Gemini image token calculator
Estimate how many input tokens an image costs on Gemini (2.x / 3 family), and whether packaging your prompt as an image beats sending it as text.
| Model family | Image tokens (est.) | vs 2,000 text tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini | ~258 | 87% fewer tokens |
Formulas: Gemini — 258 tokens per 768×768 tile (small images count as one tile). Estimates only, before any wrapper instructions or caching — verify with the provider's token-counting API. See our methodology.
Common sizes on Gemini
| Square image | Estimated tokens | Beats text longer than |
|---|---|---|
| 384×384 | ~258 | ~258 text tokens |
| 500×500 | ~258 | ~258 text tokens |
| 512×512 | ~258 | ~258 text tokens |
| 768×768 | ~258 | ~258 text tokens |
| 1024×1024 | ~1,032 | ~1,032 text tokens |
Notes and caveats
The flat per-tile pricing makes Gemini unusual: within one tile, resolution is free. Rendering your prompt at 768×768 instead of 500×500 costs nothing extra and gives the model meaningfully larger text to read.
Past one tile, cost steps up in 258-token increments per 768-pixel band, so a two-tile-wide layout doubles the price. Keep pages square and within single-tile bounds when possible.
These are input-side estimates before wrapper instructions, caching, latency, retries and accuracy effects. Token rules are model-version-specific and change — verify with the provider's token-counting endpoint, and read when not to convert prompts to images before shipping this in production.
Try it on a real prompt
The visual prompt compressor gives you a live Gemini-specific estimate, flags exact identifiers that shouldn't go into a lossy image, and exports the PNG plus the original .txt — all locally in your browser.
Last updated July 15, 2026 · Estimates are derived from provider documentation and can change — see methodology.