Image models on OpenRouter, compared
Ten image-generation models: nine routed by the OpenRouter API, plus xAI's Grok Imagine Image 2.0 (available via grok.com/imagine and the xAI API). They are compared on the facts published about each: price, context window and provider. Four are featured, three of them with a sample output. The OpenRouter nine were checked against OpenRouter on 2026-10-22; the Grok entry cites xAI's announcement. Everything carries a numbered marker to the page it came from. This is a referenced comparison, not a ranking — the arena itself ranks video models and still has no votes.
Compare all ten modelsFeatured models
Four featured models: the three on OpenRouter's featured compare view, each shown with a generation from its own model page, downloaded and served locally, plus xAI's Grok Imagine Image 2.0, featured without a sample image but with links to run it. The metric rows are the published figures for that model, cited per row.
Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) Google
Google's state of the art image generation and editing model, delivering Pro-level visual quality at Flash speed. Combines advanced contextual understanding with fast, cost-efficient inference; aspect ratios can be controlled with the image_config API parameter. [3]
Muse Image Meta
An agentic image generation model from Meta that generates and edits images from text and reference images. Unlike single-pass image models, it reasons before it renders, breaking down multi-part prompts and refining its output within the chain of thought, and invokes web search for factual accuracy on knowledge-intensive prompts. Supports text-to-image, targeted editing, multi-image composition, reference-image conditioning and iterative editing. [4]
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst OpenAI
An image generation and editing model from OpenAI, positioned as the precision-oriented tier of the GPT Image 2.5 series. Suited to detailed creative work where editing accuracy matters more than generation speed, via the dedicated Images API. [5]
Grok Imagine Image 2.0 xAI
Precise image generation and editing from xAI, generally available as the new Quality Mode on grok.com/imagine and the iOS and Android apps. Follows instructions closely down to typography and layout; adds magic-wand region editing, segmentation, background removal and multi-ref editing with up to 5 input images, plus smart resize across ratios from 1:2 to 2:1. xAI states it ranks second in the world in both text-to-image generation and image editing (Arena boards, as of the 2026-08-07 announcement). [6]
OpenRouter benchmarks
OpenRouter runs a fixed prompt suite against the image models it routes and publishes how many checks each model passes, plus where that places it on overall quality, cost and speed. The 3 models with published figures are shown here; the other models on this page carry no published benchmark.
Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) Google
66 of 81 checks across 15 prompts [3]
Muse Image Meta
71 of 81 checks across 15 prompts [4]
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst OpenAI
70 of 81 checks across 15 prompts [5]
OpenRouter’s own evaluation figures, quoted with attribution; checked 2026-10-22. Higher checks and lower rank numbers are better.
All ten models compared
Prefer hands-on evidence over a spec sheet? generate images across models on AIContentDrop — switching models there is a dropdown, not a new integration. Check the credit pricing for image models before you commit, or drive the same prompts from your own pipeline through the AIContentDrop REST API.
| Model | Vendor | Released | Context | Price | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image)[3] View on OpenRouter → | 2026-06-18 | 131K tokens | $0.50 / $60 per 1M | Google AI Studio, Google Vertex | |
Muse Image[4] View on OpenRouter → | Meta | 2026-08-26 | 66K tokens | $0.01 per image | Meta |
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst[5] View on OpenRouter → | OpenAI | 2026-09-09 | 400K tokens | $8 / $30 per 1M | OpenAI |
Nano Banana 2 Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image)[7] View on OpenRouter → | 2026-06-30 | 65K tokens | $0.25 / $1.50 per 1M | Google AI Studio, Google Vertex | |
Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image)[8] View on OpenRouter → | 2026-06-18 | 131K tokens | $2 / $12 per 1M | Google AI Studio, Google Vertex | |
GPT-5 Image[9] View on OpenRouter → | OpenAI | 2025-10-14 | 400K tokens | $10 / $10 per 1M | OpenAI |
GPT-5 Image Mini[10] View on OpenRouter → | OpenAI | 2025-10-16 | 400K tokens | $2.50 / $2 per 1M | OpenAI |
GPT-5.4 Image 2[11] View on OpenRouter → | OpenAI | 2026-04-21 | 272K tokens | $8 / $15 per 1M | OpenAI |
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)[12] View on OpenRouter → | 2025-10-07 | 32K tokens | $0.30 / $2.50 per 1M | Google AI Studio, Google Vertex | |
Grok Imagine Image 2.0[6] xAI announcement → | xAI | 2026-08-07 | Not stated | not on OpenRouter | xAI (grok.com, iOS, Android) |
Arena rankings
xAI’s Imagine Image 2.0 announcement quoted two crowd-voted Arena boards to position the model. The order is republished here as simple rank lists; the bars are decorative — longest is first place — and no underlying scores are shown.
Image Edit Arena
Text-to-Image Arena
Source: Arena leaderboards as of 2026-08-07, via xAI’s Imagine Image 2.0 announcement[6]. Ordered ranking lists as published in xAI's announcement; Elo values are not republished, only the order. xAI models are listed on Arena under SpaceXAI.
Source and image credits
Source: OpenRouter (openrouter.ai)[2], checked 2026-10-22 · compare view: https://openrouter.ai/compare/google/gemini-3.1-flash-image/meta/muse-image/openai/gpt-image-2.5-sunburst[1] · xAI: https://x.ai/news/grok-imagine-image-2[6]. Image credits: Sample generations from the OpenRouter model pages.
FAQ
What is OpenRouter?
An API router that fronts many model providers behind one API and one account. For a developer, switching between the nine OpenRouter-routed models on this page is a slug change in the request, not a new integration — the same call shape reaches every provider they list. Grok Imagine Image 2.0 is not routed by OpenRouter; it is reached via grok.com/imagine and the xAI API instead.
Do these models make video?
No. Every model on this page is an image-generation model: text or reference images in, still images out. The arena's video model catalogue is a separate reference, and nothing on this page changes it — video voting is still pre-launch and no votes exist.
Are these your prices and sample images?
Neither. Prices, context windows and provider lists are published by OpenRouter and quoted here with attribution, and the sample images are generations from the OpenRouter model pages, downloaded and served locally rather than hotlinked. Every figure carries a numbered marker to the page it was read from.
Sources
- OpenRouter — image model compare view https://openrouter.ai/compare/google/gemini-3.1-flash-image/meta/muse-image/openai/gpt-image-2.5-sunburst — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — API router https://openrouter.ai — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) (google/gemini-3.1-flash-image) https://openrouter.ai/google/gemini-3.1-flash-image — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — Muse Image (meta/muse-image) https://openrouter.ai/meta/muse-image — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (openai/gpt-image-2.5-sunburst) https://openrouter.ai/openai/gpt-image-2.5-sunburst — checked 2026-10-22
- xAI — Grok Imagine Image 2.0 announcement https://x.ai/news/grok-imagine-image-2 — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — Nano Banana 2 Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image) (google/gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image) https://openrouter.ai/google/gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) (google/gemini-3-pro-image) https://openrouter.ai/google/gemini-3-pro-image — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — GPT-5 Image (openai/gpt-5-image) https://openrouter.ai/openai/gpt-5-image — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — GPT-5 Image Mini (openai/gpt-5-image-mini) https://openrouter.ai/openai/gpt-5-image-mini — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — GPT-5.4 Image 2 (openai/gpt-5.4-image-2) https://openrouter.ai/openai/gpt-5.4-image-2 — checked 2026-10-22
- OpenRouter — Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) (google/gemini-2.5-flash-image) https://openrouter.ai/google/gemini-2.5-flash-image — checked 2026-10-22
Each [n] above is the vendor page the fact beside the marker was read from, on the date shown. Where a vendor states nothing, the table says “Not stated” and no value is inferred from anywhere else.