Distilled version of Black Forest Labs' FLUX.2 [dev] outperforming it at a cheaper price. Developed by fal.ai.
Settled by community votes across 13 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
#4 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Recraft V4.1 Pro
#36 of 62 in Text-to-Image
Where the votes landed
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
0%
win rate
Ties
0%
Recraft V4.1 Pro
0%
win rate
Challenge by challenge
The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.
Geometric Composition
Text-to-Image“A glass cube on a wooden table. Inside the cube is a small blue sphere. On top of the cube sits a red book. A green plant is behind the cube, partially visible through the glass. Soft window light from the left.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent photographic realism with natural lighting and depth of field.
- + Accurate spatial relationships between all objects.
- + Higher resolution details on the glass texture and wood grain.
- − The glass cube has thick, green-tinted edges that slightly obscure the plant.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Strong composition with bold colors.
- + The blue sphere has a very clear glass-like refraction.
- + Accurately places the source of light from the left.
- − The book appears to be levitating slightly above the cube or making unnatural contact.
- − Lower photographic realism compared to the other model.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo followed all instructions perfectly, providing a highly realistic and grounded scene with convincing textures. Recraft V4.1 Pro also followed the prompt, but the physics of the book sitting on the cube feel slightly off, making the image look more like a digital render than a real photograph.
Candid Street Photography
Text-to-Image“A candid street photo of an elderly Japanese man repairing a red bicycle in light rain, reflections on wet pavement, shallow depth of field, 50mm lens, natural skin texture, imperfect framing, motion blur from passing cars, cinematic but realistic, no stylization.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent depiction of wet pavement and reflections accurately responding to the rainy atmosphere.
- + Hyper-realistic skin texture and facial details on the elderly man.
- + Precise adherence to the red bicycle prompt with complex mechanical details.
- − The motion blur of the background cars is a bit static compared to Model B.
- − The framing feels slightly too 'perfect' for the 'imperfect framing' prompt.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Perfectly captures the 'candid' and 'imperfect framing' request with its composition and crop.
- + Highly effective motion blur on the passing car that creates a sense of movement.
- + Film-like grain and 50mm shallow depth of field feel very authentic to 35mm photography.
- − The rain effect looks like a simple overlay rather than interacting with the scene.
- − The hands and the connection between the man and the bicycle are less detailed and slightly muddy.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo produces a technically superior image with incredible detail in the skin, clothing, and bicycle mechanics, making it feel more cinematic. However, Recraft V4.1 Pro much better captures the 'candid street photo' aesthetic and the 'imperfect framing' requested, resulting in a more authentic photographic feel despite lower detail. FLUX.2 is preferred for sheer quality, while Recraft wins on fulfilling the specific stylistic mood of the prompt.
Fantasy Warrior
Text-to-Image“Close portrait of a battle-worn paladin in ornate engraved plate armor, hair braided with small beads, faint scars and dirt on the skin, warm torchlight reflecting off metal, shallow depth of field, bokeh sparks, lifelike eyes, highly detailed texture on leather straps and cloth underlayer.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent depiction of the requested beads in multiple braids
- + Highly detailed engraving on the plate armor
- + Naturalistic warm torchlight reflection on the metal
- − The facial scars look a bit like surface-level paint rather than deep tissue
- − The background torch is slightly distracting from the subject
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Superb skin texture with realistic dirt and grittiness
- + Very strong depth of field with beautiful hexagonal bokeh
- + Intense, lifelike gaze with complex reflections in the eyes
- − The beads in the hair are less prominent and fewer in number compared to the prompt requirements
- − The armor engraving is slightly softer in focus than Model A
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt exceptionally well, but Recraft V4.1 Pro captures a more cinematic and raw feel with superior skin textures and lighting. While FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo provided more beads in the hair as requested, the overall composition and grit of Recraft V4.1 Pro feel more authentically 'battle-worn'.
Modern Clean Menu
Text-to-Image“Modern minimalist restaurant menu design, white background with colorful food photos in grid, sections for appetizers/pizza/mains, bold sans-serif fonts, vibrant accents, clean professional layout for casual dining.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent grid layout with a high density of vibrant food photography.
- + Professional hierarchy with clear section headers for Appetizers, Pizza, and Mains.
- + Effective use of colorful block accents following the minimalist prompt.
- − The pricing contains hallucinated numbers that are unrealistic ($260 for a pizza).
- − Considerable amount of nonsensical 'lorem ipsum' and garbled secondary text.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Perfectly legible, realistic English text and coherent menu items/prices.
- + Very clean, minimalist aesthetic with intentional use of whitespace.
- + Modern rounded image corners and sophisticated font choices.
- − The food photos are not arranged in a 'grid' as specifically requested in the prompt.
- − Slightly less 'vibrant' than Model A, appearing more muted.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the clear winner because it produces a functional, realistic menu with perfect text rendering and logical pricing, whereas FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo suffers from significant text hallucinations and absurdist pricing ($300 pizza). While FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo followed the 'grid' instruction better, the overall professional quality and usability of the Recraft V4.1 Pro output are superior for a design task.
Magic Burger Explosion: Fiery Photorealism Challenge
Text-to-Image“Ad for 'Magic Burger'. Dynamic, exploded burger with all components (bun, patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sauce) suspended in mid-air. Emphasize photorealistic detail and a sense of motion. Dark, fiery background with glowing embers. Integrate text: 'MAGIC BURGER' as a prominent title, 'LIMITED TIME ONLY' as a secondary message, and '€6.99' in a starburst, all rendered with a fiery, glowing effect.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent typography with a consistent fiery texture.
- + Balanced and professional advertisement composition.
- + Highly realistic food textures and lighting.
- − The burger feels a bit static rather than truly 'exploded' in mid-air.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Dynamic 'exploded' effect with a strong sense of motion.
- + Vibrant lighting on the '€6.99' starburst element.
- + Clear separation of layers for a more dramatic visual.
- − The 'LIMITED TIME ONLY' text is small and lacks the same fiery impact as the title.
- − The 'MAGIC BURGER' text rendering is slightly less refined than Image A.
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt exceptionally well, rendering complex text and composition accurately. FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo produced a more polished, cohesive advertisement with superior text integration, while Recraft V4.1 Pro achieved a better sense of motion and 'explosive' energy in the food arrangement.
Chalkboard Menu
Text-to-Image“Handwritten-style chalkboard menu in a cozy café, all text rendered in the exact same realistic chalk handwriting style with natural variations in letter size, slight slant, and chalk texture — no printed or digital fonts anywhere on the board. Title at the top in elegant cursive chalk handwriting: ‘TODAY’S SPECIALS – APRIL 30, 2026’. Below it, three menu items also in the same handwritten chalk style: ‘Truffle Mushroom Risotto – $24’, ‘Grilled Octopus with Lemon & Herbs – $28’, ‘Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – $9’. At the very bottom, smaller text in the identical handwritten chalk style (slightly smaller but still clearly legible with the same handwriting characteristics): ‘All items made fresh daily • Ask about our gluten-free options’. Warm ambient café lighting, visible chalk dust and smudges, realistic handwriting imperfections, no clean printed text anywhere.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent chalk texture with realistic smudges and strokes.
- + Accurate text rendering for almost the entire prompt, including the specific date.
- + Natural composition that includes café background elements for context.
- − The pricing for the cookies is slightly repetitive and messy at the end of the line.
- − The handwriting style is more of a print-script mix rather than the requested elegant cursive for the title.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Very clean and legible handwriting that maintains a consistent style throughout.
- + Perfect adherence to all requested text strings, including the full cookie item.
- + Superior layout with even spacing between menu items.
- − The chalk texture looks a bit more like a digital brush than physical chalk compared to Model A.
- − The 'handwritten' style feels slightly too uniform, lacking some of the requested natural variation in slant.
Verdict: Both models performed exceptionally well on a difficult text-heavy prompt. FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo captured a more realistic chalk aesthetic with smudges and natural variations, while Recraft V4.1 Pro delivered a cleaner, more organized menu with perfect text accuracy. Recraft V4.1 Pro is the winner for its superior legibility and complete rendering of the final menu item without repetition or errors.
The Reversed Rodeo
Text-to-Image“Horse riding astronaut in space — horse on top, not vice versa. Surreal, highly detailed, cinematic.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent anatomical detail on the horse and spacesuit.
- + Cinematic lighting with realistic lens flare and earth reflections.
- + High texture resolution on the horse's fur and the rocky landscape below.
- − Failed the primary logic constraint by placing the astronaut on top of the horse.
- − The composition is a standard trope rather than the requested surreal inversion.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Dynamic composition with a sense of motion through a nebula.
- + Crisp lighting on the astronaut's pack and horse's mane.
- + Interesting color palette for the background space scene.
- − Failed the primary logic constraint by placing the astronaut on top of the horse.
- − The horse's hind legs appear slightly stiff or awkwardly posed.
Verdict: Both FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo and Recraft V4.1 Pro completely failed to follow the specific negative/inverted constraint of 'horse on top, not vice-versa', both providing the standard astronaut-on-horse image. FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo is the slight winner for its superior rendering of textures and more grounded, cinematic lighting, whereas Recraft V4.1 Pro felt slightly more generic in its digital art style.
The Capybara Taxi Driver
Text-to-Image“Photorealistic scene inside a yellow New York taxi at night. A capybara is driving, wearing a yellow taxi driver cap and a dark jacket. It has a calm, professional expression and both front paws on the steering wheel. In the back seat sits a human businesswoman in a coat, looking at her phone with a completely normal, bored expression (as if this is just another normal ride). Through the windows you can see the streets of Manhattan at night with blurred lights. Realistic taxi interior, photorealistic, detailed fur and fabric, 35mm lens, night lighting with reflections, shallow depth of field.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent photorealism with sharp textures on the capybara's fur and the taxi's exterior
- + Strong composition showing both subjects clearly through the windshield
- + High quality details in the business woman's expression and hands
- − The human passenger is sitting in the front passenger seat instead of the back seat
- − The capybara's hands look slightly more like primate hands than capybara paws
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Natural side profile composition that feels grounded and cinematic
- + Accurate placement of the passenger in the actual back seat
- + Appropriate professional clothing for the capybara
- − The passenger appears to be sitting in the front passenger seat rather than the back seat as requested
- − The woman's face is slightly out of focus and less detailed
Verdict: Both models failed to place the human in the 'back seat', instead placing her in the front passenger seat. FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo is the winner due to significantly higher image clarity, realistic textures, and a more compelling frontal composition that captures the requested 'bored' expression of the passenger perfectly.
The Halloween Invitation
Text-to-Image“Vintage gothic Halloween party invitation. Dark parchment poster, spooky border with webs and thorns, central glowing jack-o-lantern, bats, twisted trees, moody night sky. Add elegant gothic title text saying "Halloween Party Invitation", a small scroll banner saying "You are invited to a night of frights", and event details at the bottom: Date: 30.10.2026 Time: 7pm Location: The Arches, NYC Spooky but polished, cinematic lighting, square format.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent typography integrated naturally with the gothic aesthetic
- + Detailed thorns and parchment border that perfectly fits the prompt
- + Solid layout with a well-carved jack-o-lantern and symmetrical trees
- − The parchment texture is slightly darker, making the text/background contrast lower
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Stellar cinematic lighting with a bright, glowing jack-o-lantern
- + Extremely clean and elegant typography
- + High-quality textures on the pumpkin and ground
- − Missed the thorns in the border, opting for a web/skull motif instead
- − The bats and trees are a bit more scattered compared to the structured composition of Image A
Verdict: Both models followed the complex text instructions perfectly. FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo adhered more strictly to the specific border requirements (webs and thorns) and provided a more cohesive vintage poster feel, while Recraft V4.1 Pro produced superior cinematic lighting and more modern, polished graphic design elements. FLUX.2 is the likely winner for better adhering to the specific stylistic texture of the 'vintage parchment' prompt.
Isometric Miniature Diorama Scenes
Text-to-Image“Create a clear, 45° top-down isometric miniature 3D cartoon scene of Japan's signature dish: sushi, with soft refined textures, realistic PBR materials, gentle lighting, on a small raised diorama base with minimal garnish and plate. Solid light blue background. At top-center: 'JAPAN' in large bold text, 'SUSHI' below it, small flag icon. Perfectly centered, ultra-clean, high-clarity, square format.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent adherence to the 45-degree isometric perspective and diorama request.
- + Superior rendering of textures, especially the salmon marbling and rice grains.
- + Clean, legible typography that feels integrated into the design.
- − The text is slightly dark compared to the background, but still very readable.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Creative interpretation of the diorama base using a tray of loose rice pearls.
- + Good use of bold typography that matches the 'cartoon' aesthetic well.
- + Clean, high-clarity image with no visible artifacts.
- − The 45-degree isometric angle is slightly off, feeling flatter than requested.
- − The texture of the sushi fish looks more like plastic than realistic PBR materials.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo followed the prompt more closely, particularly regarding the 45-degree isometric angle and the 'realistic PBR' texture instruction, resulting in more appetizing sushi. While Recraft V4.1 Pro offered a creative diorama base made of rice, its materials lacked the depth and detail found in the first image.
Adorable Baby Animals in Sunny Meadow
Text-to-Image“Hyper-photorealistic scene of fluffy baby animals—a golden retriever puppy, tabby kitten, baby bunny, and red fox kit—with big expressive eyes and ultra-detailed soft fur, playfully chasing butterflies and tumbling together in a lush wildflower meadow, warm golden sunrise light with god rays and dew sparkles, joyful wholesome vibe, 8K masterpiece.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent adherence to lighting requests with clear god rays and warm golden tones.
- + The fur texture is very soft and realistic.
- + Superior character interaction with all four animals clustered together naturally.
- − The bunny's expression is a bit static compared to the more playful fox and kitten.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Dynamic action poses that capture the 'tumbling together' aspect of the prompt.
- + The dew sparkles on the foliage are very detailed and prominent.
- + Great variety in butterfly species and positions.
- − The fox kit has a slightly distorted, elongated shape that looks less natural.
- − The composition feels a bit more cluttered with animals separated into different corners.
Verdict: Both models performed exceptionally well, but FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo succeeds more in creating a cohesive, heartwarming scene with superior lighting effects like the requested god rays. Recraft V4.1 Pro offers a more energetic composition with great dew details, though some anatomical proportions on the fox are slightly off compared to the high realism of FLUX.2.
Vintage Cafe Logo
Text-to-Image“Vintage minimalist restaurant logo for "Caffè Florian", retro cloche dome with steam and "Est. 1720" banner, classic typography, warm brown and cream tones, subtle texture on light background, vector emblem style.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Excellent typography rendering including the grave accent on the leaf 'è'.
- + Beautiful textured background that enhances the vintage aesthetic.
- + Superior composition with a balanced and detailed banner.
- − The steam trails are slightly disconnected from the cloche.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Successfully captures a more minimalist vector style.
- + Accurate text spelling and accent marks.
- + Clean separation of logo elements.
- − The 'Est. 1720' text is very small and lacks the 'banner' prominence requested.
- − The steam trail looks a bit like a single wobbly hair rather than vapor.
- − Lacks the 'subtle texture' and 'vintage' warmth requested in the prompt.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo produced a far superior result that fully captures the 'vintage' and 'subtle texture' requirements of the prompt, creating a professional-looking emblem. While Recraft V4.1 Pro is cleaner and more minimalist, it failed to execute the banner correctly and lacks the artistic character found in the first image.
Apollo 11: Journey to Tranquility
Text-to-Image“Create a clean, modern vector infographic poster about the Apollo 11 mission. NASA-inspired palette (navy, white, muted red, light gray). Flat-vector style, crisp lines, consistent iconography, subtle gradients only. Steps (stop at landing): 1. Launch (Saturn Vicon) 2. Earth Orbit (Earth + orbit ring icon) 3. Translunar (trajectory arc icon) 4. Lunar Orbit (Moon + orbit ring icon) 5. Descent (lunar module descending icon) 6. Landing (lunar module on the surface icon) Small supporting elements (minimal text): • Crew strip: three silhouette icons with only last names: Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins. • Landing site marker: Moon pin labeled "Tranquility" only. Layout constraints: generous margins, large readable labels, clean background with subtle stars. Vector-only, print-poster look, high resolution.”
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo
- + Features highly detailed and accurate illustrations of the Saturn V and Lunar Module.
- + Includes names of the astronauts with distinct silhouette profiles.
- + Excellent typography and text rendering throughout the poster.
- − The layout is cluttered and the flow of information is disorganized.
- − Contains redundant labels and graphics that overlap confusingly.
Recraft V4.1 Pro
- + Perfectly adheres to the 'clean, flat-vector' aesthetic requested in the prompt.
- + Has a logical, numbered linear flow that is easy to follow as an infographic.
- + Successfully maintains a consistent icon style and a professional, muted palette.
- − Incorrectly numbers the final steps (two '05' steps instead of a '06').
- − The Lunar Module icon for the descent/landing phase is quite abstract compared to the other icons.
Verdict: Recraft V4.1 Pro is the superior choice for this task as it correctly interpreted the 'flat-vector infographic' style, resulting in a clean and readable layout. While FLUX.2 [dev] Turbo produced much more detailed and impressive individual illustrations, it failed to create a cohesive infographic, resulting in a cluttered and repetitive design.
Explore each model
Recraft V4.1 Pro tier text-to-image model — supports up to 2048×2048 and ultra-wide formats for hero imagery, campaigns, and print-ready work