Adobe's commercially-safe generative AI (Firefly) plus Express design app, integrated with Creative Cloud.
Leonardo.ai vs Recraft
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Leonardo.ai is best for game art, concept art and consistent characters with fine-tuned models, while Recraft is best for editable vector graphics, icons and brand-consistent illustrations. Both Leonardo.ai and Recraft offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
Choose Leonardo.ai if…
- You need game art, concept art and consistent characters with fine-tuned models
- You're one of: game developers and concept artists, creators needing consistent characters, developers building on an image api
- Fine control over models, styles and character consistency
Choose Recraft if…
- You need editable vector graphics, icons and brand-consistent illustrations
- You're one of: brand and graphic designers, marketing teams needing icon and illustration sets, merch creators
- Vector output is editable and print-ready
At a glance
| Leonardo.ai | Recraft | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Game art, concept art and consistent characters with fine-tuned models | Editable vector graphics, icons and brand-consistent illustrations |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $12/mo | From $12/mo |
| Learning curve | Medium | Medium |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Ideal for | Game developers and concept artists, Creators needing consistent characters, Developers building on an image API | Brand and graphic designers, Marketing teams needing icon and illustration sets, Merch creators |
Feature comparison
| Leonardo.ai | Recraft | |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-image | Yes | Yes |
| AI editing / inpainting | Yes | Yes |
| Background removal | Yes | Yes |
| Upscaling / enhancement | Yes | Yes |
| Image-to-video | Yes | Yes |
| Commercial use allowed | Paid plans | Paid plans |
| Design templates | No | Limited |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Leonardo.ai | Recraft | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | — | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | — | Opt-out available |
| Audit logs | — | Enterprise plan |
| Admin controls | Teams plan | Enterprise plan |
| Deployment | Cloud, API | Cloud, API |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Leonardo.ai
Leonardo.ai is an AI image and video generation platform owned by Canva, offering its own models (Phoenix, Lucid Origin, Lucid Realism) alongside FLUX and other third-party models. It includes a real-time Canvas for inpainting and outpainting, Motion for image- and text-to-video, a Universal Upscaler, and training of custom models and Elements on your own images. It is used by game developers, concept artists, marketers and hobbyists.
Key features- Leonardo models (Phoenix, Lucid Origin, Lucid Realism) plus FLUX
- Real-time Canvas for inpainting, outpainting and compositing
- Motion video from images or text with camera controls
- Universal Upscaler up to 8K
- Custom model and Element training
- Production API with pay-as-you-go pricing
Recraft
Recraft is an AI design tool that generates both raster images and editable SVG vectors, with its V4 model family (released February 2026) focused on design quality. It includes a vector editor, image vectorization, background removal, creative upscaling, mockups, brand style and colour controls, and image-to-video via models such as Kling and Veo. Designers, marketers and brand teams use it for icons, illustrations and on-brand assets.
Key features- Text-to-vector (SVG) and raster image generation
- Vectorizer that converts PNG/JPG to SVG
- Custom styles and brand colour palettes
- Background remover and creative upscaler
- Mockups for merch and packaging
- Image-to-video and a developer API
Pricing
Leonardo.ai
Free plan (daily tokens); Apprentice ~$12/mo ($10/mo annual)
Recraft
Free plan; Pro from ~$12/mo (annual) / ~$10-12 entry
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Leonardo.ai
Strengths- Fine control over models, styles and character consistency
- Free plan with daily tokens
- Web, iOS and Android apps
- Well-documented API for developers
- Token system is confusing and premium models use tokens quickly
- Free plan images are public and lack some features
- Many settings make it harder for beginners than Canva or Ideogram
- No layout templates for finished marketing designs
Not ideal for: People who want ready-made social templates or simple one-click designs will find Canva easier.
Recraft
Strengths- Vector output is editable and print-ready
- Style controls keep a series of assets consistent
- Has a free plan
- Web, iOS and Android apps plus an API
- Free plan outputs are public and limited in credits
- Photorealism is less of a focus than Midjourney or Leonardo
- Fewer ready-made layout templates than Canva
- Video generation relies on third-party models and uses credits quickly
Not ideal for: Photographers and those wanting cinematic photoreal images or full layout editing should look at Midjourney or Canva.
Integrations
Leonardo.ai
Recraft
FAQ
What is the main difference between Leonardo.ai and Recraft?
Leonardo.ai is built for game art, concept art and consistent characters with fine-tuned models; Recraft is built for editable vector graphics, icons and brand-consistent illustrations.
Is Leonardo.ai or Recraft cheaper?
Leonardo.ai starts from $12/mo and Recraft starts from $12/mo (as of September 2026). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Leonardo.ai and Recraft have free plans?
Both Leonardo.ai and Recraft offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Leonardo.ai or Recraft?
Both have a medium learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Leonardo.ai and Recraft?
Other image & design tools worth comparing include Adobe Firefly / Adobe Express, Photoroom and Magnific.
Alternatives
