Stable Diffusion 3.5 Largevs.MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Which one is better?

In our own test, MAI-Image-2.6 Flash leads. MAI-Image-2.6 Flash has no arena rating yet. Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large has no API price.

Test images

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large17 out of 100

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — MAI-Image-2.6 Flash90 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:MAI-Image-2.6 Flash 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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=7087247023770270000, estimated cost $0.068157, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:37 PM. Source

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.019587, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:43 AM. Source

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large image SHA 256: e748006fe56e442ad347e3f994f18b86ee1739f20dcee063aa7a03ee710c5d54

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: d6f2280312404df55179b7cf7d03468df04541eae774cc8d2b35e40e0820f06f

Infographic

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=12166653711354006000, estimated cost $0.068157, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:37 PM. Source

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.019598, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:43 AM. Source

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large image SHA 256: 4eb0fd741ef42e6d3fee4b1280cdfb098a0a04009b139051963895892e349f1e

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: 5c40f304b9dad1876a8d2223d22ca0e431ba9fe8a16e878a81743ac8296b6649

Product photography

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=13346308312015933000, estimated cost $0.068157, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:37 PM. Source

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.019589, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:43 AM. Source

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large image SHA 256: ea9a7401dee8859ec2cb96af9f7ca29a177ef2202f52f629d8ce9f5839bd4061

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: 64376f13e8626feb37db3c138dde381843866e7d58fb87e8076c2fa9003365e4

Typography and layout

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=16632333557910893000, estimated cost $0.068157, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:37 PM. Source

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.019575, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:43 AM. Source

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

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large image SHA 256: e2994b1883a245b1c8c447957d121ea89d93aafff149029aa4e8507dbb769f9a

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: be8d86a467f73abfce15cdcce3073acc257baf1c87112c2b53a64b36efde0804

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

938

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large

Rank 21 of 21

n/a

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large

Rank 87 of 108

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Rank 31 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large

no API price

$0.019

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

cheap

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.

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, local.
License: Open weights.

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: $0.019 per image, 100 images $1.95.

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	Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large	MAI-Image-2.6 Flash
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	938	n/a
Arena rank	Rank 21 of 21	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	23,396	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	27	67
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	31	54
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	17	90
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	23	52
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	39	74
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	$0.019
100 images	n/a	$1.95
Profile
Released	Oct 22, 2024	Jul 31, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	open	proprietary
Lifecycle	no notice	Preview in Microsoft Foundry
Access	API, local	API
Parameters	8.1 billion	not published
Largest output	1 Megapixel	2,359,296 pixels
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	n/a	n/a

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

Sources: Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · MAI-Image-2.6 Flash model source, status source (verified Sep 24, 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 Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large and MAI-Image-2.6 Flash from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

More comparisons with Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large and MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

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Stable Diffusion 3.5 Largevs.MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Test images

The numbers at a glance

Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

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