Compare 15 image generation models ranked by quality, capabilities, and pricing. From text-to-image generators like Stable Diffusion and DALL-E to multimodal LLMs with inline image output.
Image generation models ranked by composite score. Score factors in capabilities, pricing, recency, and output quality.
| # | Model | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GPT-5.4 Image 2OpenAI | 92 |
| 2 | GPT-5 Image MiniOpenAI | 89 |
| 3 | GPT-5 ImageOpenAI | 89 |
| 4 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)Google | 78 |
| 5 | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview)Google | 40 |
| 6 | Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview)Google | 40 |
| 7 | Stable Diffusion 3.5Stability AI | 16 |
| 8 | Recraft V3Recraft | 15 |
| 9 | Midjourney v6.1Midjourney | 13 |
| 10 | FLUX.1 ProBlack Forest Labs | 13 |
| 11 | Ideogram 2.0Ideogram | 13 |
| 12 | Leonardo PhoenixLeonardo AI | 13 |
| 13 | Imagen 3Google | 10 |
| 14 | DALL-E 3OpenAI | 9 |
| 15 | Adobe Firefly 3Adobe | 9 |
API pricing comparison for image generation models, sorted by output cost per million tokens. Prices vary by provider and access method.
| Model | Input/1M | Output/1M |
|---|---|---|
| Midjourney v6.1 | Free | Free |
| Leonardo Phoenix | Free | Free |
| Adobe Firefly 3 | Free | Free |
| GPT-5 Image Mini | $2.50 | $2.00 |
| Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | $0.30 | $2.50 |
| Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) | $0.50 | $3.00 |
| GPT-5 Image | $10.00 | $10.00 |
| Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview) | $2.00 | $12.00 |
| GPT-5.4 Image 2 | $8.00 | $15.00 |
| Stable Diffusion 3.5 | Free | $35000.00 |
| Recraft V3 | Free | $40000.00 |
| Imagen 3 | Free | $40000.00 |
| DALL-E 3 | Free | $40000.00 |
| FLUX.1 Pro | Free | $50000.00 |
| Ideogram 2.0 | Free | $80000.00 |
Providers offering image generation models, sorted by number of available models.
Explore video generation, audio AI, model comparisons, and more.
AI image generation models create images from text descriptions (text-to-image), modify existing images (image-to-image), or combine visual and text inputs. Popular models include DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Flux.
The best image generator depends on your needs. Our tracker ranks models by composite score including quality, pricing, and capabilities. Visit the image model leaderboard above for current rankings updated hourly.
Some AI image models offer free API access or free tiers with limited usage. Open-source models like Stable Diffusion can be self-hosted at no API cost. Premium models like DALL-E and Midjourney require paid access.