Grok Imagine Image Qualityvs.FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. FLUX.1 Kontext [max] has no API price.

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

Grok Imagine Image Quality: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — Grok Imagine Image Quality68 out of 100

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — FLUX.1 Kontext [max]9 out of 100

Result for “Character and detail”:Grok Imagine Image Quality ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square cinematic full-body portrait of a fictional bicycle courier waiting under a transparent umbrella at a rainy tram stop in Hamburg at blue hour. She wears a mustard raincoat, navy trousers, red sneakers, a silver helmet, and carries a teal messenger bag. Keep both hands visible, render the bicycle correctly, use realistic wet-street reflections, and include no readable brand names.

What the rating looks at: Anatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency.

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

Test protocol of the images

Both models receive the same archived prompt in exactly one request, and the first result counts. 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

Grok Imagine Image Quality: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.050000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:34 PM. Source

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=2413815648, Fal schema has no resolution field; official 1:1 example returns 1024x1024, estimated cost $0.080000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:03 PM. Source

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

Grok Imagine Image Quality image SHA 256: b6cccae7af9a70af45a46b9e3264fa6971101e04979f7a0539e889ba6521250a

FLUX.1 Kontext [max] image SHA 256: 11ac5858ed56d1db44139faebd83b9aa3e13fb9e8cadd6748d4bfc9a20a7b85b

Infographic

Grok Imagine Image Quality: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.050000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:34 PM. Source

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=372152929, Fal schema has no resolution field; official 1:1 example returns 1024x1024, estimated cost $0.080000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:03 PM. Source

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

Grok Imagine Image Quality image SHA 256: 03fbeae7859be72584048dfc23fba0651220ab44c707da66c386b77d90cc86f7

FLUX.1 Kontext [max] image SHA 256: cf1d34943829e1361560aee05277bb096e19399f7d231ee114ba1e6d3a865787

Product photography

Grok Imagine Image Quality: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.050000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:34 PM. Source

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=314349008, Fal schema has no resolution field; official 1:1 example returns 1024x1024, estimated cost $0.080000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:03 PM. Source

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

Grok Imagine Image Quality image SHA 256: 0ea1e48f20bf61ff10414398b5248b0496c9040b3868c915580efd11d0dbaf11

FLUX.1 Kontext [max] image SHA 256: 85f361575b24f97fc43e88b3fdc8e6c12fb1077d95f11d1704447222bac13f59

Typography and layout

Grok Imagine Image Quality: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.050000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:05 PM. Source

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=4136483547, Fal schema has no resolution field; official 1:1 example returns 1024x1024, estimated cost $0.080000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:02 PM. Source

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

Grok Imagine Image Quality image SHA 256: 84d88fb03bdbba672fc91268f4c120b17a19e4c9d637425aeca8ed44b2397d9f

FLUX.1 Kontext [max] image SHA 256: f0591cb9970c7608e7bf3a52c32c88301b622673e3c250fd9dd41d32e1673f1c

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Grok Imagine Image Quality

not in the arena

n/a

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Grok Imagine Image Quality

Rank 48 of 74

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

Rank 65 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.05

Grok Imagine Image Quality

fairly cheap

n/a

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

no API price

Ranks among the 22 image models with an arena rating and the 74 with a GraduallyBench run; prices compared with 28 models with an API price.

Grok Imagine Image Quality

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: $0.05 per image, 100 images $5.

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

Subscription: No Black Forest Labs subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €12.78 a month (Leonardo.Ai Essential). 15 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API.
Weights: unknown.

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

GraduallyBench from Nov 1, 2026 · API prices from Oct 28, 2026 · Subscription database from Sep 29, 2026 (34 days old)

All data side by side

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

Kennzahl	Grok Imagine Image Quality	FLUX.1 Kontext [max]
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	n/a
Arena rank	n/a	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	49	22
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	76	25
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	21	9
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	68	9
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	31	44
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.05	n/a
100 images	$5	n/a
Profile
Released	April 2026	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	unknown
Lifecycle	Deprecated: xAI retires the model slug on November 2, 2026; requests are then served by grok-imagine-image-2.0 (quality=low)	Edit-first model line; API also supports image creation from text, but the main GraduallyBench tasks are not edit-based
Access	API, Web app	API
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	2K	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	n/a	15

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

Sources: Grok Imagine Image Quality model source, status source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · FLUX.1 Kontext [max] 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 Grok Imagine Image Quality and FLUX.1 Kontext [max] from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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More matchups

Compare Grok Imagine Image Quality and FLUX.1 Kontext [max] with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

Grok Imagine Image Quality

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

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