Answer: GPT Image 2.5 costs 3, 4, 6, 9 or 13 credits at 1K; 5, 7, 10, 15 or 22 at 2K; and 8, 11, 16, 24 or 35 at 4K — for low, medium, high, xhigh and max quality respectively. One credit is $0.01, so that is $0.03 to $0.35 per image. The default is 1K + high, 6 credits.
Two independent axes, fifteen prices, and no subscription gate: on Callirra the same credit balance covers both variants and every cell.
The matrix
| Resolution | low | medium | high | xhigh | max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 |
| 2K | 5 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 22 |
| 4K | 8 | 11 | 16 | 24 | 35 |
In dollars: $0.03–$0.13 at 1K, $0.05–$0.22 at 2K, $0.08–$0.35 at 4K.
How the two axes differ
Resolution sets how much picture exists: pixels, crop headroom, the largest layout the frame can survive. 1K is roughly a square of 1024-class output depending on ratio; 4K is four times the area.
Quality sets how the picture is built — passes, text placement, edge behaviour, detail in the parts that matter; the measured Flare/Sunburst comparison shows how that lands in practice. At low you get a composition; at max you get typography that survives a 100% crop.
They are priced almost independently: quality moves the price 4.3×, resolution 2.7×. That is why the cheapest 4K (8) is cheaper than the most expensive 1K (13).
The cells worth buying
| Need | Cell | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Explore a composition | 1K · low | 3 |
| Social post, nothing zoomed | 1K · medium | 4 |
| Editorial image with real detail | 1K · high | 6 |
| Poster or interface with exact type | 1K–2K · xhigh | 9–15 |
| Print-sized raster, detail secondary | 4K · low–medium | 8–11 |
| Hero shot judged at 100% | 2K · high | 10 |
| The one image a campaign hangs on | 4K · max | 35 |
The three worst-value cells in practice: 2K · xhigh (15 — more than a 4K medium, without the pixels), 4K · low when the brief is typographic, and 1K · max when the image has no fine detail to render.
What a batch costs
| Deliverable | Plan | Credits | USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 social images | 30 × 1K medium | 120 | $1.20 |
| 10 product heroes | 10 × 2K high | 100 | $1.00 |
| 5 print covers | 5 × 4K max | 175 | $1.75 |
| 100 thumbnails | 100 × 1K low | 300 | $3.00 |
For scale, a new account's free week is 18 credits: six 1K-low images, or three 1K-high, or one 4K-high with change.
What you cannot do with the matrix
- You cannot change quality after rendering. It is a generation-time setting; a re-render is a new charge.
- You cannot buy your way out of a bad prompt. At 4K max (35) a wrong composition is still wrong, at 35 credits.
- You cannot get transparency from resolution. Background control is its own switch; PNG alone does not imply it.
FAQ
What is the cheapest GPT Image 2.5 image? 1K + low, 3 credits ($0.03).
What is the most expensive? 4K + max, 35 credits ($0.35).
Does Flare or Sunburst change the price? No. The variant is chosen separately, at the same per-image price for the same cell.
Can I use references at any cell? Yes — up to 16 reference images on image-to-image, independent of resolution and quality.
How long does a render take? Longer at higher quality and resolution; in our measured comparisons the same prompt ranged from roughly 24 to 57 seconds depending on variant and settings.
Every cell, with the quote shown before the run, is on Callirra's GPT Image 2.5 page, and the per-image price table lists every model beside it. If you find a job where the 35-credit cell paid for itself and a 6-credit one would not have, that comparison is the one I would like to see.