Midjourney V8.1vs.Adobe Firefly Image 4

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. 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.

Midjourney V8.1: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Midjourney V8.137 out of 100

Adobe Firefly Image 4: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Adobe Firefly Image 45 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Midjourney V8.1 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

Midjourney V8.1: manual, one request, first output, Midjourney V8.1 Standard, 1:1, 1024x1024, four candidates, stylize 100, weird 0, variety 0, Raw off, personalization off, Relax mode, no reference image, no negative prompt, generated Aug 16, 2026, 12:19 PM. Source

Adobe Firefly Image 4: manual, 1:1, one request, first output, one output observed, exact UI model Firefly Image 4, provider-default random seed, native 2K square output, no reference images, no selected effects, default content settings, source UI file Create a square cinematic full-b 60374 ydr.ffgenimg, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:42 PM. Source

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

Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: cf522740817fefe58b263fa9a0d07d249c42211eca7d7c9b013f7145a7d2a8ea

Adobe Firefly Image 4 image SHA 256: a0305ed203aa5f66fa5082f78a169737d0cea9fc6d7bdac14eb6c874521a6669

Infographic

Adobe Firefly Image 4: manual, 1:1, one request, first output, one output observed, exact UI model Firefly Image 4, provider-default random seed, native 2K square output, no reference images, no selected effects, default content settings, source UI file Create a square German infograph 211113 2kW.ffgenimg, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:42 PM. Source

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

Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: ac36188f88f37f23c2c405355d8dd12594085e1450d732fa419d8cec9a6c598f

Adobe Firefly Image 4 image SHA 256: 6a23e56ba8c63ec5461c8a20fabc74aff347088ad49b3cc7aa39eb8088d33c23

Product photography

Adobe Firefly Image 4: manual, 1:1, one request, first output, one output observed, exact UI model Firefly Image 4, provider-default random seed, native 2K square output, no reference images, no selected effects, default content settings, source UI file Create a square premium product 776320 41X.ffgenimg, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:42 PM. Source

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

Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: 992f2486be40bc361a638b4b266909d334883c05fe4763cf5e243358c688bfdd

Adobe Firefly Image 4 image SHA 256: 4f93f6c8da78501a95fccc17a8464c95f590799028c4a62ed87d15342e123182

Typography and layout

Adobe Firefly Image 4: manual, 1:1, one request, first output, one output observed, exact UI model Firefly Image 4, provider-default random seed, native 2K square output, no reference images, no selected effects, default content settings, source UI file Create a square editorial poster 565284 h6v.ffgenimg, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:42 PM. Source

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

Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: af3d2c5042b108a7fe2eb49bae072d30030e6b6cf814875ef9ce7074ceafc4ce

Adobe Firefly Image 4 image SHA 256: 97ad71052994f6f16c416e03bb57c37b9e3a7c7be41377ee5f01ebd1fb253de2

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Midjourney V8.1

not in the arena

n/a

Adobe Firefly Image 4

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Midjourney V8.1

Rank 64 of 74

Adobe Firefly Image 4

Rank 68 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Midjourney V8.1

no API price

n/a

Adobe Firefly Image 4

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.

Midjourney V8.1

Subscription: At Midjourney from ≈ €10.65 a month (Midjourney Basic). 4 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: Web app.

Adobe Firefly Image 4

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: 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 · 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	Midjourney V8.1	Adobe Firefly Image 4
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	23	17
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	8	11
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	37	5
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	22	46
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	24	5
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	Apr 14, 2026	Apr 24, 2025
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	unknown
Access	Web app	Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	2K	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	4	n/a

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

Sources: Midjourney V8.1 model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · Adobe Firefly Image 4 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 Midjourney V8.1 and Adobe Firefly Image 4 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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More matchups

Compare Midjourney V8.1 and Adobe Firefly Image 4 with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

Midjourney V8.1

Adobe Firefly Image 4

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

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