Why it's hard
Chinese characters come out wrong or invented
What we test
10 posters, EN / 中文 / mixed, text accuracy scored
ai poster generator with chinese text · AI海报中文不乱码
Area 02 · 10 jobs
Best AI for image and design, job by job
We don't rank models in general. We test them one job at a time: the same inputs and settings for every model, graded blind, with the cost of each usable result. 5 of these jobs are being tested now.
Testing now
E-commerce product photos
Testing nowWhy it's hard
Product details change; lighting looks fake
What we test
Same product photo → white background, lifestyle, on-model
ai product photography · AI商品图
Character reference sheets for video
Testing nowWhy it's hard
Turnaround views don't match each other
What we test
1 description → front, side, back, expressions
ai character sheet generator · 角色三视图
Portraits and headshots
Testing nowWhy it's hard
Looks plastic or not like the person
What we test
5 consented source photos → headshots
ai headshot generator linkedin · AI证件照
Social covers (Xiaohongshu, YouTube thumbnails)
Testing nowWhy it's hard
Title text unreadable, layout cluttered
What we test
10 covers with headline text
youtube thumbnail ai · 小红书封面AI
Coming in month 2
Photo editing by instruction
Month 2Why it's hard
Edits change things you didn't ask for
What we test
15 edit instructions on 5 photos
ai photo editor remove object
Logos and brand assets
Month 2Why it's hard
Generic marks, unusable raster files
What we test
5 briefs, vector output scored
ai logo generator vector
Infographics and diagrams
Month 2Why it's hard
Numbers and labels wrong
What we test
5 data briefs, accuracy scored
ai infographic generator
Illustration and anime
Month 2Why it's hard
Style drift, anatomy errors
What we test
10 style briefs
best ai for anime art
Coming in month 3
Interior and architecture renderings
Month 3Why it's hard
Perspective and materials unrealistic
What we test
5 floor plans or sketches
ai interior design render
Models in this area
The field as of 29 Oct 2026. Prices are list prices.
| Model | Latest version | List price | Mainland China |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst / FlareOpenAI | 8 Sep 2026 | ~$0.21 at max; 0.5 Higgsfield credits at 1K medium | ? |
| Nano Banana 2.1Google | 6 Oct 2026 | ~$0.034 | ? |
| Seedream 5.0 ProByteDance | 12 Aug 2026 | from $0.045 | Yes |
| Midjourney V8.1 | 30 Apr 2026 | $10–120/mo | ? |
| FLUX 3 ImageBlack Forest Labs | announced 23 Jul 2026 | ? | ? |
| Ideogram 4.0 | Jun 2026 | ~$0.06 | ? |
| Recraft V4.1 | 14 May 2026 | $0.035 | ? |
| Qwen-Image 3.0Alibaba | ~Jul 2026 | ? | Likely |
How we choose and grade: our methodology.