MAI-Image-2.5 Flashvs.Chroma1-Flash
Which one is better?
In our own test, MAI-Image-2.5 Flash leads. Neither is in the arena. Chroma1-Flash has no API price.
Test images
Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.
Result for “Infographic”:MAI-Image-2.5 Flash ahead
What the rating looks at: Numbers, labels, and visual organization.
“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
Chroma1-Flash: manual, local PyTorch 2.13.0, Diffusers 0.36.0; lodestones/Chroma1-Flash@093c4f63b60507234aa53a073f1f9f565b3f4336; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=16, guidance=1.0, seed=1817192317085624771; mps for text encoder and denoising; cpu for native VAE decode; bfloat16 for text encoder and transformer; float32 for VAE, generated Nov 2, 2026, 8:25 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6
MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: a2637943faf5ae5210c69f645f96c70ea0a1d267c38a64705810947d2ba78dc8
Chroma1-Flash image SHA 256: e05e2caf9373cf90bfd96b30150729d99a9f58104437e9c38ea0543607b41190
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
Chroma1-Flash: manual, local PyTorch 2.13.0, Diffusers 0.36.0; lodestones/Chroma1-Flash@093c4f63b60507234aa53a073f1f9f565b3f4336; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=16, guidance=1.0, seed=14241408974679486; mps for text encoder and denoising; cpu for native VAE decode; bfloat16 for text encoder and transformer; float32 for VAE, generated Nov 2, 2026, 8:27 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f
MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: 6af00e502934a24a9e535b3f72d9b1ca545a984fc463e785ffe796a700e015b3
Chroma1-Flash image SHA 256: cf0f2160309bfc4bd6c00df8383d963af3fb1860cfa7509c6466f37afcb2bbc2
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
Chroma1-Flash: manual, local PyTorch 2.13.0, Diffusers 0.36.0; lodestones/Chroma1-Flash@093c4f63b60507234aa53a073f1f9f565b3f4336; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=16, guidance=1.0, seed=4601939984165617850; mps for text encoder and denoising; cpu for native VAE decode; bfloat16 for text encoder and transformer; float32 for VAE, generated Nov 2, 2026, 8:24 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3
MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: 9cb652604f7c64d8ebaa4303e924155a1f45581a940045be12775419e635bd8f
Chroma1-Flash image SHA 256: 0c622731fd94810154ca50f7373f372c21911602c20b7cfd57451a77eb9fbbf0
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
Chroma1-Flash: manual, local PyTorch 2.13.0, Diffusers 0.36.0; lodestones/Chroma1-Flash@093c4f63b60507234aa53a073f1f9f565b3f4336; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=16, guidance=1.0, seed=5666015459258575499; mps for text encoder and denoising; cpu for native VAE decode; bfloat16 for text encoder and transformer; float32 for VAE, generated Nov 2, 2026, 8:23 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419
MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: 185a852b71d68ea37a41091b57f3ec02829b2d1e87fd1045939ffa0f8e4c3cf8
Chroma1-Flash image SHA 256: 9729caf8c40b655d4fb8b8a9fc2437c099dce846a6a8367d79809dd8e08cfea9
The numbers at a glance
MAI-Image-2.5 Flash
not in the arena
Chroma1-Flash
not in the arena
MAI-Image-2.5 Flash
Rank 24 of 108
Chroma1-Flash
Rank 92 of 108
MAI-Image-2.5 Flash
cheap
Chroma1-Flash
no API price
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.
Chroma1-Flash
- Subscription
- n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
- Via API
- No API price known. Access: local.
- License
- Open weights.
Subscriptions only count plans that name exactly this model. Subscription prices include VAT, API prices are in dollars.
GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · API prices from Nov 6, 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.
| Kennzahl | MAI-Image-2.5 Flash | Chroma1-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 69 | 24 |
| GraduallyBench by task | ||
| Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition | 70 | 16 |
| Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details | 58 | 16 |
| Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency | 68 | 51 |
| InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization | 81 | 12 |
| API price | ||
| Per imagelower is better | $0.02 | n/a |
| 100 images | $2 | n/a |
| Profile | ||
| Released | June 2026 | n/a |
| Weightsopen means: runs locally | proprietary | open |
| Lifecycle | Preview in Microsoft Foundry | no notice |
| Access | API, Web app | local |
| Parameters | 20 billion | 8.9 billion |
| Largest output | 1,048,576 pixels | not consistently published |
| Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model | n/a | n/a |
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) · Chroma1-Flash 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 MAI-Image-2.5 Flash and Chroma1-Flash from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.
More comparisons
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