Ideogram 4.0vs.Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo has no API price.

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

Ideogram 4.0: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Ideogram 4.08 out of 100

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo84 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo 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

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

Ideogram 4.0: together, requested 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:28 PM. Source

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.018400, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:31 PM. Source

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

Ideogram 4.0 image SHA 256: d63d24515e4c3a8b7feafecaf995a511433307ae5faae1a1c26b2f0289578af9

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo image SHA 256: 60c270da7b2ace74fcac4f55b962d4e01fae99265874d25857e2b461c00f3666

Infographic

Ideogram 4.0: together, requested 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:28 PM. Source

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.018400, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:31 PM. Source

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

Ideogram 4.0 image SHA 256: f57e6f5b7ae9038953087720387aa4a901832a1794dbb5e3f337f9d3ef213d62

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo image SHA 256: 0650a13329baa39bb1923594082473a8138ecbe1ea95bb63017e7e1d76a7fafe

Product photography

Ideogram 4.0: together, requested 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:27 PM. Source

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.018400, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:30 PM. Source

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

Ideogram 4.0 image SHA 256: 59b59cf5294653460f06085eedcfeb676b8c50f88f58f038b32659841f0500dd

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo image SHA 256: 012d9320a2759329277e1e730e51da03aa4a0d992017a218228f88f07771dc08

Typography and layout

Ideogram 4.0: together, requested 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:01 PM. Source

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.018400, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:30 PM. Source

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

Ideogram 4.0 image SHA 256: 088eabf7b8c37bd377011dd2649a2deeee49ffb903e4798a6930bb94144f1eb4

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo image SHA 256: a052bc14d0b36849b7bd6b38e368bf2bd11d68217ab675dbea3c58d8a62f34dd

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Ideogram 4.0

not in the arena

n/a

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Ideogram 4.0

Rank 33 of 74

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

Rank 13 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.06

Ideogram 4.0

fairly cheap

n/a

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

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.

Ideogram 4.0

Subscription: Free to use at Ideogram (Ideogram Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €21.30 a month (Ideogram Plus, with limited credits). Through other providers from ≈ €9.59 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 16 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.06 per image, 100 images $6.
License: Open weights.

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
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	Ideogram 4.0	Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo
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	59	67
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	79	39
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	8	84
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	62	53
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	85	93
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.06	n/a
100 images	$6	n/a
Profile
Released	June 2026	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	open	unknown
Access	API, Web app, local	API
Parameters	9.3 billion	not published
Largest output	2K	2K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	16	n/a

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

Sources: Ideogram 4.0 model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo 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 Ideogram 4.0 and Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

Compare another matchup

First image modelSecond image model

More matchups

Compare Ideogram 4.0 and Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

Ideogram 4.0

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

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