Ideogram
AI text-to-image and typography design platform founded by former Google Brain researchers (Toronto, Canada)
Product node overview & trust baseline
Operator provenance, privacy baseline and site-wide pricing belong directly to the product node and are inherited across linked task edgesIdeogram, operated by Ideogram AI, Inc. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) under a "Subscription + credits" model, scored 88/100 in our image generation benchmark. Overall finding: Good text and 2K output come with four candidates per request; free credits depend on sign-in method, exclude email-only signup, and this run took about 34 seconds.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada · 2023–present
Provenance baseline: 20/20 · Operated by Ideogram AI, Inc. (Toronto, Canada, founded 2023 by former Google Brain diffusion researchers Mohammad Norouzi, William Chan, et al., backed by a16z), globally renowned for AI typography.
Official documentation (Plans and Credits) lists Free (30 credits/week when signing in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft; email/password accounts do not get free credits; public generations), Plus (USD 20/month or USD 180/year, i.e., USD 15/month, with 2,400 credits/month + unlimited slow queue + private mode), Pro (USD 60/month or USD 504/year, i.e., USD 42/month, with 7,500 credits/month + batch generation), and Team (min 2 users, USD 30/user/month or USD 240/user/year, 3,600 credits/user/month). Legacy Basic ($8/mo) is no longer sold.
Pricing transparency baseline: 29/35 · Cancellation: Monthly plan credits reset on each renewal date and do not roll over; purchased top-up credits are spent after monthly credits. Manage subscriptions and auto-recharge in Settings → Wallet & Billing.
Free-tier generations are published to the community gallery (Private generation requires Plus or higher)
No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist.
Product-level pricing & rules baseline
Verified plans, billing periods and cancellation terms owned by this product node; task-specific credit costs and free export limits are detailed per capability edge belowIdeogram official plans (Free / Plus / Pro / Team / Enterprise); USD (before tax) · 2026-10-21
8 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded.
Official documentation (Plans and Credits) lists Free (30 credits/week when signing in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft; email/password accounts do not get free credits; public generations), Plus (USD 20/month or USD 180/year, i.e., USD 15/month, with 2,400 credits/month + unlimited slow queue + private mode), Pro (USD 60/month or USD 504/year, i.e., USD 42/month, with 7,500 credits/month + batch generation), and Team (min 2 users, USD 30/user/month or USD 240/user/year, 3,600 credits/user/month). Legacy Basic ($8/mo) is no longer sold.
Cancellation, sources & verification record
Monthly plan credits reset on each renewal date and do not roll over; purchased top-up credits are spent after monthly credits. Manage subscriptions and auto-recharge in Settings → Wallet & Billing.
Ideogram official documentation: Plans and Credits pricing table ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗
Archived official pricing sources: Ideogram official documentation: Plans and Credits pricing table (2026-10-21) [text snapshot ↗]
Capability map & linked task edges
Whenever a capability passes fixed-fixture testing, an edge is automatically linked between this product node and the task topic for horizontal comparison.
| Linked task edge | Score | Assessment · historical test | Test scope & delivery | Inspect capability / follow edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image generation | 88/100 | Good text and 2K output come with four candidates per request; free credits depend on sign-in method, exclude email-only signup, and this run took about 34 seconds. | 2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-16 Signed-in flow; paid tier not standardized · Fixed English prompt · Historical page record; output not attached |
Tested task edges (with scores and native artifacts) are strictly separated from discovered untested capabilities (unscored).
Peer product comparison across shared task edges
Matched by overlapping tested task edges; compare site-wide billing models alongside per-task benchmark scoresThe official pricing page and credit table state that guests get 5 free runs and registered Free accounts receive 10 one-time Nero Credits (Standard/Photo/Anime 2× costs 1 credit/image, 4× costs 2 credits/image, paid-only 8× costs 4 credits/image). Standard monthly is USD 21.95/month promotional (regular USD 24.99/month, 300 credits/month). The yearly promo banner displays only "7.66 USD per month" (3,000 credits/year) without printing the annual invoice total before login, so the annual total is marked unverified.
- Image generation:Ideogram 88/100 vs Nero AI 91/100
Actual annual charges $59.99/$263.99. A 3-day trial is offered; cancel before expiry to avoid charges. Exact daily free count is unspecified. The 11,500-credit pack includes a current 1,500-credit bonus.
- Image generation:Ideogram 88/100 vs PicWish 85/100
High-volume tiers expanded; removal costs 1 credit/image, other operations differ. Taxes are not stated on the cards.
- Image generation:Ideogram 88/100 vs Cutout.pro 87/100
Actual annual amounts are $77/$278/$854. Absolute removal quotas and per-image credit usage are unpublished; 1×/5×/20× cannot be converted into image counts.
- Image generation:Ideogram 88/100 vs Img2Go 87/100
Linked capability test: Image generation
2026-10-16 · No native output attached. Page evidence alone cannot establish export specifications or file validity.
Task quality
Text and hand structure performed well on this prompt, with 2048px output; other prompts remain untested.
Detailed facts & historical record
- Measured fixture results
Not verified
- Fixture findings
Text and hand structure performed well on this prompt, with 2048px output; other prompts remain untested.
- Original historical observation
Powered by Ideogram 4.0, it is the only platform tested that exports native 2048×2048 (2K) unwatermarked images on the free tier while achieving a 64.0/65 constraint score (#4 overall at 88.2 pts).
- Suitable uses · historical assessment
Designers and creators needing native 2048×2048 (2K) unwatermarked exports, world-class typography, and 5-finger anatomical precision
- Result & output evidence
No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality.
Delivery capabilities
2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record
Detailed facts & historical record
- Recorded export specifications
2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record
No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims.
- Historical specification note · not an official maximum
2048×2048 (2K Original Size Unwatermarked JPEG · Ideogram 4.0)
- Watermark observation
Zero watermark (clean 2048×2048 2K export)
- Batch & API
4-image batch default + Magic Prompt, Remove BG, Upscale, Edit (Ideogram 4.5), and Developer API
- Recorded free-tier dimensions
Not verified
- Attached file dimensions
Not verified
Speed & reliability
About 34.45s end to end in this run; reliability not retested
Detailed facts & historical record
- Timing observation
Network-observed server wait: 33.9s · End-to-end reference: 34.45s
- Date & fixture
2026-10-16 · anchor_t2i_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914)
- Repeated tests & reliability
No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded.
Interaction experience
Login required in this run
Detailed facts & historical record
- Account requirements
Account required in this test
- Sign-in methods
Must sign in with Google / Apple / Microsoft to receive free credits (Email-only signups receive 0 free credits)
- Manual adjustment
Not verified
- Interaction observations
Completing Google login (Pass 2) allows skipping the plan upsell ("Skip for now"); default Auto model invokes flagship Ideogram 4.0 (~12 credits), generates 4 concurrent variations, and allows free download of the full 2K (2048×2048) unwatermarked JPEG (03_download.png).
Background & reputation
Ideogram AI, Inc. · Long-term reputation not independently verified
Detailed facts & historical record
- Service lifecycle notice
Not verified
- Operator
Ideogram AI, Inc.
- Recorded origin
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Domain history record
2023–present
- Background & reputation assessment
Operated by Ideogram AI, Inc. (Toronto, Canada, founded 2023 by former Google Brain diffusion researchers Mohammad Norouzi, William Chan, et al., backed by a16z), globally renowned for AI typography.
- External reputation record
Not verified
Engineering & privacy
Uploaded for cloud processing;Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record
Detailed facts & historical record
- Processing location
Uploaded for cloud processing
- Third-party tracking record
Not verified
- Engineering & privacy assessment
Generates 4× 2048×2048 (4.19MP, 400% of 1024² baseline) images per run (~33.9s) and integrates native Remove BG, Upscale, and Ideogram 4.5 Edit apps.
- Retention statement
Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record
Task free allowance & pricing disclosure
Free credits granted exclusively to Google / Apple / Microsoft OAuth accounts; default Ideogram 4.0 (Auto) costs ~12 credits for 4× 2048×2048 images
Disclosed upfront in the login page footer before registration ("Email accounts don't include free credits")
Site-wide plans belong to the product node (see Product-level pricing baseline ↑).
Expand site-wide plans aligned for Image generation (8 records)
Ideogram official plans (Free / Plus / Pro / Team / Enterprise); USD (before tax) · 2026-10-21
8 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded.
Official documentation (Plans and Credits) lists Free (30 credits/week when signing in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft; email/password accounts do not get free credits; public generations), Plus (USD 20/month or USD 180/year, i.e., USD 15/month, with 2,400 credits/month + unlimited slow queue + private mode), Pro (USD 60/month or USD 504/year, i.e., USD 42/month, with 7,500 credits/month + batch generation), and Team (min 2 users, USD 30/user/month or USD 240/user/year, 3,600 credits/user/month). Legacy Basic ($8/mo) is no longer sold.
Cancellation, sources & verification record
Monthly plan credits reset on each renewal date and do not roll over; purchased top-up credits are spent after monthly credits. Manage subscriptions and auto-recharge in Settings → Wallet & Billing.
Ideogram official documentation: Plans and Credits pricing table ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗
Evaluation basis & full scores · Overall 87.6/100
Overall = honesty & reputation × 30% + capability × 70%. Component maxima follow this report’s rubric. List scores are rounded for display; original precision is retained here.
Scoring version 2.3.1 · Test fixture anchor_t2i_v1
Honesty & reputation · 89/100 · 30%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 29 / 35 | Landing page (01_landing.png) CTA "Get started" leads to the login page (01_pass1_login_modal.png), where bottom fine print explicitly discloses a critical rule: "*Email accounts don't include free credits — you'll need a paid plan to generate. Sign up with Google, Apple, or Microsoft to get free credits." | Evidence A → |
| Interaction restraint | 26 / 30 | Completing Google login (Pass 2) allows skipping the plan upsell ("Skip for now"); default Auto model invokes flagship Ideogram 4.0 (~12 credits), generates 4 concurrent variations, and allows free download of the full 2K (2048×2048) unwatermarked JPEG (03_download.png). | Evidence A → |
| Background & reputation | 20 / 20 | Operated by Ideogram AI, Inc. (Toronto, Canada, founded 2023 by former Google Brain diffusion researchers Mohammad Norouzi, William Chan, et al., backed by a16z), globally renowned for AI typography. | Evidence C → |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 | Generates 4× 2048×2048 (4.19MP, 400% of 1024² baseline) images per run (~33.9s) and integrates native Remove BG, Upscale, and Ideogram 4.5 Edit apps. | Evidence A → |
Capability · 87/100 · 70%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task quality | 64 / 65 | Text Rendering (25/25: Exact 2-line "REALTEST / 2026" hand-carved typography on the wooden sign with 100% spelling accuracy (25/25)) · Count & Color Binding (19/20: Strictly 3 red apples on the left + 2 stacked blue ceramic mugs on the right (slight twin-handle / 3rd rim artifact behind the lower mug, -1 pt) (19.0/20)) · 5-Finger Hand & Structure (20/20: Vintage brass robotic right hand supporting the bottom of the wooden sign displays 5 crystal-clear, distinct articulated brass fingers (20/20)) | Evidence B → |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 | Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export & Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (2K Original Size Unwatermarked JPEG · Ideogram 4.0) | Evidence B → |
| Processing speed | 3 / 15 | Network-observed server wait: 33.9s (API mode: async_poll; end-to-end 34.45s shown for reference only, never penalized) | Evidence B → |
Legacy scores may include advertised maximum capabilities. Read tested output separately from paid capabilities. Records without matching tiers and scope are not ranked together.
