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GPT Image 2.5 Flarevs.Recraft V4.1 Flash

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Recraft V4.1 Flash has no arena rating yet. Recraft V4.1 Flash has no API price.

Test images

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

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
GPT Image 2.5 Flare69 out of 100
Recraft V4.1 Flash: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
Recraft V4.1 Flash36 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:GPT Image 2.5 Flare 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 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.007000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:28 PM. Source

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

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: 85b17c41b19389cae3ea073ef582e6065a321d741978e772987d22e3ea3e3b08

Recraft V4.1 Flash image SHA 256: dbce96e506ae3556509e45211cdd885bb4f5b79875e4c0adcc9398286183a910

Infographic

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

Recraft V4.1 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.007000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:29 PM. Source

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

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: bc752abfce1c0d27b73e4084c3e7d82c4c0f71e0e5af97a80f4b24326cc4686e

Recraft V4.1 Flash image SHA 256: 0f09d34ba3ae484d03dac33e6d64901b6558dcdf51a46051c146b23ed3173756

Product photography

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

Recraft V4.1 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.007000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:28 PM. Source

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

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: 69fedb7d635d1329c461ff1ee9e5cf8384119e218e3b3bdb93b9e11f728335d8

Recraft V4.1 Flash image SHA 256: 4b7b55957807e99edb69d2ef7ad407b87840eb7d6c6d268c0635834bb4add700

Typography and layout

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

Recraft V4.1 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.007000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:28 PM. Source

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

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: cc90d54a99e1bad9e0cc8e4196746fb1d56a2fdd2a9ee101dbbf270ef5e4b6a8

Recraft V4.1 Flash image SHA 256: 8c0ce1a0ca50d0eb9cb6707a1e2fa250b4e1ab66c724498b4a72395fd97461d5

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better
1,399

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Rank 2 of 21

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Flash

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
72

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Rank 18 of 108

60

Recraft V4.1 Flash

Rank 55 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better
$0.21

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

expensive

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Flash

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.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Subscription
No OpenAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €6.36 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 61 plans in Germany.
Via API
$0.21 per image, 100 images $21.07.

Recraft V4.1 Flash

Subscription
Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.72 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). Through other providers from ≈ €9.54 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 14 plans in Germany.
Via API
No API price known. Access: API, Web app.
Weights
unknown.

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.

KennzahlGPT Image 2.5 FlareRecraft V4.1 Flash
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better1,399n/a
Arena rankRank 2 of 21n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating53,925n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1007260
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition6489
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details6936
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency6342
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization9174
API price
Per imagelower is better$0.21n/a
100 images$21.07n/a
Profile
ReleasedSep 8, 2026September 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locallyproprietaryunknown
AccessAPIAPI, Web app
Parametersnot publishednot published
Largest outputnot consistently published1K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model6114

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

Sources: GPT Image 2.5 Flare model source (verified Sep 22, 2026) · Recraft V4.1 Flash model 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 GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Recraft V4.1 Flash from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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