GPT Image 2.5 Sunburstvs.GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. In the arena, GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst leads.

Test images

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

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst87 out of 100

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — GPT Image 2.5 Flare69 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst slightly 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

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:51 PM. Source

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

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

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst image SHA 256: 2bcd5e2358dbf9e2f11336ebf6c4a4a15e0a9a10261dd74378d40985ac68ec6d

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: 85b17c41b19389cae3ea073ef582e6065a321d741978e772987d22e3ea3e3b08

Infographic

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:52 PM. Source

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

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

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst image SHA 256: 7dab94e5588be73aefe08f23f9d56ced4e2ddb2b29f754db41b057025cf34847

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: bc752abfce1c0d27b73e4084c3e7d82c4c0f71e0e5af97a80f4b24326cc4686e

Product photography

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:51 PM. Source

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

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

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst image SHA 256: c648276704e06f7925f2325e8ffff0d9d0a9bd6c5bb4866785abac92ce97ff9a

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: 69fedb7d635d1329c461ff1ee9e5cf8384119e218e3b3bdb93b9e11f728335d8

Typography and layout

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:50 PM. Source

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:52 PM. Source

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

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst image SHA 256: fd6a3767ba8253869cb94d5346f025541dac924c2190df2c37b366b182986cf8

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: cc90d54a99e1bad9e0cc8e4196746fb1d56a2fdd2a9ee101dbbf270ef5e4b6a8

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,427

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

Rank 1 of 21

1,401

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Rank 2 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

Rank 8 of 108

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Rank 18 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.21

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

expensive

$0.21

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

expensive

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.

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

Subscription: No OpenAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €6.34 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 62 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.21 per image, 100 images $21.07.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Subscription: No OpenAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €6.34 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 61 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.21 per image, 100 images $21.07.

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 · API prices 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	GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst	GPT Image 2.5 Flare
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,427	1,401
Arena rank	Rank 1 of 21	Rank 2 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	40,323	39,218
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	75	72
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	54	64
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	87	69
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	64	63
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	97	91
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.21	$0.21
100 images	$21.07	$21.07
Profile
Released	Sep 8, 2026	Sep 8, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	proprietary
Access	API	API
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	3,840 × 2,160 pixels	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	62	61

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

Sources: GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst model source (verified Sep 24, 2026) · GPT Image 2.5 Flare model source (verified Sep 22, 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 betterGPT Image 2.5 SunburstGPT Image 2.5 Flare

Text to Image Arena1,2231,207level

Image Editing Arena1,1991,183level

Text to Image: 3D modeling1,4161,378ahead

Text to Image: Agentic image generation1,3971,358ahead

Text to Image: Art1,4091,387ahead

Text to Image: Cartoon1,4561,431ahead

Text to Image: Commercial design1,4191,387ahead

Text to Image: Overall1,4271,401ahead

Text to Image: Photorealism1,4331,415ahead

Text to Image: Portraits1,4611,439ahead

Text to Image: Text rendering1,4661,435ahead

Image Editing: Agentic image generation1,5291,495ahead

Image Editing: Multi-image editing1,5211,477ahead

Image Editing: Agentic multi-image editing1,5411,478ahead

Image Editing: Overall1,5171,482ahead

Artificial Analysis from Nov 3, 2026 · LMArena from Oct 28, 2026

All individual values with sources

Rating	GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst	GPT Image 2.5 Flare	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,223	1,207	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026
Image Editing Arena	1,199	1,183	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026
Text to Image: 3D modeling	1,416	1,378	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Agentic image generation	1,397	1,358	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Art	1,409	1,387	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Cartoon	1,456	1,431	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Commercial design	1,419	1,387	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Overall	1,427	1,401	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Photorealism	1,433	1,415	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Portraits	1,461	1,439	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Text rendering	1,466	1,435	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Agentic image generation	1,529	1,495	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Multi-image editing	1,521	1,477	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Agentic multi-image editing	1,541	1,478	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Overall	1,517	1,482	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026

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Predecessor and successor

PredecessorGPT Image 2.5 Sunburst vs. GPT Image 2Predecessor of GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst has no successor yet
No predecessor recorded for GPT Image 2.5 Flare
GPT Image 2.5 Flare has no successor yet

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