Is Ideogram free?

How to start an Ideogram image on the free plan

Start with a public practice design you can safely share. Free eligibility depends on how you register: Ideogram says Google, Apple and Microsoft accounts can receive free credits, while email/password accounts do not include them.

1. Choose an eligible sign-in method

   Open Ideogram and register with Google, Apple or Microsoft if you want to try Free. Choose the correct account and a public username carefully. The registration guide says the sign-in account and username cannot be changed later.

2. Check the allowance before drafting

   Look at the balance and available generation settings in your account. Stay with a Free-compatible option; do not treat a model advertised on the homepage as a promise that all its settings fit your allowance.

3. Open the Image app

   Choose Image in the sidebar, or use the Home box with Image selected. Describe one image; choose an available model, aspect ratio and small output count. The Generate button shows the cost; Auto shows an estimate rather than a fixed cost.

4. Make the lettering part of the brief

   Put a short headline in quotation marks near the start of the prompt. Describe its placement and appearance. Keep addresses, dates and long paragraphs for an editor where you can type and correct them directly.

5. Submit and compare

   Select Generate in the Image app, or the arrow in the Home box. On mobile, Home Enter adds a new line, so use the arrow. Premium models or exhausted free credits can open an upgrade window; stay with an eligible option. Inspect and proofread the result before another attempt.

Example: a poster concept with a short headline

Imagine a community book swap that needs a friendly visual direction. Ask for a single headline and a simple illustration, then add the actual event details yourself. This is a prompt to try, not a demonstrated finished poster.

• Check every letter against BOOK SWAP. If a character is missing, distorted or repeated, simplify the illustration or replace the headline with typed text in your editor.
• View the design at phone size. A decorative headline that looks good enlarged may become hard to read in a social post.
• Keep date, venue, organizer and accessibility details as editable text. Proofread the final export separately from the generated preview.
• Keep the idea public and generic while practicing. Do not include a confidential event plan or personal contact details in the prompt.

How to plan around 30 weekly credits

Current account and plan documentation specifies 30 credits each week for Google, Apple or Microsoft sign-ins. The pricing FAQ still says the amount may vary, so check your live balance and refill information. Thirty credits is not a fixed image count: model and output settings change the cost.

Credit usage changes with the model, render speed, number of outputs and other settings. Compare the displayed cost before submitting. For a poster, reserve capacity for a spelling correction instead of using the entire allowance on several decorative variations.

If the allowance runs out, save the best draft and finish the layout in an editor while waiting for the next refill. Slow-queue waiting and an exhausted balance are different problems; there is no measured wait-time estimate in this guide. Choose a paid plan only if its current capacity and features fit your deadline.

The current API overview says the app and API share one credit balance. API calls can spend regular credits, so keep your keys private and check API usage costs. This documentation does not explicitly establish that the Free weekly credits are eligible for every API request; confirm that in your account before planning a developer workload.

Download, privacy and commercial use

Open the image’s asset page and select Download in the action bar. Use the menu rather than a browser right-click save. Without a paid plan, the current guide allows original-size JPEG; transparent images are an exception and can download as PNG at 1K. Other PNG/WebP and upscale downloads need a paid plan, and upscale downloads spend credits.

Read the button before saving: it can say Download, Upscale & download with a credit cost, or Subscribe to download. Grid shortcuts use original size, choosing JPEG without a paid plan unless the image is transparent. Inspect the saved file at your intended display size and preserve any marks or provenance.

Free prompts and images are public. Private generation requires Plus or higher according to the privacy guide. An unannounced product, private client brief or reference photo with personal information is a poor fit for public practice. Choosing an eligible free account does not make your work private.

Ideogram permits commercial use of generated output under its terms. That permission does not promise a unique design or resolve other people’s rights. For a paid poster, check permissions for uploaded material and avoid presenting an AI-generated logo as an exclusive brand asset. Users must be at least 13; minors below their jurisdiction’s age of majority need a parent or guardian to accept the terms on their behalf.

When to choose Canva instead

Choose Canva’s poster editor when the event information must be exact or easy to update. Its free poster workflow supports templates, your own details and text over an image. You can use an Ideogram illustration as a visual starting point and type the final headline, date and venue yourself.

The editor solves layout and proofreading; it does not give you extra Ideogram credits or turn a public image private. Choose assets and features available to your plan, check their usage conditions, and confirm the export before ordering prints. Our Canva page covers Magic Media separately from the manual poster workflow.