FLUX.2 Klein 9Bvs.Stable Diffusion XL 1.0
Which one is better?
In our own test, FLUX.2 Klein 9B leads. Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 has no arena rating yet. Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 has no API price.
Test images
Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.
Result for “Product photography”:FLUX.2 Klein 9B ahead
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 Klein 9B: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1587849924, estimated cost $0.006291, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:52 PM. Source
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0: manual, local PyTorch 2.13.0, Diffusers 0.36.0; stabilityai/stable-diffusion-xl-base-1.0@462165984030d82259a11f4367a4eed129e94a7b; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=5.0, seed=268378870826470633; mps for text encoder and denoising; cpu for native VAE decode; float16 for text encoder and transformer; float32 for VAE; native tokenizer truncation: tokenizer 80 to 77 tokens, tokenizer_2 80 to 77 tokens; archived input unchanged, generated Nov 2, 2026, 6:07 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6
FLUX.2 Klein 9B image SHA 256: 84eceab680e59de6b9d4e68b3c21f6515ce093ff7d110992049e847570dd565f
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 image SHA 256: 26d3c3d3e687614e24dd12191246bc1d96c1576d31f9211840a3e02b64d4d507
Infographic
FLUX.2 Klein 9B: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1082231541, estimated cost $0.006291, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:52 PM. Source
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0: manual, local PyTorch 2.13.0, Diffusers 0.36.0; stabilityai/stable-diffusion-xl-base-1.0@462165984030d82259a11f4367a4eed129e94a7b; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=5.0, seed=5455008934753613262; mps for text encoder and denoising; cpu for native VAE decode; float16 for text encoder and transformer; float32 for VAE, generated Nov 2, 2026, 6:08 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f
FLUX.2 Klein 9B image SHA 256: 1d2eb263ca5a25794a88df7bb04f5c13e10ed9a289371d1dcc7ed6d6e0a297e2
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 image SHA 256: ebfe8d1c223478c94ff1973ab2600cd4f696b40b8c3388ca40f26f52c83afdb2
Product photography
FLUX.2 Klein 9B: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1388538280, estimated cost $0.006291, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:39 PM. Source
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0: manual, local PyTorch 2.13.0, Diffusers 0.36.0; stabilityai/stable-diffusion-xl-base-1.0@462165984030d82259a11f4367a4eed129e94a7b; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=5.0, seed=490593220006868735; mps for text encoder and denoising; cpu for native VAE decode; float16 for text encoder and transformer; float32 for VAE; native tokenizer truncation: tokenizer 80 to 77 tokens, tokenizer_2 80 to 77 tokens; archived input unchanged, generated Nov 2, 2026, 6:06 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3
FLUX.2 Klein 9B image SHA 256: e7208f19ccfb9b810b9648cb1861797b7155ad91933d1660059236cef413ebe0
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 image SHA 256: f59af9c84f6fbb3e4ca34bf87ebb0f7c088e8caa520fa4cdf815a96d1bffda83
Typography and layout
FLUX.2 Klein 9B: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1340991019, estimated cost $0.006291, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:41 PM. Source
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0: manual, local PyTorch 2.13.0, Diffusers 0.36.0; stabilityai/stable-diffusion-xl-base-1.0@462165984030d82259a11f4367a4eed129e94a7b; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=5.0, seed=253938565953989943; mps for text encoder and denoising; cpu for native VAE decode; float16 for text encoder and transformer; float32 for VAE, generated Nov 2, 2026, 6:05 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419
FLUX.2 Klein 9B image SHA 256: c5f23870e70f2245d24a3689f2579ceb770e5edf8c3c89b7d6ed7ae138f262f6
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 image SHA 256: c81e5d0d70afcb53fcffb51a0d548041fd0b33df300aed14b8ecd354aaaaec4e
The numbers at a glance
FLUX.2 Klein 9B
Rank 20 of 21
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0
not in the arena
FLUX.2 Klein 9B
Rank 62 of 108
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0
Rank 100 of 108
FLUX.2 Klein 9B
cheap
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0
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.
FLUX.2 Klein 9B
- Subscription
- n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
- Via API
- $0.015 per image, 100 images $1.50.
- License
- Open weights, Weights released under the FLUX Non-Commercial License.
Stable Diffusion XL 1.0
- Subscription
- n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
- Via API
- No API price known. Access: API, local.
- License
- Open weights.
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 Klein 9B | Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | ||
| Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better | 1,070 | n/a |
| Arena rank | Rank 20 of 21 | n/a |
| Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating | 150,686 | n/a |
| GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 | 50 | 13 |
| GraduallyBench by task | ||
| Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition | 32 | 5 |
| Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details | 87 | 13 |
| Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency | 39 | 28 |
| InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization | 42 | 5 |
| API price | ||
| Per imagelower is better | $0.015 | n/a |
| 100 images | $1.50 | n/a |
| Profile | ||
| Released | January 2026 | n/a |
| Weightsopen means: runs locally | openWeights released under the FLUX Non-Commercial License | open |
| Lifecycle | no notice | Older open checkpoint; provider still lists it in its legacy model overview |
| Access | API, local | API, local |
| Parameters | 9 billion | not published |
| Largest output | 4 Megapixel | not consistently published |
| Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model | n/a | n/a |
API prices for one image at 1,024 × 1,024 pixels according to Artificial Analysis.
Sources: FLUX.2 Klein 9B model source, status source (verified Sep 24, 2026) · Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 model source, status source (verified Nov 1, 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 FLUX.2 Klein 9B and Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.
More comparisons
Compare FLUX.2 Klein 9B and Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 with the models people compare them with most often.