
Leonardo AI has stormed onto the scene as a favorite for anyone creating stunning visuals, whether it’s detailed concept art, photorealistic images, or even AI videos. The creative suite is incredibly powerful, but let’s be real, the pricing can feel like a bit of a puzzle. If you’re scratching your head trying to figure out the subscription tiers and what a "token" actually gets you, you’re definitely not alone.
This post is here to clear all that up. We’re going to break down the complete Leonardo AI pricing structure for 2025, explain what you really get in each plan, and dig into how that token system actually works. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture and can decide if it’s the right tool for your creative projects or business.
What features does Leonardo AI pricing cover?
Before we talk dollars and cents, it helps to know that Leonardo AI isn’t just another image generator. It’s more like a full creative studio designed to bring your ideas to life in a bunch of different ways.
Here are the main features you’re paying for with your subscription and tokens:
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Image Generation: This is the core of the platform. You can create high-quality images from text prompts using a huge variety of fine-tuned models, each with its own unique artistic vibe.
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AI Canvas: A really neat interactive tool that lets you edit your creations on the fly. You can extend an image’s borders (outpainting), fill in or change parts of it (inpaiting), and make all sorts of precise adjustments.
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3D Texture Generation: This is a bit more specialized, but it allows you to apply AI-generated textures to 3D models. It’s super useful for game development and concept art.
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AI Video Generation: You can bring still images to life or create short video clips from text prompts. The platform uses different models for this, including its own Motion model and Google’s very powerful Veo 3.
Leonardo AI pricing plans: A tier-by-tier breakdown
Leonardo AI uses a freemium model. You can get started for free, but the real magic is unlocked once you start paying. Each plan gives you a monthly allowance of "Fast Tokens," which are the currency you spend to do pretty much anything on the platform. If you’re ready to go all-in, they offer a discount of up to 20% if you pay for a full year upfront.
Here’s a simple look at the plans:
Plan | Price (Billed Monthly) | Price (Billed Annually) | Fast Tokens /mo | Key Features & Target User |
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Free | $0 | $0 | 150 /day | Public generations, limited features. Great for just playing around. |
Apprentice | $12 | $10 /mo | 8,500 | Private generations, 10 custom models. Perfect for hobbyists and regular creators. |
Artisan | $30 | $24 /mo | 25,000 | Unlimited "Relaxed" Image Generation, 20 custom models. Built for professionals and small businesses. |
Maestro | $60 | $48 /mo | 60,000 | Unlimited "Relaxed" Image & Video Generation, 50 custom models. For power users and agencies who need it all. |
The Free plan is a great way to test the waters, but remember that all your creations will be public. The Apprentice plan is a solid choice for hobbyists who want to keep their work private and generate images fairly often. The Artisan plan is aimed at professionals and small businesses needing more volume, while the Maestro plan is for the heavy hitters and agencies who need a massive token allowance and the fastest speeds.
The hidden costs: Understanding the token system
Okay, here’s where things get a little tricky. The monthly subscription fee is only half the story. The real cost of using Leonardo AI comes down to how fast you burn through your monthly "Fast Tokens." Almost every single thing you do on the platform, from making a basic image to generating a video, has a token cost.
How feature token costs affect pricing
The token cost for different actions can vary wildly, and this often catches new users by surprise. A feature that seems simple might end up eating a huge chunk of your monthly allowance.
Let’s look at some real examples:
Action | Approximate Token Cost | What it means in practice |
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Basic Image Generation | 5-8 tokens | You can generate over 1,000 images on the Apprentice plan. Not bad. |
Image Upscale | 5-10 tokens | Making an image higher-res costs about the same as making a new one. |
Motion 2.0 Video (4s) | 200 tokens | One tiny video costs the same as about 25 images. |
Veo 3 Video (8s) | 2,500 tokens | A single high-quality video can wipe out nearly 30% of the entire Apprentice plan’s monthly tokens. Ouch. |
As you can see, if you’re mainly interested in video, your token balance will disappear a whole lot faster than if you’re just making images. That one 8-second Veo 3 video costs the same as over 300 basic images. This is a detail that’s super easy to miss when you’re just looking at the monthly price.
The truth about "unlimited" relaxed generation
The Artisan and Maestro plans come with a shiny feature called "Unlimited Relaxed Generation," which sounds amazing on the surface. It lets you keep creating images and videos even after you’ve burned through all your Fast Tokens for the month.
But there are some big catches. First, "relaxed" just means your jobs get put in a slower queue, so you’ll be waiting longer. More importantly, this unlimited feature doesn’t work with the most powerful and popular third-party models.

According to Leonardo AI’s own documentation, the models excluded from unlimited generation include:
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Veo 3
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GPT-Image-1
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Flux
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Ideogram
This means the premium features that many people upgrade for, like top-of-the-line video, will always cost you your precious Fast Tokens. "Unlimited" doesn’t really mean unlimited where you might want it most.
Separate pricing for the API
For developers and businesses who want to integrate Leonardo’s tech into their own applications, there are completely separate API plans. These are priced differently and use "API credits" instead of tokens. API access starts at $9 per month for 3,500 credits, so it’s another cost to factor in if you’re thinking about any custom integrations.
What to consider beyond the price tag
Beyond the subscription fee and the token burn rate, a few other things really determine if a Leonardo AI plan is worth it for you.
Image rights and commercial use
For most professionals, this is a non-negotiable. Who owns the content you create depends entirely on your plan:
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Free Plan: Leonardo AI keeps the rights to use, reproduce, and share any images you create. You get a license for commercial use, but your work is public and can be used by anyone else on the platform.
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Paid Plans: You keep full ownership, copyright, and all intellectual property rights to your creations. You can also make your generations private.
For any business, freelancer, or creator working on client projects, a paid plan is the only real option. Using the free plan for professional work just isn’t going to fly.
Feature access and limitations by tier
As you’d guess, the platform’s best features are kept behind the paid plans. You’ll need to subscribe to get access to some of the most valuable tools, including:
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Private Generations: This is essential for any work that’s confidential or for a client.
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Training Custom Models: This is a powerful feature that lets you train the AI on your own images to create a consistent style or character. It’s only available to subscribers.
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Increased Concurrent Generations: Higher-tier plans let you run more jobs at the same time, which saves a ton of time if you’re creating in bulk.
This video provides a complete breakdown of the Leonardo AI pricing plans.
Evaluating AI platforms for business: Why predictable costs matter
While Leonardo AI is an amazing creative tool, its pay-as-you-go pricing model can be a real headache for businesses that need a stable, predictable budget.
The problem with the pay-per-use model
Leonardo’s token system is a perfect example of how costs can get out of hand. A busy month creating marketing videos or generating high-res product shots could blow through your budget unexpectedly. That leaves you with a choice: either stop working or buy expensive top-up tokens. This kind of model can discourage experimentation because teams are too busy watching their usage meter instead of just being creative.
The value of all-inclusive plans
For core business functions, you need stability. When it comes to something like AI-powered customer support, you can’t have your bill jump up just because you had a busy month. This is where platforms like eesel AI are built differently. They’re designed for business use with clear, predictable pricing. A huge difference is that eesel AI doesn’t charge per resolution or per AI interaction, which means your bill stays the same no matter how many support tickets you handle. This lets you scale up your support without worrying about costs spiraling out of control.
Connecting tools: A hidden cost
As we saw, plugging Leonardo AI into your workflow with its API costs extra. But modern business tools shouldn’t live on an island. A platform like eesel AI includes over 100 one-click integrations with help desks like Zendesk and Intercom, knowledge bases like Confluence, and chat tools like Slack right out of the box. This means you can pull all your company knowledge together and automate workflows without complicated setups or extra fees.
Is Leonardo AI pricing worth it for you?
So, what’s the final call? For individual creators, artists, and hobbyists who are mostly focused on making images and can keep an eye on their token usage, Leonardo AI’s paid plans offer incredible creative power for a reasonable price.
However, for businesses, especially those that need a lot of video or want consistent access to the newest models, the Leonardo AI pricing can get expensive and unpredictable, fast. The fact that you don’t truly own your creations on the free plan also makes it a no-go for any professional work.
The best advice is to start with the free plan and get a feel for how quickly you use up your daily tokens. For creative projects, Leonardo AI is a top-tier choice. But for core business needs like customer support, where predictable costs and easy integrations are key, you’re probably better off looking at a platform that was built specifically for that kind of stability.
Frequently asked questions
The free plan offers limited tokens and features, with all generations being public. Paid Leonardo AI pricing plans provide significantly more tokens, private generations, full ownership of creations, and access to advanced features like custom model training.
The token system is crucial because nearly every action, especially video generation, consumes tokens. High-quality video generation (e.g., Veo 3) can rapidly deplete your monthly token allowance, significantly increasing the effective Leonardo AI pricing if you need to buy top-ups.
On the free plan, Leonardo AI retains rights to use your public creations, and while you get a commercial license, your work is not private. Paid Leonardo AI pricing plans grant you full ownership, copyright, and intellectual property rights, making them essential for professional or client work.
While "Unlimited Relaxed Generation" allows continued image and video creation after Fast Tokens are depleted, it places jobs in a slower queue. Crucially, it does not apply to premium third-party models like Veo 3 or Flux, meaning those always consume Fast Tokens and are not truly unlimited within the Leonardo AI pricing structure.
Start with the free plan to gauge your token usage. If you need private generations or frequently create images, Apprentice or Artisan might fit. For heavy video generation, power users, or agencies requiring the fastest speeds and highest volumes, the Maestro Leonardo AI pricing plan is designed for those demands.
No, the standard subscription Leonardo AI pricing does not include API access. There are separate API plans designed for developers and businesses wishing to integrate Leonardo’s technology into their own applications, which are priced differently using "API credits."