Flux
Built by the researchers who created the original Stable Diffusion — and now, at a $3.25 billion valuation, quietly powering image generation inside products you already use.
What is Flux?
Black Forest Labs, the company behind Flux, was founded in 2024 in Freiburg, Germany by Robin Rombach, Andreas Blattmann, and Patrick Esser — the same researchers who, as former Stability AI employees, had originally created Stable Diffusion. Rather than staying at Stability, they left to build a successor, and the results have been hard to ignore: a $31 million seed round in August 2024 led by a16z, followed by an undisclosed Series A and then a $300 million Series B in December 2025 that valued the company at $3.25 billion — making it, by most accounts, the best-funded pure-play image model company in the world, barely two years after founding.
Flux's current flagship, Flux.2, launched November 25, 2025 and has been independently reviewed as beating Midjourney V7 specifically on photorealism — in one detailed test spanning product photography, editorial covers, and ad creative, it delivered photorealistic output 9 times out of 10. It supports multi-reference generation from up to 10 input images and edits at up to 4 megapixels. Just as notable as the model itself is how Black Forest Labs makes money: rather than only selling a consumer subscription, it runs a B2B2C strategy with major contracts — including a reported $140 million agreement with Meta and roughly $300 million in combined contract value across partnerships with Adobe, Canva, and Snap. If you've generated an image through Adobe Firefly's partner-model options, there's a real chance Flux was doing some of the work behind the scenes.
Funding and contract figures are drawn from Black Forest Labs' own disclosures and industry reporting (Sacra, Dakota) through mid-2026. Benchmark comparisons reflect independent third-party testing as of Flux.2's late-2025 release.
Key features
Leading photorealism
Independently tested as beating Midjourney V7 on realistic people, products, and interiors.
Multi-reference generation
Combine and reference up to 10 input images in a single generation for precise visual control.
High-resolution editing
Edits existing images at up to 4 megapixels while preserving fine detail.
Open-weight tiers
Schnell and Klein variants are released under Apache 2.0, free to self-host and modify.
Sub-second generation (Klein)
The lightweight open tier can run fast enough for near-instant results on consumer GPUs.
Embedded in major platforms
Powers parts of Adobe Firefly, Canva, and other products as an integrated partner model.
Pricing
Schnell & Klein
- Fully open, free to run on your own hardware
- Klein runs fast enough for near-instant generation
- Commercial use permitted under Apache 2.0
Dev
- Larger, more capable open-weight model
- Free for research and non-commercial use
- Commercial use requires a separate license
Pro / Flex (API)
- Production-grade proprietary models
- Credit-based billing, 1 credit = $0.01
- Pricing scales with output resolution
Flux.2 pricing is megapixel-based: the first generated megapixel typically costs more than each additional one. Batch requests multiply the base cost by the number of images generated. Prices reflect Black Forest Labs' published API pricing as of July 2026 and may change.
Available models
Integrations & platforms
Pros, cons & best for
Pros
- Class-leading photorealism, independently verified against Midjourney
- Genuine open-weight tiers, from free to fully commercial
- Backed by serious funding and enterprise-grade distribution
Cons
- No consumer-facing app of its own — mostly accessed via API or partners
- Licensing tiers (Apache vs non-commercial vs proprietary) require careful reading
- Less painterly/stylized range than Midjourney for non-photoreal work
Best for
- Product photography, editorial covers and photoreal ad creative
- Developers who want open weights with a genuine commercial path
- Teams already using it indirectly via Adobe, Canva or similar platforms
Take a look inside
Alternatives
If you want painterly range or a full aggregator interface instead of an API:
Our verdict
Flux's trajectory is one of the more remarkable in AI over the past two years — a small team of former Stability AI researchers, barely out the door, building a model that now genuinely leads on photorealism and a company valued at $3.25 billion off the back of it. Its open-weight tiers give it real credibility with developers in a way few well-funded competitors match, and its embedded presence inside Adobe, Canva and other tools means a huge number of people are already using Flux without necessarily knowing its name. The trade-off is that it's not really a consumer product on its own — there's no polished app to open and start prompting in, so most people will meet Flux through a platform that's integrated it rather than going direct. For photoreal work specifically, though, it's currently the one to beat.
FAQ
Is Flux free to use?
Yes, in part — the Schnell and Klein model tiers are released under Apache 2.0 and free to self-host, including for commercial use. The larger Dev model is free for non-commercial use, while the proprietary Pro and Flex tiers are billed per megapixel through the API.
Who founded Black Forest Labs?
Robin Rombach, Andreas Blattmann, and Patrick Esser, former Stability AI researchers who had previously created the original Stable Diffusion model before leaving to found their own company in 2024.
Is Flux better than Midjourney?
For photorealism specifically, independent testing has found Flux.2 ahead of Midjourney V7. For painterly, stylized, and cinematic aesthetics, Midjourney generally remains the stronger choice.
Can I use Flux without an API or technical setup?
Not as a standalone consumer app — Flux doesn't have its own polished front-end product. Most people access it indirectly through partner platforms like Adobe Firefly or Leonardo AI, or directly via BFL's API and playground.
What is Black Forest Labs' business model?
A B2B2C strategy: rather than relying only on direct consumer subscriptions, it earns revenue through API usage, enterprise licensing, and large multi-year contracts with platform partners like Meta, Adobe, Canva, and Snap.
How much has Black Forest Labs raised?
More than $450 million total, including a $300 million Series B in December 2025 that valued the company at $3.25 billion, alongside earlier seed and Series A rounds.