FLUX

Image models with paid hosting and selected downloadable weights

by Black Forest Labs

Overview

FLUX is Black Forest Labs’ image-model family, available through a browser Playground, paid APIs and selected downloadable weights. The current official site features FLUX 3 alongside FLUX.2 and legacy FLUX.1 routes. A browser workflow does not require you to deploy a local model, while using downloaded weights makes licence and hardware choices part of the workflow. We have not measured image quality, prompt adherence or text rendering against other models.

The licences are version-specific. FLUX.1 schnell and FLUX.2 klein 4B model cards use Apache 2.0; FLUX.2 klein 9B uses a non-commercial licence. Listed dev versions, including FLUX.1 dev and FLUX.2 dev, follow the FLUX dev Non-Commercial License v2.0. A free weight download is not permission to run an unlicensed commercial production service. The dev licence separately addresses generated outputs: section 2(d) does not claim their ownership and allows commercial output use subject to its conditions, while model and derivative-model use remains restricted. Output rights do not remove deployment restrictions, competing-model training limits or filtering obligations.

Hosted API and Playground use the same pay-as-you-go rates, with 1 credit equal to US$0.01. Historically registered FLUX.2 examples, not re-established as current model quotes on15October, start at US$0.014 per generation for FLUX.2 klein 4B, US$0.015 for klein 9B, US$0.03 for FLUX.2 pro text-to-image or US$0.045 for its editing, US$0.07 for max and US$0.05 for flex. These are starting rates, not every-resolution caps or a family-wide monthly subscription. Self-hosted commercial licences are separate, with tier-specific deployment and customer-use conditions; exact licence prices were not verified. No recurring free hosted allowance was confirmed in this review.

Generated API results are delivered by a signed download URL that expires after 10 minutes; download them in time and store them yourself. A PNG example in an open-weight model card does not establish universal API/Playground export formats or layered files. Hosted privacy is also separate from the weight licence: the August 4, 2026 non-EU API Service Terms include input/output rights for operation, improvement and AI training. EU terms are separate and were not fully checked here. Neither Apache licensing nor a local option proves that the hosted service defaults to no training.

Editor's take

Consider the Playground or API for hosted access, or a specific downloadable variant when you want to manage deployment. Licence choice is essential: klein 4B and 9B differ, and permission to use a dev output commercially is not permission to operate the model commercially. Confirm the model, region-specific data terms and per-result cost before committing.

Our reading of who this suits, based on the sources above. Opinion, offered to help you decide - not a lab result.

Key Features

•Browser Playground, paid API and downloadable weights for selected variants across the FLUX family
•FLUX.1 schnell and FLUX.2 klein 4B use Apache 2.0; klein 9B uses a non-commercial licence
•Dev versions have restricted model-use rights and separate conditional output-use rights
•API and Playground share usage rates; FLUX.2 klein 4B starts at US$0.014 per generation
•FLUX.2 pro text-to-image and editing have different starting rates, US$0.03 and US$0.045
•API results use signed download URLs valid for 10 minutes, requiring timely download and separate storage

Use Cases

→Create images in the hosted Playground after checking model pricing and data terms
→Add generation or supported image editing through a metered API
→Deploy schnell or klein 4B under Apache 2.0 after checking the rest of the workflow
→Assess a restricted-weight variant with the appropriate commercial licence for the intended service

Pros

✓Hosted browser access is available without setting up a local model
✓Apache 2.0 variants such as schnell and klein 4B provide a defined alternative to non-commercial weights
✓Published per-model rates distinguish generation from editing costs

Cons

✕The entire FLUX family is neither free hosted software nor one open-source licence
✕Klein 9B and dev model deployment restrictions differ from klein 4B; output commercial rights do not override model restrictions
✕Self-hosted commercial licence tiers have deployment and customer-use limits; exact prices were not verified
✕API result URLs expire after 10 minutes and are not permanent asset hosting
✕Non-EU API terms include training-related input/output rights; EU differences and a complete export matrix were not fully checked

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FLUX free and open source?

Only particular routes and versions support that description. FLUX.1 schnell and FLUX.2 klein 4B use Apache 2.0, but klein 9B and listed dev versions have non-commercial model licences. The official API and Playground are paid usage services. A recurring free hosted allowance was not confirmed in this review.

Does commercial use of a dev image allow commercial hosting of dev?

No. The dev licence addresses outputs separately from model and derivative-model use. Section 2(d) permits commercial output use subject to conditions, while sections 2(a)–(b) restrict model use to non-commercial purposes and the full terms include further restrictions. Confirm the complete production arrangement with BFL instead of treating an output allowance as an unrestricted deployment licence.

What do API and Playground cost?

API and Playground share rates with1credit=US$0.01. Current model-specific numeric cells were empty in the readable response. Earlier FLUX.2 starting rates are historical examples, not this round’s verified model quote; regional purchase scope and commercial deployment licences remain separate.

Does one self-hosting licence allow any customer application?

No. BFL lists different commercial tiers and deployment boundaries. Builder’s klein allowance and single-domain scope are not an unlimited customer-platform grant; Platform, Professional and Enterprise have their own conditions. Exact tier prices were not verified here, so obtain the current quote or checkout terms for your intended deployment.

Can I keep the API result URL as my image asset?

The signed result URL is valid for 10 minutes. Download within that window and store or serve the file using your own infrastructure. Open-weight PNG examples do not prove that every hosted model exports the same formats or editable layers; a complete matrix was not verified.

Are inputs and outputs excluded from training?

Do not assume so for hosted use. The August 4, 2026 non-EU FLUX API Service Terms include rights involving AI training alongside operation and improvement. EU terms are separate and were not fully reviewed here. Local inference follows a different data path, and a weight licence is not a confidentiality promise from a hosted provider.

Key facts and where they come from

PriceNot established: BFL's current pricing overview explicitly values one credit at US$0.01 and says API and Playground use the same per-image or per-second pricing. The model-specific numeric fee cells were not readable in this response, and applicable regional purchasing conditions remain unestablished; no universal current model quote is asserted.Source: BFL — API and Playground pricing
AvailabilityNot established: Entry, integration or deployment routes are registered, but the applicable geographic access conditions were not established. No worldwide availability is inferred from these routes.Source: Black Forest Labs — current model family
Commercial useDocumented: FLUX.1 schnell is published under Apache 2.0. The 4B variant uses Apache 2.0; the example saves a PNG and does not establish every hosted model’s export formats. The 9B variant uses a FLUX non-commercial licence rather than the 4B Apache licence. Model-use restrictions and conditional commercial output rights are separate; the terms also limit competing-model training and impose filtering conditions. Commercial tiers have different deployment, domain and customer-use boundaries; a Builder allowance is not an unlimited customer-service licence.Source: BFL — FLUX.1 schnell model card · BFL — FLUX.2 klein 4B model card · BFL — FLUX.2 klein 9B model card · BFL — dev Non-Commercial License v2.0 · BFL — self-hosted commercial licensing
Training on your dataDocumented: The non-EU agreement includes input/output rights for operation, improvement and AI training; EU has separate terms.Source: BFL — non-EU API Service Terms, August 4, 2026
API billingDocumented: The current overview explicitly says one credit equals US$0.01, with the same API and Playground price and per-image or per-second charging depending on model. Numeric model-specific fee cells were empty in this parsed response; no live model quote or applicable regional purchase scope is inferred.Source: BFL — API and Playground pricing
Export formatsDocumented: The 4B variant uses Apache 2.0; the example saves a PNG and does not establish every hosted model’s export formats.Source: BFL — FLUX.2 klein 4B model card
Usage limitsDocumented: Signed API result URLs are valid for 10 minutes; results should be downloaded and stored separately.Source: BFL — generating and downloading images

Official sources

The vendor pages we read for the claims on this page, what each one states, and the day we read it.

Black Forest Labs — current model family ↗
The current official site presents FLUX 3 and hosted access, alongside other FLUX model routes.
Read on September 23, 2026
BFL — FLUX.1 schnell model card ↗
FLUX.1 schnell is published under Apache 2.0.
Read on September 23, 2026
BFL — FLUX.2 klein 4B model card ↗
The 4B variant uses Apache 2.0; the example saves a PNG and does not establish every hosted model’s export formats.
Read on September 23, 2026
BFL — FLUX.2 klein 9B model card ↗
The 9B variant uses a FLUX non-commercial licence rather than the 4B Apache licence.
Read on September 23, 2026
BFL — dev Non-Commercial License v2.0 ↗
Model-use restrictions and conditional commercial output rights are separate; the terms also limit competing-model training and impose filtering conditions.
Read on September 23, 2026
BFL — API and Playground pricing ↗
The current overview explicitly says one credit equals US$0.01, with the same API and Playground price and per-image or per-second charging depending on model. Numeric model-specific fee cells were empty in this parsed response; no live model quote or applicable regional purchase scope is inferred.
Read on October 15, 2026
BFL — self-hosted commercial licensing ↗
Commercial tiers have different deployment, domain and customer-use boundaries; a Builder allowance is not an unlimited customer-service licence.
Read on September 23, 2026
BFL — generating and downloading images ↗
Signed API result URLs are valid for 10 minutes; results should be downloaded and stored separately.
Read on September 23, 2026
BFL — non-EU API Service Terms, August 4, 2026 ↗
The non-EU agreement includes input/output rights for operation, improvement and AI training; EU has separate terms.
Read on September 23, 2026

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1 discontinued entry/entries in this category are not listed above. They stay in the catalogue with their status.