Nano Banana
Google DeepMind's image model, now at version 2.1: quite good at a lot of things, from photos and edits to screen mockups and infographics, and a good second opinion next to GPT-Image.
My take
I've tried the latest version, and it's quite good now with a lot of things. I use it as a second opinion: when I make something with GPT-Image-2.5, I run the same request through Nano Banana to compare.
At a Glance
Pros
- + Good at a wide range of image jobs: photos, edits, mockups, infographics
- + Up to 14 reference images to keep characters and objects consistent
- + Output up to 4K, generated fast
- + Built into Gemini, Google's Flow and Stitch, and on Poe
- + Cheap through the API
Cons
- − Behind GPT-Image-2.5 as my first choice
- − The most generous limits need a paid Google AI plan
- − Google's naming (Nano Banana 2, 2.1, Pro) is confusing
Best for: A second take on anything you'd make with GPT-Image: photos, edits, screen mockups and infographics.
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Full review
Nano Banana is Google DeepMind’s image model family, built on Gemini. The current version, Nano Banana 2.1, came out on 6 October 2026 as an update to Nano Banana 2 from February. Google says it follows prompts more closely, keeps characters consistent across several rounds of editing, and renders text better. The slower, higher-fidelity Nano Banana Pro is still around for jobs where accuracy matters most.
What it can do
Nano Banana has moved past pretty pictures into a solid production assistant:
- Photo creation: Convincing photorealism with believable lighting and textures.
- Photo editing: In-painting and out-painting are strong. You can change elements, swap the lighting or combine several objects, using up to 14 reference images to keep things consistent.
- Screen mockups: Non-designers can prompt for UI screens for apps and websites, from wireframes to polished designs.
- Infographics & charts: It produces clean, structured infographics with legible text, where older models fell apart.
Why I use it as a second opinion
Image models have different instincts. The same request gives you a different composition, a different reading of “clean” or “warm”, different text placement. GPT-Image-2.5 is my first choice these days; Nano Banana is the one I compare against. For the model itself, with prices, see Nano Banana 2.1.
Where to use it
It’s in the Gemini app, free with limits and with more on Google’s paid AI plans, and it’s the default image model in Google’s Flow and in Stitch. I also use it through Poe.com, which puts it next to other image models in one place. Developers reach it through Google AI Studio and the Gemini API, at about 3 cents for a 1K image.
How it compares (October 2026)
- GPT-Image-2.5: My first choice, with excellent conversational editing inside ChatGPT.
- FLUX: In early tests back at the frontier with FLUX 3 Image, and fairly fast.
- Grok Imagine: Has caught up in many respects; great if you live in Grok anyway.
- Midjourney: Still the one for purely artistic aesthetics, behind on practical work like UI mockups and text.
Added: 2026-02-26 · Last updated: 2026-10-22