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Qwen-Image-2.1vs.LongCat-Image

Which one is better?

In our own test, Qwen-Image-2.1 leads. LongCat-Image 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: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
Qwen-Image-2.190 out of 100
LongCat-Image: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
LongCat-Image29 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Qwen-Image-2.1 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

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

LongCat-Image: fal, image_size=square_hd; exact native pixels are not request-configurable, n=1, seed=1234871882, Estimate reserves 2 MP at Fal's $0.13 per MP rate, estimated cost $0.260000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:06 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: b29bb7e207ad464957ee060bbf0655104bcbece703360254e48daa3ec35a62d7

LongCat-Image image SHA 256: 7c2d3cbf8efa756277fc1e20af0c0c7c4febec50b30244eb9b85c02c236e97ca

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

LongCat-Image: fal, image_size=square_hd; exact native pixels are not request-configurable, n=1, seed=886012823, Estimate reserves 2 MP at Fal's $0.13 per MP rate, estimated cost $0.260000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:06 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 316e38ed63ff401f86a7ceee9cc65c74413e0e9c7c899a6e6bf453acc2940dac

LongCat-Image image SHA 256: ce6df19ed744009c81aec8257cef3e5a4de7ea0d4985c709335ec1b50c3381fb

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

LongCat-Image: fal, image_size=square_hd; exact native pixels are not request-configurable, n=1, seed=1319752608, Estimate reserves 2 MP at Fal's $0.13 per MP rate, estimated cost $0.260000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:06 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 041f559d4261865b327fcae4f8bb0bd3b176c55a3b1255a042ab3e0fc4f9bc4b

LongCat-Image image SHA 256: 1f95d4152dfa60c5056df13bf813563a75863f4a34419344e1a59a800a46f689

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

LongCat-Image: fal, image_size=square_hd; exact native pixels are not request-configurable, n=1, seed=943200407, Estimate reserves 2 MP at Fal's $0.13 per MP rate, estimated cost $0.260000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:06 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 4670269190f492154c05e3f18c4eb9e3938910ca1aca32503b6a1ceb16d39b38

LongCat-Image image SHA 256: 1d6b72ae389c339ff3011ee3c59bd77b12b5157f1fadcf0932c96ebe5313836b

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

LongCat-Image

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
65

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 40 of 108

33

LongCat-Image

Rank 80 of 108

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

Qwen-Image-2.1

no API price

n/a

LongCat-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.

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.

LongCat-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.

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.

KennzahlQwen-Image-2.1LongCat-Image
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better1,227n/a
Arena rankRank 14 of 21n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating19,378n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1006533
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition5441
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details9029
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency3424
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization8337
API price
Per imagelower is bettern/an/a
100 imagesn/an/a
Profile
ReleasedSep 20, 2026Dec 5, 2025
Weightsopen means: runs locallyopenQwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate licenseopen
Accesslocal, Web applocal
Parametersnot published6 billion
Largest output2Knot consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model5n/a

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

More comparisons

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