Midjourney V8.1vs.LLaDA-Image
Which one is better?
In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Neither has an API price.
Test images
Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.
Result for “Typography and layout”:LLaDA-Image ahead
What the rating looks at: Legible text, hierarchy, and composition.
“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
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
LLaDA-Image: manual, 2.13.0 PyTorch, Diffusers 0.39.0, Transformers 4.57.6; inclusionAI/LLaDA-Image@e4e2703f410f7ddb6ee8d6b09dac6a8ec5093039; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=5.0; seed=6428048197886116697; MPS generator; BF16 text/diffusion components, FP32 denoising latent, receipt-reported CPU FP32 native VAE decode; negative_prompt argument omitted (None default, not the manufacturer's empty-string example); MPS community PR @ 5395ce055da9975b09f71e21b865973d409bb3cd; official pinned text encoder uses eager MoE fallback and SDPA attention; other image-component attention paths were not independently captured by this review; no CUDA numerical equivalence claimed; MPS fallback permitted, actual fallback operations not measured; two submissions: the original request stopped at the 60-GiB free-space safeguard before image or latent (supervisor exit 143); one technical same-request/same-seed retry produced the retained first completed output; no quality reroll, generated Nov 3, 2026, 8:50 AM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6
Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: cf522740817fefe58b263fa9a0d07d249c42211eca7d7c9b013f7145a7d2a8ea
LLaDA-Image image SHA 256: a34d96894f5500c5bce2c16cca14ae09748f3aff4d47d15f8aff0d1be5749211
Infographic
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
LLaDA-Image: manual, 2.13.0 PyTorch, Diffusers 0.39.0, Transformers 4.57.6; inclusionAI/LLaDA-Image@e4e2703f410f7ddb6ee8d6b09dac6a8ec5093039; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=5.0; seed=1354677768900879717; MPS generator; BF16 text/diffusion components, FP32 denoising latent, receipt-reported CPU FP32 native VAE decode; negative_prompt argument omitted (None default, not the manufacturer's empty-string example); MPS community PR @ 5395ce055da9975b09f71e21b865973d409bb3cd; official pinned text encoder uses eager MoE fallback and SDPA attention; other image-component attention paths were not independently captured by this review; no CUDA numerical equivalence claimed; MPS fallback permitted, actual fallback operations not measured, generated Nov 3, 2026, 8:56 AM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f
Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: ac36188f88f37f23c2c405355d8dd12594085e1450d732fa419d8cec9a6c598f
LLaDA-Image image SHA 256: cad67ad3f1a475d12bc2152840dc98657f81b5c7318c09a9e9fa40fbb433372f
Product photography
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
LLaDA-Image: manual, 2.13.0 PyTorch, Diffusers 0.39.0, Transformers 4.57.6; inclusionAI/LLaDA-Image@e4e2703f410f7ddb6ee8d6b09dac6a8ec5093039; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=5.0; seed=152405017095880227; MPS generator; BF16 text/diffusion components, FP32 denoising latent, receipt-reported CPU FP32 native VAE decode; negative_prompt argument omitted (None default, not the manufacturer's empty-string example); MPS community PR @ 5395ce055da9975b09f71e21b865973d409bb3cd; official pinned text encoder uses eager MoE fallback and SDPA attention; other image-component attention paths were not independently captured by this review; no CUDA numerical equivalence claimed; MPS fallback permitted, actual fallback operations not measured, generated Nov 3, 2026, 1:02 AM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3
Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: 992f2486be40bc361a638b4b266909d334883c05fe4763cf5e243358c688bfdd
LLaDA-Image image SHA 256: 888e173c25c26ff1dcbfd07aad01ffc6a71cc7735099d3e943e60dfddfe31553
Typography and layout
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
LLaDA-Image: manual, 2.13.0 PyTorch, Diffusers 0.39.0, Transformers 4.57.6; inclusionAI/LLaDA-Image@e4e2703f410f7ddb6ee8d6b09dac6a8ec5093039; native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=5.0; seed=8778315039365154420; MPS generator; BF16 text/diffusion components, FP32 denoising latent, receipt-reported CPU FP32 native VAE decode; negative_prompt argument omitted (None default, not the manufacturer's empty-string example); MPS community PR @ 5395ce055da9975b09f71e21b865973d409bb3cd; official pinned text encoder uses eager MoE fallback and SDPA attention; other image-component attention paths were not independently captured by this review; no CUDA numerical equivalence claimed; MPS fallback permitted, actual fallback operations not measured, generated Nov 3, 2026, 12:40 AM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419
Midjourney V8.1 image SHA 256: af3d2c5042b108a7fe2eb49bae072d30030e6b6cf814875ef9ce7074ceafc4ce
LLaDA-Image image SHA 256: 256a88541c9821a6242bb434fb520d4d6f0793c934c66acd1fd2e8edd8086b5d
The numbers at a glance
Midjourney V8.1
not in the arena
LLaDA-Image
not in the arena
Midjourney V8.1
Rank 73 of 108
LLaDA-Image
Rank 63 of 108
Midjourney V8.1
no API price
LLaDA-Image
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.
Midjourney V8.1
- Subscription
- At Midjourney from ≈ €10.60 a month (Midjourney Basic). 4 plans in Germany.
- Via API
- No API price known. Access: Web app.
LLaDA-Image
- 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 · 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 | Midjourney V8.1 | LLaDA-Image |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 38 | 48 |
| GraduallyBench by task | ||
| Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition | 14 | 62 |
| Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details | 50 | 35 |
| Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency | 51 | 63 |
| InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization | 35 | 33 |
| API price | ||
| Per imagelower is better | n/a | n/a |
| 100 images | n/a | n/a |
| Profile | ||
| Released | Apr 14, 2026 | Sep 4, 2026 |
| Weightsopen means: runs locally | proprietary | open |
| Access | Web app | local |
| Parameters | not published | 6 billion |
| 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) · LLaDA-Image 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 LLaDA-Image from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.
More comparisons
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