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.
The same match-up between current models: Nano Banana 2.1 vs Seedream 5 Pro
The default image model: cheap, fast, takes seven references, and gives away its top resolution.
from 3 credits · ByteDance
The previous Nano Banana, available in Older versions for saved work and recipes.
from 6 credits · Google
Side by side
| Seedream 5 Lite | Nano Banana 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | 3 credits | 6 credits |
| Aspect ratios | 1:1 4:3 3:4 16:9 9:16 3:2 2:3 21:9 | 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 |
| 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
Seedream 5 Lite
| Size · 2K | 3 credits | ≈ $0.07 |
| Size · 3K | 3 credits | ≈ $0.07 |
Nano Banana 2
| Resolution · 1K | 6 credits | ≈ $0.14 |
| Resolution · 2K | 8.5 credits | ≈ $0.20 |
| Resolution · 4K | 13 credits | ≈ $0.31 |
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
These are the two models most work starts on, and the honest summary is that quality is not the deciding factor. Both take seven references, both handle the ordinary run of product shots, characters and scenes, and the gap between them on a typical prompt is smaller than the gap between two attempts at the same prompt.
What separates them is shape. Seedream 5 Lite offers eight aspect ratios; Nano Banana 2 offers fourteen, and the extras are the ones nothing else in the catalog has: 1:4, 4:1, 8:1, 1:8. If you are making a banner, a skyscraper unit, a tall panel or a wide strip, Nano Banana is not the better choice, it is the only one that will frame it natively.
Price runs the other way, and with a wrinkle. Seedream 5 Lite is 3 credits and charges the same for 3K as for 2K, so you always take the larger size for nothing. Nano Banana 2 starts at 6 and climbs to 13 at 4K, so its resolution dropdown is a real decision every time.
Both frame 21:9, so cinema-wide is not a reason to pick either. The rule is narrower than "pick one": ordinary shapes and volume go to Seedream, unusual shapes go to Nano Banana. And for new work, Nano Banana 2 has been succeeded: Nano Banana 2.1 frames the same fourteen ratios from 3 credits at 1K and seats fourteen references, so it is the Nano Banana to weigh against Seedream today.
Related comparisons
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs Seedream 5 Pro
Nano Banana 2.1 for matching a face or product, unusual shapes and 4K. Seedream 5 Pro for a hero frame where texture and light are the point.
- 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.
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 Seedream 5 when…
- The picture has lettering that must be read, dense small type, or many objects in stated positions: GPT Image 2.5 Flare.
- The canvas is 4:5, 5:4 or a strip such as 1:4 or 8:1: Nano Banana 2.1.
- A face, a product or an earlier frame has to be matched closely from references: Nano Banana 2.1.
- You need a vector file: Recraft V4.1 SVG.
- You want a big batch of rough layouts with no references: P-Image.
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.
Both are one pick in the same composer.
Switching models does not move your references or your library.
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