Recraft is an AI design tool that generates and edits images, vector art, icons and 3D-style graphics, with control over brand style and the position of text and elements. It is priced in monthly credits, and its free tier is the one to read carefully: images made on it are owned by Recraft, public, and not licensed for commercial use.
Recraft: the short answer
Every line below is drawn from facts verified on 19 August 2026.
- What it is
- AI generation that outputs vectors and holds a brand style, from $10 a month billed annually
- Best for
- Designers who need generated output as editable vectors rather than flat images
- Starts at
- Free with no commercial rights; Basic $10/month billed annually
- Free option
- Free plan available, no trial
- Biggest strength
- Generates editable vector art, not just flat images
- Biggest drawback
- Free-plan images are owned by Recraft, public, and barred from commercial use
- Based on
- Primary-source research, not hands-on use
- Closest alternative
- Adobe Firefly - $19.99 a month for 4,000 credits, with Photoshop on web and Express Premium included
- True annual cost
- from $120 a year on Basic, the cheapest paid tier ($10 a month)
Recraft at a glance
| Best for | Designers who need generated output as editable vectors rather than flat images, Marketing teams producing on-brand imagery at volume, Anyone generating icon sets or illustration in a consistent style |
|---|---|
| Category | Design, AI, Marketing |
| Starting price | Free with no commercial rights; Basic $10/month billed annually |
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free trial | No trial offered |
| Pricing model | subscription |
| Company | Recraft |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Founders | Not disclosed |
| Platforms | Web |
| Public API | Yes |
| Browser extension | No |
| Mobile apps | None |
| Self-hosting | No |
| Affiliate programme | No |
| Data source | Vendor pricing page and public records |
| Last checked | August 2026 |
Recraft pricing
Prices below were read from the vendor's own pricing page on 19 August 2026. Pricing model: subscription. No free trial is offered.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | per month | Three generations per style per day, three uploads, basic editing, Recraft models only. All images are public, owned by Recraft, and not licensed for commercial use |
| Basic | $10 | per month | $120 billed annually. 1,000 credits a month, commercial rights, private generations, external models including Flux and GPT Image, up to five parallel generations |
| Pro | $16 | per month | $192 billed annually. 2,000 credits a month, video generation, priority image generation, up to ten parallel generations |
| Teams | $18 | per month | per seat - $211 billed annually per seat. 2,000 credits per seat, shared workspace and styles, centralised billing, single sign-on |
| Credit top-ups | Usage-based | per usage | Purchased separately, never expire, used automatically once monthly credits run out. Basic and Pro only |
What Recraft actually costs over a year
A monthly price is not the same thing as a monthly contract. These are the plans above resolved both ways, per seat or unit where the plan is charged that way. Where a vendor quotes only a yearly figure it is divided by twelve rather than left out, and the Quoted column says which figure the vendor actually publishes.
| Plan | Quoted | Monthly | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | per month | $10 | $120 |
| Pro | per month | $16 | $192 |
| Teamsper seat | per month | $18 | $216 |
Which Recraft plan should you buy?
| Your situation | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want to try it before spending anything | Free | Three generations per style per day, and the output is public, owned by Recraft and not usable commercially. Treat it as a demo. |
| You need generated assets for real work | Basic | $10 a month billed annually for 1,000 credits, commercial rights, private generations and the external models. |
| You need video generation or higher volume | Pro | $16 a month billed annually for 2,000 credits, video models and priority generation. |
| Several people need a shared workspace and styles | Teams | $18 per seat a month billed annually, with shared custom styles, central billing and SSO. |
| You object to generative AI in your workflow | Do not buy this | Generation is the entire product. Procreate publishes the opposite position. |
Verdict by who you are
Designer producing icons and illustration setsYes
Vector output that stays editable, and style consistency across a set, is the thing general image models cannot do.
Marketing team producing on-brand imageryYes
Brand styles plus text placement control make output usable without a redraw.
Anyone relying on the free tier for client workNo
Free-plan images are owned by Recraft and not licensed commercially. This is the term that catches people out.
Print or layout designerCompare first
Useful as an asset source, but it does no layout and no print production.
Should you buy Recraft?
Buy Recraft if…
- Designers who need generated output as editable vectors rather than flat images
- Marketing teams producing on-brand imagery at volume
- Anyone generating icon sets or illustration in a consistent style
Do not buy Recraft if…
- Anyone who needs commercial rights without paying
- Print production, layout or interface design
- Teams that want to avoid generative AI on principle
Best Recraft alternative for each job
Chosen by what you are trying to do rather than by which product is closest overall, because the right replacement depends on the job.
| If you mainly need to… | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Generate imagery inside a wider design suite | Adobe Creative Cloud | Firefly is included in Creative Cloud Pro, or $19.99 a month on its own for 4,000 credits. |
| Generate collateral rather than assets | Canva | Magic Studio inside a template-driven tool, from $180 a year. |
| Edit and finish the generated asset | Affinity | Free, and the vector and pixel editor Recraft's output lands in. |
| Draw it yourself instead | Procreate | $12.99 once, from a studio that publishes a refusal to add generative AI. |
Key features
- Vector art generation, with output that stays editable
- Consistent brand style across generations, and custom style creation
- Text placement control, including exact positions of text and elements
- Icon and illustration set generation
- Infinite canvas with real-time collaboration
- External models available on paid plans, including Flux and GPT Image
- Video generation on Pro and above
- API covering generation, editing, background removal, inpainting and batch jobs
Integrations
- Recraft API
- External image and video models
- PNG, JPEG and SVG export
Our assessment
Recraft is the AI generator built for designers rather than for prompt enthusiasts, and the difference is the output: vectors you can still edit, styles you can lock to a brand, and control over where text and elements actually sit. That makes it usable in a design workflow in a way a general image model is not, and the London-based company states three million users across 200 countries with customers including Ogilvy, HubSpot, Netflix, Asana and Airbus. The commercial terms are where a buyer needs to read carefully, and Recraft is unusually clear about them: on the **free plan, images are owned by Recraft, shown publicly in the community gallery, and not licensed for commercial use**. So the free tier is a demonstration, not a starting point for client work, and the real entry price is $10 a month billed annually. Paid plans grant full ownership and commercial rights, and those rights survive cancellation, which is stated plainly and is more than most vendors in this category commit to. Credits do not roll over month to month, so the meter is the thing to model before you commit.
What works in Recraft
- Generates editable vector art, not just flat images
- Brand style consistency and precise text placement, which general models do not offer
- Ownership and commercial rights on paid plans survive cancellation, stated explicitly
- API covers generation, editing, background removal and batch jobs
What doesn't
- Free-plan images are owned by Recraft, public, and barred from commercial use
- Monthly credits do not roll over; only purchased top-ups persist
- Web only, with no desktop application
- Prices shown exclude VAT, and the page defaults to annual billing
EveryAny Decision Score
3 of these 8 dimensions are calculated from verified facts; the rest are our judgement, shown as a band rather than a figure unless something specific sits behind them. How each score works.
- Cost position5.7/10
derivedentry tier at $10 a month against a category median of $10.99 a month across 7 comparable tools
- Portability5/10
derivedpublic API
- Subscription flexibility6/10
derivedfree plan, subscription, monthly billing
- Feature depthHigh
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- Ease of learningHigh
editorialour judgement, with no measurement behind it
- Collaboration6/10
editorialInfinite canvas with real-time collaboration, and shared workspaces and styles on the Teams plan at $18 per seat.
- AI capability10/10
editorialGeneration is the product: images, vector art, icons, 3D-style graphics and video, with brand style control and external models on paid plans.
- Professional adoption7/10
editorialRecraft states more than three million users across 200 countries and names Ogilvy, HubSpot, Netflix, Asana and Airbus as customers.
What leaving Recraft would cost
moderate lock-in
Recraft scores on public API. Portability 5/10 ; lock-in is the inverse. How this is calculated.
Recraft competitors and alternatives
| Alternative | Why you might pick it instead |
|---|---|
| Adobe Firefly | $19.99 a month for 4,000 credits, with Photoshop on web and Express Premium included. |
| Canva | Magic Studio AI inside a full collateral tool, from $180 a year. |
| Midjourney | Better known for image quality; its plans sit behind a login and we could not read a price. |
Canva
Design
Template-driven design tool for people who are not designers.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Design
The professional creative stack, rented rather than owned.
Read the free plan before you use it
Recraft’s own FAQ is explicit, and it is the most important thing on its pricing page: images generated on the free plan are owned by Recraft, are publicly visible in the community gallery, and are not licensed for commercial use. Recraft’s example is that they cannot be listed on stock platforms, which require proof of ownership.
Paid plans reverse all three: full ownership, commercial rights, private generations - and those rights survive cancellation, which the FAQ also states directly.
So the free tier is a demonstration rather than a starting point, and the honest entry price for real work is $10 a month billed annually.
What the plans meter
| Plan, billed annually | Monthly rate | Credits a month | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited | Public images, no commercial use |
| Basic | $10 | 1,000 | Commercial rights, external models |
| Pro | $16 | 2,000 | Video generation, priority queue |
| Teams | $18 per seat | 2,000 per seat | Shared workspace and styles, SSO |
Credits reset each cycle and do not roll over. Purchased top-ups never expire but are only available on Basic and Pro. Prices exclude VAT, and the page’s toggle defaults to annual billing, so the monthly-billing rate is not the figure shown.
Why a designer would choose this over a general image model
Three things, all of which are the difference between an asset you can use and a picture you have to redraw:
- Vector output. Generated art comes out as vectors you can still edit, rather than a flat raster.
- Brand style. Custom styles can be created and reused, so a set of illustrations matches.
- Placement control. Text and elements can be positioned deliberately, including text of any length.
That is why it sits in our design tools guide as the AI generation pick rather than a better-known image model: the output arrives in a form a designer can finish.
What it does not do
No layout, no print production, no design system, and no desktop app - it is web only. Treat it as an asset source that feeds Affinity or Canva, not as a replacement for either.
And if the objection is to generative AI itself, this is the wrong product by definition; Procreate publishes the opposite position and is on the record about it.
Recraft questions, answered
- Is Recraft worth it?
- Recraft is the AI generator built for designers rather than for prompt enthusiasts, and the difference is the output: vectors you can still edit, styles you can lock to a brand, and control over where text and elements actually sit.
- How much does Recraft cost?
- Free with no commercial rights; Basic $10/month billed annually. The cheapest paid tier we recorded is Basic, published at $10 a month, which works out at $10 a month or $120 over a year. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.
- Does Recraft have a free plan or free trial?
- Recraft has a free plan. No free trial is offered.
- What is the best Recraft alternative?
- It depends on the job. Adobe Firefly: $19.99 a month for 4,000 credits, with Photoshop on web and Express Premium included. Canva: Magic Studio AI inside a full collateral tool, from $180 a year. Midjourney: Better known for image quality; its plans sit behind a login and we could not read a price.
- Can I self-host Recraft?
- No. Recraft is a hosted service only, so your data lives on the vendor's infrastructure.
What this profile is based on
Every claim below is about our work, not about Recraft. A "no" is recorded rather than omitted, because the difference between a tested review and careful desk research is the reader's to weigh. How we research a profile.
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Prices read from the vendor : yes
Read from Recraft's own pricing page on 19 August 2026
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Plans and terms recorded : yes
5 rows, each with its billing period
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Original screenshots : no
None captured
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Sources cited and dated : yes
2 primary sources, each with the date it was read
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Product used first-hand : no
Not tested. This profile is desk research from primary sources
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Alternatives used first-hand : no
None, so comparisons here rest on published facts rather than use
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Vendor contacted : no
Not contacted for this profile
Desk research from Recraft's own pricing and about pages, read on 19 August 2026 through a United States egress. Nobody here has used Recraft, and no output quality was assessed.
Provenance and freshness
When each fact was last checked
- Pricing ·
- Plans ·
- Free trial
- Features
- Platforms
- Integrations
- Affiliate programme
- Company details ·
Individually sourced claims
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Free-plan images are owned by Recraft, publicly visible, and not licensed for commercial use
Recraft pricing FAQ ↗ · checked
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Paid plans grant ownership and commercial rights that survive cancellation
Recraft pricing FAQ ↗ · checked
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Basic is $10 a month billed annually, at $120 a year, for 1,000 credits a month
Recraft pricing ↗ · checked
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Recraft was founded in the US in 2022 and is headquartered in London
Recraft, about ↗ · checked
What has changed
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August 2026
- First published, with plans and credit allowances read from the vendor pricing page
- Recorded the free-plan ownership terms, which are the most consequential fact here
Sources & verification
Facts on this page were read from the sources below on the dates shown. Where a vendor does not publish a figure, we record it as not disclosed rather than estimating it.
- Recraft pricing - checked 19 August 2026
- Recraft, about - checked 19 August 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] and we will re-check it. Corrections are logged on the page.