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MAI-Image-2.5 Flashvs.GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. MAI-Image-2.5 Flash has no arena rating yet. GPT Image 2.5 Flare costs 11 times as much per image.

Test images

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

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
MAI-Image-2.5 Flash58 out of 100
GPT Image 2.5 Flare: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
GPT Image 2.5 Flare69 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

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash: manual, Official Bing Image Creator web app; MAI-Image-2.5-Flash; one request; 1:1; first result; free guest generation; 2026-08-14; https://www.bing.com/images/create/ai-image-generator, generated Aug 14, 2026, 4:23 PM. Source

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

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

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: a2637943faf5ae5210c69f645f96c70ea0a1d267c38a64705810947d2ba78dc8

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: 85b17c41b19389cae3ea073ef582e6065a321d741978e772987d22e3ea3e3b08

Infographic

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash: manual, Official Bing Image Creator web app; MAI-Image-2.5-Flash; one request; 1:1; first result; free guest generation; 2026-08-14; https://www.bing.com/images/create/ai-image-generator, generated Aug 14, 2026, 4:23 PM. Source

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

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

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: 6af00e502934a24a9e535b3f72d9b1ca545a984fc463e785ffe796a700e015b3

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: bc752abfce1c0d27b73e4084c3e7d82c4c0f71e0e5af97a80f4b24326cc4686e

Product photography

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash: manual, Official Bing Image Creator web app; MAI-Image-2.5-Flash; one request; 1:1; first result; free guest generation; 2026-08-14; https://www.bing.com/images/create/ai-image-generator, generated Aug 14, 2026, 4:23 PM. Source

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

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

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: 9cb652604f7c64d8ebaa4303e924155a1f45581a940045be12775419e635bd8f

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: 69fedb7d635d1329c461ff1ee9e5cf8384119e218e3b3bdb93b9e11f728335d8

Typography and layout

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash: manual, Official Bing Image Creator web app; MAI-Image-2.5-Flash; one request; 1:1; first result; free guest generation; 2026-08-14; https://www.bing.com/images/create/ai-image-generator, generated Aug 14, 2026, 4:22 PM. Source

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

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

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: 185a852b71d68ea37a41091b57f3ec02829b2d1e87fd1045939ffa0f8e4c3cf8

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: cc90d54a99e1bad9e0cc8e4196746fb1d56a2fdd2a9ee101dbbf270ef5e4b6a8

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better
n/a

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash

not in the arena

1,401

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Rank 2 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
69

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash

Rank 24 of 108

72

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Rank 18 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better
$0.02

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash

cheap

$0.21

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

expensive

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.

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash

Subscription
n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API
$0.02 per image, 100 images $2.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Subscription
No OpenAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €6.34 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 61 plans in Germany.
Via API
$0.21 per image, 100 images $21.07.

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

Arena rating (LMArena) from Oct 28, 2026 · GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · API prices from Nov 3, 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.

KennzahlMAI-Image-2.5 FlashGPT Image 2.5 Flare
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is bettern/a1,401
Arena rankn/aRank 2 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer ratingn/a39,218
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1006972
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition7064
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details5869
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency6863
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization8191
API price
Per imagelower is better$0.02$0.21
100 images$2$21.07
Profile
ReleasedJune 2026Sep 8, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locallyproprietaryproprietary
LifecyclePreview in Microsoft Foundryno notice
AccessAPI, Web appAPI
Parameters20 billionnot published
Largest output1,048,576 pixelsnot consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this modeln/a61

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

Sources: MAI-Image-2.5 Flash model source, status source (verified Sep 22, 2026) · GPT Image 2.5 Flare model source (verified Sep 22, 2026)

Arena ratings by category

From blind votes on LMArena. “Ahead” means the lead is clear.

Arena rating per categoryfrom votes by users · higher is betterMAI-Image-2.5 FlashGPT Image 2.5 Flare
Text to Image ArenaMAI-Image-2.5 Flash: 1,029GPT Image 2.5 Flare: 1,207GPT Image 2.5 Flare ahead
Image Editing ArenaMAI-Image-2.5 Flash: 1,090GPT Image 2.5 Flare: 1,183GPT Image 2.5 Flare ahead

Artificial Analysis from Nov 3, 2026

All individual values with sources
RatingMAI-Image-2.5 FlashGPT Image 2.5 FlareSource
Text to Image Arena1,0291,207Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026
Image Editing Arena1,0901,183Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026

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Predecessor and successor

  • No predecessor recorded for MAI-Image-2.5 Flash
  • MAI-Image-2.5 Flash has no successor yet
  • No predecessor recorded for GPT Image 2.5 Flare
  • GPT Image 2.5 Flare has no successor yet