Recraft

What is Recraft?

Recraft is an AI image generation platform with a rare specialty: it is vector-native. Instead of only producing raster images, it can generate true vector graphics such as SVG files, which means logos, icons and illustrations that scale cleanly and stay editable in tools like Illustrator and Figma.

The company behind it was founded by Anna Veronika Dorogush, a former machine learning researcher, and the platform quickly earned a reputation for style control. You can generate multiple images that share a consistent look, or train your own brand style, which is a huge deal for teams that need matching assets.

Recraft's models have also topped independent text-to-image leaderboards, most notably Recraft V3 in late 2024. The web app is friendly enough for beginners, while the API lets developers build generation into their own products.

Key Features

• True vector output: downloadable SVG files that scale to any size
• Style consistency: generate a series of images that share the same look
• Custom brand styles and reference-based art direction
• Icon and logo generation with clean shapes and flat colors
• Background removal and image editing tools
• Upscaling for high-resolution exports
• Mockup generation for shirts, posters and packaging
• API access for developers and product teams

How to get started

Create a free account at recraft.ai and you land in a prompt-based editor. Type a description of the image you want, optionally pick a style or upload a reference, and Recraft generates a set of options. Choose your favorite and export it as PNG or SVG.

For consistent branding work, try the brand style feature: upload a few samples of your art and Recraft learns the look. The API works the same way programmatically, with an API key and simple image generation endpoints.

• Sign up at recraft.ai with email or Google
• Write a prompt and pick a style or reference image
• Generate and pick your favorite variation
• Export as PNG or scalable SVG
• Create a brand style for consistent future generations

Use cases

• Logos, icons and complete icon sets for apps and websites
• Illustrations that match a product's existing visual style
• Marketing assets like banners, posters and social graphics
• Game UI icons and interface elements
• Stickers and merchandise designs with clean vector shapes
• Product mockups for e-commerce and pitches

Pricing and licensing

Recraft runs a freemium model: the free tier gives you a monthly credit allowance that is enough to learn the tool and test ideas, while paid plans add more credits, higher resolution, commercial use and faster generation. Teams can manage multiple seats and shared brand styles.

Exact credit amounts and prices change as the company ships new models, so check recraft.ai for current numbers. Paid tiers include commercial usage rights, which is what most businesses care about.

Pros and cons

The vector output is the standout: almost nobody else delivers editable, infinitely scalable SVG from AI, and the style consistency features are genuinely useful for real design work rather than one-off images. The leaderboard-topping model quality is a nice bonus.

The trade-offs are the credit economy, which makes heavy iteration expensive, and the fact that the strongest features live behind the paid tiers. If you just want a single striking raster image, a general-purpose generator may be faster.

Alternatives

• Adobe Illustrator with Firefly: vector design plus generative AI inside a pro tool
• Midjourney: more artistic raster results for creative exploration
• Ideogram: better at rendering legible text in images
• Leonardo AI: strong for game assets and characters
• Kittl: design-first platform with AI generation for graphics