Ideogram 4.0vs.Recraft V4.1

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Recraft V4.1 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

Recraft V4.1: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Recraft V4.173 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Recraft V4.1 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

Recraft V4.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Ideogram 4.0 image SHA 256: d63d24515e4c3a8b7feafecaf995a511433307ae5faae1a1c26b2f0289578af9

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: b4e53e88552e5850d1ca0858ae7351851544281c853d625fbe6e028a16920195

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

Recraft V4.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Ideogram 4.0 image SHA 256: f57e6f5b7ae9038953087720387aa4a901832a1794dbb5e3f337f9d3ef213d62

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: adaec4b62c06d7fc4107f8d61bbf8742b412abcdd17c22d01f8f21b194a6d3b6

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

Recraft V4.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Ideogram 4.0 image SHA 256: 59b59cf5294653460f06085eedcfeb676b8c50f88f58f038b32659841f0500dd

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: e6651efeb56090323aeb160fa80eeb4faab85c3b8dac61a684b6a975b2450530

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

Recraft V4.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Ideogram 4.0 image SHA 256: 088eabf7b8c37bd377011dd2649a2deeee49ffb903e4798a6930bb94144f1eb4

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: c4f8387fba9aaf0223c56a3224559e21f670e14c38eb7d64b235b675ef1008c3

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Ideogram 4.0

not in the arena

n/a

Recraft V4.1

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Ideogram 4.0

Rank 33 of 74

Recraft V4.1

Rank 34 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.06

Ideogram 4.0

fairly cheap

n/a

Recraft V4.1

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.

Recraft V4.1

Subscription: Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.78 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). Through other providers from ≈ €6.39 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 27 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.

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	Recraft V4.1
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	57
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	79	57
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	8	73
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	62	37
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	85	61
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.06	n/a
100 images	$6	n/a
Profile
Released	June 2026	May 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	open	unknown
Access	API, Web app, local	API, Web app
Parameters	9.3 billion	not published
Largest output	2K	2K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	16	27

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) · Recraft V4.1 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 Recraft V4.1 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 Recraft V4.1 with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

Ideogram 4.0

Recraft V4.1

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

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