The best text-to-image models in 2026, ranked

GPT Image 1.5 is the best text-to-image model to run via API in 2026: it sits at #2 on Infer's image leaderboard (1271 Elo) and Infer's own testing puts it 12% ahead of FLUX 1.1 [pro] on photorealism, with the strongest handling of 8-plus-element compositions of anything in this ranking. Nano Banana 2 is the runner-up and the one to reach for when speed or multilingual text matters; it renders in about 1.4 seconds and handles 30-plus languages including non-Latin scripts. Seedream 4.0 is the budget pick, at $0.03/image, if your work leans bilingual or East Asian aesthetic.

This list covers the six text-to-image models you can call today through one Infer API key: GPT Image 1.5, Nano Banana 2, Seedream 4.0, FLUX 1.1 [pro], Imagen 4 Standard, and Ideogram 3.0. Midjourney V8.1 is the notable model missing from every API-first ranking, including this one, since it's Discord/web-only. GPT Image 2, FLUX.2, and Seedream 4.5/5.0 already exist upstream from their makers but hadn't landed in Infer's live catalog as of this compilation; see "What didn't make the list" below.

The ranked list

*FLUX 1.1 [pro]'s own Infer page shows $0.02/image in its primary pricing block but also references "$0.04/img" elsewhere; we couldn't reconcile the two, so confirm the live rate before quoting it to a client. Ranks 4-6 have no published Elo because Infer's leaderboard only server-renders the video-generation tab; image-leaderboard positions for GPT Image 1.5, Nano Banana 2, and Seedream 4.0 above come from each model's individual page (observed 2026-07-22), not a public top-9 image table.

GPT Image 1.5: the photorealism leader

GPT Image 1.5 earns the top spot on specifics, not adjectives: #2 on Infer's image board at 1271 Elo, and Infer's own copy states a 12% photorealism edge over FLUX 1.1 [pro], plus "Top 1" portrait fidelity. Infer's own documented use cases name "complex multi-subject compositions (8+ elements)" as a strength, the specific failure mode, element dropout, that trips up most of the rest of this list once a scene passes five or six objects.

At $0.04/image flat, it's not the cheapest model here. Nano Banana 2 and Seedream 4.0 both undercut it, but its ~5-second average latency and OpenAI's safety stack (CSAM detection, public-figure restrictions, NSFW filtering) make it the safer default for anything client-facing at scale. The flaw: it's the slowest model on this list, at ~5 seconds average against Nano Banana 2's ~1.4s and FLUX 1.1's ~2.5s (Infer model pages, observed 2026-07-22). OpenAI's filters will also occasionally refuse legitimate briefs involving public figures, which matters if you shoot editorial. It's live on Infer. Run GPT Image 1.5 on Infer →

Nano Banana 2: the speed and localization pick

Nano Banana 2 is the fastest model on this list by a wide margin: 1.4 seconds median, 2.6 seconds at P95, roughly 3x quicker than GPT Image 1.5. That speed compounds at scale. A 500-image batch that takes GPT Image 1.5 about 42 minutes of pure generation time clears in under 15 on Nano Banana 2. It also renders 30-plus languages legibly, including non-Latin scripts, which Infer's own copy frames as "Ideogram-grade text fidelity at half the latency."

At $0.039/image it undercuts GPT Image 1.5 by a cent, and it holds character consistency across up to 5 characters in a scene, useful for storyboard or explainer work. The honest gap: its Arena Elo (1262, #3 overall) sits well above its Editing Elo (1065), so it's a stronger generator than it is an in-place editor. For heavy edit chains, FLUX.1 Kontext [pro] is the better tool, not this one. Try Nano Banana 2 in the Infer playground →

Seedream 4.0: the bilingual budget pick

Seedream 4.0 costs $0.03/image, the cheapest rate of any model that also carries a confirmed image-leaderboard rank (#6, 1198 Elo). Infer's own copy calls it the strongest in the catalog at CJK-plus-Latin bilingual typography and multi-reference fusion, and at ~2.8 seconds average latency it's a near-match for FLUX 1.1 [pro]'s speed at a lower price.

Infer's own copy is specific about where that strength shows up: bilingual posters and signage where both scripts have to stay legible in the same frame, the specific case that separates models built for bilingual work from ones that only claim it. The catch: Infer's page states no maximum resolution for Seedream 4.0 at all, and neither the model page nor DATA.md confirms strong performance on Western-market photorealistic content. Treat this as the pick for bilingual and East Asian aesthetic work, not a default photoreal generator. Seedream 4.0 is live on Infer. Try it →

FLUX 1.1 [pro]: fast, cheap, and one number you should double-check

FLUX 1.1 [pro] runs at ~2.5 seconds average latency on 4 default steps and is marketed as "6x faster" than the original FLUX.1 [pro], a real speed advantage for high-volume creative pipelines and e-commerce catalogs. It supports image-to-image generation via an init_image/strength parameter and offers volume discounts past 10,000 requests/month.

The flaw here isn't a quality gap, it's a pricing gap: Infer's own page shows $0.02/image in the primary pricing block but references "$0.04/img" elsewhere on the same page. We're flagging this rather than picking one, because presenting either figure as settled would be wrong. Confirm the live rate in the console before quoting a client. LoRA support is listed as "planned for roadmap," not shipped, so don't sell custom fine-tuning on this model yet. Run FLUX 1.1 [pro] on Infer →

Imagen 4 Standard: the photorealism specialist with a data gap

Imagen 4 Standard is Google's photorealism-focused entry. Infer's meta description for the page calls out product shots, stock-photo replacement, and real estate as its core use cases, at $0.05/image and roughly 2 seconds of latency. Google's own official API reportedly prices Imagen 4 in three tiers (Fast $0.02, Standard $0.04, Ultra $0.06), putting Infer's $0.05 Standard rate between the official Standard and Ultra figures, a gap worth asking Infer about before you budget against it.

The bigger issue: Imagen 4 Standard's full Infer model page was returning a server error on every fetch attempt as of this writing, so resolution, max output size, and benchmark rank are unconfirmed beyond what's in the page's <meta> tags. We're including it on the list because the use case is real and the price is confirmed, just don't take the spec sheet as complete yet. Available via Infer, with pricing confirmed but full specs still pending. Imagen 4 Standard on Infer

Ideogram 3.0: the typography specialist

Ideogram 3.0 exists to solve the one thing most image models still get wrong: text that reads correctly inside the image. Infer's meta description names posters, ads, and logo generation as the core use cases, at $0.06/image, the highest per-image price on this list, but the only model here purpose-built around in-image copy rather than treating it as a side capability.

Like Imagen 4 Standard, Ideogram 3.0's full Infer page was 500-erroring during compilation, so we only have the meta-tag description to go on for use cases, and no confirmed resolution or benchmark rank. That's a real gap for a page that should be selling typography fidelity with numbers. Until Infer's page is healthy again, budget an extra round of manual proofing on any run of logos or storefront signage. Ideogram 3.0 on Infer

How we ranked

The order above blends three inputs: Infer's own image-leaderboard position where one is published (GPT Image 1.5, Nano Banana 2, Seedream 4.0 — each observed on its Infer model page 2026-07-22, since Infer's leaderboard page itself only server-renders the video tab), the price per image, and the documented use cases described in each section. Infer hosts all six models and takes the same cut whichever one wins, so this ranking has no house favorite. It's Infer's leaderboard data plus documented specs, nothing else. Where a model's spec page was down (Imagen 4 Standard, Ideogram 3.0), we ranked on confirmed price and stated use case rather than guessing at benchmarks that don't exist yet.

Which model for which job

• Complex product photography with multiple objects in frame → GPT Image 1.5.
• Fast, cheap, multilingual marketing content → Nano Banana 2.
• Bilingual (CJK + Latin) posters or character design → Seedream 4.0.
• High-volume creative pipeline, e-commerce catalog images → FLUX 1.1 [pro] (confirm the live per-image rate first).
• Product/stock/real-estate photorealism, and you can tolerate an unfinished spec sheet → Imagen 4 Standard.
• Posters, logos, or ads where the on-image text has to be right → Ideogram 3.0.

What didn't make the list

Midjourney V8.1 isn't here because it isn't API-accessible. V8.1 became Midjourney's default model on June 10, 2026, and it still ships Discord/web-only with no official API and no confirmed Infer integration. If your workflow requires programmatic calls, it's disqualified regardless of output quality.

FLUX.2 and GPT Image 2 are the frontier versions sitting one generation ahead of what's in Infer's catalog today. FLUX.2 launched November 25, 2025, and press coverage positions it as a direct challenger to Nano Banana Pro and Midjourney (BFL, FLUX.2 launch); GPT Image 2 opened to developers in early May 2026 with a new autoregressive architecture and reported 3-5x speed gains over its predecessor (GetImg.ai, GPT Image 2 coverage). Neither has a live tryinfer.com/models page as of this writing, a freshness gap, not a quality judgment.

Seedream 4.5/5.0 already appear on fal.ai and OpenRouter while Infer's catalog still runs Seedream 4.0. Same story: newer version exists, isn't in Infer's live catalog yet, excluded on recency rather than merit.

All six of these models run on one Infer API key. Test this prompt with GPT Image 1.5 on Infer →

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See also: Best AI video models in 2026, Best image-to-video models in 2026, Best AI video models for ads and marketing creative, The AI video pricing index, Cheapest AI video generation APIs, and the best/ hub for every ranked list.