Image generation

Z-Image

A compact 6B model with photorealism on par with large models. The Turbo version produces an image in a few steps on a regular gaming GPU.

Developer
Alibaba (Tongyi-MAI), China
First release
Nov 2025
Latest release
Jan 2026
Sizes
6B
License
Commercial use allowedApache 2.0
Ready-made builds
GGUF
Running
On your own serverNeeds a GPU
Industries
Retail and marketplaces, Marketing and content, Media and production
Deploy on your server Hugging Face GitHub

What it does

  • Photorealistic ad images
  • Images with English and Chinese text
  • Bulk visual generation

Where it is used

E-commerceMarketing and social mediaMedia

Hardware requirements

LaptopLaptop or regular PC, up to 8 GB of VRAM — smaller versions
no versions
1 GPUOne GPU with 16–80 GB — mid-size versions
fits
ClusterServer with several GPUs — flagship versions
no versions

Versions

  1. Z-Image
  2. Z-Image-Turbo

How to run it

On your own serverWeights are downloaded from Hugging Face and served with vLLM (load and API) or llama.cpp (modest hardware). The model then runs in a closed network with no per-request fees.Hugging Face
How much hardware you needCalculate the VRAM for the model size, context length and number of concurrent requests.Open the hardware calculator

I can set this up end to end: pick the model size, deploy it on your server and connect it to your systems. Quantization compresses a model so it takes less video memory and runs on more modest hardware. Answers change slightly, so quality is checked on your own examples.

Frequently asked questions

Can Z-Image be used in a commercial project?

Yes. License: Apache 2.0. It allows commercial use, but it is still worth having a lawyer review the license before launch.

What hardware does Z-Image need?

At minimum: One GPU with 16–80 GB — mid-size versions. Without a GPU the model is not practical. You can calculate the exact VRAM for your model size and context in the hardware calculator.

Does Z-Image support Russian?

Language does not matter for this model: it does not work with text.

Where can I download Z-Image and what does it cost?

The Z-Image weights are open and free to download. You only pay for the hardware it runs on and for the setup. Source links are at the bottom of this page.

How I deploy it for clients

  1. SelectionI pick the model size for your task and hardware and test it on your examples.
  2. DeploymentI deploy it on your server or in a closed network and provide an API.
  3. Fine-tuningI fine-tune it on your data (LoRA) or connect a knowledge base — whichever is cheaper for the task.
  4. IntegrationI connect it to your CRM, ERP, bot, website or team chat and set up monitoring.

Similar models

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DetailsImage generationQwen-ImageAlibaba · ChinaCommercial use with conditions

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DetailsImage generationSANANVIDIA · USACommercial use allowed

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Details

Source: huggingface.co/Tongyi-MAI/Z-Image. Data checked against the model card on 22 Sep 2026. Have a lawyer review the license before commercial launch.