Recraft V4.1 Utilityvs.Qwen-Image-2.1

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Recraft V4.1 Utility has no arena rating yet. Qwen-Image-2.1 has no API price.

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

Qwen-Image-2.1: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Qwen-Image-2.190 out of 100

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

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

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: d2ba0b86ed4214659720cdcf68ff09ca748700a32afc3d25808b6a3af74223f2

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: b29bb7e207ad464957ee060bbf0655104bcbece703360254e48daa3ec35a62d7

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

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

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 7d383a257e5152b2781a6e5a78edd54fe55900dfb2580f85078f8142b63194c5

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 316e38ed63ff401f86a7ceee9cc65c74413e0e9c7c899a6e6bf453acc2940dac

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

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

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 7fd9cfe67371d0fecc6d605105ca777bec170d4d4e8dcad5b4f15f813e21c1ab

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 041f559d4261865b327fcae4f8bb0bd3b176c55a3b1255a042ab3e0fc4f9bc4b

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

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

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

Recraft V4.1 Utility image SHA 256: 3aa0bc86cccfd2140ba4f5606f1f814a5a6ded23cb06b7aebe26f8dcf946a752

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 4670269190f492154c05e3f18c4eb9e3938910ca1aca32503b6a1ceb16d39b38

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Recraft V4.1 Utility

not in the arena

1,227

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 14 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Recraft V4.1 Utility

Rank 41 of 108

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 40 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.035

Recraft V4.1 Utility

fairly cheap

n/a

Qwen-Image-2.1

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.

Recraft V4.1 Utility

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: $0.035 per image, 100 images $3.50.

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.

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 · API prices from Nov 6, 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	Qwen-Image-2.1
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	1,227
Arena rank	n/a	Rank 14 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	19,378
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	65	65
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	96	54
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	32	90
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	66	34
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	64	83
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.035	n/a
100 images	$3.50	n/a
Profile
Released	May 2026	Sep 20, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	openQwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate license
Access	API, Web app	local, Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	1 Megapixel	2K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	4	5

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) · Qwen-Image-2.1 model source, status 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 UtilityQwen-Image-2.1

Text to Image Arena1,0281,045level

Artificial Analysis from Nov 6, 2026

All individual values with sources

Rating	Recraft V4.1 Utility	Qwen-Image-2.1	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,028	1,045	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 6, 2026

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