GPT Image 2.5 Flare
Second on every image board, at Sunburst's price; OpenAI says it is faster. If waits are fine, Sunburst scores higher.
Should you use it?
Pick it if
Developers whose apps need near-top image quality with shorter waits.
Best for: Apps that need near-top images with shorter waits (Image models Top 20)
Skip it if
You can wait for the top result (use GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst) or want cheaper images (use Nano Banana 2.1, about a sixth of the price).
You give up: Same token price as Sunburst, which scores higher on every board
The short version
- What this is
- OpenAI's faster image model for making and editing pictures, launched alongside Sunburst in September 2026.
- Why it matters
- Shows whether paying OpenAI prices is worth it when speed matters, and when a cheaper model does the job.
- Number 2 on arena.ai and Artificial Analysis for both making and editing images.
- Same token rates as Sunburst; its edge is speed, by OpenAI's account.
Good at
Our take
Flare is the second best image model on every board we checked s1 s2 s3 s4. OpenAI pitches it as the everyday default, faster than Sunburst s6. We can't confirm the speed claim from an independent source.
The odd part is price: Flare and Sunburst share the same token rates, and Artificial Analysis lists both at $210.7 per 1,000 max-quality images s3 s5. So Flare only makes sense when wait time matters. If you just want good images cheaply, Nano Banana 2.1 is a few places lower for about a sixth of the price s3.
Score
A score from 0 to 100 per job, against everything available today. Overall 92 across 1 job, the average of the job scores.
New to this? What the scores and labels mean
- 0 to 100
- Our score for one job, like writing or coding, compared with everything else out today. 100 is the best available today. For AI models we build it from public data, such as Arena's blind votes and Epoch AI's independent tests; apps and tools are scored on our own checklist. The same tool can score differently for different jobs, and where two likely ranges overlap, we call it a tie.
- Our verdict
- Use it: a top choice for most people. Worth trying: good, and worth a go. Depends: good for some people or one kind of job. Wait: too early to tell, or not out for everyone yet. Skip: something else does the job better.
- First look
- Just released. We say what it is and whether to bother, and give it a score once public results exist.
- No score yet
- None of the public sources we use covers it yet, or the only evidence is from a source whose numbers we can't use, so we describe it in words instead.
- Best buy
- Nothing cheaper scores as well for that job.
- Best free
- The best score for that job that costs nothing, through a free plan or by running on your own computer.
- Pay as you go
- No monthly plan: you pay for each use, usually through a developer account.
- Checked
- The day we last confirmed the score and the price against the sources. Prices change often, so check the date.
- AI model
- The engine underneath, like GPT or Claude. You use it through an app or, if you code, directly.
- Open source
- Free to download and run on your own computer, so nothing leaves your machine.
#2 of the 5 we have scored for this job.
From blind votes (Arena) · Arena data, CC BY 4.0
Early, few votesData read 20 Oct
Alternatives
Better or cheaper for images, from our scores, then the ones we'd also look at. The same kind of product comes first.
- GPT Image 2.5 SunburstBetterImage model100Pay as you goScores 100 in images, against 92 here; price not checked. Same rates and higher scores, if longer waits are fine. Side by side
- Nano Banana 2.1FreeImage model73FreeScores 73 in images, with a free plan. A few places lower for about a sixth of the price per image. Side by side
- Muse ImageImage model59FreeScores 59 for images against 92 here, at $10 per 1,000 images on Artificial Analysis, about a twentieth of Flare's price s3. Side by side
Evidence
Everything behind the call and the scores, folded so the page stays short. Spotted a wrong price, score or link? Report a mistake.
How we scored this
The images score is our own, built from public data: blind votes on Arena and, where they cover the job, Epoch AI's independent tests. How we combine them is our method and we don't publish it.
Public leaderboard
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule.
No one paid for this review or gave us free access, and we earn nothing if you sign up. How we score
Sources 7
- s1arena.ai Text to Image leaderboard
- s2arena.ai Image Edit leaderboard (Single Image Edit)
- s3Artificial Analysis text-to-image leaderboard
- s4Artificial Analysis image editing leaderboard
- s5OpenAI API pricing
- s6OpenAI: Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.5
- s7OpenAI enterprise privacy
Something here out of date or wrong? Report a mistake and we will check it against the source.
History 2 changes
Every change to a rating, the price or our call, with the reason. Scores are against what exists on the day, so they drift down as better things ship. Older entries come from before we moved to scores.
- New: Images ratedReviewed: images (rank 2, capped while preliminary).
- Audit: verdict line now attributes the speed claim to OpenAI instead of stating it as fact; added Muse Image as a much cheaper alternative. Rating re-derived, unchanged.
Use it well 4 guides on this site
Pages on this site that help with the jobs above.