FLUX 3 Image vs FLUX.2 Max
FLUX 3 Image is Black Forest Labs' new image model, released on 1 October 2026; FLUX.2 Max was the top FLUX.2 tier from December 2025. Both ran the same twelve prompts at about one megapixel through fal: Max in September, FLUX 3 Image on 8 October.
Anvisha Pai, Co-founder & CEO, Voyager
Which to use
FLUX 3 Image for anything with words in it. It set the poster, the infographic and the chart's labels exactly, and left the woodblock print unsigned, where Max dropped May from the chart, garbled its axis and signed the print. It is also cheaper per 1K image, $0.048 against Max's $0.07 for the first megapixel, and adds native 2K and 4K. The edit is the split decision: FLUX 3 Image changed nothing but the handle and never made the body green, while Max made both changes on a redrawn dripper. FLUX 3 Image was slower on most prompts, median 26 seconds against 24, with a 112-second edit. One run per prompt is a fair first look, not a ranking.
Side by side, measured
| FLUX 3 Image | FLUX.2 Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Black Forest Labs | Black Forest Labs |
| Released | 2026-10-01 | 2025-12-15 |
| Price | $0.048 per 1k image, about 1 megapixel via BFL API | $0.07 per 1k image via BFL API |
| Seconds per image | 21 to 112 | 14 to 35 |
| 12 pictures cost | $0.288 | $1.11 |
| Sizes | Exact width and height, priced by area |
Seconds and cost are from our own runs of the same 12 prompts through each model.
The same 12 prompts, FLUX 3 Image against FLUX.2 Max
One try each, nothing re-rolled or retouched, generated by us. FLUX 3 Image is on the left, FLUX.2 Max on the right. Every prompt has its own page with the whole roster.
Text in an image
Every model on this prompt →Both spelled all three lines. FLUX 3 Image's is a designed two-colour risograph layout; Max's a plainer stack on a navy sheet.
›What we asked for
A concert poster that reads 'MODA SUMMER SESSIONS' in large bold type, with the subtitle 'Friday 12 June, 8pm, Roundhouse' and a smaller line 'Tickets at the door'. Risograph style, two colours, tangerine and navy, grainy ink texture.
Product on white
Every model on this prompt →
›What we asked for
Studio product photograph of a matte black ceramic pour-over coffee dripper on a seamless white background, soft top light, subtle contact shadow, centred, catalogue style.
Face and hands
Every model on this prompt →
›What we asked for
Close-up portrait of a woman in her 40s with short grey hair, laughing, holding a red ceramic mug with both hands, natural window light, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field.
Logo mark
Every model on this prompt →
›What we asked for
A flat vector logo mark for a bicycle repair shop called 'Spoke & Chain': a single-colour icon combining a chain link and a wheel spoke, with the wordmark below in a geometric sans-serif, black on white.
Busy scene
Every model on this prompt →
›What we asked for
A crowded Saturday farmers market seen from slightly above: at least twelve stalls with striped awnings, shoppers carrying tote bags, a dog on a leash, crates of oranges, a musician with a guitar, bunting overhead, late morning light.
Specific art style
Every model on this prompt →Max signed its woodblock print with a column of characters and seals. FLUX 3 Image left it unsigned.
›What we asked for
A lighthouse on a rocky cliff during a storm, in the style of a Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print, with visible wood grain texture, flat colour areas and a bokashi gradient sky.
FLUX 3 Image labelled all six months and values correctly, but its bar heights do not match its axis. Max dropped May and printed an axis that repeats 10 and 180.
›What we asked for
A clean bar chart titled 'Monthly active users' showing six months, January through June, with the values 120, 150, 180, 170, 220 and 260, labelled axes, white background, one accent colour, no 3D effects.
Wide aspect ratio
Every model on this prompt →Both left the left third clear. FLUX 3 Image's room is empty of people; Max's is busy with them.
›What we asked for
Website hero banner: a wide panorama of a sunlit modern co-working space with plants, the left third of the frame kept as clear wall space for text, warm neutral palette.
Infographic with steps
Every model on this prompt →Both have the four steps in order with the right wording. FLUX 3 Image's icons match each step more closely.
›What we asked for
An infographic card titled 'How to brew pour-over' with four numbered steps in this order: 1. Rinse the filter, 2. Bloom for 30 seconds, 3. Pour in slow circles, 4. Wait 3 minutes. A simple icon beside each step, muted palette, clean sans-serif type.
Food photography
Every model on this prompt →
›What we asked for
Overhead photograph of a margherita pizza on a wooden board, fresh basil leaves, one slice pulled out with the cheese stretching, restaurant menu photography, natural light.
Hard composition
Every model on this prompt →
›What we asked for
A glass of water on a wooden table with exactly three ice cubes in it, a yellow pencil resting across the rim of the glass, a blue book to the left of the glass and a red apple to the right, photographed from table height.
Edit an existing image
Every model on this prompt →FLUX 3 Image kept the source pixel for pixel and only made the handle brass, leaving the body black. Max turned it green with a brass handle, but redrew the rim and spout.
›What we asked for
Change the coffee dripper to a deep forest green and add a small brass handle on its right side. Keep the background, lighting and composition exactly as they are.
Frequently asked questions
Is FLUX 3 Image better than FLUX.2 Max?
On our twelve prompts it was better at text, charts and leaving the woodblock print unsigned. It edits differently: it changes less of the picture, sometimes less than asked. Black Forest Labs positions it as its newest image model; FLUX.2 Max remains available.
Which is cheaper?
FLUX 3 Image at 1K: $0.048 per image on BFL's API and on fal at the regular rate, against $0.07 for FLUX.2 Max's first megapixel. Above 1K the models price differently, FLUX 3 Image by tier ($0.100 at 2K, $0.607 at 4K) and FLUX.2 Max by megapixel. Prices read on 8 October 2026.
Were both run the same way?
Same prompts, one attempt each, through fal, at about one megapixel. FLUX.2 Max takes exact pixel sizes and FLUX 3 Image a ratio and a tier, so their 3:4 and 21:9 outputs differ by a few pixels. Max ran in September; FLUX 3 Image on 8 October with prompt expansion off.
Voyager
Run any of these inside Voyager
Voyager is an agent for creative work that runs every model on this page. Brief it, and it picks the model for the job, makes the thing and hands back something you can edit. Create an account to get started.