Ideogram 4 vs GPT Image 2
Ideogram 4 vs GPT Image 2 on five identical prompts, including exact sign text: which one follows the brief, which one is cheaper and how far apart they are.
Updated · Tested: Ideogram 4; GPT Image 2 (high quality)
The verdict
GPT Image 2 won three of five tests and tied the other two. Ideogram 4 spelled the sign exactly too, but ignored the serif instruction, invented garbled label text on the packshot and had the boy in the crowded scene holding a paintbrush instead of taping. The portrait was a tie, and so was the illustration, where both drifted off palette. Ideogram 4 costs a small fraction of GPT Image 2 and renders in seconds, so it is a cheap sketchpad; GPT Image 2 is the one to trust for finals.
- Ideogram 4
- GPT Image 2 Tests won
- 0
- 3 Average score
- 2.2
- 2.8 Credits per image
- 3
- 40 Render time
- 9 s
- 93 s
2 test(s) were a tie.
At a glance
| Test | Ideogram 4 | GPT Image 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Realistic portrait | Nailed it 3 cr | Nailed it 37 cr |
| Product packshot | Mostly 3 cr | Nailed it 37 cr |
| Exact text on a sign | Mostly 3 cr | Nailed it 37 cr |
| Crowded scene, many details | Mostly 3 cr | Nailed it 37 cr |
| Flat illustration | Mostly 4 cr | Mostly 53 cr |
Realistic portrait
Skin, wrinkles, beard texture and believable depth of field are where AI portraits look plastic.
Checked: Real skin texture, not waxy · Salt-and-pepper beard · Yellow oilskin hat · Overcast harbor background · Shallow depth of field
Close-up portrait of an elderly fisherman with deep wrinkles and a salt-and-pepper beard, wearing a yellow oilskin hat, overcast harbor light, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, documentary photograph
Deeply etched wrinkles, a wiry gray beard and a yellow sou'wester with a matching collar, with soft harbor posts and water behind. The hat rises to an odd point like a hood, and the wrinkles are slightly exaggerated.
Natural skin texture and a scuffed oilskin hat and jacket, framed tight with the background melted into soft blur. The beard reads more white than salt-and-pepper, and the harbor is only hinted at by red nets and a hull.
Product packshot
Glass, metal and a clean set test material rendering and restraint.
Checked: Frosted glass reads as frosted · Gold dropper · Travertine block · Eucalyptus sprig · Soft light from the left on a beige backdrop
A frosted glass skincare serum bottle with a gold dropper standing on a travertine block, a sprig of eucalyptus beside it, soft window light from the left, plain beige backdrop, clean beauty product photography
Travertine block, eucalyptus, gold collar and soft light from the left are all there. It invented a label of garbled pseudo-text ("Freun" and unreadable lines), which would need retouching before use.
A restrained, catalog-style frame: clearly frosted glass, a gold collar, travertine, eucalyptus and window shadows raking from the left across a beige wall. Its invented "LUMIÈRE" label stays legible down to the small print.
Exact text on a sign
Spelling two lines of quoted text exactly is still the clearest separator between image models.
Checked: "BLUE HOUR COFFEE" spelled exactly · "EST. 1987" spelled exactly · Cream serif letters on enamel · Red brick wall · Late afternoon sun
A vintage enamel shop sign mounted on a red brick wall that reads "BLUE HOUR COFFEE" in cream serif letters, with "EST. 1987" in smaller letters underneath, late afternoon sun, photograph
Spelled both lines exactly, but set "BLUE HOUR COFFEE" on a single line in a sans-serif, missing the serif instruction. The enamel plate, red brick and warm low sun are right.
Both lines exact in cream serif on a weathered blue enamel plate with rusted edges and corner screws. A diagonal shadow across the wall sells the late-afternoon sun.
Crowded scene, many details
A long list of people, props and actions shows whether a model follows the whole brief or only the first half.
Checked: Three kids · Girl in a red raincoat painting stars · Boy with glasses taping fins · Toddler with a colander helmet · Golden retriever watching · Cardboard rocket · Toys on the grass
Three kids building a cardboard rocket in a sunny backyard: a girl in a red raincoat painting stars on it, a boy with glasses taping on the fins, a toddler wearing a colander as a helmet, a golden retriever watching, toys scattered on the grass, warm afternoon light, photograph
Six of seven: the girl paints stars and the toddler wears a colander, but the boy holds a paintbrush tangled in duct tape instead of taping the fins. Long, warm shadows and a natural backyard look right.
Every item lands, including a ladybug-print red raincoat, a tape roll on the fin and a giggling toddler in a colander. Warm low sun and a seated retriever looking on finish the brief.
Flat illustration
Style control: a limited palette and flat vector look are easy to describe and easy to miss.
Checked: Flat vector look · Teal, mustard and coral only · Cat asleep on books · Rain on the window · Paper grain
Flat vector illustration of a cozy reading nook with a cat asleep on a stack of books, a window with rain outside, limited palette of teal, mustard and coral, subtle paper grain, children's book style
Very flat and grainy, with rain streaks and a cat asleep on books, but mustard drifts into burnt orange and the nook is reduced to a bare wall. The shelf leg ends in a drippy, unfinished edge.
A warm, well-composed nook with strong paper grain, rain and a cat asleep on four correctly spelled books. Dark browns, gray and a black-and-white cat break the three-color palette.
Which should you use?
Choose Ideogram 4 for
- Very cheap exploration: a small fraction of the price per image
- Quick concepts where small errors can be fixed later
- Bold, poster-like compositions
Choose GPT Image 2 for
- Finals that must follow every instruction, including fonts
- Product shots with clean, legible invented labels
- Crowded scenes with many specified actions
One take per model per test, judged in October 2026. Both models are updated often; prices and live availability are on the models page. Totals for these tests: Ideogram 4 $0.16, GPT Image 2 $2.01 of plan value.
Questions people ask
Is Ideogram still the best for text in images?+
In our sign test every model, Ideogram 4 included, spelled two lines of quoted text exactly. Ideogram 4 lost a point for using a sans-serif where we asked for serif, while GPT Image 2 matched the font.
Is Ideogram 4 good enough for product labels?+
Not unretouched in our test: it invented a label with garbled pseudo-text on the packshot. GPT Image 2's invented label stayed legible down to the small print.
How much cheaper is Ideogram 4?+
Much cheaper: the per-test costs are shown above for both models. That makes it useful for cheap drafts even where it misses details.
Test them on your own prompt
Run one prompt on Ideogram 4, GPT Image 2 and two more models side by side, rate the results and keep the winner. Every run shows its cost before you click.