Recraft V4.1 Utilityvs.GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Recraft V4.1 Utility has no arena rating yet. GPT Image 2.5 Flare costs 6.0 times as much per image.

Test images

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Recraft V4.1 Utility32 out of 100

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — GPT Image 2.5 Flare69 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:GPT Image 2.5 Flare 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

Recraft V4.1 Utility: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default 1K resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:37 PM. Source

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: d2ba0b86ed4214659720cdcf68ff09ca748700a32afc3d25808b6a3af74223f2

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: 85b17c41b19389cae3ea073ef582e6065a321d741978e772987d22e3ea3e3b08

Infographic

Recraft V4.1 Utility: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default 1K resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:38 PM. Source

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 7d383a257e5152b2781a6e5a78edd54fe55900dfb2580f85078f8142b63194c5

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: bc752abfce1c0d27b73e4084c3e7d82c4c0f71e0e5af97a80f4b24326cc4686e

Product photography

Recraft V4.1 Utility: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default 1K resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:37 PM. Source

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:53 PM. Source

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 7fd9cfe67371d0fecc6d605105ca777bec170d4d4e8dcad5b4f15f813e21c1ab

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: 69fedb7d635d1329c461ff1ee9e5cf8384119e218e3b3bdb93b9e11f728335d8

Typography and layout

Recraft V4.1 Utility: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default 1K resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:05 PM. Source

GPT Image 2.5 Flare: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:52 PM. Source

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 3aa0bc86cccfd2140ba4f5606f1f814a5a6ded23cb06b7aebe26f8dcf946a752

GPT Image 2.5 Flare image SHA 256: cc90d54a99e1bad9e0cc8e4196746fb1d56a2fdd2a9ee101dbbf270ef5e4b6a8

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Utility

not in the arena

1,401

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Rank 2 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Recraft V4.1 Utility

Rank 41 of 108

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Rank 18 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.035

Recraft V4.1 Utility

fairly cheap

$0.21

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

expensive

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.

Recraft V4.1 Utility

Subscription: Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.67 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). 4 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.035 per image, 100 images $3.50.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Subscription: No OpenAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €6.34 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 61 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.21 per image, 100 images $21.07.

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

Arena rating (LMArena) from Oct 28, 2026 · 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.

Kennzahl	Recraft V4.1 Utility	GPT Image 2.5 Flare
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	1,401
Arena rank	n/a	Rank 2 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	39,218
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	65	72
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	96	64
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	32	69
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	66	63
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	64	91
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.035	$0.21
100 images	$3.50	$21.07
Profile
Released	May 2026	Sep 8, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	proprietary
Access	API, Web app	API
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	1 Megapixel	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	4	61

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

Sources: Recraft V4.1 Utility model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · GPT Image 2.5 Flare model source (verified Sep 22, 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 betterRecraft V4.1 UtilityGPT Image 2.5 Flare

Text to Image Arena1,0261,207ahead

Artificial Analysis from Nov 3, 2026

All individual values with sources

Rating	Recraft V4.1 Utility	GPT Image 2.5 Flare	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,026	1,207	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026

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Recraft V4.1 Utilityvs.GPT Image 2.5 Flare

Test images

The numbers at a glance

Recraft V4.1 Utility

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

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