Midjourney V8.1vs.FLUX.1 [dev]

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: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — Midjourney V8.122 out of 100

FLUX.1 [dev]: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — FLUX.1 [dev]40 out of 100

Result for “Character and detail”:FLUX.1 [dev] slightly ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square cinematic full-body portrait of a fictional bicycle courier waiting under a transparent umbrella at a rainy tram stop in Hamburg at blue hour. She wears a mustard raincoat, navy trousers, red sneakers, a silver helmet, and carries a teal messenger bag. Keep both hands visible, render the bicycle correctly, use realistic wet-street reflections, and include no readable brand names.

What the rating looks at: Anatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency.

“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

FLUX.1 [dev]: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1386633789, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:00 PM. Source

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

Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: cf522740817fefe58b263fa9a0d07d249c42211eca7d7c9b013f7145a7d2a8ea

FLUX.1 [dev] image SHA 256: 8cc425497844ab30bdb5f4b32b613219d01f1f21289d68fc198bb5980a3c6465

Infographic

FLUX.1 [dev]: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1094286267, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:00 PM. Source

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

Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: ac36188f88f37f23c2c405355d8dd12594085e1450d732fa419d8cec9a6c598f

FLUX.1 [dev] image SHA 256: 3d5c50031e545a82fe0617e724937b960d6e77c8371795f99fdf8037a2de8e9c

Product photography

FLUX.1 [dev]: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1029917942, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:59 PM. Source

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

Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: 992f2486be40bc361a638b4b266909d334883c05fe4763cf5e243358c688bfdd

FLUX.1 [dev] image SHA 256: 2932ee8c5af8a92655a9a9c4ad9ff782d366a51b9dad5553d84fe241d084d5c0

Typography and layout

FLUX.1 [dev]: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1184329997, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:59 PM. Source

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

Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: af3d2c5042b108a7fe2eb49bae072d30030e6b6cf814875ef9ce7074ceafc4ce

FLUX.1 [dev] image SHA 256: 5a33abcfb19aa0d6d544ad7beb0ce59f51382a9418b5420edcc7aa553d578382

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Midjourney V8.1

not in the arena

n/a

FLUX.1 [dev]

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Midjourney V8.1

Rank 64 of 74

FLUX.1 [dev]

Rank 59 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Midjourney V8.1

no API price

n/a

FLUX.1 [dev]

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.

FLUX.1 [dev]

Subscription: No Black Forest Labs subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €9.59 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 6 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, local.
License: Open weights, Older T2I checkpoint under a non-commercial license; hosted BFL API remains documented.

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	FLUX.1 [dev]
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	29
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	8	7
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	37	40
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	22	40
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	24	27
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	Apr 14, 2026	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	openOlder T2I checkpoint under a non-commercial license; hosted BFL API remains documented
Access	Web app	API, local
Parameters	not published	12 billion
Largest output	2K	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	4	6

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) · FLUX.1 [dev] 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 Midjourney V8.1 and FLUX.1 [dev] 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 FLUX.1 [dev] with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

Midjourney V8.1

FLUX.1 [dev]

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

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