The best neural networks for image generation

"Which neural network is the best" sounds like a logical question, but it has no answer — and that's the main thing to understand before choosing. There's no best in general; there's a best for a specific task. The model that draws fairy-tale illustrations better than anyone may fail at product photography for a marketplace, and vice versa.

So this chapter isn't a podium but a map: which network to take when you need exactly this. A detailed breakdown of each is in its own chapter, with links along the way. And to avoid making an account at every service, you can generate images in one chat — Twelver.

In short: what to choose for the task

What to compare on at all

To make the choice deliberate rather than "whatever everyone's heard of", look at five things:

1. Photorealism vs stylization. Some models lean toward "like a photograph", others toward drawing. Advertising and product shots need the first camp, illustrations the second.
2. Understanding complex prompts. Will the model hold "five objects, each its own colour, in a set order", or fall apart. Here new models have raced far ahead of old ones.
3. Text in the image. Long a shared pain point; today only a few do it confidently — a separate criterion if you need lettering.
4. Language and local context. Regional models often understand requests in their own language and local realities better; global models expect more "English" thinking in the prompt.
5. Access and price. Some services aren't available everywhere or require a paid plan — for many people that's a decisive factor that outweighs quality.

Free and accessible vs premium

An important fork. Free, easy-access models like Shedevrum and Kandinsky and Alisa (popular regional tools) win on being free and barrier-free. Premium global models — Midjourney, DALL·E, Flux — often give a more "polished" result in photorealism, but at the cost of a paid subscription.

The practical takeaway: if the task is everyday and you need a fast free result, start with the accessible models. If extreme photorealism for commercial work matters and you're happy to pay, look toward the premium ones.

How not to choose blindly

The main trap is judging a model by someone else's pretty examples. Authors show the best of hundreds of attempts. The only honest test is to run your real prompt with your real task through several models and compare. That's why it's handier when they're gathered in one place: no need to sign up at five services and pay each separately.

Enter your prompt — with your real task — and decide for yourself whose "hand" is closest to you.

What's next

Next come detailed breakdowns of each network: strengths, weaknesses, how to use it and who it suits. Let's start with one of the most popular free models.

In the Twelver chat several models are available in one conversation and under one subscription — you can compare them on your own task without making separate accounts.