ARENA Leaderboard
See how AI image models stack up against each other. How it works
Best AI Models for Photorealism
Ranking the best AI image editing models for photorealism, based on 5 blind community-voted challenges.
Highlights
10 imagesBest AI Models for Photorealism
| # | Model | Elo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Nano Banana Pro
Google
|
1265 |
| 2 |
GPT Image 1.5
OpenAI
|
1252 |
| 3 |
Nano Banana 2
Google
|
1250 |
| 4 |
Nano Banana
Google
|
1249 |
| 5 |
FLUX.2 [flex]
Black Forest Labs
|
1245 |
| 6 |
Wan 2.6
Alibaba
|
1230 |
| 7 |
Seedream 5.0 Lite
ByteDance
|
1228 |
| 8 |
Seedream 4.5
ByteDance
|
1225 |
| 9 |
FLUX.2 [pro]
Black Forest Labs
|
1223 |
| 10 |
Grok Imagine Image
xAI
|
1217 |
| 11 |
FLUX.2 [max]
Black Forest Labs
|
1214 |
| 12 |
Qwen Image Edit 2511
Alibaba
|
1207 |
| 13 |
Grok Imagine Image Pro
xAI
|
1197 |
| 14 |
Reve Image 1.0
Reve AI
|
1190 |
| 15 |
Seedream 4.0
ByteDance
|
1177 |
| 16 |
Z-Image Turbo
Alibaba
|
1127 |
Nano Banana Pro leads the Photorealism category with a 71.5% win rate and a 1265 Elo, maintaining a narrow 11-point lead over the significantly more budget-friendly GPT Image 1.5. While Google models dominate the top three spots, the enterprise-grade FLUX.2 [flex] remains the primary high-cost competitor despite a lower 53.9% win rate.
Elo vs Cost
Elo vs Speed
2 models waiting for enough speed data
Highlighted Battles
The most competitive head-to-head matchups, selected by closeness and vote count.
Challenges
Man and Car in California Image Editing Photorealism
“Make a photo of the man driving the car down the California coastline”
Input
Top 3
1
GPT Image 1.5
2
Nano Banana Pro
3
Wan 2.6
Bottom 3
Seedream 5.0 Lite
Grok Imagine Image
Seedream 4.0
13 models competed
Bald man challenge Image Editing Photorealism Portrait
“Give the person a full, thick head of natural hair with realistic texture, density, and a natural hairline. Preserve facial features and lighting.”
Input
Top 3
1
Nano Banana
2
Nano Banana 2
3
Nano Banana Pro
Bottom 3
Reve Image 1.0
Wan 2.6
Seedream 4.0
15 models competed
Night Sky Transformation Image Editing Photorealism
“Change the scene to night: a deep, dark sky with subtle, glistening stars visible behind the mountain.”
Input
Top 3
1
Reve Image 1.0
2
GPT Image 1.5
3
Nano Banana Pro
Bottom 3
Seedream 4.5
FLUX.2 [flex]
Z-Image Turbo
16 models competed
Neutral Expression to Genuine Smile Image Editing Photorealism Portrait
{
"action": "image_edit",
"reference": "uploaded neutral portrait",
"change": "Warm genuine Duchenne smile: lips curved up, slight natural teeth, soft eye crinkles, subtle cheek raise",
"details": "Realistic smiling skin (dimples if present, soft cheek shadows), slightly brighter eyes; keep exact eye shape/color/iris",
"preserve_exact": "Face identity/structure, eyes/nose/lips/eyebrows, hair, skin texture/pores/freckles, makeup, clothing, head pose, background, lighting, shadows, framing",
"no_changes": "No face shape change, no new features, no gaze shift, no hair/clothing/lighting/background edits",
"style": "Ultra-photorealistic 8K portrait, sharp face focus, natural soft lighting, realistic skin glow"
}Input
Top 3
1
Nano Banana
2
Nano Banana Pro
3
GPT Image 1.5
Bottom 3
Wan 2.6
Seedream 4.0
Reve Image 1.0
14 models competed
Golden Hour Stroll Image Editing Photorealism
“Add dynamic motion to this photo: make hair blow in the wind, add leaves flying, energetic and lively feel.”
Input
Top 3
1
Wan 2.6
2
Seedream 4.5
3
GPT Image 1.5
Bottom 3
Reve Image 1.0
Grok Imagine Image
Seedream 4.0
13 models competed