Grok Imagine API Pricing: Image vs Video Costs

Grok Imagine API pricing on Unifically starts at $0.01 for one image or $0.04 per second for 480p video. The correct model ID matters: Grok Imagine now includes two image routes, two video routes, an extension route, and a video upscaler.

TL;DR: Use xai/grok-imagine-image for $0.01 drafts, xai/grok-imagine-2.0-image for $0.025 quality images, and xai/grok-imagine-video when you need text-to-video, image-to-video, references, or a video up to 30 seconds. Use xai/grok-imagine-1.5-video for image-to-video jobs where the dedicated 1.5 route fits. Both video routes cost $0.04/s at 480p, $0.07/s at 720p, or $0.125/s at 1080p.

Grok Imagine API prices at a glance

These are Unifically's active customer prices on August 13, 2026. Billing is pay-per-use rather than a monthly subscription.

Open the Grok Imagine playground and choose the image or video route.

What common Grok Imagine jobs cost

Video cost is duration × resolution rate. Image generation has a flat per-image price.

A practical draft-to-video workflow can start with one $0.01 speed image and a six-second 480p animation for $0.24, or $0.25 total. Replacing the draft image with the $0.025 quality model makes the same pair $0.265.

Run a short draft before committing to a long 1080p task. A 30-second 1080p request costs $3.75, while a six-second 480p direction test costs $0.24.

Strengths Showcase

We generated this result through the Unifically API with xai/grok-imagine-video on August 13, 2026. Settings: text-to-video, three seconds, 480p, 16:9, generated audio, and the Custom preset. The live price for the request was $0.12.

Object stability and camera motion

Test prompt	Output frame
"One continuous wide product shot in an empty modern studio. A brushed steel desk lamp stands on a dark walnut desk. The lamp switches on, casting warm light across the wood, while the camera slowly moves forward. Blue evening light through the window. Realistic metal reflections and stable object shape. Quiet room ambience and a soft electrical switch sound. No people, no writing, no logos."

The lamp body, base, shade, and articulated joints remain stable while the camera moves forward. The metal reflections and warm pool of light also stay coherent. The model misses one explicit instruction: the lamp is already illuminated at the opening instead of visibly switching on. The complete three-second result with audio is embedded below. This is one generation, not a repeatability test.

Which Grok Imagine model ID should you use?

Choose xai/grok-imagine-image for fast image drafts

The speed image route creates one image from text or edits one to five reference images. It supports 1:1, 2:3, 3:2, 9:16, and 16:9 output. References change the workflow to editing but do not change the $0.01 price.

Choose xai/grok-imagine-2.0-image for final images

Grok Imagine 2.0 Image exposes the same five aspect ratios and one-to-five-reference editing flow at $0.025 per image. Use the model ID directly; the old enable_pro switch is no longer part of the API.

Choose xai/grok-imagine-video for the widest video workflow

This route supports text-to-video, a single start image, or up to seven ordered reference images. Videos run from 1 to 30 seconds at 480p, 720p, or 1080p. It also supports generated audio, character references, Grok voice presets, and five aspect ratios.

Use either start_image_url or image_urls, never both. Tasks from this route can feed the Grok Extend and Upscale models.

Choose xai/grok-imagine-1.5-video for dedicated image-to-video

The dedicated 1.5 route requires one start_image_url. It runs from 1 to 15 seconds at 480p, 720p, or 1080p. It does not accept text-only generation, multi-image references, or an aspect-ratio field. The source image sets the frame shape.

xAI made Grok Imagine Video 1.5 generally available in June 2026 and describes improved motion, physics, audio, and speech over the previous video model. The official release also documents image-to-video input, duration, and resolution control.

Grok Imagine Image vs Video

The image APIs produce a single still. They are the cheaper place to settle composition, color, and subject details before animation. The video APIs add motion and native audio, and bill by output duration and resolution.

For a controlled campaign workflow, generate the key frame first, approve it, then send its URL as start_image_url. This avoids paying video rates while the basic composition is still changing.

How to call the Grok Imagine image API

The Grok Imagine 2.0 Image documentation defines the current fields. This request costs $0.025 and returns one image.

curl -X POST https://api.unifically.com/v1/tasks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $UNIFICALLY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "xai/grok-imagine-2.0-image",
    "input": {
      "prompt": "Editorial product image of a brushed steel desk lamp on a walnut table, warm evening light",
      "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
      "upsample_prompt": false
    }
  }'

How to call the Grok Imagine video API

The Grok Imagine Video documentation covers text-to-video, start-image, and reference-image requests. This three-second 480p request costs $0.12.

curl -X POST https://api.unifically.com/v1/tasks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $UNIFICALLY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "xai/grok-imagine-video",
    "input": {
      "prompt": "One continuous product shot: the lamp switches on as the camera makes a slow push forward, with quiet room ambience",
      "duration": 3,
      "resolution": "480p",
      "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
      "audio": true,
      "video_preset": "custom"
    }
  }'

Both calls return a task_id. Poll GET /v1/tasks/{task_id} until the task completes, then read the media URL from the output.

Run the Grok Imagine API with the same model IDs and settings.

Cost-control rules that matter

• Set duration deliberately. Video bills per generated second. Do not leave a production request longer than the scene needs.
• Test at 480p. A six-second 480p draft costs $0.24; the same duration at 1080p costs $0.75.
• Approve the still before animation. A $0.01 or $0.025 image is a cheaper place to revise framing than a video generation.
• Use the correct route from the start. Extend and Grok Upscale accept task IDs from xai/grok-imagine-video, not the dedicated xai/grok-imagine-1.5-video route.
• Check live pricing before a batch. Rates can change. Confirm the current model price on the pricing page before a large run.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Grok Imagine API cost?

On Unifically, Grok Imagine costs $0.01 per speed image or $0.025 per quality image. Video costs $0.04 per second at 480p, $0.07 per second at 720p, or $0.125 per second at 1080p as of August 13, 2026.

How much is a 10-second Grok Imagine video?

A 10-second generation costs $0.40 at 480p, $0.70 at 720p, or $1.25 at 1080p. The calculation is the selected resolution's per-second rate multiplied by ten.

Is there a free Grok Imagine API?

Unifically bills each completed generation against your account balance; it is not a permanently free API. Use the live cost estimate before running a task and start with a short, low-resolution test when possible.

What is the difference between Grok Imagine Video and Grok Imagine Video 1.5?

xai/grok-imagine-video supports text-to-video, start-image animation, multi-image references, 1–30 seconds, aspect-ratio control, Extend, and Grok Upscale. xai/grok-imagine-1.5-video is a dedicated image-to-video route that requires one start image, runs for 1–15 seconds, and does not feed those two follow-up models.

Does Grok Imagine support 1080p video?

Yes. Both current Grok Imagine video routes expose 1080p at $0.125 per generated second on Unifically.

Can Grok Imagine generate audio with video?

Yes. xai/grok-imagine-video generates audio by default and can suppress it with audio: false. The prompt can direct ambience, effects, or speech.

Does adding reference images change the image price?

No. The speed route remains $0.01 and the quality route remains $0.025 whether the request is text-to-image or an edit with one to five references.

If you want one place to test the full family, open Grok Imagine, select a route, and price the request before it runs.

Related reading

• Grok Imagine 2.0 Image: quality-focused generation and editing at $0.025 per image.
• Grok Imagine 1.0 Image: speed-focused text-to-image and editing at $0.01.
• Grok Imagine 1.5 Video: the official image-to-video build, the only route with 1080p.
• Grok Imagine 1.5 Video Fast: flexible text, image, and reference-to-video generation.
• Grok Imagine Video Extend: add 6 or 10 seconds to a supported task.
• Grok Imagine Upscale: upscale a supported Grok video task for $0.05.