AI Image Generator: every model, compared

Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash-powered text-to-image generator. Supports reference images for subject consistency and produces clean, well-composed shots with the prompt-following accuracy you'd expect from a Gemini-grounded model. A solid pick for fast iteration when you don't need 4K output or the multi-reference workflow that Nano Banana 2 introduces.

Google's previous-generation Imagen text-to-image model. Strong on natural lighting and skin tones with a documentary photographic feel, but supplanted by Imagen 4 and Imagen 4 Ultra on prompt adherence and text rendering. Reasonable choice when you want the older Imagen aesthetic specifically — otherwise step up to Imagen 4.

Google's mid-tier flagship in the Imagen series. Delivers stronger prompt adherence and improved text rendering over Imagen 3, with the photorealistic skin tones and natural lighting Imagen is known for. Sits below Imagen 4 Ultra on overall quality and above Imagen 3 on instruction-following — a pragmatic default for product, ecommerce, and editorial photography.

ByteDance's earlier Seedream image model with native 2K output and a recognizable cinematic look. Useful when you specifically want the early-Seedream aesthetic — fashion editorial, Asian-cinema mood, vibrant stylization. For most production use cases Seedream 4, 4.5, or 5 Lite outperform it on detail and prompt adherence.

ByteDance's evolution of Seedream — refined character work, fashion-grade outputs, and the cinematic stylization the line is known for, now with reference-image support. Strong choice for editorial campaigns, music-video stills, and stylized portraiture where mood and color palette matter more than literal photographic realism.

OpenAI's first standalone text-to-image model. Best-in-class typography rendering at the time of release — making it well-suited to posters, packaging mockups, and text-heavy designs — though GPT Image 1.5 and 2 supersede it on photorealism and instruction-following. Still worth picking when you want the original GPT Image aesthetic for typographic work specifically.

The mid-quality tier of OpenAI's GPT Image 1.5. Improved photorealism and instruction-following over GPT Image 1 at a more reasonable cost than GPT Image 1.5 High. Solid pick for ads, packaging, and marketing creative when GPT Image 2 pricing is excessive.

The high-quality tier of OpenAI's GPT Image 1.5 mid-generation release. Improved photorealism over GPT Image 1 with the same industry-leading text rendering, ideal for ads, packaging, and editorial layouts where typography and image quality both matter. Surpassed by GPT Image 2 High for premium work but cheaper at the high tier.

OpenAI's GPT Image 2 budget tier. Same model architecture as GPT Image 2 Medium and High at a fraction of the cost — useful for high-volume iteration, draft generation, and exploration before committing to higher tiers for finals.

Black Forest Labs' fastest, lowest-cost Flux variant. Built for rapid prototyping, moodboards, and high-volume batch generation where speed and credit cost matter more than raw fidelity. Open-weight and well-supported in the community, with extensive prompt-pattern documentation accumulated since the original Flux release.

Black Forest Labs' workhorse flagship before the Flux 2 release. Strong stylization range across photorealistic and illustrated work with broad community knowledge of prompt patterns — a known quantity for production workflows. Edged out by Flux 2 Pro on detail and prompt adherence but still cost-competitive for everyday creative.

Black Forest Labs' instruction-based image editor — describe an edit in plain English ('replace the background with a sunset beach', 'change the shirt to red') and get a clean result that preserves the rest of the scene. Strong identity and lighting consistency makes it production-ready for outfit swaps, background replacement, and prop changes.

The premium Flux Kontext tier from Black Forest Labs. Improved typography handling and stronger scene understanding than Flux Kontext Pro, suited to complex multi-step edits, art-directed photo manipulations, and edits involving on-image text. Pick this when Pro's results aren't sticking the landing on harder transformations.

Alibaba's Wan 2.2 image-generation model with cinematic 2MP output in seconds. Open-weight, with the same Wan-line stylization that the video model is known for. Useful for rapid concept work and budget-tier generation when speed and cost matter more than top-tier fidelity.

Alibaba's Asian-trained text-to-image model with notable strength in complex multilingual text rendering — Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters render reliably where most Western models struggle. Open-weight, with broad stylization range. Useful for content targeting Asian markets or any project requiring native-script typography in generated imagery.

Recraft's design-focused flagship, built around design taste rather than photorealism. Best-in-class typography rendering for an image model alongside strong prompt accuracy and art-directed composition. The natural choice for posters, packaging, brand assets, and any creative where text and graphic design matter as much as the image.

Recraft V4 in SVG output mode — generates production-ready vector images you can edit directly in Figma or Illustrator. Built for logos, icons, and scalable design assets where the output needs to be vector from the start. Unique in the AI image space; most models output rasters that don't trace cleanly.

Recraft's previous-generation realism model with strong long-form text rendering and photorealistic outputs. Surpassed by Recraft V4 on overall design taste and prompt accuracy, but still useful when you want the older Recraft V3 aesthetic specifically. Same checkpoint underneath as the V3 Digital Illustration variant.

Recraft V3 in digital-illustration mode — consistent stylized output for editorial spot art, blog imagery, and content series. Useful when you need a series of images with a unified illustrated treatment rather than photorealism. Lower-cost than Recraft V4 if the simpler V3 aesthetic fits the brief.

Ideogram's typography-focused image generator at the V3 release. Best-in-class text rendering at a lower cost than GPT Image, with photorealistic outputs that work for posters, packaging, and text-prominent ad creative. The natural choice when you need accurate on-image typography but GPT Image 2 pricing is excessive.

Ideogram V3 tuned for digital illustration — typography-aware editorial spot art and blog imagery with consistent stylized treatment. Same V3 checkpoint as the realism variant; the illustration mode just shifts default style. Cheaper than Recraft for editorial content where text legibility matters.