Comparison · Image models
Imagen 4.0 vs Nano Banana 2
Imagen 4 or Nano Banana 2? Plain text-to-image vs editing with 14 references, 4 images per request and 4K. Differences, price per image and my tests.
Specs side by side
| Imagen 4.0 | Nano Banana 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | ||
| Type | Image | Image |
| Modes | text-to-image | text-to-image image-to-image |
| Released | 2025-05 | 2026-02 |
| Aspect ratios | 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16 | 1:1, 2:3, 3:2, 3:4, 4:3, 4:5, 5:4, 9:16, 16:9, 21:9, 1:4, 4:1, 1:8, 8:1 |
| Prompt length | up to 4,000 chars | up to 32,000 chars |
| Resolutions | - | 0.5K, 1K, 2K, 4K |
| Reference images | - | up to 14 |
Price per unit and per clip
| Model | Variant | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Imagen 4.0 | - | $0.115 / image |
| Nano Banana 2 | 0.5K | $0.07 / image |
| 1K | $0.07 / image | |
| 2K | $0.0927 / image | |
| 4K | $0.138 / image |
Prices exclude taxes and are charged from your prepaid USD balance. Failed generations cost nothing.
Both models come from Google, but Nano Banana 2 does much more: it edits photos, combines up to 14 references, returns up to 4 images at once and goes up to 4K. Imagen 4 turns a description into an image, with no resolution setting. On Jantaris Nano Banana 2 is also cheaper at 1K and 2K, so I pick Imagen 4 only for its look or for reliable short English text on a poster.
Key differences
- Modes. Imagen 4.0 is text-to-image only, no reference images or masks. Nano Banana 2 works from text and from images (up to 14 references).
- Resolution. Imagen 4 has no resolution setting. Nano Banana 2: 0.5K, 1K, 2K, 4K.
- Images per request. Imagen 4 one, Nano Banana 2 up to 4.
- Aspect ratios. Imagen 4: 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16 (default 16:9). Nano Banana 2: 14, including extreme 1:8 and 8:1 (default 1:1).
- Prompt. Imagen 4 up to 4,000 characters in English or Chinese, Nano Banana 2 up to 32,000.
When to pick Imagen 4
- A poster or sign with a short English line: in my 32-model test Imagen 4 produced some of the cleanest lettering.
- A 16:9 blog illustration when you have no source material.
- A clean, bright photographic look without editing.
- A minimal API call with just a prompt and a ratio.
When to pick Nano Banana 2
- Editing your own photos or composing from several references.
- Several variants in one request.
- 2K and 4K images.
- 8:1 banners and 1:8 strips.
- Graphics with Polish text: no errors in my typography test.
Cost in practice
Imagen 4 costs about 1.64 times as much per image as Nano Banana 2 at 1K, and about 1.24 times as much as Nano Banana 2 at 2K. Only Nano Banana 2 at 4K costs more than Imagen, by about 20%. With num_images in Nano Banana 2 you pay per image, so 4 variants at 1K cost about 2.4 times one Imagen image. The 0.5K tier in Nano Banana 2 costs the same as 1K. Rates: $0.115 per image and from $0.07 per image (1K); every tier on /pricing.
In my 32-model test (Polish blog, on another provider) both models produced clean, bright images with less grit and moisture than the rest. Imagen 4 spelled a word unknown to the models correctly on a sign and returned images in about 9-12 s, Nano Banana 2 in about 13-17 s. In my later image generator ranking Nano Banana 2 scored 8.6/10 and 10/10 for a Polish shop sign. I have not tested Polish text in Imagen 4. More on text in images: AI text in images.
FAQ
Imagen 4 or Nano Banana 2: which is better?
For most jobs, Nano Banana 2: it does more and is cheaper at 1K-2K. Imagen 4 is worth keeping for simple text-only images and short English lettering.
Does Imagen 4 edit photos?
No, it accepts text only. For editing use Nano Banana 2 or Nano Banana Pro.
Which one is cheaper?
Nano Banana 2 at 1K and 2K. At 4K Nano Banana 2 costs about 20% more than an Imagen 4 image.
Can I write prompts in other languages?
For Imagen 4 Google lists English and Chinese, so I translate my prompts to English. Nano Banana 2 accepts longer prompts and rendered quoted Polish text correctly in my tests.
Vendor examples
Imagen 4.0
Nano Banana 2
Official examples from the model vendors, not our generations.