Krea 3: 2K Image Editing, Pricing and Test Results
Krea 3 edits images in native 2K and can use up to six references. Here’s what it offers, what it costs through the API and how it performed in testing.
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Krea released Krea 3 on October 15, 2026, and made it the default image model in its app the next day. It is primarily a tool for editing existing images, rather than another model that generates images from scratch. Krea says it can edit images in native 2K in under 8 seconds for $0.06, several times faster and cheaper than Nano Banana Pro and GPT Image 2. Here’s what the model can do, what it costs through the API, where it’s available and which claims have yet to be independently tested.
My test on October 20, 2026:I tested Krea 3 through fal.ai on 10 images and 8 edits. It scored 8.1/10 for generation and 8.3/10 for editing: faces and lighting were good, but it rendered “corrupted lettering in the original Polish test” instead of the original Polish currency unit in every price, and edits took 27-51 seconds, not 8 seconds. In the same tasks, Seedream 5.0 Flash scored 9.2 and FLUX 3 Klein scored 8.9. See the results in AI image editing: Krea 3 vs. 3 models and new models on fal.ai.
At a glance (October 19, 2026)
- A model for image editing that can also generate images from text. Status: open beta.
- Edit a selected area, use frames to position elements, and add up to 6 reference images.
- API pricing: $0.03 per 1K image and $0.06 per 2K image, with up to 4K available through the API.
- So far, only Krea has published speed and quality claims; there are no independent measurements.
What is Krea 3?
Krea describes its new model as a tool for “production work,” not a generator with an editing mode added on. The model changes only what you ask it to, leaving the rest of the image unchanged, including labels, logos, products and faces. The company says it is not a distilled copy of a larger model and that it focuses computing power on the area being changed rather than redrawing the entire image. According to Krea, it can:
- edit a selected area without changing the rest of the image;
- let you mark where a new element should appear using a frame;
- use up to 6 reference images for an edit (the API and fal documentation say up to 8), including sketches and mood boards;
- keep the appearance of a character or product consistent across a series of images;
- generate images in native 2K, and up to 4096 pixels through the API;
- according to Krea, become the first image-editing model that can be fine-tuned with LoRA for a specific product, person or style.
Krea’s speed and pricing claims
| Model | Median editing time | Price per 2K image |
|---|---|---|
| Krea 3 | under 8 seconds | $0.06 |
| Nano Banana Pro | 33 seconds | $0.135 |
| GPT Image 2 | 90 seconds | $0.22 |
The times are medians for editing tasks run in Krea between September 24 and October 1, 2026, including time spent in the queue. Krea also claims its image quality is on par with Nano Banana Pro and GPT Image 2.5. Versely notes that these figures come from the manufacturer; in its own test, one edit took 68 seconds. Krea 3 is not yet included in Artificial Analysis rankings.
How much does Krea 3 cost?
- 1K image: $0.03.
- 2K image: $0.06.
- Each reference image: $0.02 at 1K and $0.07 at 2K, according to Versely.
- High-thinking mode: an additional $0.02.
- Krea 3 Ultra: available only with Max plans and above on krea.ai.
In the krea.ai app, usage comes from your plan allowance rather than being charged per image. See my guide to Krea AI pricing and test results for details on plans and the free plan.
Where can you use Krea 3?
- krea.ai - the default image model since October 16.
- Partner APIs - fal, Replicate, Together AI, OpenRouter, Nous Research and Baseten.
- Krea’s own API - currently in early access, available to businesses on request.
Who is Krea 3 for?
- Stores and brands that need multiple versions of a product image while keeping the label unchanged.
- Graphic designers who edit existing images instead of generating them from scratch.
- Character creators who need the same face across a series of images.
If you’re comparing image models, see also Krea 2 vs. Ideogram 4.5 and the open-source FLUX 3 Image Klein, which has run on a desktop graphics card since October 15.
For a full guide to plans and the free option, see Krea AI: features, pricing and the free plan.
