Software · head to head
Black Forest Labs vs Spline

Black Forest Labs
Software
Frontier AI lab behind the FLUX family of image, video, and audio generation models
- From
- $0.17/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Spline has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Black Forest Labs open weights licensing tiers (Builder, Platform, Professional) do not list public prices, requiring sales contact for most volumes.; Spline aI generation features produce inconsistent and often distorted results, failing at basic depth perception tasks
- They diverge on capability: Black Forest Labs covers FLUX 3 image generation, Spline covers 3D modeling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Black Forest Labs and Spline actually diverge.
| Attribute | Black Forest Labs | Spline |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0.17/month | Free |
| Pricing model | usage-based | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | web, api | Web, iOS, Android, visionOS |
| Founded | Unknown | 2020 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Black Forest Labs
- FLUX 3 image generation
- Video generation
- Synchronized audio generation
- Open weights
- Action-prediction
- Fine-tuning and LoRA rights
- Pricing calculator
Only in Spline
- 3D modeling
- Real-time collaboration
- Animations
- Interactions
- Code export
- React
- Next.js
- Webflow
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Black Forest Labs
- Generating high-fidelity images via API for production appsnot Spline
- Self-hosting open-weight FLUX models on private infrastructurenot Spline
- Producing short branded video clips with synchronized audionot Spline
- Robotics research using action-prediction modelsnot Spline
Spline
- Web 3D experiencesnot Black Forest Labs
- Interactive prototypesnot Black Forest Labs
- Product visualizationnot Black Forest Labs
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Black Forest Labs
- Open weights licensing tiers (Builder, Platform, Professional) do not list public prices, requiring sales contact for most volumes.
- Video generation pricing per second can become costly for longer or higher-resolution outputs compared to subscription-based competitors.
- No consumer subscription plan; pricing is oriented toward developers and enterprises rather than casual creators.
Spline
- AI generation features produce inconsistent and often distorted results, failing at basic depth perception tasks
- Limited to simpler designs - not suitable for high-poly, detailed production models
- Performance degrades with complex scenes containing many objects and materials
- Limited non-Apple platform coverage compared to cross-platform design tools
- Tutorials are either too fast for beginners or too basic for advanced users
Pricing, plan by plan
Black Forest Labs
$0.17/month- API (video)$0.17/month
- $0.17 per second of generated video
- Builder$undefined/mo
- FLUX.2 [klein] models
- 10K images/month
- 1 domain, 10 licensed users
- Platform$undefined/mo
- FLUX.2 [klein] 9B + FLUX.2 [dev]
- 100K images/month
- 1 domain, 10 licensed users
- Professional$undefined/mo
- FLUX.2 [dev] open weights license
- 100K images/month
- Up to 3 domains, 10 licensed users
Spline
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited projects
- Basic exports
- Community support
- Pro$9/month
- Advanced exports
- Custom domains
- Password protection
- Team$19/month
- Team collaboration
- Version control
- Admin controls
Which should you pick?
Choose Black Forest Labs if
- You need flux 3 image generation.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want video generation.
Choose Spline if
- You need 3d modeling.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, visionOS.
- You also want real-time collaboration.
Questions people ask
- Is Black Forest Labs or Spline better?
- Neither clearly leads. Black Forest Labs starts at $0.17/month and Spline at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Black Forest Labs or Spline?
- Spline has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.17/month for Black Forest Labs and Free for Spline.
- Does Black Forest Labs or Spline run on more platforms?
- Black Forest Labs runs on web, api. Spline runs on Web, iOS, Android, visionOS.
- Can I use Spline for free?
- Yes. Spline has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Black Forest Labs starts at $0.17/month.
- What is Black Forest Labs best used for?
- Black Forest Labs is most often used for generating high-fidelity images via api for production apps, self-hosting open-weight flux models on private infrastructure, producing short branded video clips with synchronized audio, robotics research using action-prediction models. Of those, generating high-fidelity images via api for production apps and self-hosting open-weight flux models on private infrastructure are not what Spline is typically brought in for.
- What can Black Forest Labs do that Spline cannot?
- Black Forest Labs covers FLUX 3 image generation, Video generation, Synchronized audio generation, Open weights. Spline covers 3D modeling, Real-time collaboration, Animations, Interactions.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Black Forest Labs: How much does Black Forest Labs' API cost?
The API is pay-as-you-go with no subscription required; video generation costs $0.17 per second, so a 5-second HD clip costs about $0.85.
SourceSpline: What is Spline's pricing?
Spline offers a Free plan with watermarked web exports, Starter at $12/month (billed annually) removing watermarks, Professional at $20/month with unlimited projects, and Enterprise with custom pricing. Viewers are unlimited on all plans.
SourceBlack Forest Labs: Is there a free plan?
No free tier is offered; the pricing page lists only pay-as-you-go API usage and paid open-weights licensing tiers starting with Builder.
SourceSpline: Can Spline export 3D models to other tools?
Spline's export/import format support is more limited compared to traditional 3D tools like Blender. It focuses on web-first exports and native app code generation.
SourceBlack Forest Labs: What do the open-weights licensing tiers include?
Builder includes FLUX.2 [klein] models with 10K images/month for one domain; Platform and Professional raise the cap to 100K images/month and add FLUX.2 [dev] access and fine-tuning rights.
SourceBlack Forest Labs: Can I self-host FLUX models?
Yes, open weights licenses let teams download and self-host FLUX.2 [klein] and FLUX.2 [dev] models on their own infrastructure under the Builder, Platform, and Professional tiers.
SourceBlack Forest Labs: How do I get enterprise or high-volume pricing?
Enterprise plans covering custom volume, all model releases, and SLA guarantees are not published and require contacting Black Forest Labs' sales team directly.
SourceRelated pages
More on Black Forest Labs
Keep looking
Other head to heads
- Black Forest Labs vs Pika
- Black Forest Labs vs Anthropic API
- Black Forest Labs vs D-ID
- Black Forest Labs vs Fathom
- Black Forest Labs vs Stable Diffusion
- Black Forest Labs vs Perplexity
- Black Forest Labs vs Arize AI
- Black Forest Labs vs Cartesia
- Black Forest Labs vs Deepgram
- Black Forest Labs vs Helicone
- Black Forest Labs vs Ideogram
- Black Forest Labs vs Jasper
- Black Forest Labs vs PromptLayer
- Black Forest Labs vs Resemble AI
- Black Forest Labs vs Together AI
- Black Forest Labs vs AI21 Labs
- Black Forest Labs vs Copy.ai
- Black Forest Labs vs HeyGen
- Black Forest Labs vs Adobe Illustrator
- Black Forest Labs vs Affinity Designer
- Black Forest Labs vs Gravit Designer
- Black Forest Labs vs Linearity Curve
- Black Forest Labs vs ProtoPie
- Black Forest Labs vs Playground AI
- Black Forest Labs vs Corel Painter
- Black Forest Labs vs Rive
- Black Forest Labs vs Abstract
- Black Forest Labs vs Balsamiq Wireframes
- Black Forest Labs vs Krea
- Black Forest Labs vs Magnific
- Black Forest Labs vs Marvel
- Black Forest Labs vs PaintTool SAI
- Black Forest Labs vs Subframe
- Black Forest Labs vs Vectr
- Black Forest Labs vs Zeplin
- Spline vs Pika
- Spline vs Anthropic API
- Spline vs D-ID
- Spline vs Fathom
- Spline vs Stable Diffusion
- Spline vs Perplexity
- Spline vs Arize AI
- Spline vs Cartesia
- Spline vs Deepgram
- Spline vs Helicone
- Spline vs Ideogram
- Spline vs Jasper
- Spline vs PromptLayer
- Spline vs Resemble AI
- Spline vs Together AI
- Spline vs AI21 Labs
- Spline vs Copy.ai
- Spline vs HeyGen
- Spline vs Adobe Illustrator
- Spline vs Affinity Designer
- Spline vs Gravit Designer
- Spline vs Linearity Curve
- Spline vs ProtoPie
- Spline vs Playground AI
- Spline vs Corel Painter
- Spline vs Rive
- Spline vs Abstract
- Spline vs Balsamiq Wireframes
- Spline vs Krea
- Spline vs Magnific
- Spline vs Marvel
- Spline vs PaintTool SAI
- Spline vs Subframe
- Spline vs Vectr
- Spline vs Zeplin

