Wan 2.6 Text to Imagevs.MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Wan 2.6 Text to Image costs 1.5 times as much per image.

Test images

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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Wan 2.6 Text to Image54 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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: together, requested 1280x1280, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:30 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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image image SHA 256: cf49d7136a442f4f1c1ae29af99e917aa83bcbf501fdacfe3a13a3b3e74d7f9a

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: d6f2280312404df55179b7cf7d03468df04541eae774cc8d2b35e40e0820f06f

Infographic

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: together, requested 1280x1280, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:30 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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image image SHA 256: 28eecbf460194ec047237c35415d934929baee9de9938bdff435cd21a4416435

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

Product photography

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: together, requested 1280x1280, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:29 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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image image SHA 256: e8dbcfd0ce965814d72d676eddf74f723d476c1f78c5928c7b6efbc4eca4765e

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

Typography and layout

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: together, requested 1280x1280, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:01 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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image image SHA 256: 7e9557478ee297369d7680b31ab3b23a13c984981c0e0c922ef07372999122a7

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash image SHA 256: be8d86a467f73abfce15cdcce3073acc257baf1c87112c2b53a64b36efde0804

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

not in the arena

n/a

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

Rank 44 of 108

MAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Rank 31 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.03

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

cheap

$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.

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: $0.03 per image, 100 images $3.

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.

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	Wan 2.6 Text to Image	MAI-Image-2.6 Flash
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	63	67
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	41	54
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	54	90
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	79	52
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	77	74
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.03	$0.019
100 images	$3	$1.95
Profile
Released	January 2026	Jul 31, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	proprietary
Lifecycle	no notice	Preview in Microsoft Foundry
Access	API	API
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	2K	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: Wan 2.6 Text to Image 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.

Arena rating per categoryfrom votes by users · higher is betterWan 2.6 Text to ImageMAI-Image-2.6 Flash

Text to Image Arena1,0151,120ahead

Artificial Analysis from Nov 3, 2026

All individual values with sources

Rating	Wan 2.6 Text to Image	MAI-Image-2.6 Flash	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,015	1,120	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026

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Predecessor and successor

No predecessor recorded for Wan 2.6 Text to Image
Wan 2.6 Text to Image has no successor yet
No predecessor recorded for MAI-Image-2.6 Flash
MAI-Image-2.6 Flash has no successor yet

The most popular comparisons

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