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Qwen Image 2.1 Turbovs.Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Neither has an API price.

Same prompt, two images

Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo84 out of 100
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro42 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo 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

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.018400, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:31 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:40 PM. Source

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

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo image SHA 256: 60c270da7b2ace74fcac4f55b962d4e01fae99265874d25857e2b461c00f3666

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: bd91dab4bec8386e191d73503d7df4b67c3c6019f345d436659db432ca4049f7

Infographic

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.018400, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:31 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:40 PM. Source

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

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo image SHA 256: 0650a13329baa39bb1923594082473a8138ecbe1ea95bb63017e7e1d76a7fafe

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: 10f1aa7a0152cbeaa379c9df088528810dbc6f28b1f8064d22dca51107760880

Product photography

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.018400, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:30 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:40 PM. Source

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

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo image SHA 256: 012d9320a2759329277e1e730e51da03aa4a0d992017a218228f88f07771dc08

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: a70ee76cf6bf6561eade58a43f67874358b13d711417b864249fbd386c143b1d

Typography and layout

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.018400, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:30 PM. Source

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:39 PM. Source

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

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo image SHA 256: a052bc14d0b36849b7bd6b38e368bf2bd11d68217ab675dbea3c58d8a62f34dd

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: de7f5a691e0fe0b251a93730c92603059b25432af9126fee410568fcaf829348

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better
n/a

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

not in the arena

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
67

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

Rank 13 of 74

57

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

Rank 35 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better
n/a

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

no API price

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

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.

Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo

Subscription
n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API
No API price known. Access: API.
Weights
unknown.

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

Subscription
Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.78 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). 4 plans in Germany.
Via API
No API price known. Access: API.
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.

KennzahlQwen Image 2.1 TurboRecraft V4.1 Utility Pro
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is bettern/an/a
Arena rankn/an/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer ratingn/an/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1006757
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition3976
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details8442
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency5346
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization9362
API price
Per imagelower is bettern/an/a
100 imagesn/an/a
Profile
Releasedn/an/a
Weightsopen means: runs locallyunknownunknown
Lifecycleno noticeSeparate API pricing/product SKU; no independent checkpoint identity confirmed
AccessAPIAPI
Parametersnot publishednot published
Largest output2Knot consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this modeln/a4

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

Sources: Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo model source (verified Nov 1, 2026) · Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro 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 Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo and Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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