OpenAI's previous generation image model with higher quality than DALL-E 2 and support for larger resolutions
Settled by community votes across 6 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
DALL-E 3
18.5
arena score
#35 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Skill signature
Not enough comparable category data
The chart appears once both models have ratings across at least three shared arena categories.
Wan 2.6
23.4
arena score
#23 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Best Image-to-Video right now
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
DALL-E 3
0.0%
win rate
Ties
0.0%
Wan 2.6
100.0%
win rate
0.0%
0.0% ties
100.0%
Shared challenges
6
Challenge by challenge
The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.
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.”
DALL-E 3
Wan 2.6
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 3
- + Excellent variety of layouts showing different design concepts
- + Vibrant color accents and artistic food photography
- + Captures a clean, professional aesthetic
- − Text is largely nonsensical garble
- − Does not follow the grid structure for food photos as strictly in some panels
- − The multi-page mock-up view is slightly cluttered
Wan 2.6
- + Legible English headers for requested categories
- + Clean and orderly grid of food photos
- + Excellent font choice and hierarchy for a casual dining menu
- − Prices are nonsensical (e.g., $1.95 for a pizza, $0.09 for an item)
- − Body text transitions into gibberish at smaller scales
- − Food photos are somewhat repetitive in color and subject
Verdict: Wan 2.6 provides a much more functional and realistic menu layout with legible headers and a cohesive grid that follows the prompt's structural requirements. While DALL-E 3 offers more artistic flair, its text is completely unreadable, whereas Wan 2.6 successfully integrates the specific section names requested.
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.”
DALL-E 3
Wan 2.6
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 3
- + Excellent artistic lighting and atmosphere
- + Includes elegant decorative chalk flourishes
- − Extreme spelling errors for all menu items
- − Price formatting is nonsensical with a giant $234 label
- − Layout is cluttered and hard to read
Wan 2.6
- + Perfect text adherence with zero spelling errors
- + Convincing chalk texture with smudges and dust on the ledge
- + Clear and legible handwriting-style composition
- − Slightly simpler composition compared to the artistic frame in Model A
Verdict: Wan 2.6 is the clear winner as it followed the complex text prompt perfectly, including the exact menu items and prices without a single typo. DALL-E 3 failed significantly on the literacy aspect, producing several misspelled words and nonsensical pricing despite its pleasing aesthetic lighting.
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.”
DALL-E 3
Wan 2.6
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 3
- + Excellent fur detail and rim lighting on the capybara.
- + Logical interior perspective with a clear dashboard and steering wheel interaction.
- + Includes subtle creative details like a storefront sign reading 'CAPYBARA'.
- − Completely fails to include the passenger in the back seat.
- − The capybara's paw placement looks a bit stiff and anthropomorphized.
Wan 2.6
- + Successfully includes all elements of the prompt, including the bored passenger on her phone.
- + Captured the rainy, neon atmosphere of Manhattan very effectively through the windshield.
- + The capybara's expression and coat texture are highly realistic.
- − The roof of the taxi appears to have a second windshield/glass panel reflecting the front dashboard, which is nonsensical.
- − The steering wheel appears to be floating or disconnected from a steering column.
Verdict: While DALL-E 3 has higher technical image quality and cleaner details, it failed a major part of the prompt by omitting the passenger. Wan 2.6 adhered to all instructions, including the specific mood and action of the businesswoman, despite some anatomical/mechanical clipping issues with the car's roof and wheel.
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.”
DALL-E 3
Wan 2.6
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 3
- + Excellent 3D miniature clay-like aesthetic with soft, refined textures.
- + Vibrant lighting and high-quality rendering of stylized food.
- + Includes all thematic elements like flags and text on the diorama base.
- − Failed to place 'JAPAN' and 'SUSHI' at the top-center; instead integrated it into the base.
- − Missed the word 'SUSHI' entirely in the text rendering.
Wan 2.6
- + Perfect adherence to text placement instructions (TOP-CENTER and BOLD).
- + Highly accurate isometric perspective and 45-degree angle.
- + Clean, minimalist composition that feels professional and spacious.
- − The 'JAPAN' and 'SUSHI' text is overlaid graphics rather than integrated into the 3D scene.
- − The lighting on the sushi itself is slightly flat compared to Model A.
Verdict: Wan 2.6 followed the complex layout instructions much more accurately, correctly placing the requested text at the top-center with a small flag icon. While DALL-E 3 produced a more charming and richly textured 3D model, it ignored the specific text placement and omitted one of the required words.
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.”
DALL-E 3
Wan 2.6
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 3
- + Excellent texture and retro aesthetic
- + Strong vector emblem design with professional layout
- + All requested elements like steam and the date are present
- − Failed to include the primary text 'Caffè Florian', replacing it with 'Coffee House'
Wan 2.6
- + Perfect adherence to all text requirements including 'Caffè Florian'
- + Clean minimalist composition that follows the vector style prompt
- + Correctly features the banner, steam, and date
- − The banner is very small and lacks prominence compared to the main text
- − The background texture is a bit generic compared to the image design
Verdict: DALL-E 3 produced a far more visually compelling and authentic vintage emblem, but it completely missed the main brand name requested in the prompt. Wan 2.6 followed the prompt instructions perfectly, capturing the specific name, the cloche, the banner, and the vintage minimalist aesthetic with high accuracy.
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.”
DALL-E 3
Wan 2.6
AI Judge Analysis
DALL-E 3
- + Excellent adherence to the color palette and vector style.
- + Includes complex iconography and sequential storytelling as requested.
- + High visual density and aesthetic appeal consistent with space infographics.
- − Displays space shuttle-style crafts which are historically inaccurate for Apollo 11.
- − Text elements are mostly placeholder gibberish.
- − The layout is split into three panels rather than a single unified poster.
Wan 2.6
- + Clean legible text for names and title.
- + Correct use of the navy and red color palette.
- − Failed to include any of the 6 requested infographic steps.
- − Lacks the Saturn V, Moon, and Lunar Module icons requested.
- − Composition is extremely sparse and looks like a tea towel rather than a professional infographic.
Verdict: DALL-E 3 successfully captured the complex layout and stylistic requirements of an infographic, despite some historical inaccuracies in the spacecraft shapes. Wan 2.6 failed almost every prompt instruction, providing a very simple design that lacked the sequence of mission steps and the requested icons.
Next steps
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Alibaba's multimodal generation model from the Wan AI suite, supporting text-to-video, image-to-video, reference-to-video with audio, and text-to-image, in both Chinese and English