Solo dev saved ~$3k by self-hosting Krea 2 on a cheap rented GPU over API calls
mikemaina · reddit · 2026-09-30
A solo developer generating thousands of watercolor images for an Android app almost used Gemini 3.1 Flash Image's API, but the cost would have been around $3,000. Instead, he rented a cheap GPU and ran Krea 2 locally, producing thousands of style-consistent images at a negligible cost, with batch generation still running. A useful cost-comparison case for indie devs choosing between image APIs and self-hosting.
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