FLUX.2 Flexvs.Recraft V4.1 Utility

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Recraft V4.1 Utility has no arena rating yet. FLUX.2 Flex costs 1.7 times as much per image.

Test images

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

FLUX.2 Flex: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — FLUX.2 Flex63 out of 100

Recraft V4.1 Utility: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Recraft V4.1 Utility32 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:FLUX.2 Flex ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square premium product photograph of a brushed titanium wristwatch standing upright on dark green marble. The watch has a cream dial, thin black hands set to 10:10, twelve distinct hour markers, a realistic crown, and a dark brown leather strap. Soft window light from the left, controlled reflections, shallow depth of field, no text, no logo, no extra objects.

What the rating looks at: Materials, reflections, and fine details.

“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

FLUX.2 Flex: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:25 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Utility: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default 1K resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:37 PM. Source

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

FLUX.2 Flex image SHA 256: 43b43d5782192d7284de2b824dd1caaaa6b25032d22fc3f8565d438b137089f3

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: d2ba0b86ed4214659720cdcf68ff09ca748700a32afc3d25808b6a3af74223f2

Infographic

FLUX.2 Flex: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:25 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Utility: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default 1K resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:38 PM. Source

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

FLUX.2 Flex image SHA 256: 105f60cdeb71a27021ffff1ad3c0ad919df4e5c74ad83b4628fbd64a8d795a09

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 7d383a257e5152b2781a6e5a78edd54fe55900dfb2580f85078f8142b63194c5

Product photography

FLUX.2 Flex: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:25 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Utility: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default 1K resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:37 PM. Source

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

FLUX.2 Flex image SHA 256: 9fef39b1500635ddbf78bcb8d3d9a68463ce952aa1fab89d12f6efe023907de7

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 7fd9cfe67371d0fecc6d605105ca777bec170d4d4e8dcad5b4f15f813e21c1ab

Typography and layout

FLUX.2 Flex: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:01 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Utility: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default 1K resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:05 PM. Source

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

FLUX.2 Flex image SHA 256: 324f87bf898593446a400abb43bd00eee015fa0a1dc160db0f864402fc0b38af

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 3aa0bc86cccfd2140ba4f5606f1f814a5a6ded23cb06b7aebe26f8dcf946a752

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,156

FLUX.2 Flex

Rank 16 of 21

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Utility

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

FLUX.2 Flex

Rank 11 of 108

Recraft V4.1 Utility

Rank 41 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.06

FLUX.2 Flex

fairly cheap

$0.035

Recraft V4.1 Utility

fairly cheap

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.

FLUX.2 Flex

Subscription: No Black Forest Labs subscription includes this model. Through other providers from €6.83 a month (Poe Basic, with limited points). 26 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.06 per image, 100 images $6.

Recraft V4.1 Utility

Subscription: Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.72 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). 4 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.035 per image, 100 images $3.50.

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

Arena rating (LMArena) from Nov 6, 2026 · GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · API prices from Nov 6, 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	FLUX.2 Flex	Recraft V4.1 Utility
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,156	n/a
Arena rank	Rank 16 of 21	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	156,849	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	73	65
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	98	96
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	63	32
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	75	66
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	57	64
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.06	$0.035
100 images	$6	$3.50
Profile
Released	November 2025	May 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	proprietary
Access	API, Web app	API, Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	4 Megapixel	1 Megapixel
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	26	4

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

Sources: FLUX.2 Flex model source (verified Sep 24, 2026) · Recraft V4.1 Utility model source (verified Aug 15, 2026)

Arena ratings by category

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

Arena rating per categoryfrom votes by users · higher is betterFLUX.2 FlexRecraft V4.1 Utility

Text to Image Arena1,0281,028level

Artificial Analysis from Nov 6, 2026

All individual values with sources

Rating	FLUX.2 Flex	Recraft V4.1 Utility	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,028	1,028	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 6, 2026

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Test images

The numbers at a glance

FLUX.2 Flex

Recraft V4.1 Utility

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

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