Black Forest Labs' precision image generation model with maximum control, reliable text rendering, and complete creative control supporting up to 4MP output
Settled by community votes across 7 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
FLUX.2 [flex]
25.2
arena score
#13 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.
Recraft V4
26.4
arena score
#8 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
FLUX.2 [flex]
100.0%
win rate
Ties
0.0%
Recraft V4
0.0%
win rate
100.0%
0.0% ties
0.0%
Shared challenges
7
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.”
FLUX.2 [flex]
Recraft V4
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [flex]
- + Excellent adherence to the 'soft window light' instruction
- + Clean and modern aesthetic with smooth textures
- + Perfectly centered and clear composition
- − The sphere appears to be sitting on a base rather than floating, or the bottom of the cube has a strange brown reflection
Recraft V4
- + Photorealistic textures on the wooden table and the book's paper
- + Complex and realistic reflections within the glass cube
- + The sphere appears more naturally integrated into the refraction of the glass
- − The book is slightly off-center and looks aged, which may not have been the intent
- − The lighting is somewhat busy due to the complex background
Verdict: Both models followed the prompt perfectly, including the specific spatial arrangement of the objects. FLUX.2 [flex] produced a cleaner, more commercial-style image with very soft, flattering light, while Recraft V4 achieved a higher level of tactile realism in the textures of the wood and paper. Recraft V4 is the likely winner for its more convincing material rendering and sophisticated light refraction through the glass.
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.”
FLUX.2 [flex]
Recraft V4
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [flex]
- + Excellent high-resolution skin texture and realistic age spots
- + Accurate motion blur on the passing vehicle
- + Precise rendering of water droplets on the jacket and bicycle
- − The bike anatomy near the handlebars is slightly simplified
- − The background bokeh feels a bit digital and less like a true 50mm lens
Recraft V4
- + Exceptional composition that captures the 'candid' and 'imperfect framing' request
- + Superior reflection and lighting on the wet pavement
- + More natural inclusion of pedestrians and city environment
- − Lower facial detail compared to Image A
- − The subject's hands are less clearly defined
Verdict: FLUX.2 [flex] produces a much more detailed subject with incredible skin textures and macro details, making it feel like a high-end commercial photo. Recraft V4, however, better follows the specific nuances of the prompt like 'imperfect framing' and 'candid', creating a more believable and atmospheric street photography scene. While FLUX is sharper, Recraft V4 is more successful at capturing the requested mood and cinematic realism.
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.”
FLUX.2 [flex]
Recraft V4
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [flex]
- + Excellent photographic quality with realistic depth and lighting
- + Strong adherence to the 'grid' layout mention
- + Professional use of accent colors and section headers
- − Nonsensical placeholder text for descriptions
- − Menu logic errors where pictures and labels do not match (e.g., Pizza section contains a description for a chicken bowl)
Recraft V4
- + Perfectly legible and accurate English text
- + Clean minimalist aesthetic with isolated food subjects
- + Layout feels very functional and balanced for a real restaurant
- − Food images are isolated on white, missing the 'grid' photography style requested
- − Slightly less 'vibrant' in terms of color accents compared to the competitor
Verdict: Recraft V4 is the superior choice because it produces a functional, typographically accurate menu with correct item descriptions and prices. While FLUX.2 [flex] has more sophisticated photography and layout design, its inability to maintain text coherence and logical matching between images and titles makes it less useful for this specific task.
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.”
FLUX.2 [flex]
Recraft V4
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [flex]
- + Excellent 3D miniature cartoon aesthetic with clean rounded edges.
- + Superior text layout and flag icon visibility.
- + Perfectly centered isometric diorama base.
- − Texture on the fish is slightly simplified compared to the PBR request.
Recraft V4
- + Impressive realistic textures on the sushi rice and fish.
- + Interesting crystalline texture for the diorama base.
- + Good adherence to the isometric perspective.
- − The text 'SUSHI' is spaced awkwardly compared to 'JAPAN'.
- − Loss of the 'cartoon' style requested in the prompt.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [flex] successfully captured the specific 3D cartoon art style and clean typography requested, resulting in a cohesive graphic design. Recraft V4 leaned heavily into realism, which provided great texture but missed the 'cartoon' aesthetic and produced slightly weaker text layout.
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.”
FLUX.2 [flex]
Recraft V4
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [flex]
- + Excellent depiction of god rays and morning atmospheric haze
- + Superior fur texture and lighting consistency across all four animals
- + Clearer and more distinct rendering of each animal's features
- − The transition between the animals and the grass at their feet is slightly sharp
Recraft V4
- + Dynamic composition with butterflies in the foreground and background
- + Very lush and detailed floral environment
- + Good sense of movement and 'tumbling' as requested
- − The fox's face appears slightly distorted and less photorealistic
- − The rabbit's proportions are a bit unnatural compared to the others
Verdict: FLUX.2 [flex] wins by delivering superior visual quality and more realistic animal anatomy, particularly with the fox and rabbit. While Recraft V4 excels in creating a lush, immersive meadow, FLUX.2 [flex] provides better lighting across the fur textures and higher overall clarity.
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.”
FLUX.2 [flex]
Recraft V4
100% wins
0% ties
0% wins
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [flex]
- + Excellent adherence to the banner element for 'Est. 1720'.
- + Clean, balanced arch typography that feels very much like a professional vector logo.
- + Perfect legibility of all text elements including accents.
- − The line work is a bit thin for a 'vintage minimalist' style, leaning slightly modern.
Recraft V4
- + Stronger 'vintage' feel with sophisticated shading and cross-hatching on the cloche.
- + Higher artistic flair in the typography choices.
- + Excellent use of the warm brown and cream color palette.
- − Failed to include a banner for the 'Est. 1720' text as requested.
- − The 'Est. 1720' text is quite small and suffers from minor legibility issues.
- − The letter 'i' in Florian has an unusual serif that almost touches the 'a'.
Verdict: FLUX.2 [flex] adhered more strictly to the specific prompt instructions, particularly the request for a banner, resulting in a very clean and functional logo. While Recraft V4 captured the 'vintage' aesthetic more effectively through texture and shading, it missed a mechanical prompt instruction and had slightly less precise typography.
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.”
FLUX.2 [flex]
Recraft V4
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.2 [flex]
- + Excellent typography and readability for all labels.
- + High-quality vector illustrations with depth and consistent lighting.
- + Effective use of the navy background to create a cohesive space theme.
- − Missed the final 'Landing' step requested in the prompt.
- − The layout of the steps is somewhat disjointed and non-linear.
Recraft V4
- + Followed the prompt instructions perfectly, including all 6 steps plus a crew section.
- + Minimalist flat vector style is very consistent across all icons.
- + Better adherence to the 'NASA-inspired' muted palette on a light background.
- − The 'Descent' and 'Landing' icons are identical, lacking variation.
- − Considerable white space on the left and bottom makes the composition feel unbalanced.
Verdict: Recraft V4 followed the specific instruction set more accurately, including every step of the mission and adding creative extras like the crew icons. However, FLUX.2 [flex] produced a much more professional and visually striking poster with superior icon detail and typography, despite missing the final landing step.
Next steps
Explore each model
Recraft's latest text-to-image generation model with high-quality output, supporting various aspect ratios and custom color palettes