image model comparison
Gemini 3 Pro Image vs Nano Banana 2.1
Gemini 3 Pro Image and Nano Banana 2.1 are both current image models, from Google. Nano Banana 2.1 is 75% cheaper per image than Gemini 3 Pro Image, $0.0336 vs $0.134. On Arena Text-to-Image, Gemini 3 Pro Image scores 1248 Elo and Nano Banana 2.1 1328 Elo (Arena, measured October 7, 2026).
Data verified October 12, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-12
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | Gemini 3 Pro Image | Nano Banana 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per image | $0.134 | $0.0336 (better) |
| Arena Text-to-Image | 1248 Elo (#7 of 9) | 1328 Elo (#4 of 9) (better) |
| Arena Image Edit | 1390 Elo (#5 of 8) | 1428 Elo (#4 of 8) (better) |
| Provider | ||
| Release date | May 28, 2026 | October 6, 2026 |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | 65,536 tokens | Not reported |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens | Not reported |
| Input | text, image | text, image, video |
| Output | text, image | image, text |
Scores:Arena · 2026-10-12
When to choose each
Gemini 3 Pro Image
Best for
- Professional image generation and editing
Watch out for
- Pricing differs by standard, batch, flex, and priority consumption
Nano Banana 2.1
Best for
- High-volume product, marketing and social imagery where cost per image matters
- Iterative editing that must keep characters and objects consistent across turns
Watch out for
- Google prices output by image tokens; the per-image figures are Google's own equivalents and batch is half price
- No independent image-quality benchmark is recorded here
Gemini 3 Pro Image vs Nano Banana 2.1 FAQ
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3 Pro Image or Nano Banana 2.1?
Nano Banana 2.1 is 75% cheaper per image than Gemini 3 Pro Image, $0.0336 vs $0.134.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, Gemini 3 Pro Image or Nano Banana 2.1?
Nano Banana 2.1 leads on Arena Text-to-Image, 1328 Elo to 1248 Elo; Nano Banana 2.1 leads on Arena Image Edit, 1428 Elo to 1390 Elo. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Related comparisons
- FLUX1.1 [pro] vs Gemini 3 Pro Image
- FLUX1.1 [pro] vs Nano Banana 2.1
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Image vs Gemini 3 Pro Image
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Image vs Nano Banana 2.1
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image vs Gemini 3 Pro Image
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image vs Nano Banana 2.1
- Gemini 3 Pro Image vs GPT Image 2
- Gemini 3 Pro Image vs GPT Image 2.5 Flare
- Gemini 3 Pro Image vs GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
- Gemini 3 Pro Image vs grok-imagine-image
Production evaluation
Choosing between Gemini 3 Pro Image and Nano Banana 2.1?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty