Updated for Week 39, 2026

GPT Image 2.5 vs MAI-Image 2.6

On our Week 39, 2026 scores, GPT Image 2.5 edges ahead (97 vs 88). Pick GPT Image 2.5 for images with readable text. Pick MAI-Image 2.6 for copilot and Designer users.

GPT Image 2.5MAI-Image 2.6
MakerOpenAIMicrosoft AI
Released——
Price / 1M tokensNot publishedNot published
Open weightsNoNo
Image Generation rank#1 (97)#2 (88)
Best for
  • Images with readable text
  • Following detailed prompts
  • Marketing visuals
  • Copilot and Designer users
  • Photorealism
Strengths
  • LMArena text-to-image score of 1424 (#1)
  • LMArena text-to-image score of 1335 (#4 overall)
Watch out for
  • Strict content filters
  • Mostly available inside Microsoft products

The short version

GPT Image 2.5: OpenAI's image model holds the top three spots on the LMArena text-to-image leaderboard, and the 'Sunburst' variant leads by more than 20 points.

MAI-Image 2.6: Microsoft's in-house image model is now the best non-OpenAI option on the text-to-image leaderboard.

Rankings change every week. Check the latest standings or swap in a different model.