Z-Image Base
Jan 2026
Z-Image BaseCompare inonAA Image Arena · Text-to-image
Ranking?
Full ranking →···
73Vidu Q2895.874Z-Image Base891.375GLM-Image885.4Strong at
Alternatives?
ModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
CheaperFLUX.2 [dev] FlashOpenwins 64%-50%$0.005Memory (4-bit): not verifiedOpenQwen Image 2.1unstatedwins 70%+100%$0.02Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 4.2 GB
CheaperIdeogram 4.0 InstantOpenwins 63%-25%$0.007Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 5.4 GB
CheaperRecraft V4.1 Flashunstatedwins 58%-30%$0.007CheaperZ-Image TurbounstatedOpenwins 56%-50%$0.005Memory (4-bit): not verifiedModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
FLUX.2 [dev] FlashOpenwins 64%-50%$0.005Memory (4-bit): not verifiedIdeogram 4.0 InstantOpenwins 63%-25%$0.007Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 5.4 GBRecraft V4.1 Flashunstatedwins 58%-30%$0.007Z-Image TurbounstatedOpenwins 56%-50%$0.005Memory (4-bit): not verifiedPP Imageunstatedsame-50%$0.005ModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
FLUX.2 [dev] FlashOpenwins 64%-50%$0.005Memory (4-bit): not verifiedZ-Image TurbounstatedOpenwins 56%-50%$0.005Memory (4-bit): not verifiedRecraft V4.1 Flashunstatedwins 58%-30%$0.007Ideogram 4.0 InstantOpenwins 63%-25%$0.007Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 5.4 GB
Muse Imageunstatedwins 80%same$0.01ModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
Qwen Image 2.1unstatedOpenwins 70%+100%$0.02Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 4.2 GB
Ming Image 0.1 DesignOpenwins 65%+200%$0.03Ideogram 4.0 FastOpenwins 63%+75%$0.018Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 5.4 GBIdeogram 4.0 InstantOpenwins 63%-25%$0.007Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 5.4 GBFLUX.2 [klein] 9BunstatedOpenwins 55%+70%$0.017Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 5.3 GBModelScoreCostPriceWhat changes
Qwen Image 3.0 Prounstatedwins 76%+300%$0.04Qwen Image 3.0wins 74%+200%$0.03Qwen Image 2.1 Prowins 72%+253%$0.035Qwen Image 2.1unstatedOpenwins 70%+100%$0.02Memory (4-bit): 3.6 GB → 4.2 GBQwen Image 2.0 Pro (2026-04-22)unstatedwins 69%+650%$0.075Qwen Image 2.1 Turbowins 69%+60%$0.016Wan 2.6 Imagewins 69%+200%$0.03Wan2.6 Text to Imagewins 67%+200%$0.03All 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
LicenceApache-2.0free for commercial use
Benchmarks
in Image Generation & EditingFAQ
How much does Z-Image Base cost?›
$0.01 per image.
Is Z-Image Base free to use?›
There is no free API; it costs $0.01 per image. The weights are open, so you can run it yourself.
How good is Z-Image Base, and what is it best at?›
#74 of 93 in Image Generation & Editing.
Is Z-Image Base better than Vidu Q2?›
On AA Image Arena · text-to-image v2.1, Z-Image Base scores 891.3 vs 895.8 — about the same. It is 75% cheaper.
When was Z-Image Base released? Is there a newer version?›
Released 2026-01-27. It is the current version in its line.
Is Z-Image Base open source?›
Yes, the weights are open (Apache-2.0 licence).
Can I run Z-Image Base locally?›
The weights are open and can be self-hosted; hardware needs are not confirmed yet.
What is Z-Image Base?›
Z-Image Base is an open-weights image generation & editing model from Alibaba (Qwen), released Jan 2026.
What are the best alternatives to Z-Image Base?›
FLUX.2 [dev] Flash (cheaper), Qwen Image 2.1 (open weights).