Recraft V4.1 Utility Provs.FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview

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.

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro36 out of 100

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview73 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview 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.

Typography and layout

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:39 PM. Source

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview: manual, BFL API /v1/flux-2-klein-9b-preview (distinct preview checkpoint); native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request per attempt; two submissions; original signed output expired after local retrieval failure; first output of technical repeat with unchanged prompt and seed; seed=4230828387; output_format=png; no reference images or negative prompt, generated Nov 2, 2026, 7:06 PM. Source

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: de7f5a691e0fe0b251a93730c92603059b25432af9126fee410568fcaf829348

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview image SHA 256: 6cc5a70118def87bf0ec737b20c9dd56c3a7dd3ec776e007b8a5fdadd4c27849

Product photography

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview: manual, BFL API /v1/flux-2-klein-9b-preview (distinct preview checkpoint); native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; seed=132780547; output_format=png; no reference images or negative prompt; first provider output recovered by GET after local regional API validation stopped polling; no regeneration, generated Nov 2, 2026, 7:04 PM. Source

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: a70ee76cf6bf6561eade58a43f67874358b13d711417b864249fbd386c143b1d

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview image SHA 256: b1f17cd46fcd8f8b862da7c59900c1616ac3db8052d92a344720b7dc7fcb75ea

Character and detail

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview: manual, BFL API /v1/flux-2-klein-9b-preview (distinct preview checkpoint); native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; seed=3453819885; output_format=png; no reference images or negative prompt, generated Nov 2, 2026, 7:05 PM. Source

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: bd91dab4bec8386e191d73503d7df4b67c3c6019f345d436659db432ca4049f7

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview image SHA 256: 83bd206858a0d2bfab8a9d3bb7d90de6ff568017464a8168726175a6b324a90c

Infographic

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview: manual, BFL API /v1/flux-2-klein-9b-preview (distinct preview checkpoint); native 1024x1024, 1:1; one request, first output; seed=1679342581; output_format=png; no reference images or negative prompt, generated Nov 2, 2026, 7:06 PM. Source

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: 10f1aa7a0152cbeaa379c9df088528810dbc6f28b1f8064d22dca51107760880

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview image SHA 256: deb8da580546e3d22e20222c5c7e8c1a95197f27be4bff0b064eba603bda7b47

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

not in the arena

n/a

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

Rank 50 of 108

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview

Rank 48 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

no API price

n/a

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview

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.

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

Subscription: Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.72 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). 4 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API.
Weights: unknown.

FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview

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	Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro	FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview
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	62	62
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	71	56
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	36	73
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	65	45
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	75	75
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
Lifecycle	Separate API pricing/product SKU; no independent checkpoint identity confirmed	Preview API route with newer quality/speed improvements; the stable 9B route remains separate
Access	API	API
Parameters	not published	9 billion
Largest output	not consistently published	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	4	n/a

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

Sources: Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro model source, status source (verified Nov 1, 2026) · FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview model source, status 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 Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro and FLUX.2 Klein 9B Preview from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

More comparisons

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