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Image models compared

GPT Image 2.5 Flare vs Qwen-Image 2.1: the same prompts, side by side

OpenAI's GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Alibaba's Qwen-Image 2.1 on the same 16 prompts, two for each of 8 jobs, from logos to YouTube thumbnails: each image as it was made, what the checks found, what it cost and how long it took.

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Based on 32 images made on September 29, 2026 through kie.ai with llmwise's own settings for each model, each checked by Claude Sonnet 5.5. How the images are checked.

Short answer

On our 16 image test prompts, GPT Image 2.5 Flare passed 13 and Qwen-Image 2.1 11, each image checked the same way. GPT Image 2.5 Flare was quicker, 67.4 s an image against 79.9 s. In llmwise a GPT Image 2.5 Flare image counts as 2 Claude Haiku 4.5 messages and a Qwen-Image 2.1 image as 1 Claude Haiku 4.5 message: up to 125 and 250 images a month on Pro.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 in llmwise

What llmwise asks GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 for, and what an image of each counts as.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 in llmwise
FactGPT Image 2.5 FlareQwen-Image 2.1
Made byOpenAIAlibaba
Made throughkie.aikie.ai
Output size1K1K
Aspect ratiossquare 1:1, portrait 2:3, landscape 3:2square 1:1, portrait 2:3, landscape 3:2
An image counts as2 Claude Haiku 4.5 messages1 Claude Haiku 4.5 message
Images on Proup to 125 a monthup to 250 a month

Job by job

GPT Image 2.5 Flare passed 13 of 16 and Qwen-Image 2.1 11 of 16. A prompt passes when every piece of writing it asked for is there and every question about the image is a yes.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1, job by job
JobGPT Image 2.5 FlareQwen-Image 2.1
Logos2 of 2 passed, 12 of 12 checks1 of 2 passed, 11 of 12 checks
Text in images2 of 2 passed, 14 of 14 checks2 of 2 passed, 14 of 14 checks
Product photos2 of 2 passed, 12 of 12 checks2 of 2 passed, 12 of 12 checks
Photorealistic images2 of 2 passed, 11 of 11 checks0 of 2 passed, 9 of 11 checks
Illustrations2 of 2 passed, 10 of 10 checks2 of 2 passed, 10 of 10 checks
Portraits1 of 2 passed, 12 of 13 checks2 of 2 passed, 13 of 13 checks
YouTube thumbnails1 of 2 passed, 11 of 12 checks1 of 2 passed, 11 of 12 checks
Social media posts1 of 2 passed, 10 of 12 checks1 of 2 passed, 11 of 12 checks

The same prompts, side by side

GPT Image 2.5 Flare's and Qwen-Image 2.1's image for each prompt, with each question either one was answered no on; a prompt's title links to it in full, with every answer.

  1. A coffee shop logo with its name

    Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 2.4 s sooner (56.5 s to 58.9 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

    GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
    GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A coffee shop logo with its name”
      Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
      Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A coffee shop logo with its name”

      • A wheel and a wrench in one icon

        Only GPT Image 2.5 Flare passed, not Qwen-Image 2.1; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 2.4 s sooner (53.7 s to 56.1 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

        GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
        GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A wheel and a wrench in one icon”
          Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
          Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A wheel and a wrench in one icon”
          • Is there a bicycle wheel in the icon? No: The icon is a plain circle with a short horizontal line, with no spokes, tire or hub, so it reads as a ring rather than a bicycle wheel.

        • A bakery sign with two lines

          Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 27.9 s sooner (30.9 s to 58.8 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

          GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
          GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A bakery sign with two lines”
            Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
            Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A bakery sign with two lines”

            • A café menu board with four prices

              Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 23.2 s sooner (59.5 s to 82.7 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

              GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
              GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A café menu board with four prices”
                Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A café menu board with four prices”

                • A white sneaker on a grey background

                  Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 79.4 s sooner (57.0 s to 136.5 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                  GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                  GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A white sneaker on a grey background”
                    Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                    Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A white sneaker on a grey background”

                    • A perfume bottle and its reflection

                      Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 29.2 s sooner (61.8 s to 91.0 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                      GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                      GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A perfume bottle and its reflection”
                        Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                        Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A perfume bottle and its reflection”

                        • A bowl of ramen from above

                          Only GPT Image 2.5 Flare passed, not Qwen-Image 2.1; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 3.4 s sooner (114.6 s to 118.0 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                          GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                          GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A bowl of ramen from above”
                            Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
                            Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A bowl of ramen from above”
                            • Are chopsticks resting across the bowl? No: The chopsticks lie on the table and reach the bowl's lower left edge, but they do not rest across the bowl. They look more like they pass over or in front of the rim than rest on it.

                          • A rainy street at night, one red umbrella

                            Only GPT Image 2.5 Flare passed, not Qwen-Image 2.1; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 66.3 s sooner (65.4 s to 131.7 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                            GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                            GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A rainy street at night, one red umbrella”
                              Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
                              Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A rainy street at night, one red umbrella”
                              • Is the person walking away from the camera? No: The person is seen from the side or back and appears to be crossing or facing sideways, so it isn't clearly walking away from the camera.

                            • A watercolour fox for a children's book

                              Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 75.9 s sooner (67.6 s to 143.6 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                              GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                              GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A watercolour fox for a children's book”
                                Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A watercolour fox for a children's book”

                                • Three people at one laptop, flat vector

                                  Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 37.5 s sooner (67.2 s to 104.6 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                                  GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                                  GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “Three people at one laptop, flat vector”
                                    Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                    Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “Three people at one laptop, flat vector”

                                    • A studio headshot

                                      Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 45.5 s sooner (58.8 s to 104.3 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                                      GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                                      GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A studio headshot”
                                        Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                        Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A studio headshot”

                                        • A fisherman holding a rope in both hands

                                          Only Qwen-Image 2.1 passed, not GPT Image 2.5 Flare; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 68.6 s sooner (30.8 s to 99.4 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                                          GPT Image 2.5 FlareFailed
                                          GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A fisherman holding a rope in both hands”
                                          • Does every hand you can see have five fingers and look natural? No: The fingers are partly hidden by the rope and jacket, so a clear count of five natural fingers on each hand isn't possible.
                                          Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                          Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A fisherman holding a rope in both hands”

                                          • A cooking video thumbnail

                                            Only GPT Image 2.5 Flare passed, not Qwen-Image 2.1; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 23.0 s sooner (43.4 s to 66.3 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                                            GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                                            GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A cooking video thumbnail”
                                              Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
                                              Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A cooking video thumbnail”
                                              • Are there flames coming from the pan? No: The flames are on the far left beside the man, not coming from the pan, which only holds food and flying bits.

                                            • A phone review thumbnail with a question

                                              Only Qwen-Image 2.1 passed, not GPT Image 2.5 Flare; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 20.2 s sooner (35.7 s to 55.9 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                                              GPT Image 2.5 FlareFailed
                                              GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A phone review thumbnail with a question”
                                              • Is there only one piece of writing? No: The writing is on two separate lines, 'WORTH' and 'IT?', although they form one phrase.
                                              Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                              Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A phone review thumbnail with a question”

                                              • A summer sale post

                                                Both GPT Image 2.5 Flare and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 35.4 s sooner (23.1 s to 58.5 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                                                GPT Image 2.5 FlarePassed
                                                GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A summer sale post”
                                                  Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                                  Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A summer sale post”

                                                  • A book club announcement, top and bottom

                                                    Neither GPT Image 2.5 Flare nor Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image came 18.8 s sooner (72.9 s to 91.7 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.010 less at kie.ai.

                                                    GPT Image 2.5 FlareFailed
                                                    GPT Image 2.5 Flare's image for “A book club announcement, top and bottom”
                                                    • Is there one line of writing at the top and one at the bottom? No: The top has two lines of writing (BOOK and CLUB), not one, plus THURSDAY 7PM at the bottom.
                                                    • Apart from those two lines, is nothing else written? No: Besides the top and bottom text, the open book's pages have small print, though it is unreadable.
                                                    Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
                                                    Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A book club announcement, top and bottom”
                                                    • Apart from those two lines, is nothing else written? No: The open book's pages show small blurry lines of text, so there is other writing, though it is unreadable.

                                                  More image models, compared

                                                  Questions

                                                  Is GPT Image 2.5 Flare better than Qwen-Image 2.1?

                                                  On our 16 image test prompts, GPT Image 2.5 Flare passed 13 and Qwen-Image 2.1 11, each image checked the same way. GPT Image 2.5 Flare was quicker, 67.4 s an image against 79.9 s. In llmwise a GPT Image 2.5 Flare image counts as 2 Claude Haiku 4.5 messages and a Qwen-Image 2.1 image as 1 Claude Haiku 4.5 message: up to 125 and 250 images a month on Pro.

                                                  Which is cheaper in llmwise, GPT Image 2.5 Flare or Qwen-Image 2.1?

                                                  Qwen-Image 2.1: in llmwise its image counts as 1 Claude Haiku 4.5 message, against 2 Claude Haiku 4.5 messages for GPT Image 2.5 Flare.

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