AI image
PhotoForge vs Z-Image Edit compared on 8 fields
- PhotoForge score
- 79/100 (5 of 7 criteria)
- Z-Image Edit score
- 87/100 (4 of 7 criteria)
- Fields won by PhotoForge
- 1 of 6
- Fields won by Z-Image Edit
- 2 of 6
PhotoForge
Z-Image Edit
Data checked Oct 14, 2026 against the vendors' own pages. How we verify
PhotoForge and Z-Image Edit are both AI image generators. We compared them on 8 fields read from each vendor's own pages.
On the AI image generators scorecard PhotoForge scores 79/100 (5 of 7 criteria) and Z-Image Edit 87/100 (4 of 7 criteria) (ranks 14 and 8 in the category).
Of the 6 fields with a clear rule (lower price, higher count, yes over no), PhotoForge wins 1, Z-Image Edit wins 2 and 3 are ties.
Z-Image Edit scores clearly higher on free plan or trial and pricing transparency.
Side by side
| Field | PhotoForge | Z-Image Edit | Winner and basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan (billed monthly) | $7.99/month | ✓ $7.90/month | Z-Image Edit |
| Free plan | No | ✓ Yes | Z-Image Edit |
| Free trial | ✓ Yes | No | PhotoForge |
| Trial length (days) | 3 | – | No winner: needs a value on both sides |
| Public API | Yes | – | No winner: needs a value on both sides |
| Text to image | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Image to image / reference images | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Commercial use on paid plans | Yes | Yes | Tie |
– = not published by the vendor, or not verified yet.
Sources: PhotoForge pricing page, checked Oct 14, 2026; Z-Image Edit pricing page, checked Oct 14, 2026. Each feature value links its own source on the tool's page.
Scorecard, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Weight | PhotoForge | Z-Image Edit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | 25% | 91$7.99/month billed monthly on Starter (scored on the monthly price) | 91$7.90/month billed monthly on Starter (scored on the monthly price) |
| Free plan or trial | 15% | 60Free trial (3 days), no free plan | 100Free plan (Free Trial) |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | 871 of 1 plans have a public price | 1003 of 3 plans have a public price |
| Verified features | 15% | 603 of 10 tracked features verified: text to image, image to image / reference images, commercial use on paid plans | 603 of 10 tracked features verified: text to image, image to image / reference images, commercial use on paid plans |
| API, integrations and export | 10% | 100public API | – |
| Total score | 100% | 79/100 (5 of 7 criteria) | 87/100 (4 of 7 criteria) |
PhotoForge plans
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Charged per | Published limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $7.99 | Not stated | per workspace |
|
Prices in USD per month, before tax. Read from the vendor's pricing page on Oct 14, 2026. "Not stated" means the page does not publish it.
Z-Image Edit plans
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Charged per | Published limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Not stated | Free | per workspace | None stated |
| Standard | $19.90 | Not stated | per workspace |
|
| Starter | $7.90 | Not stated | per workspace |
|
Prices in USD per month, before tax. Read from the vendor's pricing page on Oct 14, 2026. "Not stated" means the page does not publish it.
How we picked
Every one of these AI image generators is scored by the same 7 criteria (scorecard v1). Each criterion gives 0 to 100 from the vendor's published data; the total is the weighted average. A criterion without verified data is left out and the other weights are re-normalised. A tool with under 60% of the weight covered is listed as not ranked, and so is a tool with no verified price and fewer than 2 verified features (“needs a verified price”); each score shows how many criteria it is based on. The core criteria are the same in every category; the category criteria are specific to AI image generators. Nobody gets custom weights, including our own products.
| Criterion | Weight | Type | What we measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | 25% | Core | Price per month of the cheapest paid plan, against the prices of other AI image generators on the same billing basis (monthly-billed prices against monthly, annual-billed against annual).Log scale. Billed monthly: $6.99/month or less = 100, $29 or more = 0. Only billed annually: $5/month or less = 100, $20.83 or more = 0. Only free plans = 100. Usage-priced and one-time plans are not scored. |
| Free plan or trial | 15% | Core | Whether you can use the tool before paying: a free plan, or failing that a free trial, as shown on the vendor's pricing page.Free plan = 100. No free plan but a free trial = 60. The pricing page lists plans but shows neither = 0. No plans read = not scored. |
| Pricing transparency | 10% | Core | How much of the pricing is public: the share of plans with a published price ("contact sales" counts against), and whether there are at least 3 published tiers.80 x (plans with a public price / plans listed) + 20 x (public plans, up to 3) / 3. No plans read = not scored. |
| Verified features | 15% | Core | How many of the 10 features we track for this category the vendor's own pages verifiably show (analytics, team access, templates, ai assistant, text to image, image to image / reference images, upscaling, inpainting or object editing, commercial use on paid plans, private generations). This counts verified features only: a tool that documents less scores lower here, and only here.Linear: verified features / 5 (half the tracked list) x 100, capped at 100. No tracked feature verified = not scored. |
| API, integrations and export | 10% | Core | Whether a public API exists, how many integrations the vendor states, and whether the vendor documents a way to export your data.Average of the parts with data: public API yes = 100, no = 0; integrations on a log scale (100 or more = 100); a documented data export = 100. None verified = not scored. |
| Cost per 100 images | 15% | Category | Price per 100 images on the cheapest paid plan that states a monthly allowance limit (monthly price / allowance).Log scale: $1 per 100 images or less = 100, $20 or more = 0. Unlimited or unstated allowances = not scored. |
| Cost per user (team of 3) | 10% | Category | Monthly price per user for a team of 3, on the cheapest paid plan that is priced per seat or states room for at least 3 users.Log scale: $4 per user or less = 100, $79 or more = 0. Plans that do not state a user limit are not used. No such plan = not scored. |
Sources are vendor pricing pages, docs and changelogs, each with the date we checked it. We did not test these tools hands-on unless a listing says so. Full formulas: methodology.
Questions, answered from the data
Is PhotoForge cheaper than Z-Image Edit?
Z-Image Edit starts lower: $7.90 per month billed monthly on the Starter plan, against $7.99 per month billed monthly on the Starter plan for PhotoForge. Check the unit: per-user and per-account prices scale differently.
Do PhotoForge and Z-Image Edit have free plans?
Z-Image Edit has a free plan; PhotoForge does not.
Which is better, PhotoForge or Z-Image Edit?
On our scorecard Z-Image Edit scores higher (87/100 (4 of 7 criteria) vs 79/100 (5 of 7 criteria)). The score weighs every criterion the same way for every tool; check the rows above for the ones that matter to you.