Use the Z Image API via RunAPI with a model skill, unified auth, and pay-as-you-go pricing.
curl -X POST https://runapi.ai/api/v1/z_image/text_to_image \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $RUNAPI_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "z-image",
"prompt": "Generate a clean product shot of white sneakers on a gradient background, studio lighting."
}'import { ZImageClient } from "@runapi.ai/z-image";
const client = new ZImageClient();
const result = await client.textToImage.run({
model: "z-image",
prompt: "Generate a clean product shot of white sneakers on a gradient background, studio lighting.",
});<?php
require __DIR__ . "/vendor/autoload.php";
use RunApi\ZImage\ZImageClient;
$client = new ZImageClient();
$result = $client->textToImage->run([
'model' => 'z-image',
'prompt' => 'Generate a clean product shot of white sneakers on a gradient background, studio lighting.',
]);require "runapi/z_image"
client = RunApi::ZImage::Client.new
result = client.text_to_image.run(
model: "z-image",
prompt: "Generate a clean product shot of white sneakers on a gradient background, studio lighting."
)npx skills add runapi-ai/z-image -g# Claude Code
claude mcp add runapi -s user -- npx -y @runapi.ai/mcp
# Codex
codex plugin install runapi-mcp@agents
# Cursor / Windsurf / VS Code
npx @runapi.ai/mcp init cursorZ Image is Alibaba's ultra-fast text-to-image model that generates images in approximately 1 second using 8 inference steps. It prioritizes generation speed while maintaining coherent, high-quality outputs.
| Model ID | z-image |
| Provider | Alibaba |
| Modality | image |
| Task type | asynchronous |
| Billing unit | call |
| API endpoint | /api/v1/z_image/text_to_image |
| Commercial license | Yes — included via API |
| Catalog status | Operational |
Sign up and generate an API key from the dashboard.
Choose the version that best matches your quality and cost requirements.
Submit your prompt and parameters to the model's documented endpoint.
Poll the task or set a webhook, then download the completed output.
Z Image is Alibaba's speed-optimized text-to-image model, generating results very fast. Through RunAPI, it shares the same API shape and billing as all Alibaba models.
A single RunAPI API key unlocks the whole model catalog across all providers. No separate accounts to create, no API keys to rotate per integration, and no credential management overhead. Add a new model to your app by changing one parameter.
Per-call pricing in USD, billed monthly into a single invoice. No subscription tiers, no minimum spend, and failed generations are never charged. The pricing page and check_pricing API show exact costs before you commit to a model.
Typed schemas, parameter constraints, and setup notes are packaged in the model skill so your implementation starts from the right contract. The skill loads into Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, and VS Code — your agent knows the correct request shape before you write a line of code.
Approximately 1 second using 8 inference steps — one of the fastest text-to-image models available.
Z Image produces photorealistic, coherent images suitable for production use. For maximum fidelity on complex scenes, consider Qwen 2 or Imagen 4.
Z Image uses a distilled architecture that runs in just 8 inference steps, dramatically reducing generation time while maintaining visual coherence.
Standard resolution suitable for web and social media. For higher-resolution needs, pair Z Image with Topaz upscaling.
Yes — its speed makes it ideal for high-volume pipelines like e-commerce catalogs, social media assets, and thumbnail generation.
Pick the cheapest variant that meets your quality bar. Most teams start on the fast variant and graduate to pro for production.