This is the single biggest practical limitation of AI image generators for commercial work. Let me show you where each model actually stands in 2026.

The Text Rendering Problem

Most AI image generators treat text as a visual texture rather than semantic content. They learn to approximate the look of text rather than generate specific, accurate characters.

The result: ask for a poster that says "Summer Sale 50% Off" and you get something that looks like text at a glance but falls apart under inspection.

How Each Model Performs

DALL-E 3

Text accuracy: ~70–80% for short phrases. Handles common English words reasonably well. Breaks down on longer sentences, numbers, and non-Latin scripts (Chinese, Arabic, Korean).

Midjourney v6

Text accuracy: ~40–50%. Better than older versions, still unreliable for anything you would put in front of a client.

FLUX.1 Pro

Reaches ~85% accuracy for Latin scripts — genuinely usable for simple cases. Non-Latin scripts remain weak.

GPT Image 2

Text accuracy: 99%+ for Latin scripts, strong multilingual support (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic). This is a step-change improvement — it comes from training the model to understand text as semantic content, not just pixels.

Real-World Test

I ran the same prompt through all four models:

A Mexican restaurant menu with the heading "Tacos al Pastor $8.50" and a short description below

• DALL-E 3: Heading mostly correct, price rendered as "$8.S0" or similar
• Midjourney: Decorative-looking text, not actually readable
• FLUX: Best open-source option, but still mangled the price
• GPT Image 2: Exact text, correct price, readable at all sizes

For any workflow involving menus, packaging, posters, or branded content, the gap is significant.

When to Use GPT Image 2

GPT Image 2 is the right choice when:

• Your output needs readable, accurate text (menus, posters, banners, product labels)
• You need consistent colors for brand assets
• You are working in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Arabic
• The image needs to be commercially usable without manual touch-up

For pure creative work with no text requirements, Midjourney is still competitive.

Try It

You can test GPT Image 2 at gptimager.com. New accounts get free credits, no credit card required. All paid plans include watermark-free exports and a commercial license.

Have you run your own text-rendering tests across models? What results did you get? Drop them in the comments.