Last updated: 2026-08-14
Recraft is a browser-based AI design platform that generates editable raster images and native vector graphics (SVG) from text prompts. Recraft V3 placed first on the Artificial Analysis text-to-image benchmark in October 2024, and unlike most AI image tools it exports production-ready vector files instead of flat raster output.
About Recraft
Recraft is an AI design platform from the London startup of the same name, built by former CatBoost creator Anna Veronika Dorogush. It turns a text prompt or a reference image into an editable raster image, a native vector graphic, an icon set, a simple mockup, or a short 3D render, all inside one browser canvas rather than a chat window that spits out a flat PNG. The mechanism that sets Recraft apart from a typical text-to-image generator is native SVG output: instead of a raster file that needs to be manually traced into paths, Recraft's own V3 and V4.1 models generate vector geometry directly, so a logo or icon comes out already editable in point-and-path form. A brand-style feature lets a team upload reference images, lock a color palette and line weight, and have every later generation match that visual language automatically, and the same canvas also gives access to third-party models such as Flux, Imagen and GPT Image without leaving the app. It is best suited to in-house design and marketing teams producing logos, icon sets, social graphics, and mockups where the deliverable needs to stay on-brand and stay editable, rather than solo creators chasing one striking hero image. Design teams at companies including Netflix, HubSpot, Asana and Airbus use it for exactly that kind of repeatable, on-brand output. Recraft's free plan keeps every image public with no commercial license; paid plans switch to private generations with full commercial rights, and vector output costs roughly double the credits of an equivalent raster image. The product runs in any browser plus native iOS and Android apps, and a separate REST API and hosted MCP server let developers or AI agents call the same generation and editing endpoints directly. Recraft added Model Context Protocol support in mid-2025, so tools like Claude and Cursor can call its image and vector endpoints as an agent tool rather than through the web canvas, and in December 2025 it added an agentic mode that lets a user describe an edit in plain language instead of manipulating layers by hand.
Pricing
Free: $0/mo, 50 credits/day, public images only, no commercial rights. Basic: $10/mo, 1,000 credits/mo. Advanced: $27/mo, 4,000 credits/mo. Pro: $48/mo, 8,400 credits/mo plus video generation. Paid plans include full commercial rights and private generations; annual billing saves about 20%, and credit top-ups cost $4 per 400 credits.
Key Features
- Native vector generation: Recraft V3 and V4.1 generate SVG files with real anchor points and paths directly from a prompt, skipping the raster-to-vector tracing step most competitors require.
- Brand style locking: Upload reference images to lock a color palette and line weight into a custom style, then every later generation in that project reuses the same visual language automatically.
- Multi-model canvas: The same canvas calls third-party models including Flux, Imagen, GPT Image and Sora alongside Recraft's own models, so a designer never switches tabs to compare outputs.
- Built-in editing toolkit: Background removal, image upscaling, inpainting and a standalone vectorizer for existing raster files all live in the same workspace as generation.
- MCP agent access: A hosted Model Context Protocol server lets Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients call Recraft's generation and editing endpoints directly, without opening the web app.
- Mobile apps: Native iOS and Android apps sync projects, styles and credits with the web canvas, though several editing tools like inpainting stay web-only.
Pros
- Only major AI design tool that exports production-ready native SVG vector files instead of a flat raster image, which is why Netflix, HubSpot and Asana design teams use it for logos and icon sets.
- Consolidates text-to-image, vectorization, background removal, upscaling and style management in a single workspace, cutting the number of separate tools a design team needs to license.
- Recraft V3 topped the Artificial Analysis text-to-image leaderboard on release, and the product holds a 4.6 rating on G2 across 445 reviews.
Cons
- Vector output frequently needs manual cleanup, since generated SVGs can carry excessive anchor points and redundant layers that add real time to a professional handoff.
- The free plan locks every generation to a public gallery with no commercial license, so private, commercially usable output requires upgrading to a paid plan.
- Mobile apps are missing several web features, including inpainting, model presets and full upscaling controls, so serious edits still require a desktop-sized screen.
- Trustpilot reviews skew far more negative than G2 or Product Hunt, with complaints about inconsistent results on complex prompts and slow customer support.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Recraft cost in 2026?
Recraft costs $10/month for the Basic plan (1,000 credits), $27/month for Advanced (4,000 credits), and $48/month for Pro (8,400 credits plus video generation), with about 20% off on annual billing. Credit top-ups add 400 extra credits for $4, and a single vector export burns about twice the credits of a same-size raster file.
Is Recraft free to use?
The free plan includes 50 credits a day, enough for a handful of images, but every generation is public and comes with no commercial license. Paid plans switch that image to private and add full commercial rights the moment you subscribe, even mid-month.
What are the best alternatives to Recraft?
Midjourney is the stronger pick for a single photorealistic hero image, and Ideogram edges it out on in-image typography alone. Adobe Firefly is the safer choice for teams that need Adobe's commercial-use indemnification inside an existing Creative Cloud subscription. Choose Recraft over all three when the deliverable has to leave the canvas as an editable, on-brand vector file.
How does Recraft compare to Midjourney in 2026?
Midjourney still produces the more consistently photorealistic image on a single prompt, and its Discord-native community has far more prompt templates and presets. Recraft wins the moment the job needs a real vector file, an SVG logo or icon set, rather than a flat picture, since Midjourney has no native vector export at all.
How do you get started with Recraft?
Create a free account at recraft.ai with an email or Google login to reach the browser canvas, no credit card required. From there, type a prompt or upload a reference image to set a brand style, and developers can skip the UI and call the same generation models through the Recraft API or its hosted MCP server.
Top Alternatives
- Midjourney: Pick Recraft if you need an editable native vector file; pick Midjourney if you only need the single most photorealistic raster image.
- Ideogram: Pick Ideogram if in-image typography is the only requirement; pick Recraft when that text also has to ship as an editable SVG logo or icon.
- Adobe Firefly: Pick Adobe Firefly if you need indemnified commercial-use guarantees inside Creative Cloud; pick Recraft for a cheaper, browser-native vector workflow outside the Adobe ecosystem.
- Flux: Pick Flux for the lowest-cost raw image generation at API scale; pick Recraft when the deliverable itself needs to be an editable brand asset, not just a picture.