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Qwen-Image-2.1vs.Ideogram 4.5

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Ideogram 4.5 has no arena rating yet. Qwen-Image-2.1 has no 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: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run
Qwen-Image-2.121 out of 100
Ideogram 4.5: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run
Ideogram 4.568 out of 100

Result for “Character and detail”:Ideogram 4.5 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

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=1591420783, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

Ideogram 4.5: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=676327336, prompt expansion disabled, quality low, estimated cost $0.030000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:44 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: b29bb7e207ad464957ee060bbf0655104bcbece703360254e48daa3ec35a62d7

Ideogram 4.5 image SHA 256: 765cb852ecb10a396bad4bd18c2dc9fcc77221ffff3f0b94ef9eccf4d190b418

Infographic

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=1283422012, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, prior anonymous attempt refused before inference (ZeroGPU quota), completed through authenticated browser, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

Ideogram 4.5: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1482950298, prompt expansion disabled, quality low, estimated cost $0.030000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:44 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 316e38ed63ff401f86a7ceee9cc65c74413e0e9c7c899a6e6bf453acc2940dac

Ideogram 4.5 image SHA 256: c97b4321e68bf1617a4dc96b5e1f9372344b09b9ff987f07d0e9813e6210c656

Product photography

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=196359631, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

Ideogram 4.5: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1376877115, prompt expansion disabled, quality low, estimated cost $0.030000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:44 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 041f559d4261865b327fcae4f8bb0bd3b176c55a3b1255a042ab3e0fc4f9bc4b

Ideogram 4.5 image SHA 256: b9427281a64b3103f52f439b8797bd11763f813a8ef142bf79d96e936b349ae1

Typography and layout

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=158818011, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

Ideogram 4.5: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=988679089, prompt expansion disabled, quality low, estimated cost $0.030000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:44 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 4670269190f492154c05e3f18c4eb9e3938910ca1aca32503b6a1ceb16d39b38

Ideogram 4.5 image SHA 256: ebe1fe3dccf258807db9a9063c1034185c1b3e91f0d8c9bd86c53525d374dd9c

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better
1,225

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 14 of 22

n/a

Ideogram 4.5

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
56

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 37 of 74

56

Ideogram 4.5

Rank 38 of 74

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

Qwen-Image-2.1

no API price

$0.10

Ideogram 4.5

expensive

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

Subscription
No Alibaba subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €9.59 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 5 plans in Germany.
Via API
No API price known. Access: local, Web app.
License
Open weights, Qwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate license.

Ideogram 4.5

Subscription
No Ideogram subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €9.59 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 33 plans in Germany.
Via API
$0.10 per image, 100 images $10.
Weights
unknown.

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

Arena rating (LMArena) from Oct 28, 2026 · GraduallyBench from Nov 1, 2026 · API prices from Oct 28, 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-2.1Ideogram 4.5
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better1,225n/a
Arena rankRank 14 of 22n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating19,604n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1005656
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition5016
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details7259
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency2168
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization8282
API price
Per imagelower is bettern/a$0.10
100 imagesn/a$10
Profile
ReleasedSep 20, 2026n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locallyopenQwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate licenseunknown
Accesslocal, Web appAPI
Parametersnot publishednot published
Largest output2Knot consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model533

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

Sources: Qwen-Image-2.1 model source, status source (verified Sep 22, 2026) · Ideogram 4.5 model source (verified Nov 1, 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 betterQwen-Image-2.1Ideogram 4.5
Text to Image ArenaQwen-Image-2.1: 1,042Ideogram 4.5: 1,015Qwen-Image-2.1 ahead
Image Editing ArenaQwen-Image-2.1: 1,081Ideogram 4.5: 1,070level
Image Editing: Agentic image generationQwen-Image-2.1: 1,368Ideogram 4.5: 1,296Qwen-Image-2.1 ahead
Image Editing: OverallQwen-Image-2.1: 1,362Ideogram 4.5: 1,347Qwen-Image-2.1 ahead

Artificial Analysis from Oct 28, 2026 · LMArena from Oct 28, 2026

All individual values with sources
RatingQwen-Image-2.1Ideogram 4.5Source
Text to Image Arena1,0421,015Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing Arena1,0811,070Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Agentic image generation1,3681,296LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Overall1,3621,347LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026

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