Recraft V4.1 Utility Provs.LongCat-Image

Which one is better?

In our own test, Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro leads. 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: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro65 out of 100

LongCat-Image: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — LongCat-Image24 out of 100

Result for “Character and detail”:Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro slightly ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square cinematic full-body portrait of a fictional bicycle courier waiting under a transparent umbrella at a rainy tram stop in Hamburg at blue hour. She wears a mustard raincoat, navy trousers, red sneakers, a silver helmet, and carries a teal messenger bag. Keep both hands visible, render the bicycle correctly, use realistic wet-street reflections, and include no readable brand names.

What the rating looks at: Anatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency.

“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 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, 8:40 PM. 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

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: bd91dab4bec8386e191d73503d7df4b67c3c6019f345d436659db432ca4049f7

LongCat-Image image SHA 256: 7c2d3cbf8efa756277fc1e20af0c0c7c4febec50b30244eb9b85c02c236e97ca

Infographic

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

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

LongCat-Image image SHA 256: ce6df19ed744009c81aec8257cef3e5a4de7ea0d4985c709335ec1b50c3381fb

Product photography

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: a70ee76cf6bf6561eade58a43f67874358b13d711417b864249fbd386c143b1d

LongCat-Image image SHA 256: 1f95d4152dfa60c5056df13bf813563a75863f4a34419344e1a59a800a46f689

Typography and layout

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: de7f5a691e0fe0b251a93730c92603059b25432af9126fee410568fcaf829348

LongCat-Image image SHA 256: 1d6b72ae389c339ff3011ee3c59bd77b12b5157f1fadcf0932c96ebe5313836b

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

LongCat-Image

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

Rank 50 of 108

LongCat-Image

Rank 80 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

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.

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.

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.

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	LongCat-Image
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	33
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	71	41
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	36	29
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	65	24
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	75	37
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	n/a	Dec 5, 2025
Weightsopen means: runs locally	unknown	open
Lifecycle	Separate API pricing/product SKU; no independent checkpoint identity confirmed	no notice
Access	API	local
Parameters	not published	6 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) · 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 Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro and LongCat-Image from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

More comparisons

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