image model comparison
grok-imagine-image vs Nano Banana 2.1
grok-imagine-image and Nano Banana 2.1 are both current image models, from xAI and Google. grok-imagine-image is 40% cheaper per image than Nano Banana 2.1, $0.02 vs $0.0336. On Arena Text-to-Image, grok-imagine-image scores 1170 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 | grok-imagine-image | Nano Banana 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per image | $0.02 (better) | $0.0336 |
| Arena Text-to-Image | 1170 Elo (#8 of 9) | 1328 Elo (#4 of 9) (better) |
| Arena Image Edit | 1329 Elo (#7 of 8) | 1428 Elo (#4 of 8) (better) |
| Provider | xAI | |
| Release date | Not reported | October 6, 2026 |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | Not reported | Not reported |
| Max output | Not reported | Not reported |
| Input | text, image | text, image, video |
| Output | image | image, text |
Scores:Arena · 2026-10-12
When to choose each
grok-imagine-image
Best for
- Grok Imagine image workflows
Watch out for
- No exact compatible public benchmark snapshot is recorded
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
grok-imagine-image vs Nano Banana 2.1 FAQ
Which is cheaper, grok-imagine-image or Nano Banana 2.1?
grok-imagine-image is 40% cheaper per image than Nano Banana 2.1, $0.02 vs $0.0336.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, grok-imagine-image or Nano Banana 2.1?
Nano Banana 2.1 leads on Arena Text-to-Image, 1328 Elo to 1170 Elo; Nano Banana 2.1 leads on Arena Image Edit, 1428 Elo to 1329 Elo. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
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- GPT Image 2.5 Flare vs Nano Banana 2.1
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Production evaluation
Choosing between grok-imagine-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