What is Grok Imagine Image 2.0?
Grok Imagine Image 2.0 (grok-imagine-image-2.0) is SpaceXSI's image generation and editing model, released on 7 August 2026 as the Quality Mode in grok.com/imagine and the Grok apps, then in the API. SpaceXSI built it for usable graphics: it plans typography and layout before drawing, so dense posters and small lettering hold together.
Editing tools include a magic wand that changes only the area you point at, segmentation, background removal to a transparent cutout, edits from several reference images, and Smart Resize, which recomposes one image into nine aspect ratios. The apps add 15 templates for jobs such as product photos, headshots, icons and merchandise. Output comes at 1K, 1.5K or 2K, in low or medium quality.
On 2 November 2026 SpaceXSI retired grok-imagine-image-quality and now routes those requests to Imagine Image 2.0 at low quality.
How much does Grok Imagine Image 2.0 cost?
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Low quality | $0.04 (1K) to $0.06 (2K) per image | |
| Medium quality | $0.06 (1K) to $0.08 (2K) per image | |
| Image input | $0.01 per image |
Per output image: 1K low $0.04, 1.5K low $0.05, 2K low $0.06, 1K medium $0.06, 1.5K medium $0.07, 2K medium $0.08. Image inputs $0.01 each. Batch API supported. The older grok-imagine-image costs $0.02.
Is Grok Imagine Image 2.0 worth it?
Grok Imagine Image 2.0 is a good model that launched near the top and has since been overtaken. SpaceXSI said on release that it ranked second on Arena's text-to-image and image-editing leaderboards, behind OpenAI's GPT Image 2. On Artificial Analysis's text-to-image arena today it sits sixth at 1166, behind GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (1227), Flare (1208), GPT Image 2 (1188), Nano Banana 2.1 (1176) and MAI-Image-2.6 (1168). The middle of that table is close: Artificial Analysis gives places four to six overlapping ranges.
Price is where it falls behind. Artificial Analysis puts it at $60 per 1,000 images at default settings, against $33.60 for Nano Banana 2.1 and $38.91 for MAI-Image-2.6, both ranked higher. SpaceXSI's own list runs from $0.04 an image at 1K low quality to $0.08 at 2K medium, with $0.01 for each input image. It is still far cheaper than GPT Image 2.5 at max quality, about $210 per 1,000.
The tools are aimed at design and commerce work. Smart Resize turns one hero image into nine aspect ratios, background removal exports a transparent cutout, and region edits leave the rest of the image alone. GIGAZINE's test found Japanese and English text legible in dense layouts, though it also caught invented labels and odd details in an instructional graphic. Output stops at 2K, while GPT Image 2 renders up to 4K.
The Grok record is the context any brand team will raise. In January 2026 Grok on X was used to make sexualised edits of real women and minors at a rate one analysis put at about 6,700 images an hour, prompting an Ofcom investigation in the UK and temporary bans in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. SpaceXSI has since added per-request moderation settings to the API, but the episode shapes procurement more than any benchmark.
On the API, SpaceXSI does not train on inputs or outputs without permission and keeps requests for 30 days for abuse audits by default. Under zero data retention nothing is stored on SpaceXSI's side: images come back as base64 or go to your own pre-signed URLs. The model is not on the US-only regional endpoint.
Where it earns its place
A growth marketer at a 15-person direct-to-consumer brand
Turn one campaign image into every ad size
Generate the hero at 2K medium for $0.08, then use Smart Resize for the nine aspect ratios. Text in the layout usually survives, but check every variant for invented labels.
An engineer at an e-commerce marketplace
Produce clean product cutouts and colour variants for 20,000 listings
Background removal and edits with a $0.01 input image plus a $0.04 1K output cost about $1,000 for 20,000 images; the Batch API takes the overnight load, at the default limit of 6 requests a second.
A brand safety lead at a consumer bank
Decide whether marketing can use the model
Use the API rather than the consumer app, turn on zero data retention and per-request moderation settings, and expect procurement to ask about Grok's 2026 deepfake investigations before approval.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Create a key at console.x.ai and call the image endpoint with model grok-imagine-image-2.0 through xai-sdk or the API; set resolution to 1K, 1.5K or 2K and quality to low, medium or auto.
- Integrations
- xAI API and console playground, grok.com/imagine and the Grok apps; also listed on OpenRouter. Runs in us-east-1 and us-west-2.
- Data and privacy
- No training on API inputs or outputs without explicit permission; 30-day retention for abuse audits; under zero data retention there are no stored outputs and no file_id inputs.
- Cost at scale
- 10,000 images a month at 2K medium cost $800, or $400 at 1K low; each reference image adds $0.01.
- Limits
- 6 requests per second by default; one image per request on OpenRouter; output up to 2K; not on the US-only endpoint or OpenRouter's EU in-region routing.
What’s good
- Strong typography and layout for posters and product graphics
- Smart Resize into nine aspect ratios, region edits and background removal
- From $0.04 an image, with Batch support
- Zero data retention option with no stored outputs
- Available free in the Grok apps with limits
What’s not
- Sixth on Artificial Analysis's arena, behind cheaper Nano Banana 2.1 and MAI-Image-2.6
- Maximum output of 2K
- Grok's January 2026 deepfake scandal still weighs on brand use
- Not offered on the US-only regional endpoint
- Rate limit of 6 requests per second by default
Best for
Developers and small design teams who want good text rendering and resizing tools at a mid-range price and are comfortable with SpaceXSI's record.
Grok Imagine Image 2.0 alternatives
Grok Imagine Image 2.0: common questions
- Is Grok Imagine Image 2.0 worth it?
- A capable design-minded image model at a fair price, now sixth on Artificial Analysis's arena and trailing cheaper rivals, with a safety record that gives brand teams pause. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
- How much does Grok Imagine Image 2.0 cost?
- Per output image: 1K low $0.04, 1.5K low $0.05, 2K low $0.06, 1K medium $0.06, 1.5K medium $0.07, 2K medium $0.08. Image inputs $0.01 each. Batch API supported. The older grok-imagine-image costs $0.02.
- What are the downsides of Grok Imagine Image 2.0?
- Sixth on Artificial Analysis's arena, behind cheaper Nano Banana 2.1 and MAI-Image-2.6; maximum output of 2K; grok's January 2026 deepfake scandal still weighs on brand use; not offered on the US-only regional endpoint; rate limit of 6 requests per second by default.
- Who is Grok Imagine Image 2.0 best for?
- Developers and small design teams who want good text rendering and resizing tools at a mid-range price and are comfortable with SpaceXSI's record.
- How much does Grok Imagine Image 2.0 cost for a team or in production?
- 10,000 images a month at 2K medium cost $800, or $400 at 1K low; each reference image adds $0.01.
- Is Grok Imagine Image 2.0 safe for company data?
- No training on API inputs or outputs without explicit permission; 30-day retention for abuse audits; under zero data retention there are no stored outputs and no file_id inputs.
- What are the best Grok Imagine Image 2.0 alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Nano Banana 2.1, MAI-Image-2.6, GPT Image 2.6 (Flare and Sunburst) and Ideogram 4.0.
Answers checked Nov 6, 2026.