MAI-Image-2.5 Flashvs.FLUX.2 Klein 9B

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. MAI-Image-2.5 Flash has no arena rating yet. MAI-Image-2.5 Flash costs 1.3 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: Infographic, first image from the fixed test run — MAI-Image-2.5 Flash81 out of 100

FLUX.2 Klein 9B: Infographic, first image from the fixed test run — FLUX.2 Klein 9B42 out of 100

Result for “Infographic”:MAI-Image-2.5 Flash ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square German infographic titled SO FUNKTIONIERT PHOTOSYNTHESE. Show exactly four numbered steps in this order: 1 LICHT, 2 WASSER, 3 CO₂, 4 ZUCKER + SAUERSTOFF. Use a clean editorial science style with one plant cross-section, simple arrows, high contrast, legible labels, and no other text.

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

FLUX.2 Klein 9B: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1587849924, estimated cost $0.006291, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:52 PM. Source

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

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash image SHA 256: a2637943faf5ae5210c69f645f96c70ea0a1d267c38a64705810947d2ba78dc8

FLUX.2 Klein 9B image SHA 256: 84eceab680e59de6b9d4e68b3c21f6515ce093ff7d110992049e847570dd565f

Infographic

FLUX.2 Klein 9B: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1082231541, estimated cost $0.006291, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:52 PM. Source

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

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

FLUX.2 Klein 9B image SHA 256: 1d2eb263ca5a25794a88df7bb04f5c13e10ed9a289371d1dcc7ed6d6e0a297e2

Product photography

FLUX.2 Klein 9B: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1388538280, estimated cost $0.006291, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:39 PM. Source

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

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

FLUX.2 Klein 9B image SHA 256: e7208f19ccfb9b810b9648cb1861797b7155ad91933d1660059236cef413ebe0

Typography and layout

FLUX.2 Klein 9B: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1340991019, estimated cost $0.006291, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:41 PM. Source

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

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

FLUX.2 Klein 9B image SHA 256: c5f23870e70f2245d24a3689f2579ceb770e5edf8c3c89b7d6ed7ae138f262f6

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash

not in the arena

1,070

FLUX.2 Klein 9B

Rank 20 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash

Rank 24 of 108

FLUX.2 Klein 9B

Rank 62 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.02

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash

cheap

$0.015

FLUX.2 Klein 9B

cheap

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.

FLUX.2 Klein 9B

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: $0.015 per image, 100 images $1.50.
License: Open weights, Weights released under the FLUX Non-Commercial License.

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

Arena rating (LMArena) from Nov 6, 2026 · 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	FLUX.2 Klein 9B
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	1,070
Arena rank	n/a	Rank 20 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	150,686
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	69	50
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	70	32
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	58	87
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	68	39
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	81	42
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.02	$0.015
100 images	$2	$1.50
Profile
Released	June 2026	January 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	openWeights released under the FLUX Non-Commercial License
Lifecycle	Preview in Microsoft Foundry	no notice
Access	API, Web app	API, local
Parameters	20 billion	9 billion
Largest output	1,048,576 pixels	4 Megapixel
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) · FLUX.2 Klein 9B model source, status source (verified Sep 24, 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 FlashFLUX.2 Klein 9B

Text to Image Arena1,032932ahead

Image Editing Arena1,0891,013ahead

Artificial Analysis from Nov 6, 2026

All individual values with sources

Rating	MAI-Image-2.5 Flash	FLUX.2 Klein 9B	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,032	932	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Image Editing Arena	1,089	1,013	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 6, 2026

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Test images

The numbers at a glance

MAI-Image-2.5 Flash

FLUX.2 Klein 9B

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

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