Microsoft
MAI-Image-2.6
microsoft/mai-image-2.6
MAI-Image-2.6 is an image generation and editing model from Microsoft AI, the precision tier of the MAI-Image-2.6 family alongside the faster MAI-Image-2.6 Flash. It is suited for design-ready visuals and...
RoleMakes or edits images.
$5
In / M
Free
Out / M
4K
Context
- AA intelligence index
- Not on listing
- Inputs
- text, image
- Outputs
- image
- Tools
- Not listed
- Structured output
- Not listed
- Reasoning
- Not listed
- Weights
- Not verified
- Listed
- Sep 4, 2026
01 · What it's good at
Use it for this.
Three jobs this model is built for, and the ones to give to something else.
01
Pictures, edits, and design drafts
Skip it for
- An essay about a picture. That is a chat model with vision.
02 · Example tasks
What you'd actually send it.
Real inputs, not a benchmark. Paste one into the snippet below to try it.
You send
A ceramic mug on a linen cloth, morning light, no text.
Why this model
Text-to-image.
03 · Your stack
Where it sits: Draw, speak, listen.
Image models take a prompt, and sometimes a source image, and return pixels. Price is often per image rather than per token of prose.
Layer 01
Retrieve
Layer 02
Plan & reason
Layer 03
Do the volume
Layer 04
Gate & route
Layer 05 · this model
Draw, speak, listen
04 · Wire it up
One request. Paste and run.
Uses OpenRouter, so one key works for every model on this site. Set OPENROUTER_API_KEY and swap the prompt for one of the tasks above.
import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
const res = await fetch("https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/images", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"model": "microsoft/mai-image-2.6",
"prompt": "A ceramic mug on a linen cloth, morning light, no text",
"aspect_ratio": "1:1"
}),
});
const result = await res.json();
// Images come back base64-encoded.
await writeFile("out.png", Buffer.from(result.data[0].b64_json, "base64"));
05 · Watch out for
Gotchas.
This lesson is generated from the model type and the live listing. It has not been hand-reviewed yet.
Check the listing for supported parameters before you rely on tools or structured output.
Sources
Lessons are written from each model's listing and the linked docs. We don't publish our own benchmark numbers; the index above is Artificial Analysis, as shown on OpenRouter.