An indie game developer making item icons
- Sign up free
- Choose Phoenix and describe the art style
- Generate sets using daily tokens
- Download for use in the game
free plan works
Leonardo.Ai (owned by Canva) · Web app and API (image and video generation)
Leonardo.Ai
Image and video generation platform with its own models (Phoenix, Lucid Origin) and third-party models.
- Provider
- Leonardo.Ai (owned by Canva)
- Latest confirmed model
- Lucid Origin
- Pricing
- Free plan + paid
- Free plan
- Yes
- API
- Yes
- Status
- Generally available
- Last verified
- Oct 19, 2026
What is Leonardo.Ai?
Leonardo.Ai is a web platform for generating and editing images and short videos, popular for game assets, marketing and concept art. It offers its own foundation models such as Phoenix and Lucid Origin, plus partner models, and supports fine-tuned styles. Leonardo is part of Canva, and Canva Business includes Leonardo's Essential plan.
Producing large volumes of consistent visual assets is slow; Leonardo generates them with style controls and reusable models.
Why use Leonardo.Ai?
Practical benefits
- Daily free tokens
- Own models plus partner models
- Commercial use allowed including free tier (per FAQ)
- Pay-as-you-go API
Who it suits
- Game developers
- Marketers
- Concept artists
- Canva Business users
When another tool may fit better
- Users who need full ownership on the free tier
- Highly regulated enterprise work without review
- Learning curve
- Some experience helps
- Skills needed
- Prompting; style and model settings take some learning.
Example workflows
- Choose model -> prompt -> refine with canvas editor -> download
- Call API with model and prompt -> pay from credit balance
What can it do?
- Phoenix and Lucid Origin modelsLeonardo's own image models, available on free and paid web plans.
- Video generation Depends on planShort image-to-video and text-to-video using various models.
- Team plans Depends on planShared token pools for teams.
- APIPay-as-you-go API credits that do not expire.
Good for
- Game art and assets
- Marketing images
- Product mock-ups
- Short animated clips
Where it runs
Pricing and plans
Free plan + paid Free plan with daily token refresh. Essential $12, Premium $30 and Ultimate $60 per month with 8,500, 25,000 and 60,000 fast tokens. Team plans share token pools, and the API is pay-as-you-go.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Free trial / tier | Usage limits | Main inclusions | Model access | API access | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | per month | Free tier | Daily token refresh (amount not confirmed on official page) |
|
Selected models | Separate PAYG API | Leonardo retains rights to use free-tier outputs (per pricing page) |
| Essential | $12/mo Annual price reported as $10/mo by third parties; not confirmed | per month | — | 8,500 fast tokens/month |
|
Leonardo and partner models | Separate | — |
| Premium | $30/mo Annual reported as $24/mo; not confirmed | per month | — | 25,000 fast tokens/month |
|
Leonardo and partner models | Separate | — |
| Ultimate | $60/mo Annual reported as $48/mo; not confirmed | per month | — | 60,000 fast tokens/month |
|
Leonardo and partner models | Separate | — |
API and developer access
- Official API
- Yes
- Documentation
- API docs (opens in a new tab)
- Authentication
- API key (Bearer)
- Pricing model
- Pay-as-you-go API credits; no monthly fee; credits do not expire
- Free API quota
- None documented — the free plan above (if any) is for the app, not the API
- Rate limits
- Not documented
- Context / input limits
- Not documented
- SDKs
- Not documented
- Streaming
- Not documented
- Batch processing
- Not documented
- Structured output
- Not documented
- Tool / function calling
- Not documented
- Commercial use
- See the provider terms
- Data retention & privacy
- See the provider privacy terms
A free Leonardo.Ai account is not the same thing as free API access. Unless a free API quota is listed above, API calls are billed separately.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
- Generous entry point with daily tokens
- Strong for game and asset workflows
- API credits never expire
Disadvantages
- Ownership terms differ between free and paid (sources conflict)
- Annual pricing not confirmed on the live page
- Token costs vary by model
Privacy: Free-tier images may be used by Leonardo; paid plans give full ownership and private generation.
Real-world examples
A marketer producing campaign images in volume
- Subscribe to Premium
- Use fast tokens for high-res generations
- Edit in the canvas
- Keep outputs private and fully owned
needs paid plan
A developer building an image feature
- Load API credit with a top-up
- Call the generation endpoint
- Enable auto top-up to avoid paused requests
needs API key
Leonardo.Ai alternatives
Midjourney
Subscription image generator known for stylised, high-detail artwork, with short image-to-video animation.
Leonardo.Ai vs MidjourneyAdobe Firefly
Adobe's generative AI studio for images, video, audio and vectors, combining Adobe's own models with partner models.
Leonardo.Ai vs Adobe FireflyStable Diffusion (Stability AI)
Stability AI's open-weight image models, also available through a credit-based API.
Leonardo.Ai vs Stable Diffusion (Stability AI)Canva AI (Magic Studio)
Online design platform with built-in AI tools for generating, editing and resizing designs.
Leonardo.Ai vs Canva AI (Magic Studio)Frequently asked questions
Is Leonardo.Ai free?
Yes. The free plan refreshes tokens daily and includes models such as Phoenix and Lucid Origin.
Can I use free Leonardo images commercially?
Leonardo's FAQ says yes, but its pricing page notes Leonardo retains rights to use free-tier images. Paid plans give full ownership.
How much are Leonardo plans?
Essential $12, Premium $30 and Ultimate $60 per month, with 8,500, 25,000 and 60,000 fast tokens.
How does the API work?
It is pay-as-you-go: you load API credit manually or by auto top-up, credits do not expire, and requests pause at zero balance.
Is Leonardo part of Canva?
Yes. Canva Business includes access to Leonardo.Ai's Essential plan.
Are API credits the same as tokens?
No. The web app uses tokens, which expire, while the API uses separate API credits, which do not.