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Can Claude generate images?

No, not by itself. Claude has no image model, so it can't make a photo or an illustration the way an image generator does. It can write code that draws: SVG icons and logos, HTML layouts, charts and diagrams, shown in the chat as an artifact you can edit.

For photos of people, products and places, for edits to your own photos, and for video and music, Claude needs a connector: an MCP server that runs an image, video or music model and hands the result back to the chat. You add one on claude.ai in about a minute, or with one command in Claude Code. Anthropic's help page gives the same answer.

Published . Last checked . Written by vincevangen, one of the options below.

What Claude makes without a connector

Anything code can draw. Ask for an icon, a logo, a chart, a diagram, a social card or a page layout and Claude writes SVG or HTML, shows it as an artifact and changes it when you ask. It costs nothing and you can edit the result. In our own test of 14 asset jobs, code beat the image model on the icon, the favicon, the OG card and an empty-state illustration.

Code can't make a photo: a person, a product on a shelf, a room, your own picture with a new background, a video clip or a song. Those need a model, and Claude reaches one through a connector.

How to add image generation to Claude

A connector is an MCP server that Claude can call. The steps are the same for every hosted option on this page. We use vincevangen as the example; swap in the URL or command your provider gives you.

Claude on the web, desktop and phone

  1. On claude.ai, open Customize → Connectors.
  2. Click + Add, then Add custom connector.
  3. Give it a name and paste the server URL (vincevangen's is below). Leave the OAuth fields empty.
  4. Click Add, then Connect, and sign in with your account at that service.
Connector URL
https://api.vincevangen.com/mcp

The desktop and mobile apps use the connectors on your Claude account, so you add it once, on the web. Custom connectors work on every plan, and the Free plan allows one (Anthropic's guide). On Team and Enterprise an organisation owner adds it first. Add to Claude opens the dialog with vincevangen filled in. All the steps

Add to Claude(opens claude.ai in a new tab)

Claude Code

One command adds the server for all your projects:

Terminal
claude mcp add -s user --transport http \
  vincevangen https://api.vincevangen.com/mcp

Then run /mcp in Claude Code to sign in. If Claude Code is signed in with the Claude account that already has the connector, there's nothing to add: /mcp lists it. For CI, or Claude Code on an Anthropic API key, use an API key.

Any other server

A hosted server gives you a URL. Paste it into the connector dialog, or add it to Claude Code with the first command below.

Most open-source servers run on your own computer and take your own model key. They work in Claude Code and Claude Desktop, which can start local programs, but not in Claude on the web or phone. Anthropic's Claude Code guide covers both kinds.

Terminal
# hosted
claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>

# runs on your computer
claude mcp add --transport stdio --env API_KEY=... <name> -- npx -y <package>

The options side by side

Prices are for one image of about 1 megapixel and name the model, because the same model costs different amounts in different places. Where a vendor sells credits, the dollar figure is its plan price divided by its credits. Every option links to the pages we read on 5 November 2026.
Krea

Creative suite with a plugin in Claude's directory

How it connects
Plugin in Claude's plugin directory, marked Anthropic verified, or the web connector https://api.krea.ai/claude-mcp.
Free to start
100 compute units a day, no card. That is about two FLUX.2 [pro] images.
One image
In Krea's own app, FLUX.2 [pro] works out at about $0.05 (yearly Basic) to $0.09 (monthly Basic).
Good for
Image, video and 3D models in Krea's app. Its Claude connector handles your Krea balance, files and uploads.
OpenArt

Creative suite with a connector

How it connects
Custom connector https://mcp.openart.ai/mcp, signing in with your OpenArt account. A CLI for Claude Code.
Free to start
Some free credits at sign-up; the amount isn't published. MCP access is listed on paid plans, from Starter at $14 a month.
One image
Credits per model aren't published. Starter is $14 for 4,000 credits ($0.0035 a credit).
Good for
Over 100 image, video and audio models, from ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor.
Higgsfield

Video and image suite with a connector and CLI

How it connects
Custom connector https://mcp.higgsfield.ai/mcp. In Claude Code, its CLI (npm i -g @higgsfield/cli) and skills.
Free to start
A limited free plan, but everything made through MCP spends credits, and free or unlimited generations don't apply to MCP or the CLI.
One image
FLUX.2 [pro] is 1 credit, $0.033 to $0.070 by plan. Nano Banana 2 is 2 credits, $0.066 to $0.141.
Good for
Video and images.
fal

Model host with a free MCP server

How it connects
claude mcp add --transport http --scope user fal https://mcp.fal.ai/mcp-relay, signing in with OAuth.
Free to start
The MCP server is free; we found no free credits.
One image
FLUX.2 [pro] at 1 MP: $0.03.
Good for
Developers who want fal's image, video and audio models at fal's own rates.
BFL and Replicate

The model maker's server, and a model host's

How it connects
BFL: https://mcp.bfl.ai with OAuth, as a connector or in Claude Code. Replicate: https://mcp.replicate.com/sse with your Replicate API token.
Free to start
None found.
One image
FLUX.2 [pro] at 1 MP: $0.03 at both.
Good for
BFL: FLUX images and video from the people who make FLUX. Replicate: thousands of models on one key.
Creative Claw

Many models on prepaid credits

How it connects
Custom connector https://app.creativeclaw.co/mcp, or its Claude plugin.
Free to start
100 credits at sign-up, no card. Credits never expire.
One image
FLUX.2 [pro] at 1 MP: 6 credits ($0.06). Its default, Nano Banana 2.1 at 1K: 16 credits ($0.16).
Good for
Image, video and audio models in one place, without a subscription.
Wireflow

Workflow builder with a connector

How it connects
Custom connector https://www.wireflow.ai/api/mcp, signing in with OAuth.
Free to start
Up to 60 starter credits, no card. API and MCP access is listed on the paid plans.
One image
FLUX.2 [pro]: about 10 credits, about $0.135 on monthly plans. Nano Banana 2: about 20 credits, about $0.27.
Good for
Workflows from one request: a reel, slides, an ad or a thumbnail.
Magnific

Formerly Freepik, with a connector

How it connects
Custom connector https://mcp.magnific.com. Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http magnific https://mcp.magnific.com.
Free to start
Any Magnific account can connect. The pricing page shows no free plan.
One image
FLUX.2 [pro] at 1K: 50 credits, CA$0.045 to CA$0.0675 by plan. It showed us Canadian dollars only.
Good for
Images, video, audio and 3D, and search of the Freepik stock catalogue.
Open source, your own key

mcp-image, banana-claude, claude-image-gen

How it connects
Runs on your computer, in Claude Code (claude-image-gen also as a Claude Desktop extension). Needs a Gemini or OpenAI key on a billed account.
Free to start
The software is free. Gemini's API has no free tier for image output.
One image
Google's rate. Nano Banana 2.1 at 1K: $0.0336 (the default in mcp-image and banana-claude). Nano Banana Pro: $0.134 (claude-image-gen's default).
Good for
Developers in Claude Code who already pay Google or OpenAI and want the raw rate.
vincevangen

Hosted MCP server and Claude connector (ours)

How it connects
Custom connector https://api.vincevangen.com/mcp, signing in with your vincevangen account, no key. One command in Claude Code. Cursor, Codex and other MCP clients use an API key.
Free to start
50 free credits at sign-up, enough for 8 final images. They expire after 90 days.
One image
Standard (P-Image): 2 credits ($0.02). Final (FLUX.2 [pro]): 6 credits ($0.06). Photo edit: 9 credits ($0.09).
Good for
People, products, scenes, photo edits, lettering in a scene, music and short video.

Plans and prices change often. The vendor's own page is the one to trust.

Each option

In no particular order, with open source and ours last.

Krea

Creative suite with a plugin in Claude's directory

Krea's plugin is the only image tool we could confirm in Claude's plugin directory. Claude Code installs it from Krea's plugin marketplace, krea-ai/skills.

Krea's README says the Claude plugin and its web connector are restricted to balance, files, uploads and Claude Motion imports, and don't expose AI generation. The generation tools are for Cursor, Codex and other agents. In Krea's app, the Basic plan's 5,000 units cover about 102 FLUX.2 [pro] images.

Checked .

OpenArt

Creative suite with a connector

Add https://mcp.openart.ai/mcp as a custom connector and sign in. For Claude Code and Codex, OpenArt recommends its CLI instead.

Its plans list access to over 100 image, video and audio models. Starter is $14 a month ($13 billed yearly) for 4,000 credits, which it says is up to about 4,000 images.

Checked .

Higgsfield

Video and image suite with a connector and CLI

Add https://mcp.higgsfield.ai/mcp as a custom connector. For Claude Code, Higgsfield has you install the CLI, run higgsfield auth login and add its skills. The CLI had about 92,000 npm downloads in the month to 4 November.

A credit costs $0.070 on Starter (270 credits a month, $19 billed yearly), $0.039 to $0.049 on Plus and $0.033 to $0.043 on Ultra, depending on yearly or monthly billing.

Checked .

fal

Model host with a free MCP server

fal's MCP server is free and signs in with OAuth. You pay fal's rate for each model run you start.

It runs fal's image, video and audio models. FLUX.2 [pro] at 1024 × 1024 is $0.03.

Checked .

BFL and Replicate

The model maker's server, and a model host's

Black Forest Labs, who make FLUX, run their own server: claude mcp add --transport http FLUX https://mcp.bfl.ai. It generates, edits and varies FLUX images and video. FLUX.2 [pro] is from 3 credits, at $0.01 a credit.

Replicate's server takes your Replicate API token and runs any of its models. FLUX.2 [pro] there is $0.015 a run plus $0.015 per output megapixel, so $0.03 at 1 MP.

Checked .

Creative Claw

Many models on prepaid credits

Creative Claw sells credits the way we do: $10 buys 1,000 credits at $0.01 each, there's no subscription and credits never expire. It gives 100 free at sign-up.

On the Free Claude plan it suggests adding https://app.creativeclaw.co/mcp as your custom connector; on other plans, its plugin. FLUX.2 [pro] costs the same there as on our Final tier.

Checked .

Wireflow

Workflow builder with a connector

Connecting is free and running a workflow spends credits. Wireflow builds the workflow from what you ask for in the chat.

A credit costs about $0.0135 on its monthly plans, from $36 for 2,660. Video models are on paid plans only.

Checked .

Magnific

Formerly Freepik, with a connector

Magnific, formerly Freepik, says it isn't in Claude's connector directory yet, so you add it as a custom connector.

On Premium (CA$27 a month, or CA$20 a month billed yearly, for 240,000 credits a year) FLUX.2 [pro] at 1K works out at CA$0.05 to CA$0.0675; on Plus, CA$0.045. Its web app has unlimited FLUX.2 [pro] on some plans, and its API docs say that applies only inside the web app.

Checked .

Open source, your own key

mcp-image, banana-claude, claude-image-gen

mcp-image is a server you run with npx, using a Gemini key by default (OpenAI or BytePlus Seedream also work): claude mcp add mcp-image --env GEMINI_API_KEY=... --env IMAGE_OUTPUT_DIR=/absolute/path -- npx -y mcp-image. It had about 10,300 npm downloads in the month to 4 November.

banana-claude is a Claude Code plugin with 1,183 GitHub stars; it needs a Gemini key on a billed Google AI project. claude-image-gen takes a Gemini or OpenAI key. With all three you pay the model's provider directly, and none of them works in Claude on the web or phone.

Checked .

vincevangen

Hosted MCP server and Claude connector (ours)

An MCP server that enables Claude to make photos, photo edits, video and music, added as a custom connector on claude.ai or with one command in Claude Code. Prepaid credits, no subscription, and paid credits never expire.

Claude gets a quote before every call, and a call that would go over your cap is refused before it runs. Checks, text overlay and cache hits are free. Pricing

Where vincevangen wins and where it loses

We wrote this page and we sell one of the options, so here is ours held to the same standard.

Where others are better

  • FLUX.2 [pro] costs more here than at the model hosts: $0.03 for one 1 MP image at fal, BFL and Replicate, against 6 credits ($0.06) on our Final tier, or $0.048 on our $50 and $100 packs. Higgsfield's Plus and Ultra plans and Magnific's plans (in Canadian dollars) also cost less than ours for that model. Creative Claw charges the same as our list price.
  • Fewer models. We run 14, chosen per job. fal and Replicate reach thousands, and OpenArt lists over 100.
  • A smaller free start: 50 credits that expire after 90 days. Creative Claw gives 100 that never expire, and Krea refills 100 units a day for its own app.
  • We're not in Claude's connector or plugin directory, so you add us as a custom connector. On the Free plan that uses your one custom connector.

Where vincevangen is better

  • A quote before every call, in credits with the dollar amount beside them, and a spending cap from the start. A call that would go over it is refused before it runs and costs nothing.
  • The Standard tier: 2 credits ($0.02) for a still of people, a scene or an illustration at an exact pixel size (P-Image, no reference images or lettering).
  • Checks in code, free: size, transparency, palette, seams and loops, each with the reason it failed. A vision model scores drafts against your rubric for free.
  • Exact text overlay, free: your words set in a real font over the image, so the model can't misspell them.
  • Each file names its model and whether that model's licence allows commercial use, with a warning when it's unclear.
  • Music from 30 to 500 seconds, with or without lyrics, at 15 credits ($0.15) a minute.
  • Failed results and cache hits cost nothing.

Use vincevangen for people, products, scenes, photo edits, lettering inside a scene, music and footage. For icons, logos, cards, UI illustration and charts, ask Claude to write the code. The connector tells Claude the same.

Questions people ask

Can Claude generate images on the free plan?
Not by itself, on any plan. On the Free plan you can add one custom connector, and the connector makes the images. Some of the options here have free credits to start; vincevangen gives 50, enough for 8 final images.
Can Claude Code generate images?
Yes, with an MCP server. Add a hosted one with claude mcp add and its URL, or run an open-source one on your computer with your own model key. If Claude Code is signed in with a Claude account that has a connector, the connector is already there. The steps are under How to add image generation to Claude.
How much does it cost?
Your Claude plan doesn't include image generation; the connector charges for it. For FLUX.2 [pro] at about 1 MP, prices on this page run from $0.03 at the model hosts to about $0.135 at Wireflow. vincevangen's Final tier is 6 credits ($0.06) and its Standard tier 2 credits ($0.02).
Can I use the images commercially?
That depends on the model's licence and the service's terms, not on Claude. vincevangen records each file's model and whether its licence allows commercial use. The output terms for our Video tier are still unclear, and its results say so. See Licences.
Can Claude edit my photo?
Yes, with a connector that takes reference images. Attach the photo in the chat and ask for the change. On claude.ai the photo reaches the server through a one-time upload link, or directly once you allow network egress to the server's domain in Settings → Capabilities. vincevangen's Edit tier is 9 credits ($0.09) with one reference.
Can Claude make videos?
With a connector. vincevangen makes a 5-second clip for 6 credits ($0.06), and video with sound from 16 credits ($0.16) a second. Higgsfield, fal and Creative Claw run video models too.
Can Claude make music?
With a connector. vincevangen makes tracks from 30 to 500 seconds, with or without lyrics, at 15 credits ($0.15) a minute, as a file you download.
Is there an image generator in Claude's directory?
Krea's plugin is in Claude's plugin directory, marked Anthropic verified. See Krea above for what it can do from Claude. Magnific says it isn't in the connector directory yet. The other options here are added as custom connectors or servers.

Sources

Every page below was read on . When we read them again, the date at the top changes.

Add it to Claude

One connector for Claude on the web, desktop and mobile, and for Claude Code when it's signed in with your Claude account. Cursor, Codex, Windsurf and other MCP clients are in the quickstarts.

Get 50 free credits Add to Claude(opens claude.ai in a new tab)

In Claude Code, without a key

Terminal
claude mcp add -s user --transport http \
  vincevangen https://api.vincevangen.com/mcp

Then run /mcp in Claude Code to sign in.