You can make AI images in NanthAI Edge without a monthly subscription. Image generation is part of the free tier. When a free image model is available on OpenRouter, you can use it to create images for free. Paid models use your OpenRouter credit.
How do you make an image?
- Connect your OpenRouter account in Settings. Choose a free image model if one is available, or add credit on openrouter.ai to use a paid model. The steps are on the Bring Your Own Key page.
- In a chat, open the participant picker and use the Image Gen filter. This shows only models that can produce images.
- Choose a model, then describe the image. A useful prompt names the subject, the style, the lighting, the composition and the mood. Image models respond better to specific descriptions than to short ones.
- Send the prompt. The image appears in the chat, and you can open it at full size.
For example, "a red bicycle leaning against a blue door, morning light, soft shadows, watercolour style" gives the model more to work with than "a bicycle". If you don't like the result, you can regenerate it or try another image model. Another generation can incur further model usage.
What does an image cost?
A free image model can generate images at no model charge when one is available on OpenRouter. Paid models have their own rates, so there is no single image price given here. Check the selected model’s current pricing before you generate a batch, and use Edge’s cost display to see the recorded cost of the reply. Generating more images can increase the total usage.
Edge shows the cost of each reply when Advanced Stats is on, in Settings. The chat header also shows your OpenRouter balance. Read Price Transparency for how the figures are shown.
Can you compare image models?
Yes. You can add several image models to the same chat, send one prompt, and compare how each model reads it. Each model is billed at its own price, so the comparison costs the sum of those prices.
Can you keep and reuse images?
You can download an image to your device or share it from the chat. You can also attach a generated image to a later conversation, so you can continue working on it.
On the free tier, generated images stay in the chat and are not saved to the Knowledge Base. Saving generated images to the Knowledge Base is a Pro feature.
When do you need a subscription at all?
Image generation does not need a subscription. NanthAI Edge's free tier includes it, and the free tier also includes multi-model chat, basic web search and folders. The Pro upgrade is a separate £4.99 one-time purchase (shown in your local currency in the app stores) for extra features such as personas, memory, scheduled tasks and Knowledge Base saving. Pro is not needed to make images. See Pro vs Free for the full list.
How do you get a result you can assess?
Start with one image and one use for it. A draft illustration for a presentation needs a different composition from a square picture for a post. Describe where the subject should sit and what should remain in the background. These are instructions you give the model, rather than separate Edge controls.
Keep the prompt when you compare results. If you change both the model and the description, it becomes harder to tell what caused the difference. Try the same request with a second image model, inspect both at full size, then change one part of the description for the next attempt.
Check the details that matter for your use, such as lettering, objects and proportions. An image that looks suitable as a thumbnail may need changes when opened at full size. Download the version you want to keep before moving on to another task.
How is free access different from free usage?
The free tier describes access to Edge’s image-generation feature. It does not mean that every image model has zero usage cost. The selected model’s charge is separate from the app tier, just as it is for text replies. Connecting OpenRouter does not turn all models into free models.
If your aim is to compare styles, decide how many examples you want to inspect first and check the recorded usage as you go. You do not need to upgrade the app simply to try image generation. The Pro vs Free page describes the other features that an upgrade adds.
Try it
Start free at nanthai.tech, or open the web app at chat.nanthai.tech. The full steps for image generation are on the Image Generation page.
