FLUX.2 Pro vs FLUX.2 Max
Iterate on Pro, render the keeper on Max, and only when the image is the finished deliverable.
Black Forest Labs' workhorse, and one of the cheapest reference-capable models here.
from 2 credits · Black Forest Labs
The top of the FLUX.2 ladder, for when the render itself is the deliverable.
from 5 credits · Black Forest Labs
Side by side
| FLUX.2 Pro | FLUX.2 Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | 2 credits | 5 credits |
| Aspect ratios | 1:1 2:3 3:2 3:4 4:3 4:5 5:4 9:16 16:9 | 1:1 2:3 3:2 3:4 4:3 4:5 5:4 9:16 16:9 |
| Reference images | 7 | 7 |
Read from Kuro's model catalog when this page was built. This page shows no outputs from either model; the prices and limits are the comparison.
What each costs
FLUX.2 Pro
| Resolution · 0.5 MP | 2 credits | ≈ $0.05 |
| Resolution · 1 MP | 2.5 credits | ≈ $0.06 |
| Resolution · 2 MP | 4 credits | ≈ $0.10 |
| Resolution · 4 MP | 6.5 credits | ≈ $0.15 |
FLUX.2 Max
| Resolution · 0.5 MP | 5 credits | ≈ $0.12 |
| Resolution · 1 MP | 6 credits | ≈ $0.14 |
| Resolution · 2 MP | 8.5 credits | ≈ $0.20 |
| Resolution · 4 MP | 13.5 credits | ≈ $0.32 |
Dollar figures are approximate, at the Starter plan's rate of $19.00 for 800 credits.
Which one
Same nine aspect ratios, seven reference images on both, same four-step resolution ladder from 0.5 to 4 megapixels; Pro alone takes an eighth reference, at 1 MP and above and in five ratios (1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16). Within the shared limits, moving between them costs no rework, because nothing has to be re-specified. Only the price per attempt changes.
Pro at 1 MP is 2.5 credits, which makes it one of the cheapest reference-capable models in the whole catalog. Max at 1 MP is 6, and at 4 MP the two are 6.5 and 13.5. Roughly double, across the ladder.
What the extra buys shows up in the places that survive scrutiny: edges, materials, and the coherence of complicated light. On a thumbnail or a feed image it is invisible. On a hero shot that will be printed, or a key frame the rest of a sequence gets built from, it is the difference between usable and not.
Which makes the pattern obvious and worth stating anyway, because it applies to every ladder in this catalog: explore on the cheaper rung, where an attempt costs about half as much and you can afford twice as many, then spend the expensive credits on the one frame that ships. Iterating on Max is how a budget disappears without the work getting better. Flex sits between the two and is worth a look when a render keeps coming out nearly right.
When neither is the right pick
Each model's prompting guide names the jobs it hands to another model. Both lists, as the guides write them:
Use something other than FLUX.2 when…
- The picture needs lettering, or a long literal instruction: GPT Image 2.5 Flare.
- It needs precise instruction-following with references, or 21:9 or a strip: Nano Banana 2.1.
- It is photoreal product detail: Seedream 5 Pro.
- You are drafting with no references: FLUX Schnell.
Both are one pick in the same composer.
Switching models does not move your references or your library.
Sign up now