Recraft V4 or FLUX.2 Pro for an illustration set on Sume: price, edits

FLUX.2 Pro is the cheaper of the two on Sume and the only one that takes reference images: $0.0375 billed per image against $0.05 for Recraft V4, and reference images against none. Recraft V4 is text-to-image only. For an illustration set that must hold one look across a dozen images, the practical difference is that FLUX.2 Pro can be shown the first approved image and asked for the next, while Recraft V4 can only be steered by the prompt.

Everything else on the request side is the same, which makes a swap easy. Both list the same 13 aspect ratios and both take up to 4 images per call.

The side-by-side facts

The figures below come from Sume's image catalog and price tables. Billed is provider list times 1.25.

Why references decide a set

A set is only a set if the images agree on palette, line weight and subject style. With no reference input, agreement has to come from repeating the same style words in each prompt. With FLUX.2 Pro you can attach the approved first image through input_references and ask for the next scene in the same style.

That is a mechanism, not a guarantee. Run a small test: generate a first image, then three follow-ups with and without the reference, and compare. The whole test is four FLUX.2 Pro images with a reference ($0.15) plus three Recraft images without ($0.15).

What the numbers say about a 12-image set

Twelve images are $0.45 billed on FLUX.2 Pro and $0.60 on Recraft V4. Even if every image needed two takes, FLUX.2 Pro would cost $0.90 and Recraft $1.20. The money is not the point at this size; the choice should turn on the reference input and on how the images look to you. Run the same twelve prompts through both and see.

At catalogue scale the gap becomes real. A thousand images are $37.50 on FLUX.2 Pro and $50.00 on Recraft V4, a $12.50 difference, or 33 percent more for Recraft.

Ratios an illustration set usually needs

Both models list 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 4:5, 5:4, 3:2, 2:3, 21:9, 9:21, 1:2 and 2:1. That covers a square avatar set, a 16:9 hero, a 9:16 story frame and the tall 1:2 and wide 2:1 strips. If you need an exact pixel size that the ratios do not give you, both accept image_size with a width and height. Sume's catalog returns 400 unsupported_parameter for any field a model does not list, so a ratio typo fails fast and is not billed.

Neither model has a quality or resolution field, so there is no tier to tune. The only cost levers are the model choice and n. Because n multiplies the per-image price, n: 4 on Recraft V4 costs $0.20 billed and on FLUX.2 Pro $0.15.

Choosing in one line

If a set of images has to look consistent and your starting point is an existing photo or illustration, use FLUX.2 Pro. If you are starting from a blank prompt and want the second-cheapest non-draft card that supports 21:9 and 2:1, Recraft V4 is a reasonable test. Compare the two on your own prompts before committing, since this post compares only what Sume lists and bills.

Request shape

The call below is identical for both models except for the model value and the optional reference. If you send input_references to Recraft V4, Sume returns 400 unsupported_parameter because the model lists no reference range.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/images \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "black-forest-labs/flux.2-pro",
    "prompt": "Flat illustration of a greenhouse at dusk, muted teal and ochre",
    "aspect_ratio": "3:2",
    "n": 2
  }'