What Is Images 2.6? GPT-Image-2.6 Flare vs Sunburst Pricing (2026)
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TL;DR
Images 2.6 is OpenAI's image generation and editing release from November 4, 2026, live in ChatGPT, Codex, and the API. API models are gpt-image-2.6-flare (fast) and gpt-image-2.6-sunburst (higher quality and edit consistency). Official token list prices are the same for both: text in $5 / cached text $1.25; image in $8 / cached image $2; image out $30 per 1M tokens. New: GIF, image markup, SVG export, and a complexity parameter. Consumer ChatGPT access is by subscription tier; OpenAI did not publish a per-image consumer dollar price on the pages we checked.
How this article was made: This article is research-based. Launch claims come from OpenAI's blog Introducing Images 2.6 (November 4, 2026). Token prices and model IDs come from the official Flare and Sunburst model pages. GIF, SVG, markup, and complexity details come from the image generation guide. Throughput claims such as "~50% faster," "~6 seconds," and "4 billion images per week" are vendor-reported, not our benchmarks. We did not sample live per-image bills or invent consumer per-image dollar prices. Checked again November 5, 2026 (Taipei time; America/Los_Angeles was still November 4 evening). Display name: CommX.
Images 2.6 is OpenAI's November 4, 2026 image generation and editing release. It ships in ChatGPT, Codex, and the API.
If you only need the API split: use Flare when you want speed, Sunburst when you want detail and edit consistency. The published token rates are the same.
What is Images 2.6?
OpenAI introduced Images 2.6 on November 4, 2026. The blog says it is available in ChatGPT, Codex, and the API, and that generation is about 50% faster than before (vendor claim). It also states people create about 4 billion images per week across those surfaces (vendor claim).
On the API, developers choose between two model IDs:
- GPT-Image-2.6 Flare (
gpt-image-2.6-flare): fast iteration; blog also says Flare can generate in as little as about six seconds when quality is set to low (vendor claim). - GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst (
gpt-image-2.6-sunburst): higher-quality generation and stronger consistency across edits when quality is medium or high.
Supported image endpoints on both model pages: v1/images/generations and v1/images/edits. Chat Completions and Responses are listed as not supported for these image models.
OpenAI Images 2.6 announcement (official)
How much do Flare and Sunburst cost?
Token list prices below are from the official Flare and Sunburst model pages. Checked November 5, 2026 (Taipei). Currency is USD. OpenAI image models are not in our affiliate list; links are plain official URLs.
| Metric | Flare | Sunburst |
|---|---|---|
| Model ID | gpt-image-2.6-flare |
gpt-image-2.6-sunburst |
| Positioning (official) | Fast iteration | Detailed visual work / edit consistency |
| Text input / 1M tokens | $5 | $5 |
| Cached text / 1M tokens | $1.25 | $1.25 |
| Image input / 1M tokens | $8 | $8 |
| Cached image / 1M tokens | $2 | $2 |
| Image output / 1M tokens | $30 | $30 |
| Image endpoints | generations + edits | generations + edits |
Same $/MTok on both pages. Do not write "Sunburst costs more per million tokens" based on the list prices we checked. Actual spend still depends on resolution, quality, edit rounds, and token use. We are not publishing a made-up "dollars per image" estimate.
Consumer ChatGPT: the blog says Images 2.6 is available globally across subscription tiers on desktop, mobile, and web. It does not pin a per-image consumer dollar price on that page. Treat consumer access as subscription-tier included unless OpenAI publishes a separate retail table.
GPT-Image-2.6 Flare model page (official)
What is new: GIF, markup, SVG, complexity?
Official blog and docs call out four additions beyond the speed claim:
- GIF output for animated loops (generation; the guide says the edit endpoint does not support GIF output).
- Image markup on the API, so edits can target marked regions (already in ChatGPT; now on the API).
- SVG export via
output_format: "svg"on image generation. complexityparameter:low,medium, orhigh. Omit it and both Flare and Sunburst default tohigh. The guide separates this fromquality: quality controls visual detail; complexity controls how much planning the model does. Adjusting complexity has no separate fee.
For most edits, OpenAI recommends low complexity paired with the quality your workflow needs. Raise complexity for dense scenes or tight constraints.
Full guide: Image generation.
What this page does not cover
We are not inventing per-image consumer prices, VRAM guesses for local runs, or China-cloud reseller markups. This page covers OpenAI's published Images 2.6 / GPT-Image-2.6 surfaces only.
We also are not treating "50% faster," "six seconds," or "4 billion images per week" as our own measurements. Those are OpenAI's published claims.
Related reading
- OpenMail (agent email infrastructure; different product, same AI-tool lane)
- Zeabur shutdown migration (if you also need somewhere to host an app or agent that calls the Images API)
- beehiiv review (creator publishing stack; soft adjacent only)
- Ghost(Pro) pricing (publishing host pricing, not image models)
Sources (checked November 5, 2026, Taipei)
- https://openai.com/index/introducing-images-2-6
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-2.6-flare
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-2.6-sunburst
- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation
FAQ
What is Images 2.6?
Images 2.6 is OpenAI's November 4, 2026 image generation and editing release for ChatGPT, Codex, and the API. The API exposes GPT-Image-2.6 Flare for fast iteration and GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst for higher quality and consistency across edits.
What is the difference between Flare and Sunburst?
Flare is positioned for fast iteration; OpenAI's blog says that with quality set to low it can generate in as little as about six seconds (vendor claim). Sunburst is positioned for higher-quality generation and stronger consistency across edits at medium or high quality. Token list prices on both official model pages match.
How much does GPT-Image-2.6 cost on the API?
Per the Flare and Sunburst model pages (checked November 5, 2026 Taipei): text input $5 and cached text $1.25 per 1M tokens; image input $8 and cached image $2 per 1M tokens; image output $30 per 1M tokens. Same figures on both pages.
Does ChatGPT charge a per-image price for Images 2.6?
OpenAI's blog says Images 2.6 is available globally in ChatGPT and Codex across subscription tiers on desktop, mobile, and web. We did not find a published per-image consumer dollar price on that page. Do not invent one. API billing is token-based.
What is new in Images 2.6 besides speed?
Official materials call out animated GIF output, image markup on the API, SVG export, and a complexity parameter (low / medium / high; omit defaults to high). The image generation guide says adjusting complexity has no separate fee.
Key takeaways
- Images 2.6 is OpenAI's image generation and editing release from November 4, 2026, live in ChatGPT, Codex, and the API.
- API models are gpt-image-2.6-flare (fast) and gpt-image-2.6-sunburst (higher quality and edit consistency).
- Official token list prices are the same for both: text in $5 / cached text $1.25; image in $8 / cached image $2; image out $30 per 1M tokens.
SourcesOpenAI Images 2.6 announcement (official) · Flare · Sunburst · Image generation
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