Recraft API: Recraft V4.1, V4.1 Utility and Crisp Upscale per image, with code
Some pictures have to look designed, not generated: brand illustrations, clean product shots, icons that sit next to your UI. That is the work Recraft is built for. Here is how to call Recraft V4.1 and its faster Utility version through an API, what 1K and 2K cost, and how to upscale a result for $0.01.
Recraft API pricing (November 2026)
Recraft is priced per image, by size. Pick 1K or 2K in resolution; leave it out and you get 1K. One request is one picture, charged once when it is delivered:
| Model | Model id | Size | Per image | 1,000 images |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recraft V4.1 | recraft-v4.1 | 1K | $0.05 | $50.00 |
| Recraft V4.1 | recraft-v4.1 | 2K | $0.28 | $280.00 |
| Recraft V4.1 Utility | recraft-v4.1-utility | 1K | $0.05 | $50.00 |
| Recraft V4.1 Utility | recraft-v4.1-utility | 2K | $0.28 | $280.00 |
| Recraft Crisp Upscale | recraft-crisp-upscale | Any picture in | $0.01 | $10.00 |
2K costs much more than 1K. Draft at 1K, then make only the keeper at 2K, or send it through Crisp Upscale for $0.01. There is no Recraft plan to buy: you prepay credit on the pricing page and spend it on Recraft or any other model.
Recraft V4.1 or V4.1 Utility?
Both belong to Recraft's V4.1 family, take the same inputs and cost the same per picture. The difference is what they are tuned for:
- Recraft V4.1 is the main model, for finished, art-directed pictures: campaign visuals, brand illustrations, hero images.
- Recraft V4.1 Utility is a faster, lighter version made for volume: ideas, A/B variants, content pipelines, product shots and icons, where you want many predictable options quickly.
Since the price is the same, run one prompt on both and keep the one whose style fits your brand. Change the model id; nothing else in the request moves.
Sizes and aspect ratios
Set resolution to 1K or 2K and aspect_ratio to one of 14 shapes: 1:1 (the default), 2:1, 1:2, 3:2, 2:3, 4:3, 3:4, 5:4, 4:5, 6:10, 14:10, 10:14, 16:9 and 9:16. Both Recraft models make pictures from a prompt only: they take no reference picture. To change a picture you already have, use an image editing model.
Generate a Recraft image
Send POST /v1/generations with the model id recraft-v4.1, your prompt, a resolution and an aspect_ratio, then poll the generation until it has succeeded or failed. This request costs $0.05.
export REVANA_API_KEY="sr_live_..."
# One Idempotency-Key per job, made once: resend with the same $KEY after a timeout, a 429 or a 5xx
KEY=$(uuidgen)
# 1. Submit the job (returns 202 with the generation id). max_cost_usd is your cap: the most it may cost.
curl https://api.revana.si/v1/generations \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $REVANA_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $KEY" \
-d '{
"model": "recraft-v4.1",
"input": {
"prompt": "Flat illustration of a fox reading a book under a desk lamp, warm orange and teal palette, clean shapes, lots of empty space.",
"resolution": "1K",
"aspect_ratio": "4:5"
},
"max_cost_usd": 0.1
}'
# 2. Poll with the id from step 1 until status is "succeeded" or "failed".
# A failed job is free; make a new KEY before you submit it again.
curl https://api.revana.si/v1/generations/gen_01JC4N7X3P \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $REVANA_API_KEY"import os
import time
import uuid
import requests
API = "https://api.revana.si/v1"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['REVANA_API_KEY']}"}
# One Idempotency-Key per job, made once. Resend after a timeout, a 429 or a 5xx with the
# same KEY: you get the same job back, never a second charge.
KEY = str(uuid.uuid4())
resp = requests.post(f"{API}/generations", headers={**HEADERS, "Idempotency-Key": KEY}, json={
"model": "recraft-v4.1",
"input": {
"prompt": "Flat illustration of a fox reading a book under a desk lamp, warm orange and teal palette, clean shapes, lots of empty space.",
"resolution": "1K",
"aspect_ratio": "4:5",
},
"max_cost_usd": 0.1, # your cap: the most this job may cost
})
resp.raise_for_status()
job = resp.json()
while job["status"] in ("queued", "running"):
time.sleep(3)
job = requests.get(f"{API}/generations/{job['id']}", headers=HEADERS).json()
if job["status"] == "succeeded":
print(job["output"]["urls"], job["cost_usd"])
else:
# A failed job is free. To try again, make a new KEY: this one answers with the failure.
print("Failed:", job["error"]){
"id": "gen_01JC4N7X3P",
"model": "recraft-v4.1",
"status": "succeeded",
"output": {
"urls": [
"https://cdn.revana.si/g/gen_01JC4N7X3P/0.png"
]
},
"cost_usd": 0.05,
"attempts": 1,
"error": null,
"created_at": "2026-11-13T10:14:02Z",
"completed_at": "2026-11-13T10:14:31Z"
}Upscale with Recraft Crisp Upscale
Crisp Upscale makes a picture larger and sharper. It takes any picture in image_url, not only Recraft's, needs no prompt, and costs $0.01. If the file is on your computer, upload it first with POST /v1/uploads (see the docs); the link it returns is good for 14 days.
{
"model": "recraft-crisp-upscale",
"input": {
"image_url": "https://example.com/fox-1k.png"
},
"max_cost_usd": 0.05
}A size or aspect ratio the model does not list comes back straight away as 422 invalid_input, with the values it does take, and nothing is charged.
Recraft against other image models
Recraft is the pick for design work in one consistent style. For words that must be spelled right, Ideogram is the specialist (Ideogram API pricing); for photoreal shots and edits, see the FLUX API and the Midjourney alternatives list. The cheapest image API guide has every image model's lowest price. See both Recraft models with live prices on the Recraft V4.1 and V4.1 Utility pages, every model on the models page and the full request reference in the docs, or get an API key.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Recraft API cost?
In November 2026, Recraft V4.1 costs $0.05 a picture at 1K and $0.28 at 2K. Recraft V4.1 Utility costs the same, and Crisp Upscale is $0.01 a picture. There is no plan: you prepay credit and each picture is charged once, when it is delivered.
What is the difference between Recraft V4.1 and V4.1 Utility?
Both are Recraft V4.1 models with the same inputs and price. V4.1 is the main model for finished, art-directed pictures; V4.1 Utility is faster and lighter, made for volume work such as ideas, variants, product shots and icons.
Can Recraft V4.1 edit a picture I already have?
Not through this API: both Recraft models make pictures from a prompt only. Use Crisp Upscale to enlarge a picture, or an image editing model such as Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2 or FLUX Kontext to change one.
Can I get SVG vector files from the Recraft API?
Not today. The Recraft models on Revana return raster pictures. They take any of 14 aspect ratios at 1K or 2K.
Which aspect ratios does Recraft V4.1 support?
1:1 (the default), 2:1, 1:2, 3:2, 2:3, 4:3, 3:4, 5:4, 4:5, 6:10, 14:10, 10:14, 16:9 and 9:16, at 1K or 2K.
Am I charged for a failed Recraft image?
No. The price is held when you submit and released if the job fails, so a failed picture costs nothing.
Call Recraft with one key
One API key for Recraft V4.1 and every other image and video model. Prepaid credit from $10, charged only for images that are delivered.