Krea alternativeElyum, pay only for keeps
Krea charges compute units when you generate. We charge credits only when you KEEP a take, and a KILL refunds the rest automatically.
Krea is a San Francisco-based AI creative suite covering image, video, 3D, upscaling, and a real-time canvas. Krea's pricing page lists one compute-unit balance across 60+ third-party models (Flux, Kling, Veo, Seedance, Wan, Hailuo) plus in-house Krea 1 and Krea 2. Realtime is unlocked on every plan, including Free. The catalog moves fast. A Trustpilot review cites new models the same day as a reason people stay, and Pro adds Krea Nodes plus App Builder.
The friction is billing, not the canvas. Compute-unit cost per generation is not published per model, and a third-party review flags unpredictable consumption. Refunds and Billing covers subscription cancellations only when workspace usage is below 650 compute units and under 20 generations that month (processed in 5-10 business days). The docs do not state a credit-back for a failed or bad individual render. Trustpilot reviewers report hard cancellations, unexpected renewals, and support that feels like an AI bot. Monthly plan units do not roll over.
On Elyum, 1 credit = $0.01, and every render comes back as a free preview (a take). You KEEP the ones you want (that is the only charge) or KILL the rest for an automatic full refund. A failed generation is never charged. Paid plans kill freely. Free allows one kill a month. Plans are Free (up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card), Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, and Ultra $69/mo, with top-ups. Kept takes download at full quality with no watermark and commercial use included. See pricing for the live table.
This page is not for you if Krea Realtime, LoRA fine-tuning, 22K Topaz upscaling, 3D, an iOS app, or Business seats (up to 50 at $200/mo) are why you opened Krea. Elyum does not have a timeline editor, stock footage, talking-head avatars, a mobile app, team seats, or a community feed. Those features stay on Krea.
Why people switch from Krea
- Pay only when you KEEP
Every Elyum render returns as a free preview. Credits move only on KEEP. A KILL is a full automatic refund. Krea's refunds docs do not publish a credit-back for a failed or bad individual generation. Subscription refunds require under 650 compute units and under 20 generations that month.
- Published dollars per take
A 5s Seedance 2.5 clip at 480p is 40 credits ($0.40) if you KEEP it. Krea offers Seedance 2.5 (30s, 1080p, native audio) but bundles the cost into plan compute units. The only published Basic video analog is Seedance 2.0 at ≈250 units, about $0.45. Details sit on the Seedance 2.5 page.
- A Free tier you can try
Krea Free is 100 compute units per day with no card. Full access is only to real-time in-house models (Krea 2, Krea 1, Flux, Z-image, Qwen). Image, video, 3D, and lipsync are limited, and Free has no commercial license. Elyum Free is up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card, and one KILL per month.
- Same $9, less opaque burn
Krea Basic is $9/mo for 5,000 units (≈64 Nano Banana 2 images, about $0.14 each). Reviewers say unit burn is easy to miss. Elyum Plus is $9/mo at 1 credit = $0.01. A 1K KEEP is 3 credits ($0.03). Nano Banana 2 is fair-use unlimited on Ultra ($69/mo).
- MCP, API, one credit pool
Krea's public API prices Nano Banana 2 at $0.08 / $0.12 / $0.16 for 1K/2K/4K. Elyum uses the same studio balance from the web, Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor. Setup is in the MCP docs and the REST API.
Where Krea still wins
- Realtime on every plan
Krea Realtime, plus Krea 1 and Krea 2, is unlocked on Free through paid plans. Elyum has no real-time canvas. If live sketch-to-image is the job, Krea is still the product that shipped it first.
- Nodes, LoRA, and 22K upscale
Pro adds Krea Nodes, App Builder, and a Nodes Agent. Basic and above include LoRA fine-tuning (up to 50 images; Max allows unlimited LoRAs with 2,000 files) and Topaz upscaling to 22K. We do not ship a node builder, LoRA training, or 22K upscalers.
- Teams, iOS, and 3D
Krea Business is $200/mo ($160/mo yearly) for up to 50 seats, pooled compute, private Node Apps, custom roles, and a no-training Business ToS. There is an iOS app and 3D generation. Elyum has no team seats, no mobile app, and no 3D product.
- Wider catalog, same-day adds
Krea lists 60+ models, including Ideogram, Runway Gen-3 through Gen-4.5, Hailuo, Sora 2, Ray 2, Vidu Q2, LTX, and in-house Krea models we do not carry. Users cite same-day adds as a reason to stay. The models catalog is 50+ and overlaps the shared list, not Krea's full shelf.
Krea vs Elyum, side by side
| What matters | Krea | Elyum |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Basic $9/mo ($5/mo yearly); Pro $35/mo ($21/mo yearly); Max $105/mo ($63/mo yearly); Business $200/mo ($160/mo yearly) | Free up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them); Plus $9/mo; Pro $29/mo; Ultra $69/mo; 1 credit = $0.01; top-ups |
| Free tier | 100 compute units/day, no card; limited image/video/3D/lipsync; full access only to real-time in-house models; no commercial license | up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card; one KILL per month on Free |
| Bad or failed render | Not published for individual generations. Subscription refunds only if usage <650 units and <20 gens that month. | Failed generation never charged. KILL refunds the take in full. |
| Watermark on paid | Not published | No watermark on kept takes |
| Shared models offered | All 13 offered: Seedance 2.5/2.0, Wan 3.0, Gemini Omni Flash, Nano Banana 2/Pro, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Grok Imagine 1.5, Flux 2, Seedream 5, MiniMax H3, GPT-IMG-2 | All 13 offered under the same names (GPT Image 2, FLUX 2 Pro, Seedream 5 Pro) |
| Commercial use | Commercial license on Basic, Pro, Max, Business, Enterprise. Free plan has none. | Commercial use included on kept takes |
| API or agent access | Public API. Nano Banana 2 API $0.08/$0.12/$0.16 at 1K/2K/4K. Nodes Agent on Pro+ | REST API plus MCP for Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor |
| Realtime, Nodes, iOS, teams | Realtime on all plans; Nodes/App Builder on Pro+; iOS app; 3D; LoRA; 22K Topaz; Business up to 50 seats | Not offered. No timeline editor, stock footage, avatars, mobile app, team seats, or community feed |
| Credit expiry | Monthly plan units do not roll over. One-time packs expire after 90 days. | Top-ups available on one studio balance. 1 credit = $0.01 |
Krea facts from its own pricing and help pages plus independent reviews, verified 2026-09-07 (sources at the end). Elyum numbers are computed from the live rate card.
What it actually costs
Krea Free is 100 compute units per day, no card, no commercial license. Basic is $9/mo ($5/mo yearly) for 5,000 units, commercial license, all image/3D/lipsync, selected video, LoRA up to 50 images, upscaling to 22K. Pro is $35/mo ($21/mo yearly) for 20,000 units, all video models, Krea Nodes, App Builder, and Nodes Agent. Max is $105/mo ($63/mo yearly) for 60,000 units (slider 40k-100k) plus unlimited relaxed generations on in-house models after units run out. Business is $200/mo ($160/mo yearly), 80,000 pooled units, up to 50 seats.
Elyum is Free (up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them)), Plus $9/mo, Pro $29/mo, Ultra $69/mo, 1 credit = $0.01, plus top-ups. Pro and Ultra include fair-use unlimited image generation on selected image models. Worked example: KEEP a 5s Seedance 2.5 take at 480p and you owe 40 credits ($0.40). Krea Basic's published analog is Seedance 2.0 at ≈250 compute units, about $0.45 at the $9/5,000-unit rate. Seedance 2.5 on Krea is offered (30s, 1080p, native audio) with cost bundled into plan units, not a separate per-clip price. Compare side by side on Krea vs Elyum for Seedance 2.5.
Krea also sells one-time compute packs (2,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 24,000 / 50,000 units), instant, valid 90 days, with bulk discounts on Pro/Max/Business. Effective Basic rate is about $0.18 per compute unit ($9/5,000). A Nano Banana 2 image on Krea Basic is ≈78 units, about $0.14. The same KEEP on Elyum at 1K is 3 credits ($0.03), at 2K 4.5 credits ($0.04), at 4K 6 credits ($0.06). Krea's API lists Nano Banana 2 at $0.08 / $0.12 / $0.16 for 1K/2K/4K.
| Krea plan | Monthly | Yearly (per month) | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 100 compute units/day |
| Basic | $9 | $5 | 5,000 compute units/month (≈64 Nano Banana 2 images or ≈20 Seedance 2.0 videos) |
| Pro | $35 | $21 | 20,000 compute units/month (≈257 Nano Banana 2 images or ≈83 Seedance 2.0 videos) |
| Max | $105 | $63 | 60,000 compute units/month (adjustable 40k-100k slider), ≈771 Nano Banana 2 images or ≈250 Seedance 2.0 videos |
| Business | $200 | $160 | 80,000 compute units/month (adjustable 20k-1.5M), pooled across the team |
| Elyum Plus / Pro / Ultra | $9 / $29 / $69 | n/a | One balance, all 50+ models, previews free |
Same models, priced on Elyum
Models Krea also offers, with Elyum's live price for the shortest common take. Each one has a head-to-head page.
What the models look like on Elyum
Why generate with Elyum?
- Pay only for what you keep. Kill a take and every credit comes back.
- 50+ video, image and audio models on one balance.
- Rates about 20% under comparable platforms, and the cut is already in the price.
- Kept files download clean and full quality, no watermark, commercial use included.
- Works from the studio, or from Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor via MCP.
- Free plan, our algorithm may grant you 150 credits, no card required.
Moving from Krea
- Export the files you still need from Krea (renders, LoRAs, Node apps). Monthly compute units will not move with you. They already do not roll over inside Krea.
- Sign up on Elyum Free (up to 150 credits once (our algorithm may grant them), no card). If you expect more than one KILL a month, Plus at $9/mo removes that meter.
- Find the same model you used on Krea in the studio. Seedance, Wan, Kling, Veo, Nano Banana, FLUX 2 Pro, Seedream 5 Pro, MiniMax H3, and GPT Image 2 are all here.
- Generate a preview. KEEP it to download at full quality with commercial use and no watermark. KILL it for a full refund. Failed jobs do not bill.
- If you called Krea's API, point Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor at Elyum's MCP server, or use the REST API. Same credit balance as the web studio.
Frequently asked questions
Is Elyum cheaper than Krea?
Does Elyum have the same models as Krea?
What happens to a bad render on Elyum vs Krea?
Can I use Krea and Elyum together?
Does Krea watermark free or paid outputs?
Does Krea have a free plan with commercial rights?
Does Elyum have Krea Realtime or Nodes?
- Krea Pricing | AI Creative Tools for Everyone (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Krea Model Library (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Seedance 2.5 AI Video Generator | Krea (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Nano Banana 2 API reference | Krea Docs (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Refunds and Billing | Krea Docs (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Krea Reviews | Trustpilot (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Krea AI Review (2026): Real-Time Canvas, Free-Tier License Trap & Pricing (accessed 2026-09-07)
- Krea AI Pricing 2026: Free, $9 Basic, $35 Pro, $70 Max (accessed 2026-09-07)
- KREA API - AI Image Generation, Upscaling & Video API (accessed 2026-09-07)
Other alternatives people compare
Create everything. Keep the best.
The models you use on Krea, plus the ones it doesn't have, on one balance. Every render is a free preview.