I Spent Hours Testing 2026 AI Models: Here Are My Top Picks

Try OpenArt 👉 https://tolt.link/openartjoonas Use code R4OU4TFW for 20% off your first month on Starter and Plus monthly plans - this is an affiliate link. Plans bought through it support the channel. Which AI image and video models are actually worth using? OpenArt Arena ranks them by creative use case, but do those rankings hold up in practice? In this video, I put leading models to the test to find out which ones I’d actually choose for each job. My AI visuals have generated over 60 million organic views across my social channels. For this comparison, I tested the models through OpenArt’s MCP with GPT-6 Astra in ChatGPT, using the same simple prompts across models within each category. We’ll compare AI image models for cinematic images, graphic design and precise editing, plus AI video models for UGC videos, action and physics, and cinematic shots. The tests focus on text-to-image and text-to-video generation, with one reference image used for the precise editing category. The goal is to see what these models can do with straightforward instructions, without complicated workflows or elaborate prompting. I also break down generation costs and compare the results with the leaderboard rankings. If you’re choosing an AI model for your next image or video project, this comparison will help you understand where each model shines and what you’re spending along the way. AI moves fast, and leaderboards can be a useful starting point. But which models deliver the best results for you? Share your favorites in the comments! 📄 Prompts used in the video: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u... OpenArt Arena: https://openart.ai/arena 📸 Follow me on Instagram:   / echoesofjoonas   📧 Business inquiries: info@echoesofjoonas.com 0:00 Can you trust AI rankings? 0:19 OpenArt discount and my testing workflow 0:43 What is OpenArt Arena? 2:04 How the rankings work 3:07 Testing method: simple prompts, same conditions 3:31 Connecting OpenArt MCP to ChatGPT 4:03 The models and prompts I used 4:27 Image tests: Cinematic images 5:35 Image tests: Ad images 6:48 Image tests: Precise image editing 7:52 Video tests: UGC 9:54 Video tests: The basketball test 11:41 Video tests: Cinematic video 13:36 OpenArt plans and credit pricing 14:17 Video model costs compared 14:55 Image model costs and quality trade-offs 16:04 Total cost: 9 videos and 9 images 17:00 Final thoughts: which models would you choose?