Leonardo vs Ideogram vs Recraft: what to compare

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Leonardo vs Ideogram vs Recraft: what to compare cover graphic

Leonardo.Ai, Ideogram and Recraft are all AI image generators aimed at people who make graphics for work, but they emphasise different things. Ideogram documents text-in-image tools, Recraft documents design and vector output, and Leonardo positions itself as a broader generative platform. This article is a framework for comparing them, plus the facts we could verify.

One limit to state up front: we could not open Leonardo.Ai’s own pricing and product pages during research, because they failed to load for our tools. For Leonardo we therefore rely on its API documentation and say where information is missing. We do not fill that gap from memory.

How we researched this: we did not run hands-on tests for this article. It is based on the vendor’s own documentation and public sources, checked on 11 November 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm details on the vendor’s site before you buy.

Key takeaways

  • Recraft documents V4 (released February 2026) as the only Recraft model that generates editable SVG, and lists SVG, PNG, JPG, PDF, TIFF and Lottie export.
  • Ideogram documents text layers (in beta) and a vector model, and published an open-weight model, Ideogram 4.0, on 3 June 2026.
  • Commercial rights differ by plan: Recraft says free-plan images are not licensed for commercial use, while paid plans include commercial rights.
  • Ideogram’s own site and docs showed different plan prices on 11 November 2026, so confirm before you pay.
  • We could not verify Leonardo.Ai plans, prices or data terms from official pages, so check them directly.

Why compare these three

Image tools look similar in a gallery. The differences show up when you try to make a poster with accurate text, a logo you can scale, or a batch of on-brand images for a team. Each of these three tools has a different documented strength.

Start by deciding what you will produce. Our guide to comparing AI tools side by side fairly explains how to turn that into criteria, and the beginner’s guide to AI image prompts helps you write comparable prompts for your test.

Quick overview table

Area Leonardo.Ai Ideogram Recraft
Documented focus Not confirmed from official product pages Text in images, text layers (beta), vector model Design-oriented images, editable SVG with V4
Vector or SVG output Not confirmed Ideogram Vector, outputs SVG V4 Vector and V4 Pro Vector, SVG export
Credit system API uses pay as you go credits that do not expire Priority and slow credits; priority credits expire each billing cycle Monthly credits; top-up packs never expire
Free plan images Not confirmed Free plan exists with weekly slow credits Public and not licensed for commercial use
API Pay as you go Per-SVG pricing for vector API Image generation and editing API

Criteria that matter

  • Output type: raster pictures, text-heavy layouts or scalable vectors.
  • Text accuracy: whether words in the image are readable and editable afterwards.
  • Rights: whether the plan you will use gives commercial rights and privacy.
  • Cost model: how credits are spent and whether they expire.
  • Data use: whether prompts and images can be used for model training.

Documented features

Recraft

Recraft’s documentation describes Recraft V4 as a model family released in February 2026 with V4, V4 Pro, V4 Vector and V4 Pro Vector versions. It says V4 produces legible text for short and mid-length phrases, and that it is the only Recraft model able to generate editable SVG. Pro versions output at 2048 by 2048 pixels. The docs list limits: style creation, prompt-based editing, image sets and artistic level control were not yet supported when we read them, and exploration mode was temporarily unavailable. All plans, including Free, can use V4 according to the docs.

Ideogram

Ideogram’s page for Layerize Text says the feature detects lettering in a flat image and recreates it as editable text layers. It is in beta and uses credits. The page lists limits: reconstructed backgrounds may differ, words can be missed, and curved or decorative lettering is harder. Exports are JPEG, PNG or WEBP, not editable PSD or SVG. Ideogram Vector creates SVG artwork from a prompt or by converting an existing image. On 3 June 2026 Ideogram published a post describing Ideogram 4.0 as its first open-weight foundation model, with weights on Hugging Face. The benchmark claims in that post come from Ideogram’s own internal comparison, so treat them as the vendor’s claims.

Leonardo.Ai

Leonardo’s product pages did not load for us. Its API documentation describes a pay-as-you-go model with no upfront commitment, a credit balance that does not expire, a pricing calculator in the app, and a route for existing subscribers to move to pay as you go by cancelling. For model lists, editing tools and plan limits, read Leonardo’s own pages.

Pricing models

See how to read an AI tool’s pricing page for general cautions. Credits are not comparable across tools, so compare what a typical job costs rather than headline allowances.

Ideogram

Ideogram’s help documentation (personal plans page) and its live pricing page disagreed on 11 November 2026. The documentation listed Free, Basic, Plus, Pro and Team at $0, $8, $20, $60 and $30 per member per month, while the pricing page listed Plus at $15 and Pro at $42 per month, with Team at $20 per user when billed annually. We cannot tell which is current, so use the live page. Both sources describe priority credits, which are processed first and expire at the end of each billing cycle, and slow credits. Priority top-ups are listed at $4 per 100 credits, and top-up credits carry over.

Recraft

Recraft’s paid plans documentation, read on 11 November 2026, lists a Basic plan with 1,000 credits at $12 per month or $10 per month billed annually, and Pro tiers from 2,000 credits ($20 monthly, $16 annual) up to 16,000 credits ($160 monthly, $128 annual). The same page lists Teams pricing that contains an apparent inconsistency, so we do not repeat it. Credits renew monthly, and top-up packs never expire and are used after monthly credits.

Item Ideogram Recraft Leonardo.Ai
Entry paid plan Differs between docs and live page Basic, 1,000 credits Not confirmed
Credits expire Monthly priority credits expire; top-ups roll over Monthly credits renew; top-ups do not expire API balance does not expire
Team option Team plan, minimum 2 members Teams plan with shared custom styles and SSO Not confirmed

Commercial rights and ownership

This is where the free tiers differ most. Recraft’s documentation says free-plan images are publicly visible in the community gallery, remain the property of Recraft, and are not licensed for commercial use. Paid subscribers receive full ownership and commercial rights, and images stay private after a subscription ends. Ideogram’s plans page says all plans state that Ideogram does not restrict your rights to your output, and its pricing page lists private generation on Pro. We did not find Leonardo’s terms on an official page we could open, so check them before using output commercially.

See AI copyright basics for creators for general background. This is not legal advice.

Privacy and data

Vendor What the documentation says
Recraft Individual free and paid accounts are opted in by default, so images, prompts and chat text can be used for training. Free users cannot opt out; Pro users can turn off “Help improve Recraft”; Team accounts are not included by default; API inputs and outputs are never used for training.
Ideogram Privacy policy (last revised 15 January 2025) says prompts and uploads are used to administer and improve the services, and that generated images may be publicly available on the services. It says private content may be available depending on subscription. It is unclear whether private content is excluded from training.
Leonardo.Ai We could not verify this from an official page.

If you work with client assets, read how to protect company data when using AI tools first.

Who each suits, based on documentation

  • Recraft may suit designers who need scalable SVG and documented export formats, if they will pay for private, commercial use.
  • Ideogram may suit people who work with lettering in images and want editable text layers, if they accept the beta limits and check the pricing mismatch.
  • Leonardo.Ai may suit developers considering a pay-as-you-go API, but we cannot describe its consumer plans.
  • Look elsewhere if you need a vendor with a verified no-training default for individual accounts; none of the three is documented that way for individuals in what we read.

How to run your own test

Follow how to test an AI tool before you pay for it. For image tools, use the same five prompts on each tool: a logo, a poster with a headline, a product image, an icon set and a social graphic. Score each against your own checklist for legible text, usable export format and edit effort. Note how many credits each attempt used and whether the plan you tested includes the rights you need.

Decision checklist

  • Which output types do I need: raster, text layout or vector?
  • Which plan gives private generation and commercial rights?
  • What does one realistic job cost in credits?
  • Can I opt out of training, and on which plan?
  • Have I confirmed the live price rather than a docs page?

Frequently asked questions

Which one is best for logos?

We do not rank them. Both Ideogram and Recraft document vector (SVG) output. Test the same logo brief on each and check export formats.

Can I use free-plan images commercially?

Recraft says free-plan images are not licensed for commercial use. Check each vendor’s current terms before using output in client work.

Why are Ideogram prices inconsistent in this article?

Ideogram’s help documentation and live pricing page showed different figures on 11 November 2026. We report both and recommend the live page.

Does Leonardo.Ai have a free plan?

We could not confirm this from an official page we could open, so we make no claim.

Are these tools safe for confidential assets?

Check the data terms. Recraft says API inputs are never used for training and Team accounts are not included by default; others vary.

Conclusion

Pick by output type and rights, not by gallery images. Recraft and Ideogram each document vector output, but their credit systems, free-plan rules and data terms differ, and Leonardo.Ai needs direct checking. For a broader process, see how to choose an AI tool.

Sources

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