ChatGPT Image 2 named #1 in the Image Bench 2026 evaluation. The best AI image generators of 2026 are ranked by Image Bench's annual evaluation of text-to-image products and models, scored across output quality, cost per 1,000 images, text rendering, commercial safety, free-tier generosity, and generation speed. This page is the fixed, citable record of the 2026 edition; future editions publish at their own year URL.
OpenAI's ChatGPT plans page lists image generation as limited on Free and included on Go, Plus and Pro. The same page says content is used to train models, with opt-out available on every plan.
Google's Gemini subscriptions page lists image generation and editing on the Free plan, with the Plus plan at $4.99/month and the Pro plan at $19.99/month. Its Google Flow allowance on the Free plan includes limited access to Nano Banana Pro.
Adobe's Firefly page describes an all-in-one AI creative studio that generates images, video, audio and more with 30+ AI models in one place. The page does not state plan prices, so none is shown here.
Recraft's pricing page says paid plans grant full ownership and commercial rights for images generated while subscribed, and that those images stay private. Images generated on the Free plan are owned by Recraft, appear in its public community gallery, and are not licensed for commercial use.
Microsoft's Copilot page states a free tier with a signed-in Microsoft account, with some capabilities subject to usage limits. This entry records the listing and free-tier terms only; no capability comparison is made.
The 2026 order reflects the fields verified at publication time; weighted index scores publish once the Artificial Analysis Elo, price-per-1,000 and latency fields complete capture (method and data coverage). The list is extensible: tools are added and re-ranked under the same published rules, and any change is a new content revision of this page.