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Test scope & comparison notes
These are recorded facts, not a unified ranking. Tested tiers and scope are not consistently recorded. Read pricing with its date and timing with its conditions. Privacy observations reflect visible flows and statements, not a security audit.
Cross-task capability coverage across selected products
Each product is scored independently per task edge; switch tasks below while keeping shared products selected| Task edge | Ideogram | Raphael AI | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image generation | 88/100 2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached | 75/100 640×640 (0.5K Low WebP, 39.06% pixel retention vs 1024² baseline) · Historical description; output not attached | Active task |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Ideogram AI (Ideogram 4.0) Image generation 88/100 Seven-aspect task score Good text and 2K output come with four candidates per request; free credits depend on sign-in method, exclude email-only signup, and this run took about 34 seconds. Tested export 2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-16 | Raphael AI (AI Image Generator) Image generation 75/100 Seven-aspect task score Login-free generation works, but the advertised model differs from the guest tier; free output is 640px, with about 85 seconds of waiting and a count error in this run. Tested export 640×640 (0.5K Low WebP, 39.06% pixel retention vs 1024² baseline) · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-16 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Ideogram official plans (Free / Plus / Pro / Team / Enterprise); USD (before tax) · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free (OAuth sign-in)2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free 30 credits/week when signing in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft (email/password accounts receive no free credits; public generations). Plus Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 20/month — Monthly 2,400 priority credits/month (do not roll over) + unlimited slower queue on Ideogram models + private generation and quality export. Plus Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 180/year Annual Billed annually at USD 180/year (USD 15/month equivalent); 2,400 priority credits issued monthly + unlimited slower queue + private generation. Pro Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 60/month — Monthly 7,500 priority credits/month (do not roll over) + unlimited slower queue + Batch Generation, larger queue, and private generation. Pro Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 504/year Annual Billed annually at USD 504/year (USD 42/month equivalent); 7,500 priority credits issued monthly + unlimited slower queue + Batch Generation and private generation. Team Monthly (per user, min 2)2026-10-21 ↗ USD 30/month — Monthly USD 30 per user/month (minimum 2 users); 3,600 priority credits/user/month + unlimited slower queue + central billing and administration. Team Yearly (per user, min 2)2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 240/year Annual USD 240 per user/year (USD 20/user/month equivalent, minimum 2 users); 3,600 priority credits/user/month + unlimited slower queue + central billing. Enterprise Agreement2026-10-21 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Custom organization agreement and shared Enterprise Prepaid wallet. 8 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Official documentation (Plans and Credits) lists Free (30 credits/week when signing in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft; email/password accounts do not get free credits; public generations), Plus (USD 20/month or USD 180/year, i.e., USD 15/month, with 2,400 credits/month + unlimited slow queue + private mode), Pro (USD 60/month or USD 504/year, i.e., USD 42/month, with 7,500 credits/month + batch generation), and Team (min 2 users, USD 30/user/month or USD 240/user/year, 3,600 credits/user/month). Legacy Basic ($8/mo) is no longer sold. Cancellation, sources & verification recordMonthly plan credits reset on each renewal date and do not roll over; purchased top-up credits are spent after monthly credits. Manage subscriptions and auto-recharge in Settings → Wallet & Billing. Ideogram official documentation: Plans and Credits pricing table ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ | Raphael AI free, monthly, yearly, and one-time credit pack plans (Free / Pro / Ultimate / Max / Credit Packs); USD · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free (Guest no-login)2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Unlimited no-login generations with Seedream 3.5 (0.5K Low · 640×640, slow queue); personal and non-commercial use only. Pro Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 20/month — Monthly 2,000 credits/month (up to 2,000 fast images or 200 basic videos) + unlimited Seedream 3.5, priority queue, no watermarks, full privacy, and commercial use. Pro Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 120/year Annual Billed annually at USD 120/year (USD 10/month equivalent, regular USD 240/year); 2,000 credits/month + unlimited Seedream 3.5, no watermarks, and commercial use. Ultimate Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 40/month — Monthly 5,000 credits/month + unlimited Seedream 3.5 and Seedream 3.5 Pro, highest priority queue, no watermarks, full privacy, and commercial use. Ultimate Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 240/year Annual Billed annually at USD 240/year (USD 20/month equivalent, regular USD 480/year); 5,000 credits/month + unlimited Seedream 3.5 / 3.5 Pro and commercial use. Max Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 80/month — Monthly 10,000 credits/month + unlimited Seedream 3.5, Seedream 3.5 Pro, MiniMax H3 Turbo, and MiniMax H3, highest priority queue, and commercial use. Max Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 480/year Annual Billed annually at USD 480/year (USD 40/month equivalent, regular USD 960/year); 10,000 credits/month + unlimited generation on four core models and commercial use. Credit Pack · 1,500 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 29.9 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1,500 base credits (subscribers receive 2,250 credits with +50% bonus). Rules [1] Credit Pack · 3,000 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 49.9 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 3,000 base credits (subscribers receive 4,500 credits with +50% bonus). Rules [1] Credit Pack · 5,000 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 69.9 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 5,000 base credits (subscribers receive 7,500 credits with +50% bonus). Rules [1] Credit Pack · 8,000 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 99.9 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 8,000 base credits (subscribers receive 12,000 credits with +50% bonus). Rules [1] 11 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official workspace and pricing page list Free (no-login unlimited Seedream 3.5 0.5K 640×640 in slow queue, personal/non-commercial use only), three monthly plans (Pro USD 20/mo, Ultimate USD 40/mo, Max USD 80/mo), three annual plans with explicit annual totals (Pro USD 120/yr, Ultimate USD 240/yr, Max USD 480/yr at 50% off), and four one-time credit packs valid for 6 months (1,500 / 3,000 / 5,000 / 8,000 base credits, with +50% bonus for subscribers). Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel renewal anytime in the subscription management portal (benefits remain active until the end of the current billing period); FAQ states digital/virtual purchases are generally non-refundable. Raphael AI official yearly, monthly, and credit pack pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ · Capture 4 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free credits granted exclusively to Google / Apple / Microsoft OAuth accounts; default Ideogram 4.0 (Auto) costs ~12 credits for 4× 2048×2048 images | Unlimited guest generations in the slow queue, restricted to Seedream 3.5 / Z-Image Turbo at 0.5K Low (640×640) |
| Cancellation & refunds | Monthly plan credits reset on each renewal date and do not roll over; purchased top-up credits are spent after monthly credits. Manage subscriptions and auto-recharge in Settings → Wallet & Billing. | Cancel renewal anytime in the subscription management portal (benefits remain active until the end of the current billing period); FAQ states digital/virtual purchases are generally non-refundable. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Disclosed upfront in the login page footer before registration ("Email accounts don't include free credits") | Model selector and resolution dropdown display Paid tags before clicking Generate, contradicting the hero banner's "100% Free · Powered by GPT Image 2.5" claim |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Not verified | Not verified |
| Fixture findings | Text and hand structure performed well on this prompt, with 2048px output; other prompts remain untested. | Spelling was correct in this test; free output was 640px and the guest wait was about 85 seconds. |
| Original historical observation | Powered by Ideogram 4.0, it is the only platform tested that exports native 2048×2048 (2K) unwatermarked images on the free tier while achieving a 64.0/65 constraint score (#4 overall at 88.2 pts). | Seedream 3.5 demonstrates strong typography ("REALTEST 2026" 25/25), but Raphael AI caps free users at 640×640 (0.5K Low) WebP and an ~85s queue despite its "100% Free · Powered by GPT Image 2.5" hero banner. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Designers and creators needing native 2048×2048 (2K) unwatermarked exports, world-class typography, and 5-finger anatomical precision | Users who refuse to register an account and need unlimited, unwatermarked 640×640 concept drafts while tolerating an ~85s slow queue |
| Result & output evidence | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. |
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims. | 640×640 (0.5K Low WebP, 39.06% pixel retention vs 1024² baseline) · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims. |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048×2048 (2K Original Size Unwatermarked JPEG · Ideogram 4.0) | 640×640 (0.5K Low WebP · Free Guest Seedream 3.5; 2K/4K Require Paid Plan) |
| Watermark observation | Zero watermark (clean 2048×2048 2K export) | Zero watermark (clean 640×640 WebP export) |
| Batch & API | 4-image batch default + Magic Prompt, Remove BG, Upscale, Edit (Ideogram 4.5), and Developer API | Generates 2 variations per run; web workspace only |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 33.9s · End-to-end reference: 34.45s | Network-observed server wait: 85s · End-to-end reference: 85.5s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-16 · anchor_t2i_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-16 · anchor_t2i_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) |
| Repeated tests & reliability | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. |
| Interaction experience | ||
| Account requirements | Account required in this test | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | Must sign in with Google / Apple / Microsoft to receive free credits (Email-only signups receive 0 free credits) | No login required for 0.5K Low (640×640) guest generations |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Manual erase / adjustment recorded in the historical flow |
| Interaction observations | Completing Google login (Pass 2) allows skipping the plan upsell ("Skip for now"); default Auto model invokes flagship Ideogram 4.0 (~12 credits), generates 4 concurrent variations, and allows free download of the full 2K (2048×2048) unwatermarked JPEG (03_download.png). | Genuinely allows guests to generate and download 2 unwatermarked images without registering or logging in, though guests are routed into an ~85s slow queue ("In queue · Sign in for faster") with persistent "Upgrade for Fast Generation" upsell banners. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Ideogram AI, Inc. | Raphael AI (raphael.app) |
| Recorded origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Independent AI Web Application |
| Domain history record | 2023–present | 2024–present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by Ideogram AI, Inc. (Toronto, Canada, founded 2023 by former Google Brain diffusion researchers Mohammad Norouzi, William Chan, et al., backed by a16z), globally renowned for AI typography. | Popular high-traffic vertical AI image generator directory site (raphael.app, launched 2024). |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Generates 4× 2048×2048 (4.19MP, 400% of 1024² baseline) images per run (~33.9s) and integrates native Remove BG, Upscale, and Ideogram 4.5 Edit apps. | Guest queue outputs 2× 640×640 unwatermarked WebP images (~43KB each) after an ~85.0s queue + inference wait. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Claims deletion within 10 minutes; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 29 / 35 Landing page (01_landing.png) CTA "Get started" leads to the login page (01_pass1_login_modal.png), where bottom fine print explicitly discloses a critical rule: "*Email accounts don't include free credits — you'll need a paid plan to generate. Sign up with Google, Apple, or Microsoft to get free credits." | 25 / 35 Landing page hero badges (01_landing.png) prominently claim "100% Free · Powered by GPT Image 2.5 · No Login Required · Unlimited Generations"; however, the actual prompt box defaults guests to "Seedream 3.5" locked at "0.5K Low (640×640)", while "GPT Image 2.5", "Raphael 2.1", and "2K Medium / 4K High" resolutions carry Paid badges. |
| Interaction restraint | 26 / 30 Completing Google login (Pass 2) allows skipping the plan upsell ("Skip for now"); default Auto model invokes flagship Ideogram 4.0 (~12 credits), generates 4 concurrent variations, and allows free download of the full 2K (2048×2048) unwatermarked JPEG (03_download.png). | 23 / 30 Genuinely allows guests to generate and download 2 unwatermarked images without registering or logging in, though guests are routed into an ~85s slow queue ("In queue · Sign in for faster") with persistent "Upgrade for Fast Generation" upsell banners. |
| Background & reputation | 20 / 20 Operated by Ideogram AI, Inc. (Toronto, Canada, founded 2023 by former Google Brain diffusion researchers Mohammad Norouzi, William Chan, et al., backed by a16z), globally renowned for AI typography. | 14 / 20 Popular high-traffic vertical AI image generator directory site (raphael.app, launched 2024). |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Generates 4× 2048×2048 (4.19MP, 400% of 1024² baseline) images per run (~33.9s) and integrates native Remove BG, Upscale, and Ideogram 4.5 Edit apps. | 12 / 15 Guest queue outputs 2× 640×640 unwatermarked WebP images (~43KB each) after an ~85.0s queue + inference wait. |
| Task quality | 64 / 65 Text Rendering (25/25: Exact 2-line "REALTEST / 2026" hand-carved typography on the wooden sign with 100% spelling accuracy (25/25)) · Count & Color Binding (19/20: Strictly 3 red apples on the left + 2 stacked blue ceramic mugs on the right (slight twin-handle / 3rd rim artifact behind the lower mug, -1 pt) (19.0/20)) · 5-Finger Hand & Structure (20/20: Vintage brass robotic right hand supporting the bottom of the wooden sign displays 5 crystal-clear, distinct articulated brass fingers (20/20)) | 58 / 65 Text Rendering (25/25: Exact 2-line "REALTEST 2026" carved onto the wooden sign with 100% spelling accuracy (25/25)) · Count & Color Binding (16/20: 2 blue ceramic mugs are exact, but the first image rendered 2 red apples instead of 3 (missing 1 apple; the 2nd image in the batch rendered 3 apples) (16.0/20)) · 5-Finger Hand & Structure (17/20: Right brass robotic hand gripping the wooden sign handle shows 4 fingers + 1 thumb with vintage brass patina, though overall clarity is limited by the 640×640 (0.5K Low) resolution cap (17.0/20)) |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export & Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (2K Original Size Unwatermarked JPEG · Ideogram 4.0) | 14 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export & Max deliverable spec: 640×640 (0.5K Low WebP · Free Guest Seedream 3.5; 2K/4K Require Paid Plan) |
| Processing speed | 3 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 33.9s (API mode: async_poll; end-to-end 34.45s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 3 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 85s (API mode: async_poll; end-to-end 85.5s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
