Qwen-Image-2.1vs.Krea 3

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Krea 3 has no arena rating yet. Neither has an API price.

Test 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-2.134 out of 100

Krea 3: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — Krea 385 out of 100

Result for “Character and detail”:Krea 3 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-2.1: 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

Krea 3: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1376864795, model berry, reasoning level medium, prompt-expansion control not exposed by this Fal schema, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:54 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: b29bb7e207ad464957ee060bbf0655104bcbece703360254e48daa3ec35a62d7

Krea 3 image SHA 256: f47d027f579bc3bf768324a53df900e7ad46415bb48cc17aeff0d48848632337

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

Krea 3: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=85919033, model berry, reasoning level medium, prompt-expansion control not exposed by this Fal schema, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:55 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 316e38ed63ff401f86a7ceee9cc65c74413e0e9c7c899a6e6bf453acc2940dac

Krea 3 image SHA 256: 5a4a01f5fe62f5c574f2259bdec33e2f19f110b1c5378c82e021a45ed2093fea

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

Krea 3: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=8271318, model berry, reasoning level medium, prompt-expansion control not exposed by this Fal schema, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 041f559d4261865b327fcae4f8bb0bd3b176c55a3b1255a042ab3e0fc4f9bc4b

Krea 3 image SHA 256: 208e7b053b672cdab35fe54474a6c6873d42ca288c34ed7fcad7203453874025

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

Krea 3: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=2019036432, model berry, reasoning level medium, prompt-expansion control not exposed by this Fal schema, estimated cost $0.025000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 4670269190f492154c05e3f18c4eb9e3938910ca1aca32503b6a1ceb16d39b38

Krea 3 image SHA 256: de42504b19539a71157f81f03ec17543b3a3d655385189a63d32f5d279e9063c

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,227

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 14 of 21

n/a

Krea 3

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 40 of 108

Krea 3

Rank 9 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Qwen-Image-2.1

no API price

n/a

Krea 3

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.

Qwen-Image-2.1

Subscription: No Alibaba subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €9.54 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.

Krea 3

Subscription: Free to use at Krea (Krea Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €9.54 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 6 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, Web app.
Weights: unknown.

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

Arena rating (LMArena) from Nov 6, 2026 · 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	Qwen-Image-2.1	Krea 3
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,227	n/a
Arena rank	Rank 14 of 21	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	19,378	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	65	75
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	54	78
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	90	63
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	34	85
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	83	74
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	Sep 20, 2026	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	openQwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate license	unknown
Access	local, Web app	API, Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	2K	2K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	5	6

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) · Krea 3 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 Qwen-Image-2.1 and Krea 3 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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