How much does DALL·E 3 cost per image?

At current OpenAI pricing, DALL·E 3 standard quality is $0.04 for 1024×1024 and $0.08 for the wide or tall 1024×1792 sizes. HD quality is $0.08 for 1024×1024 and $0.12 for the wide or tall sizes. The tool applies the correct rate for your selection.

How much cheaper is DALL·E 2?

DALL·E 2 is much cheaper per image — roughly $0.016 at 256×256, $0.018 at 512×512 and $0.02 at 1024×1024. It produces lower-quality, less prompt-faithful results than DALL·E 3, so the saving comes with a quality trade-off.

Are these the exact prices I will be billed?

They are based on OpenAI's published per-image API rates, but pricing changes and your account, region or any negotiated terms can differ. Always confirm against your current OpenAI pricing page and usage dashboard before committing a budget.

Does failed or rejected generation still cost money?

You are billed per successful image returned by the API. Requests rejected by the content filter before generation are not billed, but generations you discard for quality reasons still count. Build a re-roll buffer into your estimate.

DALL·E Batch Cost Estimator

DALL·E batch cost estimator

API image generation looks cheap per image and then surprises you at scale. This estimator multiplies OpenAI’s current per-image rate — which depends on the model, size and quality you choose — by your image count, and projects a monthly run-rate for recurring projects, so you can budget before you generate.

How it works

DALL·E pricing is per image and varies by model and configuration. DALL·E 3 charges more for HD quality and for the wider 1024×1792 sizes; DALL·E 2 is far cheaper but lower quality and is priced only by square size. The tool looks up the correct rate for your exact selection, multiplies by the number of images, and — if your project repeats — multiplies again by runs per month to show ongoing spend. Add a re-roll buffer, because you typically generate more images than you keep.

Tips and notes

DALL·E 2 for drafts, DALL·E 3 for finals. Iterate cheaply, then spend on the versions you’ll actually ship.
HD is double standard. Only pay for HD where the extra detail is visible in the final use.
Budget for re-rolls. A realistic project generates 2–4× the images it keeps; include that multiplier.
Confirm live pricing. Rates change — verify against your OpenAI dashboard before locking a budget.