Editing a picture you already have is a different job from generating one, and a different set of models does it. The 20 models below all list image editing among their categories, ranked by the best position each holds on a Versely leaderboard.
Generating from a prompt is ranked separately on the best AI image generator page.
Ranking method
Filtered to image models with the edit-image category, sorted by best leaderboard position (unranked models after, cheapest complete job first).
Full ranking
| # | Model | Provider | Credits | Credits per job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst Edit | OpenAI | 4-7 credits | 4-7 credits (was 5 headline) |
| 2 | GPT Image 2.5 Flare Edit | OpenAI | 4-7 credits | 4-7 credits (was 5 headline) |
| 3 | Nano Banana 2.1 | 4-7 credits | 4-7 credits (was 7 headline) | |
| 4 | Nano Banana 2 | 4 credits | 4 credits (was 7 headline) | |
| 5 | GPT Image 1.5 | OpenAI | 2 credits | 2 credits |
| 6 | Mai Image 2.5 Edit | Microsoft | 4 credits | 4 credits |
| 7 | Seedream 4.5 | ByteDance | 4 credits | 4 credits |
| 8 | HunyuanImage 3.0 Instruct Edit | Hunyuan | 8 credits | 8 credits |
| 9 | Wan 2.7 Pro Edit | Wan | 6 credits | 6 credits |
| 10 | GPT Image 1 Edit | OpenAI | 2 credits | 2 credits |
| 11 | Qwen Image Edit 2511 | Qwen | 2 credits | 2 credits (was 3 headline) |
| 12 | Pruna Image Edit | PrunaAI | 1 credit | 1 credit (was 1 headline) |
| 13 | Qwen Image Edit | Qwen | 2 credits | 2 credits (was 3 headline) |
| 14 | Qwen Image 2 Edit | Qwen | 3 credits | 3 credits |
| 15 | HiDream O1 Image Edit | HiDream | 1 credit | 1 credit |
| 16 | Kling Image O1 | Kling | 3 credits | 3 credits |
| 17 | Flux 2 Klein 4B Base Edit | Flux | 1 credit | 1 credit |
| 18 | Flux Kontext | Flux | 2 credits | 2 credits (was 4 headline) |
| 19 | Seedream Edit | ByteDance | 2 credits | 2 credits (was 3 headline) |
| 20 | LongCat Edit | Meituan | 12 credits | 12 credits |
The top 5, explained
#1 — GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst Edit (OpenAI) costs 4-7 credits, discounted from a headline 5 and sits at #1 in edit image on Versely's live model rankings. It outputs up to 4K. Credits per job: 4-7 credits (was 5 headline).
#2 — GPT Image 2.5 Flare Edit (OpenAI) costs 4-7 credits, discounted from a headline 5 and sits at #2 in edit image on Versely's live model rankings. It outputs up to 4K. Credits per job: 4-7 credits (was 5 headline).
#3 — Nano Banana 2.1 (Google) costs 4-7 credits, discounted from a headline 7 and sits at #3 in edit image on Versely's live model rankings. It outputs up to 4K. Credits per job: 4-7 credits (was 7 headline).
#4 — Nano Banana 2 (Google) costs 4 credits, discounted from a headline 7 and sits at #7 in text to image on Versely's live model rankings. It outputs up to 4K. Credits per job: 4 credits (was 7 headline).
#5 — GPT Image 1.5 (OpenAI) costs 2 credits and sits at #9 in text to image on Versely's live model rankings. It outputs up to 4K. Credits per job: 2 credits.
Compare these models head-to-head
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst Edit vs Qwen Image 2 Edit
Side-by-side pricing, resolution and rankings
Nano Banana 2.1 vs GPT Image 2.5 Flare Edit
Side-by-side pricing, resolution and rankings
Nano Banana 2.1 vs Qwen Image 3 Text to Image
Side-by-side pricing, resolution and rankings
Nano Banana 2 vs Grok Imagine Image Quality
Side-by-side pricing, resolution and rankings
Nano Banana 2 vs FireRed Image Edit
Side-by-side pricing, resolution and rankings
More capability rankings
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI image editing model?+
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst Edit by OpenAI tops this ranking. Filtered to image models with the edit-image category, sorted by best leaderboard position (unranked models after, cheapest complete job first). GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst Edit costs 4-7 credits and sits at #1 in edit image on Versely's live model rankings.
How is this ranking calculated?+
Filtered to image models with the edit-image category, sorted by best leaderboard position (unranked models after, cheapest complete job first).
How many models qualify for this ranking?+
20 models with a page on Versely meet the criteria for "Best AI image editing model", across 12 providers.
What's the cheapest option in this ranking?+
Pruna Image Edit is the cheapest at 1 credit, against 4-7 credits for GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst Edit, the top-ranked entry.
Do all of these models hold a Versely leaderboard position?+
Yes — all 20 models here hold a position on at least one Versely leaderboard. Versely ranks each capability separately, so the leaderboard a position was earned on is named alongside it.
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Guides
Reve 2.1 leads the image editing board
Reve 2.1 holds first on Artificial Analysis image editing at 1262 Elo. What an editing score actually measures, and how to turn a rank into a revision workflow.
MAI-Image-2.5: Microsoft's Quiet Contender for Image Editing
Microsoft's MAI-Image-2.5 debuted #2 on Arena for image editing inside PowerPoint and OneDrive. What it edits, and how to run it on Versely for 4 credits.
Grok Imagine 2.0 region editing
Shipped 7–8 Aug 2026 and #2 on stills arenas: edit one region, composite several stills, and pick Quality Mode on purpose.
Ten references in one Qwen-Image-2.1 edit
Qwen-Image-2.1 composes up to 10 reference images into one scene by prefix KV cache reuse. Long prompts overload the encoder and add unsolicited Chinese text.