Ngl, Together AI Flux.1 Schnell API is the cheapest for massive batches, but Fal.ai Stable Diffusion XL API has better speed. Both handle 1024x1024 via API easily for under $20.

Just saw this thread... if you want to go super cheap, honestly Amazon Bedrock Titan Image Generator G1 is the way. Its seriously overlooked for bulk stuff. You are looking at like $0.001 per image for 1024x1024, so 5k mockups is only five bucks. Since you want API access and automation, it fits perfectly. Definitely the most cost-effective way to scale without burning your budget.

Saw this thread earlier and wanted to chime in because those enterprise cloud suggestions like Amazon basically make me nervous. Tbh, if you are a beginner or just starting a side project, those big corporate platforms can be a real headache to set up. I am always worried about hidden fees or accidentally setting up an instance that drains my bank account overnight... it is just too much risk when you are on a tight $20 budget. I would politely disagree with going that route and suggest you look into something more user-friendly. Personally, I think you should just go with Leonardo.ai for this kind of thing. They have been around a while and their pricing is usually pretty clear, so you wont get any nasty surprises. Another solid option is basically any tool from Replicate. I have used them before for small batches and the API is super simple to plug in without needing a degree in cloud engineering. Just stick to one of those dedicated AI platforms instead of the big tech giants. It is much safer for your wallet and way less stressful to manage. You want to spend your time on your mockups, not debugging cloud permissions and billing alerts. Plus, their support is usually a lot better for individuals than the massive providers. Keep it simple and safe, that is usually my motto when starting something new.

> I am starting a side project where I need to generate about 5,000 product mockups, but my budget is really tight. Building on the earlier suggestion, I have been really satisfied with using Segmind SDXL 1.0 API for my own projects lately. It works well when you need to hammer out thousands of images without worrying about a massive bill hitting your card. When I was doing a batch of several thousand graphics for a niche site last month, I was honestly shocked how cheap it ended up being. It costs roughly $0.002 per image, so for 5,000 you are only looking at about ten bucks total. I have no complaints about the 1024 resolution either, the quality is definitely sharp enough for mockups. Setting up the automation was a breeze even for a beginner like me... basically just a few lines of code and I let it run while I went to grab lunch. It is definitely worth a look if you want to stay way under that twenty dollar limit.

Late to the party but I gotta ask, what kind of items are you actually mocking up? Is it like apparel or hard goods? The reason I ask is because over the years I have tried many of these services and they all handle textures differently. honestly this reminds me of when my brother tried to launch a custom phone case shop last summer using a couple different platforms to see which was faster. He spent weeks comparing the output from one big name site against another, obsessing over the lighting quality. I remember sitting in his basement until 3am while his old pc sounded like a jet engine trying to process a batch... then his power went out during a storm and corrupted the entire drive. He hadnt even picked a winner yet and basically lost all the test data. It was such a massive ordeal that we just ended up going out for pizza and he gave up on the project entirely. Some of those interfaces are just way more clunky than others tho.