Best AI Image Generation APIs in 2026 - DALL-E 3, Midjourney, Ideogram, and Current Alternatives
Compare the top AI image generation APIs including DALL-E 3, Midjourney, Flux Kontext, Ideogram V3, and more. Complete guide with code examples and pricing.

AI image generation has evolved dramatically. This guide compares the leading image generation APIs available through Crazyrouter, helping you choose the right tool for your creative projects.
Crazyrouter note: Flux is not currently documented as a directly callable model on the public pricing page. Keep Flux as market context, but use
GET /api/pricingor the pricing page before publishing any Flux-specific Crazyrouter request example.
Supported Image Generation Models#
| Provider | Models | Price/Image | Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | dall-e-3 | $0.04 | Prompt understanding |
| Midjourney | mj_imagine, mj_variation | $0.30 | Artistic quality |
| Black Forest Labs | flux-pro, flux-kontext-pro | $0.275 | Photorealism |
| Ideogram | ideogram_generate_V_3 | $0.30 | Text rendering |
| Flux | flux-schnell, flux-dev | $0.05-0.15 | Speed, quality |
DALL-E 3 API#
Basic Image Generation#
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key="sk-your-api-key",
base_url="https://crazyrouter.com/v1"
)
response = client.images.generate(
model="dall-e-3",
prompt="A futuristic cityscape at sunset with flying cars and neon lights",
size="1024x1024",
quality="hd",
n=1
)
print(response.data[0].url)
Midjourney API#
Submit Imagine Task#
curl -X POST "https://crazyrouter.com/mj/submit/imagine" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key" \
-d '{
"prompt": "A majestic dragon flying over a medieval castle, cinematic lighting --ar 16:9 --v 6"
}'
Check Task Status#
curl "https://crazyrouter.com/mj/task/{task_id}/fetch" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key"
Midjourney Actions#
| Action | Model Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Imagine | mj_imagine | $0.30 |
| Variation | mj_variation | $0.30 |
| Upscale | mj_upscale | $0.15 |
| Blend | mj_blend | $0.30 |
| Describe | mj_describe | $0.15 |
| Zoom | mj_zoom | $0.30 |
| Pan | mj_pan | $0.30 |
| Video | mj_video | $0.80 |
Blend Images#
curl -X POST "https://crazyrouter.com/mj/submit/blend" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key" \
-d '{
"base64Array": ["base64_image_1", "base64_image_2"]
}'
Flux Kontext API#
Flux Kontext excels at image editing and context-aware generation:
Flux Models Available#
| Model | Price | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| flux-pro | $0.275 | High quality |
| flux-kontext-pro | $0.30 | Context editing |
| flux-kontext-max | $0.40 | Maximum quality |
| flux-pro-1.1-ultra | $0.35 | Ultra quality |
| flux-schnell | $0.05 | Fast generation |
| flux-dev | $0.15 | Development |
Text-to-Image#
curl -X POST "https://crazyrouter.com/fal-ai/flux-pro/kontext/text-to-image" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key" \
-d '{
"prompt": "A professional headshot of a business executive in a modern office"
}'
Image Editing with Kontext#
curl -X POST "https://crazyrouter.com/fal-ai/flux-pro/kontext" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key" \
-d '{
"prompt": "Change the background to a beach sunset",
"image_url": "https://example.com/original.jpg"
}'
Flux Kontext Max (Multi-Image)#
curl -X POST "https://crazyrouter.com/fal-ai/flux-pro/kontext/max/multi" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key" \
-d '{
"prompt": "Combine these two characters in a fantasy scene",
"image_urls": ["https://example.com/char1.jpg", "https://example.com/char2.jpg"]
}'
Ideogram V3 API#
Ideogram excels at text rendering and logo design:
Ideogram Models#
| Model | Price | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| ideogram_generate_V_3_DEFAULT | $0.30 | Standard |
| ideogram_generate_V_3_TURBO | $0.20 | Fast |
| ideogram_generate_V_3_QUALITY | $0.40 | High quality |
| ideogram_edit_V_3_DEFAULT | $0.30 | Editing |
| ideogram_remix_V_3_DEFAULT | $0.30 | Remixing |
| ideogram_reframe_V_3_DEFAULT | $0.30 | Reframing |
Generate Image#
curl -X POST "https://crazyrouter.com/ideogram/v1/ideogram-v3/generate" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key" \
-d '{
"prompt": "A modern logo for a tech startup called NeuralFlow with clean typography",
"aspect_ratio": "1:1",
"style": "design"
}'
Edit Image#
curl -X POST "https://crazyrouter.com/ideogram/v1/ideogram-v3/edit" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key" \
-d '{
"image": "base64_encoded_image",
"prompt": "Add a golden border around the logo"
}'
Replace Background#
curl -X POST "https://crazyrouter.com/ideogram/v1/ideogram-v3/replace-background" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-api-key" \
-d '{
"image": "base64_encoded_image",
"prompt": "Replace background with a gradient blue sky"
}'
Comparison Table#
| Feature | DALL-E 3 | Midjourney | Flux Kontext | Ideogram V3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.04 | $0.30 | $0.275-0.40 | $0.20-0.40 |
| Photorealism | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Text Rendering | Good | Poor | Good | Excellent |
| Artistic Style | Good | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Image Editing | Limited | Limited | Excellent | Yes |
| Speed | Fast | Medium | Fast | Fast |
Pricing Summary#
| Model | Price per Image |
|---|---|
| dall-e-3 | $0.04 |
| mj_imagine | $0.30 |
| mj_upscale | $0.15 |
| flux-pro | $0.275 |
| flux-kontext-pro | $0.30 |
| flux-schnell | $0.05 |
| ideogram_generate_V_3_TURBO | $0.20 |
| ideogram_generate_V_3_QUALITY | $0.40 |
Pricing Disclaimer: The prices shown in this article are for demonstration purposes only and may change at any time. Actual billing will be based on the real-time prices displayed when you make your request.
Use Case Recommendations#
| Use Case | Recommended Model |
|---|---|
| Marketing materials | DALL-E 3 or Ideogram V3 |
| Artistic illustrations | Midjourney |
| Product photography | Flux Kontext |
| Logo design | Ideogram V3 |
| Image editing | Flux Kontext |
| Text in images | Ideogram V3 |
| Fast prototyping | Flux Schnell |
Python Helper Function#
from openai import OpenAI
import requests
client = OpenAI(
api_key="sk-your-api-key",
base_url="https://crazyrouter.com/v1"
)
# Required: User-Agent header for Cloudflare/WAF
default_headers = {
"User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/"
}
def generate_image(prompt, model="dall-e-3"):
if model == "dall-e-3":
response = client.images.generate(
model="dall-e-3",
prompt=prompt,
size="1024x1024"
)
return response.data[0].url
elif model == "midjourney":
headers = {
**default_headers,
"Authorization": "Bearer sk-your-api-key"
}
response = requests.post(
"https://crazyrouter.com/mj/submit/imagine",
headers=headers,
json={"prompt": prompt}
)
return response.json()
# Usage
url = generate_image("A beautiful sunset over mountains")
print(url)
Getting Started#
- Sign up at Crazyrouter
- Get your API key from the console
- Choose the model that fits your use case
- Start generating images
For questions, contact support@crazyrouter.com




