16-megapixel image: Sume upscale $0.20 vs FLUX.3 4k generation $0.607

If you need a roughly 16-megapixel image, Sume's image upscale costs $0.20 per image, while generating a FLUX.3 4k image at Black Forest Labs costs $0.607. For 100 images that is $20.00 against $60.70. The two are not the same job: upscaling starts from an image you already have, and generation starts from a prompt. When you already hold a good 1K image, the upscale is the cheaper way to reach a large file.

Sume's catalog describes the upscale price as $0.20 per image after Sume margin, with about 16 megapixels of generative output reserved. BFL's page calls its 4k step about 16 megapixels. Those two figures line up, which is why this comparison is worth making.

The numbers side by side

Read the Sume figure as a flat per-image price. The catalog states it as $0.20 per image, with a minimum and a maximum that are both 20 cents.

Upscale or regenerate

Nano Banana 2.1 at 4K and image upscale both cost $0.20, so the decision is not about price. Regeneration changes the picture, because the model draws a new image from your prompt. Upscale keeps the composition you approved and adds pixels. If the client already signed off on a 1K draft, upscale it. If you are still exploring, generate small first and upscale only the winners.

A simple budget: 100 drafts at Seedream 5 Lite ($4.375) plus 10 upscaled winners ($2.00) comes to $6.375, which is far under the $60.70 you would pay to generate the same ten pieces at FLUX.3 4k with no drafts. That arithmetic ignores the quality of either path, so run a trial.

A 100-image example

Take 100 product photos that already exist at 1K. Upscaling all of them on Sume costs $20.00 (100 times $0.20). Regenerating them at FLUX.3 4k would cost $60.70, and it would not preserve the photos at all. Add background removal first at $0.0225 per image and the Sume path is $22.25 for 100 cutouts at large size. Nothing in that chain depends on image size, since the catalog lists both fixed prices per image.

Calling the upscale

Sume exposes image upscale at POST /v1/image-upscale-1.0/upscale, and the job result comes from the standard job endpoints. In MCP the tool is image_upscale_create, which is a paid tool that needs an idempotency_key. See MCP tools and gates for the full list, and the jobs and results guide for polling.

BFL's credit price can change, so confirm it on the BFL pricing page before you plan a large run. Sume does not list FLUX.3, so the comparison is a price check only.