Nano Banana 2 vs GPT Image 2
GPT Image 2 when the prompt is a set of instructions; Nano Banana 2 when the shape is unusual or the volume is high.
The same match-up between current models: Nano Banana 2.1 vs GPT Image 2.5
The previous Nano Banana, available in Older versions for saved work and recipes.
from 6 credits · Google
The previous GPT Image, kept on the shelf for work already locked to it.
from 1 credit · OpenAI
Side by side
| Nano Banana 2 | GPT Image 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | 6 credits | 1 credit |
| Aspect ratios | 1:1 1:4 1:8 2:3 3:2 3:4 4:1 4:3 4:5 5:4 8:1 9:16 16:9 21:9 | 1:1 3:2 2:3 4:3 3:4 16:9 9:16 |
| Reference images | 7 | 7 |
Read from Kuro's model catalog when this page was built. This page shows no outputs from either model; the prices and limits are the comparison.
What each costs
Nano Banana 2
| Resolution · 1K | 6 credits | ≈ $0.14 |
| Resolution · 2K | 8.5 credits | ≈ $0.20 |
| Resolution · 4K | 13 credits | ≈ $0.31 |
GPT Image 2
| Quality · auto | 11 credits | ≈ $0.26 |
| Quality · low | 1 credit | ≈ $0.02 |
| Quality · medium | 4 credits | ≈ $0.10 |
| Quality · high | 11 credits | ≈ $0.26 |
Dollar figures are approximate, at the Starter plan's rate of $19.00 for 800 credits.
Arena
Week 36, 2026
Arena week 36: every model can spell now
Every model got FERMÉ LE LUNDI right, accent included. Nano Banana 2 wins it for the sign nobody asked for: it put CAFÉ DU COIN · BRASSERIE on the awning behind and spelled that correctly too, which is the harder version of the same skill. GPT Image 2 drew the cleanest single line at five times the price.
Which one
This is the standard-versus-premium decision in the image catalog, and the two models are good at genuinely different things rather than at the same thing to different degrees.
GPT Image 2 holds compositional intent through a long prompt better than anything else here. Three named objects in stated positions, a sign that has to read as particular words, a layout with a specific hierarchy: that is what it is for, and what the premium tier is buying. Nano Banana 2 will interpret the same prompt loosely and give you something attractive that is not quite what you asked for.
Nano Banana 2 wins on shape and on price. Fourteen aspect ratios against seven, including the extreme ones GPT Image 2 does not offer at all, and 6 credits at 1K against 11 on auto.
The setting most people miss is GPT Image 2's quality dropdown. On low it is 1 credit, a tenth of its default and cheaper than Nano Banana at any resolution. That is the same model reasoning about the same prompt, so the sensible pattern is to find the composition on low and re-render it on high once the layout is settled. Judged that way the premium model is not the expensive one; it is only expensive if you leave it on auto while iterating.
Related comparisons
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs GPT Image 2.5
GPT Image 2.5 when the picture is mostly instructions or lettering. Nano Banana 2.1 when it has to match references or fit an unusual shape.
- Seedream 5 Lite vs Nano Banana 2
Take Seedream 5 Lite unless the deliverable has an unusual shape. Then it has to be Nano Banana 2.
When neither is the right pick
Each model's prompting guide names the jobs it hands to another model. Both lists, as the guides write them:
Use something other than Nano Banana when…
- You want painterly or stylised texture: FLUX.2 Pro.
- The frame holds dense small type, or a long instruction placing several objects: GPT Image 2.5 Flare.
- It is an everyday product or lifestyle shot at a standard ratio: Seedream 5 Lite.
- You want mass drafts with no references: FLUX Schnell.
- You need a vector file: Recraft V4.1 SVG.
Use something other than GPT Image 2.5 when…
- The canvas is 4:5, 21:9 or a strip: Nano Banana 2.1.
- It is a product or lifestyle shot with no lettering: Seedream 5 Lite.
- A series has to keep one face or product identical: Nano Banana 2.1.
- You need a vector logo or icon: Recraft V4.1 SVG.
Both are one pick in the same composer.
Switching models does not move your references or your library.
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