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Qwen Image 2.0 Provs.MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Qwen Image 2.0 Pro costs 3.9 times as much per image.

Test images

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

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run
Qwen Image 2.0 Pro89 out of 100
MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run
MAI-Image-2.6 Flash52 out of 100

Result for “Character and detail”:Qwen Image 2.0 Pro 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

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

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:21 PM. Source

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.019587, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:43 AM. Source

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

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro image SHA 256: 05f19da3e2d0eedb17d098c1b21abf8c83c663afa59083f0ce7a67a948e8a263

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: d6f2280312404df55179b7cf7d03468df04541eae774cc8d2b35e40e0820f06f

Infographic

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:22 PM. Source

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.019598, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:43 AM. Source

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

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro image SHA 256: 003fbe859de5df62a4f49e3d590c00f5036e208149d81226d1835871fd1e0410

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: 5c40f304b9dad1876a8d2223d22ca0e431ba9fe8a16e878a81743ac8296b6649

Product photography

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:21 PM. Source

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.019589, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:43 AM. Source

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

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro image SHA 256: b811a440655cae766c039dfc8f9efb1756be5dce63ef22cd95deb1fe7dab6a3a

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: 64376f13e8626feb37db3c138dde381843866e7d58fb87e8076c2fa9003365e4

Typography and layout

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:00 PM. Source

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.019575, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:43 AM. Source

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

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro image SHA 256: 4eb4915afa71f6a8c76979dcecadd70beabd3869f11ca092a725fd7b6c87b4f2

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: be8d86a467f73abfce15cdcce3073acc257baf1c87112c2b53a64b36efde0804

The numbers at a glance

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

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro

not in the arena

n/a

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
72

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro

Rank 17 of 108

67

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Rank 31 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better
$0.075

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro

fairly expensive

$0.019

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

cheap

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.

Qwen Image 2.0 Pro

Subscription
At Alibaba only in team or business plans, from ≈ €21.12 a month per seat (Token Plan Team Team Standard Seat). 3 plans in Germany.
Via API
$0.075 per image, 100 images $7.50.

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Subscription
n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API
$0.019 per image, 100 images $1.95.

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

GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · API prices 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.

KennzahlQwen Image 2.0 ProMAI-Image-2.6 Flash
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 1007267
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition8154
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details5890
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency8952
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization6274
API price
Per imagelower is better$0.075$0.019
100 images$7.50$1.95
Profile
ReleasedApril 2026Jul 31, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locallyproprietaryproprietary
Lifecycleno noticePreview in Microsoft Foundry
AccessAPIAPI
Parametersnot publishednot published
Largest output2,048 × 2,048 pixels2,359,296 pixels
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model3n/a

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

Sources: Qwen Image 2.0 Pro model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · MAI-Image-2.6 Flash model source, status source (verified Sep 24, 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 2.0 ProMAI-Image-2.6 Flash
Text to Image ArenaQwen Image 2.0 Pro: 1,030MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: 1,120MAI-Image-2.6 Flash ahead
Image Editing ArenaQwen Image 2.0 Pro: 1,058MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: 1,145MAI-Image-2.6 Flash ahead

Artificial Analysis from Nov 3, 2026

All individual values with sources
RatingQwen Image 2.0 ProMAI-Image-2.6 FlashSource
Text to Image Arena1,0301,120Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026
Image Editing Arena1,0581,145Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026

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Predecessor and successor

  • Qwen Image 2.0 Pro has no successor yet
  • No predecessor recorded for MAI-Image-2.6 Flash
  • MAI-Image-2.6 Flash has no successor yet