Qwen Image 2.1
Sep 2026
Qwen Image 2.1Compare inon
Qwen Image 2.1 measured on 5 of 9 Image Generation & Editing benchmarks5
BenchmarkByScoreRank
Multimodal4
Text rendering1
No benchmark matches
Rankingconfiguration unstated?
Full ranking →···
18Qwen Image 3.0 Pro1,09119Qwen Image 2.11,08320Luma UNI 1 Max1,080Strong at
Alternatives?
ModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
CheaperMuse Imageunstatedwins 57%-50%$0.01
OpenFLUX.2 [klein] 9Bunstatedwins 40%-15%$0.017Memory (4-bit): 4.2 GB → 5.3 GBCheaperQwen Image 2.1 Turbowins 47%-20%$0.016
BetterMAI Image 2.6 Flashwins 59%same$0.019
BetterNano Banana 2.1unstatedwins 60%+68%$0.034ModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
Muse Imageunstatedwins 57%-50%$0.01Qwen Image 2.1 Turbowins 47%-20%$0.016ModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
Muse Imageunstatedwins 57%-50%$0.01MAI Image 2.6 Flashwins 59%same$0.019Nano Banana 2.1unstatedwins 60%+68%$0.034MAI Image 2.6unstatedwins 60%+94%$0.039MAI Image 2.5unstatedwins 56%+140%$0.048ModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
FLUX.2 [klein] 9BunstatedOpenwins 40%-15%$0.017Memory (4-bit): 4.2 GB → 5.3 GBFLUX.2 [klein] 4BunstatedOpenwins 31%-25%$0.015Reference images: not verifiedBFIBO EditOpenwins 28%+100%$0.04Reference images: not verified+1FLUX.1 Kontext DevunstatedOpenwins 24%+25%$0.025Reference images: not verified+1
GLM-ImageunstatedOpenwins 18%+150%$0.05Reference images: not verifiedModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
Qwen Image 3.0 Prounstatedsame+100%$0.04Qwen Image 2.1 Prosame+76%$0.035Qwen Image 3.0same+50%$0.03Qwen Image 2.1 Turbowins 47%-20%$0.016Qwen Image 2.0 Pro (2026-04-22)unstatedwins 46%+275%$0.075Wan 2.7 Prowins 45%+275%$0.075Reference images: not verifiedWan 2.6 Imagewins 45%+50%$0.03Wan 2.7 Imageunstatedwins 44%+30%$0.026All Alibaba (Qwen) models →Run it yourself
estimateFits on✓ 8 GB (phone, laptop) · 8-bit✓ 16 GB · full quality✓ 24 GB GPU · full quality✓ 48 GB GPU · full quality✓ 80 GB GPU · full quality
Licenceqwen-researchcommercial use with conditions
History
6 versionsBenchmarks
in Image Generation & EditingAA Image Arena · editing v2.11,083#19
Arena Image Editing · overall1,368.7#11
Arena Text-to-Image · overall1,222.9#11
FAQ
How much does Qwen Image 2.1 cost?›
$0.02 per image.
Is Qwen Image 2.1 free to use?›
There is no free API; it costs $0.02 per image. The weights are open, so you can run it yourself.
How good is Qwen Image 2.1, and what is it best at?›
#21 of 93 in Image Generation & Editing. Strongest at: Image Generation & Editing.
Is Qwen Image 2.1 better than Qwen Image 3.0 Pro?›
On AA Image Arena · editing v2.1, Qwen Image 2.1 scores 1,083 vs 1,091 — about the same. It is 50% cheaper.
When was Qwen Image 2.1 released? Is there a newer version?›
Released 2026-09-20. It is the current version in its line.
Is Qwen Image 2.1 open source?›
Yes, the weights are open (qwen-research licence).
Can I run Qwen Image 2.1 locally?›
The weights are open and can be self-hosted; hardware needs are not confirmed yet.
What is Qwen Image 2.1?›
Qwen Image 2.1 is an open-weights image generation & editing model from Alibaba (Qwen), released Sep 2026.
What are the best alternatives to Qwen Image 2.1?›
Muse Image (cheaper), FLUX.2 [klein] 9B (open weights).