OpenAI
Operational

GPT Image 2.5 Flare API

GPT Image 2.5 Flare API: OpenAI's fast image model at $0.02 per image, any size.

Price per image62%off
1K
$0.02$0.0527
2K
$0.02$0.211
4K
$0.02$0.417
Get your API keyTry it in the playground
Model IDgpt-image-2.5-flare
generate.py
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.zurelay.com/v1",
    api_key="YOUR_ZURELAY_KEY",
)
image = client.images.generate(
    model="gpt-image-2.5-flare",
    prompt="A red fox sitting in fresh snow at dawn, photo",
    size="1536x1024",
    quality="high",
)
print(image.data[0].url)

Base URL https://api.zurelay.com/v1. Works with any OpenAI SDK.

Sizes
Up to 3840 px
Price
Same at any size
Input
Text
Output
Image
Released
Sep 8, 2026
Uptime, 7 days
New

Examples

Made with GPT Image 2.5 Flare. Straight from the API.

Every image here is a single API call with the prompt underneath it, not retouched or upscaled. They're shown as compressed WebP; the API returns full-quality PNG.

Make your own
  • Close-up portrait of an elderly fisherman with weathered, sun-creased skin and a short grey beard, wearing a yellow oilskin raincoat, standing on a harbor at dawn under soft overcast light. Shot on an 85mm lens at f/1.8, shallow depth of field, natural skin texture with pores and fine wrinkles, photorealistic.
  • Overhead photograph of a Neapolitan pizza fresh from a wood-fired oven, leopard-spotted blistered crust, torn fresh basil, pools of melted buffalo mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, on a floured wooden peel in a warm trattoria, natural window light, food magazine photography.
  • A small neighborhood coffee shop storefront at dusk after rain, a hand-painted gold window sign that reads "Morning Ritual Coffee & Pastries", warm light spilling onto the wet sidewalk, a barista visible inside, reflections in puddles, 35mm street photography, photorealistic.
  • Extreme macro photograph of a tiny jumping spider on a green leaf covered in morning dew, its large iridescent front eyes in razor-sharp focus, fine hairs visible, creamy green bokeh background, focus-stacked, National Geographic style.
  • A narrow Tokyo alley at night in the rain, glowing neon signs in Japanese reflected in puddles, a young woman holding a clear umbrella walking away from the camera, steam from a ramen stall, cinematic 35mm film still, Kodak Portra colors, photorealistic.
  • Luxury studio product photograph of a matte black mechanical wristwatch with a skeleton dial, resting on a slab of wet dark slate, scattered water droplets, dramatic rim lighting and soft reflections, 100mm macro lens, high-end advertising photography.

Pricing

GPT Image 2.5 Flare API pricing. A fraction of the list price.

Pay as you go from prepaid credit, with no subscription and no minimum. Requests that fail are never billed.

RatezurelayOpenAI listYou save
1K image
1024 × 1024, any quality
$0.02$0.052762%off
2K image
2048 × 2048, any quality
$0.02≈$0.21191%off
4K image
3840 × 2160, any quality
$0.02≈$0.41795%off

One price at every size, always high quality. OpenAI bills images by output tokens, which grow with the image's area, so its 2K and 4K prices (≈) are worked out from its 1024 × 1024 price.

Savings calculator

Move the sliders to your monthly usage.

Images per month1,000
Resolution
zurelay
$20.00
OpenAI list price
$52.70
You save every month$32.70

$392.40 a year

Overview

What is GPT Image 2.5 Flare?

GPT Image 2.5 Flare is OpenAI's fastest model for high-quality, everyday image generation, released on September 8, 2026. The GPT Image 2.5 Flare API on zurelay turns a text prompt into images through one OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Every image is made at high quality, at one flat price for any size.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare is one of two image models OpenAI released on September 8, 2026, next to GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst. OpenAI calls Flare its fastest model for high-quality, everyday image generation and positions it as the default for most applications. It says Flare cuts latency by 50% compared with GPT Image 2, with image quality comparable to that model. The GPT Image 2.5 Flare API on zurelay uses the model ID gpt-image-2.5-flare and also accepts the shorter name gpt-image-2.5.

Flare's recommended sizes are 1024x1024, 1536x1024 and 1024x1536, and it also takes custom WIDTHxHEIGHT sizes. Both edges must be multiples of 16, the aspect ratio must sit between 1:3 and 3:1, no edge may pass 3840 pixels, and the total must fall between 655,360 and 8,294,400 pixels. That reaches 4K frames like 3840x2160, but OpenAI treats anything above 2560x1440 as experimental. Quality can be low, medium, high, xhigh, max or auto, and auto is the default.

Flare can put text inside images. For exact wording, OpenAI advises quoting the text in your prompt, naming its position and typography, and checking spelling in the result, because precise text placement can still slip. For transparent assets, set background to transparent and output_format to png or webp. JPEG output is also available and returns faster than PNG.

OpenAI bills GPT Image 2.5 by tokens for text input, image input and image output. Higher quality and larger sizes both add output tokens, so OpenAI's cost per image climbs as you raise either one. zurelay makes every image at high quality and charges one flat price at every size, so a 4K image costs the same as a square. Send requests to POST https://api.zurelay.com/v1/images/generations in the OpenAI images format and get a URL back by default, or base64 with response_format set to b64_json.

Strengths

Where GPT Image 2.5 Flare shines. And what teams build with it.

01

Built for speed

OpenAI calls Flare its fastest model for high-quality, everyday images. It reports 50% lower latency than GPT Image 2 at comparable image quality.

02

One price at any setting

zurelay bills a flat price per image and makes every image at high quality. Larger sizes don't raise your cost.

03

Flexible sizes

Use any size with edges in multiples of 16 and a ratio from 1:3 to 3:1, up to 3840 pixels on the long edge.

04

Transparent assets

Set background to transparent with PNG or WebP output to get cut-out images ready to drop into a layout.

Use cases

  • Social and creator content

    Post images, thumbnails and ad variations at the pace a content calendar needs.

  • In-app image features

    Generate images inside your product, where users wait on the result and latency matters.

  • Rapid prototyping

    Draft many concepts, then rerun the best ones at a larger size. On zurelay every run costs the same.

  • High-volume generation

    Catalog images, placeholders and variation sets where a flat price per image keeps the bill predictable.

Get started

Call GPT Image 2.5 Flare in three steps.

No waitlist and no new SDK. If your code already talks to OpenAI, it already talks to zurelay.

  1. 1

    Create a key

    Sign up, add credit and create an API key. Set a monthly budget or a rate limit per key if you like.

    Get your API key
  2. 2

    Point your SDK at zurelay

    Change the base URL. Everything else in your code stays the same.

    https://api.zurelay.com/v1
  3. 3

    Use gpt-image-2.5-flare

    Send a prompt to /v1/images/generations with a size and aspect ratio, and get back a link to your image.

    gpt-image-2.5-flare

Works with the tools you already use

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FAQ

GPT Image 2.5 Flare API questions.

Anything else, write to sales@zurelay.com and an engineer will answer.

How much does the GPT Image 2.5 Flare API cost per image?

zurelay charges $0.02 per image for gpt-image-2.5-flare at every size, and every image is made at high quality. OpenAI bills by tokens, and its cost for a 1024x1024 image at high quality is about $0.0527, so you save 62%. OpenAI's cost rises with larger sizes, while zurelay's stays flat.

Is there a cheaper GPT Image 2.5 API than OpenAI's?

Yes. zurelay serves GPT Image 2.5 Flare at $0.02 per image, 62% below OpenAI's approximate cost for a 1024x1024 high-quality image. The gap grows at larger sizes, because zurelay's price does not change with size.

How do I call the GPT Image 2.5 Flare API with the OpenAI SDK?

Create an OpenAI client with the base URL set to https://api.zurelay.com/v1 and your zurelay API key. Call images.generate with model set to gpt-image-2.5-flare, a prompt, a size such as 1536x1024. You can also pass background, output_format and n (1 to 4). The response holds an image URL by default; set response_format to b64_json to get base64 instead.

What sizes and quality does GPT Image 2.5 Flare support on zurelay?

The recommended sizes are 1024x1024, 1536x1024 and 1024x1536. Custom sizes work when both edges are multiples of 16, the ratio is between 1:3 and 3:1, no edge passes 3840 pixels and the total is between 655,360 and 8,294,400 pixels. OpenAI treats sizes above 2560x1440 as experimental. On zurelay every image is made at high quality, whatever quality you pass, and a 1024x1024 square comes back at 1254x1254.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare vs Sunburst: which should I use?

Start with Flare. OpenAI calls it its fastest model for everyday image generation and the default for most applications. Switch to Sunburst when you need the most detail and precision and can wait longer per image. Both cost the same flat $0.02 per image on zurelay, so test your prompts on each.

Can GPT Image 2.5 Flare render text and transparent backgrounds?

Yes to both. For exact text, put the words in quotes, say where they go and what typography to use, then check spelling, since OpenAI notes precise text placement can still slip. For a transparent background, set background to transparent and output_format to png or webp.

How long does zurelay keep generated images?

Images are stored for 30 days behind the URL in the response. Download any image you want to keep before then. If you request b64_json, the image data comes back in the response itself.

Is this the same GPT Image 2.5 Flare model as OpenAI's?

Yes. zurelay runs the same gpt-image-2.5-flare model and accepts requests in the OpenAI images format. Image generation varies from run to run, so the same prompt will not return byte-identical images. zurelay is an independent service and is not affiliated with OpenAI.

Can I edit images or use reference images with GPT Image 2.5 Flare on zurelay?

No. zurelay offers text-to-image generation only, through /v1/images/generations. Image edits, inpainting and reference-image inputs are not available.

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