Krea 3vs.FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

Which one is better?

In our own test, Krea 3 leads. Neither is in the arena. Neither has an API price.

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

Krea 3: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Krea 384 out of 100

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

Result for “Product photography”:Krea 3 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

Krea 3: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1376864795, model berry, reasoning level medium, prompt-expansion control not exposed by this Fal schema, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:54 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

Krea 3 image SHA 256: f47d027f579bc3bf768324a53df900e7ad46415bb48cc17aeff0d48848632337

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

Infographic

Krea 3: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=85919033, model berry, reasoning level medium, prompt-expansion control not exposed by this Fal schema, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:55 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

Krea 3 image SHA 256: 5a4a01f5fe62f5c574f2259bdec33e2f19f110b1c5378c82e021a45ed2093fea

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

Product photography

Krea 3: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=8271318, model berry, reasoning level medium, prompt-expansion control not exposed by this Fal schema, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:53 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

Krea 3 image SHA 256: 208e7b053b672cdab35fe54474a6c6873d42ca288c34ed7fcad7203453874025

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

Typography and layout

Krea 3: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=2019036432, model berry, reasoning level medium, prompt-expansion control not exposed by this Fal schema, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:53 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

Krea 3 image SHA 256: de42504b19539a71157f81f03ec17543b3a3d655385189a63d32f5d279e9063c

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

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Krea 3

not in the arena

n/a

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Krea 3

Rank 1 of 74

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

Rank 65 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Krea 3

no API price

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.

Krea 3

Subscription: Free to use at Krea (Krea Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €9.59 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 6 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, Web app.
Weights: unknown.

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 · 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	Krea 3	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	86	22
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	98	25
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	84	9
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	78	9
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	85	44
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	n/a	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	unknown	unknown
Lifecycle	no notice	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	6	15

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

Sources: Krea 3 model source (verified Nov 1, 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 Krea 3 and FLUX.1 Kontext [max] 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 Krea 3 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

Krea 3

FLUX.1 Kontext [max]

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

Related image model comparisons