Qwen-Image-2.1vs.Recraft V4.1

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Recraft V4.1 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

Recraft V4.1: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Recraft V4.171 out of 100

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

Recraft V4.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: b29bb7e207ad464957ee060bbf0655104bcbece703360254e48daa3ec35a62d7

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: b4e53e88552e5850d1ca0858ae7351851544281c853d625fbe6e028a16920195

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

Recraft V4.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 316e38ed63ff401f86a7ceee9cc65c74413e0e9c7c899a6e6bf453acc2940dac

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: adaec4b62c06d7fc4107f8d61bbf8742b412abcdd17c22d01f8f21b194a6d3b6

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

Recraft V4.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 041f559d4261865b327fcae4f8bb0bd3b176c55a3b1255a042ab3e0fc4f9bc4b

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: e6651efeb56090323aeb160fa80eeb4faab85c3b8dac61a684b6a975b2450530

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

Recraft V4.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 4670269190f492154c05e3f18c4eb9e3938910ca1aca32503b6a1ceb16d39b38

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: c4f8387fba9aaf0223c56a3224559e21f670e14c38eb7d64b235b675ef1008c3

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

Recraft V4.1

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 40 of 108

Recraft V4.1

Rank 37 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Qwen-Image-2.1

no API price

n/a

Recraft V4.1

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.

Recraft V4.1

Subscription: Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.72 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). Through other providers from ≈ €6.36 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 27 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	Recraft V4.1
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	65
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	54	70
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	90	71
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	34	48
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	83	73
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	Sep 20, 2026	May 2026
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	27

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) · Recraft V4.1 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 Recraft V4.1 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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