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The difference in one paragraph.
MAI Image 2.6 is Microsoft AI’s released image model for text-to-image generation and image editing, available through Microsoft Foundry and used in this site’s studio. MAI-Image-2.7, announced on October 27, 2026, is a preview focused on image editing. Microsoft says text-to-image for 2.7 is coming soon, and Artificial Analysis lists no API for it. On the AA-Image-Editing v2.1 leaderboard read on October 28, 2026, 2.7-Preview scores 1193 Elo and 2.6 scores 1151.
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What the editing leaderboard shows.
Artificial Analysis ranks image editing models with Elo scores from blind pairwise preference votes. In our October 28, 2026 reading of AA-Image-Editing v2.1, MAI-Image-2.7-Preview is #2 at 1193 (±15, 4,891 samples) and MAI-Image-2.6 is at 1151 (±12, 16,644 samples), with a rank range of 4–7. MAI-Image-2.6-Flash is at 1144 (±13).
That is a 42-point gap between the two central estimates. 2.7-Preview has far fewer votes than 2.6 so far, which is one reason its interval is wider. Elo scores change as votes come in, so check the live leaderboard for the current figures.
Microsoft reports that 2.7 improves on 2.6 across all 10 use cases and all 7 editing actions in the Artificial Analysis evaluation, with its strongest lead in scene and style. Those are Microsoft’s published claims about editing. No published leaderboard compares the two models for text-to-image yet, because 2.7 does not offer it.
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Access is the practical difference today.
For a project that needs an API, a repeatable workflow or text-to-image generation, MAI Image 2.6 is the model you can actually use. MAI-Image-2.7-Preview can be tried on Arena, Artificial Analysis and MAI Playground, but it has no public API, no published pricing and no Microsoft Foundry listing.
This site does not offer MAI-Image-2.7. The studio below uses MAI Image 2.6, shows the selected model and its credit quote before you submit, and saves results to your account.
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What happens when 2.7 gets an API.
If Microsoft releases MAI-Image-2.7 through an API, we will check its exact model identity, input limits and pricing before deciding whether to add it. This comparison will then gain verified rows for price and limits. Until that happens, we will not estimate them.
To test editing today, pick an edit that matters to your work, such as relighting a product, restyling a room or fixing text on a sign. Run it here with MAI Image 2.6. If you want to see how 2.7 handles the same kind of edit, try it on one of Microsoft’s preview surfaces.
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MAI Image 2.6 and MAI-Image-2.7-Preview compared
| MAI Image 2.6 | MAI-Image-2.7-Preview | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Released; available via API in Microsoft Foundry | Preview, announced October 27, 2026 |
| What it does | Text-to-image generation and image editing | Image editing; Microsoft says text-to-image is coming soon |
| Where to use it | Microsoft Foundry, MAI Playground and the studio on this site | Arena, Artificial Analysis and MAI Playground |
| Public API | Yes | No API available (Artificial Analysis listing) |
| AA-Image-Editing v2.1 Elo | 1151 (±12), rank range 4–7 | 1193 (±15), #2, rank range 1–3 |
| Arena Edit | Not verified | #3 at launch, according to Microsoft |
| API price listed by Artificial Analysis | $38.9 per 1,000 images | No API available |
| Available on mai-image.pro | Yes: generation and editing | No |
Elo values are from the Artificial Analysis AA-Image-Editing v2.1 leaderboard as read on October 28, 2026, and they change as votes are added. MAI-Image-2.6-Flash was listed at 1144 (±13). Arena and improvement claims are Microsoft’s own.
AN ORIGINAL STARTING POINT
A brief to make your own.
Restyle this interior photo as a calm Scandinavian morning scene. Keep the room layout, furniture positions and window frames unchanged. Use soft daylight, pale oak and linen tones, and gentle shadows. Do not add text, logos or extra furniture.
This is an example prompt, not a promise of a particular output. Adapt the details to the image you actually need.
SOURCES · CHECKED OCTOBER 28, 2026