Cheapest Stable Diffusion API in 2026: Full Price Comparison (With Code)

import requests
import base64
from PIL import Image
import io

API_KEY = "your_nexaapi_key"  # Get free credits at nexa-api.com

def generate_image_sdxl(prompt: str, width: int = 1024, height: int = 1024) -> bytes:
    """Generate image using SDXL via NexaAPI — $0.003/image"""
    response = requests.post(
        "https://stable-diffusion-xl.p.rapidapi.com/generate",
        headers={
            "x-rapidapi-key": API_KEY,
            "x-rapidapi-host": "stable-diffusion-xl.p.rapidapi.com",
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        },
        json={
            "prompt": prompt,
            "negative_prompt": "blurry, low quality, distorted",
            "width": width,
            "height": height,
            "num_inference_steps": 30,
            "guidance_scale": 7.5
        }
    )
    result = response.json()
    return base64.b64decode(result["image"])

def generate_image_flux_schnell(prompt: str) -> str:
    """Generate image using Flux Schnell via NexaAPI — $0.001/image"""
    response = requests.post(
        "https://flux-2-turbo.p.rapidapi.com/generate",
        headers={
            "x-rapidapi-key": API_KEY,
            "x-rapidapi-host": "flux-2-turbo.p.rapidapi.com",
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        },
        json={
            "prompt": prompt,
            "num_inference_steps": 4  # Flux Schnell is fast!
        }
    )
    return response.json()["image_url"]

# Example: Generate product images at scale
prompts = [
    "A sleek laptop on a minimalist white desk, product photography",
    "Modern smartphone floating in air, gradient background",
    "Wireless headphones on marble surface, studio lighting"
]

for prompt in prompts:
    url = generate_image_flux_schnell(prompt)
    print(f"Generated: {url}")
    # Cost: $0.001 × 3 = $0.003 total