Credit costs
Updated
What each Image MCP Server call costs in credits: flat 1–15 credit tools, model-priced generation, BYOK at 2 credits, batch billing and automatic refunds.
How pricing works
There is one currency — credits — and two ways a call is priced. Flat-rate tools always cost the same amount. Model-priced tools cost whatever the model you selected costs, which is the costPerReq value returned by list_models. When a model has no cost recorded, the server bills 15 credits.
Cost per tool
| Tool | Endpoint | Cost | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| get_user_info | GET/v1/me | Free | This endpoint never deducts credits. |
| list_models | GET/v1/models | Free | This endpoint never deducts credits. |
| GET /v1/usage (REST only) | GET/v1/usage | Free | This endpoint never deducts credits. |
| generate_image | POST/v1/generate | Model cost | Deducts the selected model's `costPerReq` (15 credits when the model has no cost recorded). |
| generate_transparent_image | POST/v1/generate-transparent | Model cost + 8 | Generation is billed at the model's rate (15 credits by default) plus 8 credits for the cutout pass. |
| edit_image | POST/v1/edit | Model cost | Billed at the model's rate. With `action: "remove_bg"` the call costs 8 credits and with `action: "upscale"` it costs 15. |
| remove_background | POST/v1/remove-background | 8 credits | Flat 8 credits per call, regardless of image size. |
| upscale_image | POST/v1/upscale | 15 credits | Flat 15 credits per call. |
| text_to_svg | POST/v1/text-to-svg | 5 credits | Flat 5 credits per call. |
| compress_image | POST/v1/compress | 1 credit | Flat 1 credit per call. No model is involved, so it is fast and cheap. |
| convert_format | POST/v1/convert-format | 1 credit | Flat 1 credit per call. |
| multicall | POST/v1/multicall | Sum of the batch | Every item is priced by its own tool and the total is deducted once, up front, before the batch runs. Items that fail are refunded when the batch finishes. |
Batches
multicall prices each item with its own tool's rules, sums them, and deducts the total once before the batch runs. A batch of one generation (15), one transparent generation (15 + 8) and one text-to-SVG (5) costs 43 credits, taken up front; any item that fails is refunded.
{
"success": true,
"count": 3,
"failedCount": 0,
"totalLatency": "11.07s",
"deductedCredits": 43,
"refundedCredits": 0,
"userCredits": 2374
}With your own OpenRouter key
On paid plans, connecting an OpenRouter key makes generate_image and edit_image cost a flat 2 credits (OpenRouter bills the model to you), and generate_transparent_image cost 2 + 8. Background removal, upscaling and SVG keep their standard price. Setup: BYOK with OpenRouter.
When credits are taken
The balance is checked and the credits are deducted before the request is handed to the model. That ordering is what stops a batch from running away with a balance it does not have. If the call then fails downstream, the deduction is reversed.
Failed calls are refunded automatically
refundedCredits and the restored userCredits. The one exception: generate_transparent_image is billed in full when the cutout stage fails (result.isTransparent is false).Plans and packs
Plan prices and credit packs are on the Image MCP Server pricing page. New accounts start with 30 free credits, once, on sign-up. Plan and pack credits are added to your existing balance and carry over — unused credits do not reset, and credit packs never expire.
Keeping spend down
- Check
user.creditswithget_user_infobefore starting a long agent run. - Read
userCreditsfrom each response instead of polling the balance separately. - Prototype prompts on a cheaper model, then switch models once the prompt is settled.
- Use
compress_image(1 credit) rather than regenerating at a smaller size. - Batch with
multicall— it does not reduce credits, but it removes the round-trips that make agents retry.
FAQ
How much does one image cost in credits?
Generation is priced by model — the call deducts that model's costPerReq, or 15 credits when no cost is recorded for it. Flat-rate tools are cheaper and fixed: background removal is 8, upscaling 15, text-to-SVG 5, compression and format conversion 1 each.
When are credits deducted?
Up front, before the request reaches the model. If the model or provider then fails, the response has success: false plus refundedCredits, and the credits are back in your balance automatically.
Do checking credits or listing models cost anything?
No. get_user_info and list_models are free to call as often as you like.
How is a multicall batch billed?
Each item is priced by its own tool, the total is summed, and that total is deducted once before the batch starts running. Items that fail are refunded when the batch finishes.