Is ArtCraft Free? Pricing and Credits Explained
The app is free and open source. Generating images and videos is not. Here are the three ways to pay for generations and what each one costs.
By ArtCraft Tips Editorial TeamLast updated 3 min read
Short answer: ArtCraft itself is free, but generating images and videos costs money. The desktop app is free to download and its full source code is on GitHub. Every generation, though, runs on a commercial AI model, and someone has to pay for that compute. ArtCraft gives you three ways to do it.
Official links
What is free in ArtCraft
- The app. Windows and macOS builds are free to download, and the web version is free to open.
- The source code. ArtCraft is dual-licensed under MIT or Apache-2.0, so you can read, fork, and modify it.
- Ownership. The official site's message is "Stop renting from websites". You keep the application and everything you create, whether or not you subscribe.
Three ways to pay for generations
| Option | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| ArtCraft credits | Buy a monthly or yearly plan and spend credits on any supported model | Most users who want one bill and no setup |
| Bring your own API keys | Connect a provider key, such as FAL, and pay the provider directly | Developers and heavy users who already have provider accounts |
| Existing subscriptions | Log in with accounts you already pay for, such as Midjourney, Grok, or Sora | People already subscribed to those services |
ArtCraft's README lists five provider groups in the app: ArtCraft's own catalog, Grok, Midjourney, Sora, and World Labs. Integrations with Kling, Google, Runway, and Luma are planned, and the team has said it is interested in supporting subscriptions from aggregators such as OpenArt and Freepik.
ArtCraft pricing plans
These numbers come from the official pricing page in October 2026, when a limited-time offer gave 20% off yearly billing ("2 months free"). Prices are in USD.
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10/mo | $8/mo ($96/year) | 1,000 per month |
| Pro | $35/mo | $28/mo ($336/year) | More credits for serious creators |
| Max | See official page | See official page | Highest tier |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Bespoke credit allocation, secure models, support SLAs, custom integrations |
Heads up
Prices and promotions change. Always confirm on getartcraft.com/pricing before you buy.
What 1,000 credits actually buy
The Basic plan comes with official estimates of what 1,000 credits cover. We worked out the approximate cost per item from those estimates:
| Output | Per 1,000 credits | Approx. credits each |
|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana image | ~250 images | ~4 |
| GPT-Image-1.5 image | ~200 images | ~5 |
| Nano Banana Pro image | ~67 images | ~15 |
| Nano Banana Pro 4K image | ~33 images | ~30 |
| Seedance 2.0 video | ~63 seconds | ~16 per second |
| Kling 3.0 Pro video | ~45 seconds | ~22 per second |
The takeaway: images are cheap and video is expensive. A single 10-second Seedance 2.0 clip uses about 160 credits, which is roughly 16% of a Basic month. If you plan to make a lot of video, look at the Pro plan or connect your own provider key.
How to spend less
- Draft with cheaper models. Explore compositions with Nano Banana or GPT-Image-1.5, then switch to Pro or 4K models for the final render.
- Compose before you generate. ArtCraft's 2D and 3D scene tools let you fix layout, pose, and camera before spending credits, which means fewer wasted re-rolls.
- Use the first frame wisely. For video, generate a strong still image first and animate that, instead of re-rolling full text-to-video clips.
- Bring your own key if you already pay a provider like FAL, so you aren't paying twice.
Is the paid plan worth it?
If you only want to try ArtCraft, open the web app or install the desktop app first and see whether its scene-building workflow suits you. The Basic plan is a reasonable entry point for image work. Video-heavy creators will burn through 1,000 credits quickly, so do the math with the table above. For a broader verdict, read our ArtCraft review.
Frequently asked questions
Is ArtCraft completely free?
The software is free to download and open source under the MIT or Apache-2.0 license. AI generations are not free, because the underlying models charge for compute. You pay through ArtCraft credits, your own API keys, or existing subscriptions.
How much does ArtCraft cost per month?
At the time of writing, the Basic plan is $10 per month, or $8 per month billed yearly ($96 per year), and includes 1,000 credits per month. The Pro plan is $35 per month, or $28 per month billed yearly. Check getartcraft.com/pricing for current prices.
How many images do 1,000 ArtCraft credits buy?
According to the official estimates, 1,000 credits cover roughly 250 Nano Banana images, about 200 GPT-Image-1.5 images, about 67 Nano Banana Pro images, or around 63 seconds of Seedance 2.0 video.
Can I use my own API key with ArtCraft?
Yes. ArtCraft supports bringing your own keys. FAL API key support arrived in the v0.32.0 beta release, and the app can also connect to existing subscriptions with providers such as Midjourney, Grok, and Sora.
Do I keep ArtCraft if I cancel my subscription?
Yes. ArtCraft is yours to keep. A subscription only buys generation credits, and the official pricing page states that you own ArtCraft forever.