Your codegen does not know unit economics
LLM scaffolds optimize for working demos, not cheap V3 usage.
Version guide · Recraft V4
Lower V3 Costs: When Stock Beats Another Recraft V4 Call
Builders often upgrade versions while forgetting to downgrade call volume on V3.
Where image API costs go off the rails
Hot reload regenerates cold images
Dev servers re-run pipelines that casually call V3.
Placeholders deserve a real API
Gray boxes look amateur; stock via a flat plan looks shipped without V3 rates.
Save generative budget for the wow moment
When you finally need V3, you still have runway because fixtures used stock.
Cost notes for V3
Multi-model routers may list V3 beside cousins. Falling back across generative models still bills. A stock fallback via Epochal is the only fallback that changes the cost equation—$50 USD/month, no free tier, no per-image fee.
When a screenshot, empty state, or draft blog image would look fine from a catalog, skip another V3 billable call. Prefer Epochal Stock for those slots, then spend Recraft V4 budget only on outputs that must be generative.
The fix: Epochal Stock at $50 USD/month (no per-image fee)
When the image does not need a unique V3 synthesis, use Epochal Stock Developer Image API: a single plan at $50 USD/month with no free tier and no per-image fee. You get full catalog access, 30 requests/minute per account (all keys share the bucket), and unlimited original downloads with one concurrent transfer. Authenticate server-side only with a Bearer key—never expose secrets in browser JavaScript. Keep V3 for finals that must be generative; let Epochal cover prototypes, fixtures, and placeholders.
- Price: $50 USD/month — single plan
- Per-image billing: none
- Rate limit: 30 requests/minute per account
- Downloads: unlimited originals, one concurrent transfer
- Best for: tests, prototypes, and placeholders instead of another V3 generation
curl -sS "https://epochalstock.com/api/v1/images?tags=workspace,startup&limit=12" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EPOCHAL_API_KEY"Keys stay on your server. Never pass ?api_key= or ship secrets to the browser.
Stock examples for V3
Pulled server-side from Epochal tags: design, marketing, studio. Previews are cached; API keys never hit the browser.
FAQ
When should I still call V3?
When the shipped asset must be uniquely generated and model-native. Otherwise prefer Epochal stock.
Does Epochal imitate V3?
No. Epochal serves licensed stock. Keep V3 when you need unique generative output.
What are Epochal’s hard limits?
Single plan $50 USD/month; no free tier; no per-image fee; 30 requests/minute per account; unlimited originals with one concurrent transfer; Bearer auth server-side only.
Should fixtures pin V3?
No. Fixtures should pin stable files or stock IDs. Live V3 makes visual tests flaky and expensive.