A model is the thing that actually makes the picture. Different models were built by different people and are good at different things, in the way that two photographers with the same brief come back with different photographs.
You do not need to know how any of them work. You need to know which to pick.
Apex models and partner models
The menu separates them, and the distinction is useful:
- Apex models and tools are built here — Apex Image, Apex Video, Apex img2img, Apex Edit, Apex Transfer, Apex Upscale, Apex Analyze.
- Partner Models come from other companies and are listed by their own names, such as Nano Banana and Seedance. They have their own strengths, their own settings and their own prices.
Models are versioned, and a newer version usually appears alongside the old one rather than replacing it — so a name you used before may now have a number after it. Treat a version change like a model change: same prompt, different result, worth a test before you rely on it.
Apex Image is the flagship, and it needs a connected avatar before it will run at all. See avatars. Everything else works without one.
The short answer
Use the default. It is set to a model that handles most requests well.
Change it when the default is not giving you what you want, and change it for a reason you can name — “faces come out soft”, “I need this in seconds, not a minute” — rather than because a different name sounds better.
What differs between them
| What it means for you | |
|---|---|
| Look | Some lean photographic, some illustrative, some stylised. This is the difference you will notice first. |
| Speed | Seconds to minutes. Faster models are usually cheaper. |
| Cost | Shown per model before you generate. Higher quality generally costs more. |
| Strengths | One handles faces well, another text, another fine detail in landscapes. |
| Settings | Not every model accepts every control. Options appear and disappear when you switch. |
Each model shows its credit cost where you pick it, so you can see the trade before committing rather than after.
Which to reach for
| You want | Try |
|---|---|
| A realistic photograph | a model described as photographic or realistic |
| Illustration, anime, painting | a model described as stylised or artistic |
| Many quick drafts to pick from | the fastest, cheapest option — then re-run the winner on a better model |
| The best possible single image | the highest-quality option, once you know the prompt is right |
| Video | a video model; image models cannot make video |
Availability
Not every model is available on every plan, and some are limited while they are being tested. If one is greyed out or absent, that is why — the label where you pick it says which. Upgrading a plan is one way to reach more of them; see plans and payment.
The list is not fixed. Models are added as they become available and occasionally retired when something better replaces them.
A working method
- Draft on something fast and cheap until the prompt is right.
- Switch to a higher-quality model and run the same prompt again.
- Upscale the one you keep.
Most of the work is deciding what you want, and that part does not need an expensive model. Spend the credits at the end, on the version you are keeping.
Switching models mid-flow
Changing the model keeps your prompt. Some settings may reset, because not every model accepts the same ones — if a control disappears when you switch, that model does not support it.
The same prompt on two models gives two different pictures, not two versions of the same picture. Treat a model change as a fresh attempt.