Comparison · Reviewed 2026-04-24
The new OpenAI image model versus the 2023 flagship it replaces.
DALL·E 3 is still available and still cheap, but GPT Image 2 is a strict upgrade on nearly every axis. Unless cost is the deciding factor, pick the new model.
| GPT Image 2 | DALL·E 3 | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text in images | 99%+ accurate, multilingual | Mostly garbled past single words | |
| Max resolution | 4096×4096 | 1024×1024 / 1792×1024 | |
| Reasoning | Yes — plan + self-check | No | |
| Image editing | Natural-language inpainting | Not supported natively | |
| Character consistency | Multi-panel sets | Inconsistent across prompts | |
| Speed | ~8-15s at 4K | ~10-15s at 1024 | |
| Price per image | ~$0.08 standard | ~$0.04-0.06 | |
| API availability | Rolling out May 2026 | Generally available |
Pick DALL·E 3 when…
Your volume is massive and the image does not need text, editing, or 4K output — thumbnails, social cards, decorative illustration. DALL·E 3 at half the cost remains a sensible choice for those use cases.
Pick GPT Image 2 when…
Essentially everything else. Any image with text, any image that needs to be edited afterward, any brief with multiple constraints, and any high-resolution deliverable. The gap is wide enough that the price difference usually does not matter.
Join the GPT Image 2 waitlist →Q. Is DALL·E 3 being deprecated?
A. Not immediately — OpenAI has signaled a 12-month coexistence window. But GPT Image 2 is the default going forward and most new features will land there first.
Q. Should I migrate my existing integration?
A. Yes, unless your use case is decorative or budget-sensitive. The migration path is straightforward (same API shape with a model parameter swap), and the quality upgrade is significant.
Q. What about GPT Image 1?
A. GPT Image 1 (released late 2025) was a smaller step. GPT Image 2 is the reasoning-first successor; GPT Image 1 remains available as a middle-cost option but will likely be phased out within 12 months.
Q. Does DALL·E 3 do image editing?
A. Only via the web UI "edit" feature, which regenerates the whole image. GPT Image 2 does real localized inpainting driven by natural language.
Q. Will pricing come down?
A. Likely — OpenAI halved DALL·E 3 pricing within 6 months of launch. Expect similar trajectory for GPT Image 2 as inference scales up.