Firefly Image Model 5vs.Qwen-Image-2.1

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Firefly Image Model 5 has no arena rating yet. Neither has an API price.

Test images

Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.

Firefly Image Model 5: Infographic, first image from the fixed test run — Firefly Image Model 515 out of 100

Qwen-Image-2.1: Infographic, first image from the fixed test run — Qwen-Image-2.183 out of 100

Result for “Infographic”:Qwen-Image-2.1 ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square German infographic titled SO FUNKTIONIERT PHOTOSYNTHESE. Show exactly four numbered steps in this order: 1 LICHT, 2 WASSER, 3 CO₂, 4 ZUCKER + SAUERSTOFF. Use a clean editorial science style with one plant cross-section, simple arrows, high contrast, legible labels, and no other text.

What the rating looks at: Numbers, labels, and visual organization.

“Ahead”: better in all three rating rounds. “Slightly ahead”: a higher value, but not in every round.

Test protocol of the images

Each test attempt uses the same archived prompt and one request. The first output of that attempt counts. Repeats after technical test failures are disclosed for the affected images. Files are normalized to 1,024 × 1,024 pixels without cropping. Provider resolution, randomness, quality tier and prompt processing can still differ. The images are a practical visual test, not a reconstruction of the arena configuration.

Character and detail

Firefly Image Model 5: manual, one request, first output, Firefly Image 5, 1:1, 1K, no reference image, no negative prompt, 10 Adobe credits, generated Aug 16, 2026, 12:14 PM. Source

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=1591420783, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6

Firefly Image Model 5 image SHA 256: 6a8e97db33824727599cf62339ff714cfb836a96a5f078010bb7760d7372f3d4

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: b29bb7e207ad464957ee060bbf0655104bcbece703360254e48daa3ec35a62d7

Infographic

Firefly Image Model 5: manual, one request, first output, Firefly Image 5, 1:1, 1K, no reference image, no negative prompt, 10 Adobe credits, generated Aug 16, 2026, 12:14 PM. Source

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=1283422012, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, prior anonymous attempt refused before inference (ZeroGPU quota), completed through authenticated browser, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f

Firefly Image Model 5 image SHA 256: 8fa6d9b40c417847061ec33d789ad5bf91f1e85da586515c6226ce6db825d1ba

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 316e38ed63ff401f86a7ceee9cc65c74413e0e9c7c899a6e6bf453acc2940dac

Product photography

Firefly Image Model 5: manual, one request, first output, Firefly Image 5, 1:1, 1K, no reference image, no negative prompt, 10 Adobe credits, generated Aug 16, 2026, 12:14 PM. Source

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=196359631, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3

Firefly Image Model 5 image SHA 256: c36dab49ebe40473fa9e9a61b2b02fe36c4cd3536cbb6aac1d0ad0f8944d8bfc

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 041f559d4261865b327fcae4f8bb0bd3b176c55a3b1255a042ab3e0fc4f9bc4b

Typography and layout

Firefly Image Model 5: manual, one request, first output, Firefly Image 5, 1:1, 1K, no reference image, no negative prompt, 10 Adobe credits, generated Aug 16, 2026, 12:14 PM. Source

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=158818011, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419

Firefly Image Model 5 image SHA 256: cf8a921a221de5e456df2311482fc999303f5438270fb1a77c1be2dd3d9afc0b

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 4670269190f492154c05e3f18c4eb9e3938910ca1aca32503b6a1ceb16d39b38

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Firefly Image Model 5

not in the arena

1,225

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 14 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Firefly Image Model 5

Rank 58 of 108

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 40 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Firefly Image Model 5

no API price

n/a

Qwen-Image-2.1

no API price

Ranks among the 21 image models with an arena rating and the 108 with a GraduallyBench run; prices compared with 28 models with an API price.

Firefly Image Model 5

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, Web app.

Qwen-Image-2.1

Subscription: No Alibaba subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €9.51 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 5 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: local, Web app.
License: Open weights, Qwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate license.

Subscriptions only count plans that name exactly this model. Subscription prices include VAT, API prices are in dollars.

Arena rating (LMArena) from Oct 28, 2026 · GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · Subscription database from Sep 29, 2026 (38 days old)

All data side by side

The better value is bold. For ratings only when the gap is clear.

Kennzahl	Firefly Image Model 5	Qwen-Image-2.1
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	1,225
Arena rank	n/a	Rank 14 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	19,604
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	55	65
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	86	54
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	46	90
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	72	34
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	15	83
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	Oct 28, 2025	Sep 20, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	openQwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate license
Lifecycle	Generally available since March 19, 2026	no notice
Access	API, Web app	local, Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	4 Megapixel	2K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	n/a	5

API prices for one image at 1,024 × 1,024 pixels according to Artificial Analysis.

Sources: Firefly Image Model 5 model source, status source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · Qwen-Image-2.1 model source, status source (verified Sep 22, 2026)

Arena ratings by category

From blind votes on LMArena. “Ahead” means the lead is clear.

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

The stored benchmark database contains no measurement for Firefly Image Model 5 and Qwen-Image-2.1 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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Predecessor and successor

Firefly Image Model 5 has no successor yet
No predecessor recorded for Qwen-Image-2.1
Qwen-Image-2.1 has no successor yet

The most popular comparisons

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