AI Image Generator Arena: Compare 11 Models Side-by-Side
Interactive arena comparing 11 AI image generators across 4 tests: text rendering, layout precision, iterative edits, and true 4K resolution.
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This is an interactive arena with results from our AI image generator tests: 11 models, 4 tasks, over 80 images from identical prompts. You choose a test, click two models, and compare them with a slider on a single frame. The results don’t come from votes or vendor materials - they come from measurements: text accuracy, object positioning, image similarity, and effective resolution.
Rankings like Artificial Analysis tell you which image people found prettier. Our tests check things that matter more in actual work: whether the model writes text correctly, places a product where it belongs in your layout, survives the tenth revision, and whether its “4K” is really 4K.
Arena: Compare Models Side-by-Side
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How to Use the Arena
- Choose a test at the top: text rendering, objects in boxes, 10 consecutive edits, or 4K detail.
- In the text and boxes tests, select a task, for example the milk bar menu or beach scene.
- Click two models. A single frame with a slider will appear above the grid: left side is the first model, right side is the second.
- In the boxes test, the comparison shows dashed rectangles - the locations where objects were supposed to appear.
Results Summary
| Test | Best | Weakest | What We Measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text rendering (13 tasks) | GPT Image 2.5, Nano Banana Pro, Nano Banana 2, Grok - 13/13 | Qwen-Image-2.1 - 6/13 | text reproduced letter-for-letter |
| Objects in boxes (16 tasks) | FLUX 3 Image - 16/16, IoU 0.89 | Qwen-Image-2.1 - 2/16, IoU 0.17 | overlap of specified and actual box |
| 10 consecutive edits | Ideogram 4.5 - SSIM 0.95 | Qwen-Image-2.1 - SSIM 0.11 | how much untouched area remained |
| 4K detail | FLUX 3 Image - 16.8 Mpx | Ideogram 4.5 - 0.7 Mpx | effective resolution |
No model wins everything. GPT Image 2.5 and Nano Banana handle text best (we tested in Polish), FLUX 3 maintains layout best and delivers true 4K, while Ideogram 4.5 and FLUX 3 edit best without damaging the rest of the image. Qwen-Image-2.1 is the only model we ran locally, for free, and it performs weakest in these tasks, though individual images can be very attractive.
How We Tested
- Dates: September 30 - October 2, 2026.
- Access: closed models via fal.ai API, Qwen-Image-2.1 locally on RTX 4090 (ComfyUI, int8).
- One attempt per task and model, same prompts, no cherry-picking best results.
- Measurements: text read by vision model and manually verified, object positions marked by vision model and calculated as IoU, SSIM calculated on fragments no prompt touched, effective resolution from downscaling and upscaling test.
Details of each test are in separate articles:
- Text rendering: Ideogram 4.5 vs 8 models
- Layout from boxes: FLUX 3 vs 5 models
- 10 consecutive edits: Ideogram 4.5 vs 7 models
- FLUX 3 under the microscope: 4K vs 6 models
- Qwen-Image-2.1 vs closed models
We’ll add more models to the arena with each new release. A broader overview with pricing is in our AI image generator ranking.
Google · Your sourcesQuantslant higher in your Google - one clickAdd to preferred sources →Frequently Asked Questions
Which AI image generator is best in 2026?
It depends on the task. For graphics with text, we’d choose GPT Image 2.5 or Nano Banana Pro; for projects with precise layout and large prints, FLUX 3 Image; and for a series of revisions on one image, Ideogram 4.5 or FLUX 3.
How does this arena differ from LMArena or Artificial Analysis?
Those rankings come from people voting for prettier images. Here there’s no voting - just measurements of specific capabilities on identical prompts.
Can the results change?
Yes. Each model got one attempt, so with a different seed individual images will come out differently. Large differences, like 16 vs 2 objects in position, aren’t due to chance though.
Why isn’t Midjourney included?
Midjourney doesn’t have a public API, and we run all tests with scripts so every model gets exactly the same prompt.
More on this from QUANTSLANT
benchmarks·Best Open Source Image Models 2026: FLUX 3 Klein and Qwen-Image-2.1 RankingFLUX 3 Image Klein and Qwen-Image-2.1 lead open-weight image models on Artificial Analysis (1043 and 1042 Elo, October 29, 2026).