Qwen Image 3.0 Provs.Qwen Image 2.1 Pro

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Neither has an API price.

Test images

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

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Qwen Image 3.0 Pro71 out of 100

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Qwen Image 2.1 Pro83 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Qwen Image 2.1 Pro 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 3.0 Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.040000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:04 PM. Source

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.046000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro image SHA 256: 25a44aae505a9cb8ac370e1df5ee303f1e39116a234249bf89c412dedb9c25d6

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro image SHA 256: 5cc1b66564896a15198281314423f63a70fd897c4542588230dfe0e946beb76c

Infographic

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.040000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:05 PM. Source

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.046000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro image SHA 256: edc1b5dfb1984cb0050d213de2360fa44450e49bf89c80a2751b4d6879fb62b6

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro image SHA 256: f1eee1f8f0d3355879d5c91b7ae006a95b0511a37f7382b8f6241cb22b3959a0

Product photography

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.040000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:03 PM. Source

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.046000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:36 PM. Source

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

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro image SHA 256: a9696d17066bcbc6268a0c8523187b3770f14297fc80767512f1d2a17a17cf8c

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro image SHA 256: 08d93301c324d132b3f5df149f95d57d725c068e6f15b193521f1eb253a1f176

Typography and layout

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.040000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:02 PM. Source

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.046000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:36 PM. Source

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

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro image SHA 256: d2b2069fe00237ab005465a66e608926e3a0e86b827baba80f04ff631e77f298

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro image SHA 256: 31be32c6b34f27d2ff60eae3979c211ba8c2e0296595ec13e62f6f249c967058

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro

not in the arena

n/a

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro

Rank 53 of 108

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro

Rank 49 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Qwen Image 3.0 Pro

no API price

n/a

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro

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 3.0 Pro

Subscription: At Alibaba from ≈ €6.36 a month (Token Plan Individual Lite, with limited credits). 7 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, Web app.
Weights: unknown.

Qwen Image 2.1 Pro

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API.
Weights: unknown.

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

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 3.0 Pro	Qwen Image 2.1 Pro
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	n/a
Arena rank	n/a	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	61	62
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	36	38
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	71	83
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	74	65
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	62	62
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	n/a	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	unknown	unknown
Access	API, Web app	API
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	2K	2K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	7	n/a

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

Sources: Qwen Image 3.0 Pro model source (verified Nov 1, 2026) · Qwen Image 2.1 Pro 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 3.0 Pro and Qwen Image 2.1 Pro from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

More comparisons

Compare Qwen Image 3.0 Pro and Qwen Image 2.1 Pro with the models people compare them with most often.

Compare another matchup

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