motion in video. The Turbo-versus-Max comparison applies the same draft-then-final routine to video.
The competition, on paper
| Model | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FLUX.3 Klein | about $0.01 per 1K image | drafts |
| Seedream 5.0 Flash | $0.027 per image | guide |
| Nano Banana 2.1 | about $0.034 for 1K (Google's rate) | guide |
| FLUX.3 main | about $0.05 per 1K image | per megapixel |
| GPT Image 2.5 | roughly $0.05 to $0.25 | comparison |
Picking on price alone is a mistake in this category, because the differences that matter are instruction-following, how faithfully the model preserves a reference and how often a hand comes out wrong. We have not run a controlled bake-off across these on our own references, so we do not rank them.
Real faces in images
FLUX models did not apply a real-face filter in our approved uses, which is the property that makes them useful for character references and a hazard for anyone careless about consent. Use a photo of yourself or of someone who agreed, and treat a generated likeness of a real person as a likeness for rights purposes. For product and scene work the question does not arise.
Honest status
We list FLUX.3 image and edit as the replacement for FLUX.2 Pro in the preview pipeline. We read the schema and prices on 18 October 2026; we have not benchmarked image quality across the models in the table, and the "per image" costs above are arithmetic from the per-megapixel rates, not invoices.
A cost-conscious routine
Draft on Klein at a small size, pick three compositions, then redo those on the main model at the final size. For a character you will reuse, generate the reference once at the highest size you will need, save it, and reuse it rather than regenerating. Keep the prompts and the seeds that worked in a notes file, so a good result is reproducible. Fifty Klein drafts at a megapixel each are about forty-five cents; the same fifty on the main model are about two and a half dollars, which is why the order matters.
Common questions
What is a megapixel?
A million pixels. A 1024 by 1024 image is about one megapixel and a vertical 1080 by 1920 frame about two, so doubling both sides quadruples the price.
When should I use Klein?
For drafts and volume. At $0.009 per megapixel you can try dozens of compositions for cents, then redo the winner on the main model.
How many references can an edit take?
Up to ten images.
Is FLUX.3 better than Nano Banana?
We have not run a controlled comparison, so we do not rank them. Instruction-following, reference fidelity and hands are what to compare on your own images.
Can it use a real person's photo?
It did not apply a face filter in our approved uses, so consent is your responsibility.
How to do this without code: Reference images for your avatar are built in the product from one photo. In AutoHustle this is the Me in scene tool: a few photos of you and one sentence describing the scene (about 2 credits per second, quoted before you press Generate). See How to put yourself in any scene and Put yourself in a movie scene.
Related reading: FLUX.3 Video on fal: Text and Image to Video at $0.085 per Second, With No Face Filter (October 2026) · FLUX.3 Edit Video on fal: Restyle a Clip for $0.03 per Second, and Why It Is Not a Face Swap (October 2026)
For developers: the fal endpoints
| Model | fal endpoint |
|---|---|
| FLUX.3 edit image | blackforestlabs/flux-3/edit-image |
| FLUX.3 text-to-image | blackforestlabs/flux-3/text-to-image |
| FLUX.3 Klein | blackforestlabs/flux-3/klein/* |
Billing per megapixel: main $0.048, Klein $0.009. Up to 10 reference images in edits; output 512² to 4K; 15 aspect ratios. Read on 18 October 2026.