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Nano Banana Pro against Nano Banana 2: the same prompt, 8 credits and 4
One prompt run through both Google models at 1K. What the extra 4 credits bought, what the cheaper model did better, and the three cases where Nano Banana Pro is the only choice.
Part 2 of 11 · ← previous · all parts · next → 1K, 2K, 4K
Nano Banana Pro costs 8 credits at 1K and Nano Banana 2 costs 4. We ran the same prompt through both at 1K to see what the other 4 credits buy. The short answer: not "more detail". Nano Banana 2 gave the deeper scene and obeyed one instruction Pro ignored; Pro gave the better-directed light and the cleaner read. Choose Pro when the picture has to carry text or a face, and Nano Banana 2 when the picture has to carry a place.
What the two models are
Both are Google's, and their marketing names hide their real ones. Nano Banana Pro is Gemini 3 Pro Image, announced 20 November 2025. Nano Banana 2 is Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, announced 26 February 2026 — newer than Pro, and the fast tier rather than the top one. Nano Banana 2 Lite is Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image, announced 30 June 2026, Google's cheapest and quickest. All three as of September 2026.
That lineage explains the price ladder. On aikizi, Pro is 8 / 16 / 24 credits for 1K / 2K / 4K and Nano Banana 2 is 4 / 8 / 12. Lite is 2 and renders at 1K only.
The same prompt, both models, 1K
One prompt, written once, run twice with nothing else changed: a brass kuthuvilakku on a wet granite step at dawn, one lit wick, a marigold garland coiled beside its base, cool blue light from the left, fine beads of water on the brass, shallow depth of field.
What actually differed
| In the prompt | Nano Banana Pro · 8 | Nano Banana 2 · 4 |
|---|---|---|
| "fine beads of water on the brass" | Missed it. The wet is on the step, not the metal. | Obeyed it. Droplets sit on the stem and the bowl. |
| "garland coiled beside its base" | Coiled around the base, as asked. | Laid flat beside it, looser than asked. |
| "cool blue morning light from the left" | A directed shaft with dust in it. Light has a source. | Even ambient blue. No clear direction. |
| Background | Simplified to a wall and steps; falls away fast. | A whole courtyard: carved stone, moss, greenery, paving. |
| The brass | Warm, polished, higher contrast. | Cooler and more olive, closer to unlacquered brass. |
Neither is the winner on that table, and that surprised us. The cheaper model followed the fiddly material instruction and built the richer world; the dearer one directed the light and composed the frame. If you had told us which was which beforehand we would have guessed wrong on the water beads.
So when is Pro the only choice
Three cases, and they are narrower than the price gap suggests.
- Text inside the picture. This is the one Google itself sells Pro on: it is built to render legible text in the image, a tagline or a whole paragraph, across languages. If your picture has a sign, a label, a poster or a title in it, pay the 8.
- Faces that must survive. When a face has to stay the same face across pictures, Pro holds features better. Part 6 is entirely about that problem.
- 4K. Pro reaches 4K at 24 credits; Nano Banana 2 reaches it at 12, and Lite does not reach it at all.
When Lite at 2 credits is enough
Drafts, thumbnails and the pass where you are still deciding the composition. At 2 credits you can try nine framings for less than the cost of one 2K Pro picture, pick the one that works, and spend the real credits once. That is the cheapest way to use this site and almost nobody does it.
An honest note about this page: we could not make you a Lite picture for the comparison. The tool we generate from offers Nano Banana Pro, Nano Banana 2 and the upscaler, not Lite, so the Lite row here is its price and its limit from the code and not a picture we made. Everything else on this page we made.
Reading the cost the other way round
| Model | 1K | 2K | 4K | Pictures on Pro's 540 credits at 1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana Pro | 8 | 16 | 24 | 67 |
| Nano Banana 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 135 |
| Nano Banana 2 Lite | 2 | — | — | 270 |
Google publishes its own per-image rates for the same models — $0.134 for Pro at 1K or 2K, $0.067 for Nano Banana 2 at 1K, $0.0336 for Lite, as of September 2026. Those are list prices for the raw API; a picture bought through a plan here works out cheaper, and the per-image arithmetic sets the two side by side.
FAQ
Is Nano Banana Pro better than Nano Banana 2?
Not uniformly. In our run Pro directed the light better and composed a cleaner frame, while Nano Banana 2 followed a fine material instruction Pro missed and built a much deeper background. Pro is the clear choice for text inside the image, for faces that must stay consistent, and for 4K.
What is the difference between Nano Banana Pro and Nano Banana 2?
They are Google models under marketing names. Nano Banana Pro is Gemini 3 Pro Image, from November 2025. Nano Banana 2 is Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, from February 2026 — newer, faster and cheaper, but the flash tier rather than the pro one.
How much cheaper is Nano Banana 2?
Half. On aikizi it is 4, 8 and 12 credits for 1K, 2K and 4K against Nano Banana Pro's 8, 16 and 24. Nano Banana 2 Lite is 2 credits and renders at 1K only.
Which model should I use for text in an image?
Nano Banana Pro. Google builds and markets it as the model for correctly rendered, legible text directly in the image, in several languages. That is the clearest case for paying twice as much.
Is Nano Banana 2 Lite worth using?
For drafts, yes. At 2 credits you can try nine compositions for less than one 2K Pro picture costs, settle the framing, then spend the real credits once. It renders at 1K only.
Both models sit in the same picker: run one prompt through both and see which one reads your words better. The credit table behind these numbers is part 1.
Part 2 of 11 · ← previous · all parts · next → 1K, 2K, 4K