Both are text-to-image models you can call with the same key on this API. The cheapest Ideogram V3 image is $0.0245 (TURBO), the cheapest Flux 2 image is $0.035 (Pro 1K). At the top tier it is $0.07 for Ideogram QUALITY against $0.168 for Flux 2 Flex 2K. On price alone Ideogram V3 wins the entry tier. The real difference is in what each API lets you control, so that comes first.
Prices below are read from our billing table on every page load (last render October 21, 2026). Parameters are from the model docs of our supplier.
Parameters side by side
| Flux 2 Pro (Black Forest Labs) | Ideogram V3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Upstream model | flux-2/pro-text-to-image | ideogram/v3-text-to-image |
| Prompt length | 3 to 5,000 characters | up to 5,000 characters |
| Output size | resolution: 1K or 2K | image_size preset: square, square_hd, portrait_4_3, portrait_16_9, landscape_4_3, landscape_16_9 |
| Aspect ratios | 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16, 3:2, 2:3 | 1:1, 3:4, 9:16, 4:3, 16:9 (through the presets) |
| Speed / quality tier | picked by the model id (Pro or Flex, 1K or 2K) | picked by the model id (TURBO, BALANCED or QUALITY); rendering_speed may be left out, and a value that differs from the id is rejected with variant_mismatch |
| Style preset | none | style: AUTO, GENERAL, REALISTIC, DESIGN |
| Negative prompt | no | yes, negative_prompt |
| Prompt rewriting | no | expand_prompt (MagicPrompt), on or off |
| Seed | not in the text-to-image spec | yes, seed |
| Editing modes we sell | image-to-image (Pro and Flex) | V3 edit, V3 remix |
Flux 2 gives you a 2K tier and two photo ratios (3:2 and 2:3) that Ideogram has no preset for. Ideogram gives you more knobs per call: a negative prompt, a fixed seed for repeatable output, and a DESIGN style that targets posters, logos and layouts with lettering.
Price per image
1,000 text-to-image calls on the cheapest tier: $24.50 on Ideogram V3 TURBO, $35.00 on Flux 2 Pro 1K. Moving up to Flux 2 Pro 2K or Ideogram QUALITY costs $0.049 and $0.07 per image. Full lists: Flux pricing and Ideogram pricing.
When to use which
- Flux 2 when you want a 2K render, a 3:2 or 2:3 photo frame, or a short request with few fields: prompt, ratio, resolution, done.
- Ideogram V3 when the image carries text (ads, thumbnails, covers), when you need the same seed twice, or when you want to keep things out of the frame with a negative prompt. TURBO at $0.0245 is the cheapest way to draft many options before re-rendering the winner on QUALITY.
Code
The resolution and tier are part of the model id. Send the matching value in input; a 2K request on the 1K id is refused with variant_mismatch before you are charged.
# Flux 2 Pro 1K: $0.035 per image
curl https://aimarcusimage.eu/api/v1/jobs/createTask \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-aig-..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "black-forest-labs-black-forest-labs-flux-2-pro-text-to-image-1-0s-1k",
"input": {
"prompt": "Product photo of a ceramic mug on a linen tablecloth, soft window light",
"aspect_ratio": "3:2",
"resolution": "1K"
}
}'
# Ideogram V3 BALANCED: $0.049 per image
curl https://aimarcusimage.eu/api/v1/jobs/createTask \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-aig-..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "ideogram-ideogram-v3-text-to-image-balanced",
"input": {
"prompt": "Poster for a jazz night, the words \"BLUE NOTE FRIDAY\" in bold serif type",
"rendering_speed": "BALANCED",
"style": "DESIGN",
"image_size": "portrait_4_3",
"negative_prompt": "blurry text, watermark",
"seed": 42
}
}'
Both return a taskId. Poll /api/v1/jobs/recordInfo?taskId=... or set a webhook. Want to compare video models too? See the cheapest AI video API in 2026.
FAQ
Is Flux 2 or Ideogram V3 cheaper?
Today the cheapest Ideogram V3 text-to-image tier costs $0.0245 and the cheapest Flux 2 tier costs $0.035 per image on this API. A $10 top-up buys 408 or 285 images respectively.
Which one supports 2K output?
Flux 2: both Pro and Flex have a 2K variant. Ideogram V3 has size presets (square_hd is the largest square) but no 1K/2K resolution switch.
Can I fix the seed?
Ideogram V3 accepts a seed. The Flux 2 Pro text-to-image spec has no seed field.