Updated May 2026

Generation Speed Benchmarks

How long do you actually wait for your image? We measured real-world generation times across all major AI models.

Methodology

How we measured speed

100 generation requests per model, measured from API submission to receiving the image URL. Tests run at varying times to account for load variation. All at 1024×1024 resolution.

Flux Schnell (Fast)
⚡ Fastest
2.8s avg

Optimized for speed. Some quality trade-off. Best for iteration and preview.

Flux Pro 1.1
🥇 Best Quality/Speed
7.4s avg

The sweet spot. Excellent quality with fast inference. Our top recommendation.

DALL·E 3
🎨 Creative
14.2s avg

OpenAI's model takes longer but produces diverse, creative outputs.

SDXL
🔬 Detailed
9.1s avg

Mid-range speed with excellent illustration detail.

Speed Comparison (lower is better)

Flux Schnell 2.8s
Flux Pro 7.4s
SDXL 9.1s
DALL·E 3 14.2s

Average over 100 requests, 1024×1024 resolution.

What the data means for you

For everyday use, Flux Pro at ~7 seconds is effectively instantaneous. By the time you read your prompt and consider if you want to adjust anything, your image is ready.

Flux Schnell (our "Speedy" model) halves that wait time — great for brainstorming and iteration where you're generating 10+ variations to find the right concept.

The slowest model (DALL·E 3 at ~14s) is still very fast compared to traditional creative workflows. The wait is worth it for the creative variety it produces.

Factors That Affect Speed

  • Resolution: Higher resolutions (16:9 at 1792×1024) take 20–40% longer than square 1:1.
  • API load: Peak hours (9–11am UTC) can add 2–4 seconds to generation times.
  • Prompt length: Longer prompts add negligible time (~0.1s).
  • Your connection: After generation, downloading the image URL adds ~0.5–2s depending on your internet speed.

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