Nano Banana vs Nano Banana Pro for Image Generation
Nano Banana Pro is the stronger choice across most prompts in this fixed-prompt run, especially for typography, composition, material rendering, object binding, and relighting. Nano Banana performed better on human anatomy and contact, while in-image text replacement ended in a tie.
Side-by-side facts
| Feature | Nano Banana | Nano Banana Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | ||
| Availability on Banana Pie | Available now | Available now |
| Credits from | 20 credits | 80 credits |
| Max resolution | — | 4K |
| Reference images | Up to 8 | Up to 8 |
Scenario by scenario
Both models ran the identical prompt under our fixed suite - the images are the published runs, shown exactly as generated.
Product material and lighting
Better here: Nano Banana ProThe right image follows the requested material, fill level, reflection, and lighting behavior more convincingly.
- Exactly one bottle and no extras: Tie. Each image visibly contains one transparent rectangular perfume bottle, with no rendered text, logo, plants, or separate objects.
- Halfway amber fill: Right does better. Its amber liquid level sits close to the midpoint of the rectangular bottle body, while the left bottle appears filled noticeably above halfway.
- Coherent refraction and reflection: Right does better. The glass edges, amber liquid, internal dip tube, and upright reflection on the wet stone align convincingly; the left image has a more fragmented reflection across the foreground edge and a bright amber streak that reads partly as projected light rather than a single reflection.
- Upper-left lighting and contact shadow: Right does better. The bright upper-left illumination, highlights on the glass and metal sprayer, and shadow extending toward the lower right are visibly consistent. The left lighting also comes from the upper left, but its broad dark shadow and multiple bright patches are less cleanly unified.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
A premium product photograph of exactly one transparent rectangular perfume bottle, half filled with amber liquid, standing upright on wet black stone. Light comes from the upper left, creating coherent refraction, a contact shadow, and one subtle reflection. No text, logo, plants, or extra objects.
Multilingual typography
Better here: Nano Banana ProRight is the clear winner because it reproduces all four requested lines exactly while also meeting the color, alignment, and spacing requirements.
- Exactly four centered text lines and no additional text: Tie. Both posters visibly contain four centered lines and no other text.
- Exact wording and order: Right does better. Right reads exactly "MOONLIGHT MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL" in that order. Left reads "MOONLIGHT MARKET", "月光佈鑒", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL", so its Chinese line is incorrect.
- Required text colors: Tie. Both render their Chinese line in red and the other three lines in black.
- Legibility, spacing, and alignment: Right does better. Its four lines are clearly legible, centered on a common axis, and separated by consistent compact spacing; the left is also centered and legible, but its vertical gaps are less even.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Design a clean cream-colored vertical event poster. Show exactly four centered text lines and no other text: "MOONLIGHT MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL". Render "月光市集" in red and all other lines in black.
Human anatomy and contact
Better here: Nano BananaLeft better fulfills the anatomy-focused prompt by presenting two more clearly identifiable hands with more coherent finger structure. Both images clearly communicate pottery shaping, but neither makes all ten fingers distinctly countable.
- Exactly two fully visible hands: Left does better. It clearly shows two hands and no extra person or hand; Right appears to show a pale hand plus a second dark, clay-covered hand underneath, but that second hand is heavily occluded and difficult to distinguish fully.
- Each hand has exactly five distinct, naturally formed fingers: Left does better, though neither fully satisfies this criterion. Left's overlapping fingers are not all distinctly countable, while Right's lower clay-covered hand has no clearly countable set of five fingers and the upper hand's thumb is obscured.
- The fingers, joints, and contact with the clay are anatomically plausible: Left does better. Its hands have recognizable joints and coherent contact inside the bowl, although some overlapping fingers look crowded; Right's lower hand appears unusually dark, compressed, and merged around the bowl's rim.
- The clay bowl, spinning wheel, and shaping action are clearly recognizable: Tie. Both clearly depict a clay bowl centered on a pottery wheel with hands contacting it during shaping.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
A photorealistic close-up of an adult potter shaping a clay bowl on a spinning wheel. Both hands are fully visible, each with five natural fingers touching the clay. No other people or hands. Soft window light.
Counting and attribute binding
Better here: Nano Banana ProBoth images follow the requested count and arrangement very closely. The right image has the edge because the specified materials are more visibly and distinctly rendered, especially the wooden grain and ceramic glaze.
- Object count and placement: Tie. Both images show exactly three red cubes in a row on the left, exactly two blue spheres on the right, and one yellow mug centered behind the foreground objects.
- Color, shape, and material binding: Right does better. Both bind the requested colors and shapes correctly, but the right image shows more clearly visible wood grain on the red cubes, transparent glass in the blue spheres, and a textured glazed-ceramic surface on the mug.
- Mug handle direction: Tie. In both images, the mug handle is clearly visible on the right side.
- No additional objects or text: Tie. Neither image contains any visible extra objects or text.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
On a matte gray table, exactly three red wooden cubes form a row on the left, exactly two blue glass spheres sit on the right, and one yellow ceramic mug stands centered behind them. The mug handle points right. No other objects or text.
Advertising composition
Better here: Nano Banana ProRight follows the requested ad composition more precisely, most importantly by avoiding the extra "AERO" text and keeping the shoe clearly in the lower-right.
- Exactly one silver shoe and orange trail: Right does better. It shows one silver shoe clearly contained in the lower-right, while an orange trail visibly enters from the bottom-left and curves through the composition. Left also has one silver shoe and a bottom-left orange trail, but the shoe extends substantially across the lower center and left rather than sitting as clearly in the lower-right.
- Only visible text: Right does better. Its visible text is only "RUN LIGHT" and "42 KM", both spelled correctly. Left also renders "RUN LIGHT" and "42 KM" correctly, but adds "AERO" on the side of the shoe, violating the no-other-text requirement.
- Empty top area and headline placement: Tie. Both leave a visibly uncluttered band at the top and place "RUN LIGHT" directly beneath it in the upper-left.
- Visibility and hierarchy: Right does better. The headline, badge, trail, and single shoe are all fully visible and distinctly separated, creating a clear progression through the ad. Left's elements are also visible, but the oversized shoe and overlapping badge make the lower portion more crowded.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Create a vertical social ad for a fictional running shoe named AERO. Keep the top 15 percent empty. Directly below it, place the headline "RUN LIGHT" in the upper-left. Show exactly one silver shoe in the lower-right, an orange trail curving from the bottom-left, and a round badge reading "42 KM". No other shoes or text.
Structured UI graphic
Better here: Nano Banana ProRIGHT is the stronger result. Both satisfy the title, column, and button requirements, but RIGHT consistently includes all three required row labels in every column and aligns them more evenly. Both add unrequested plan-detail text.
- Title and columns: Tie. Both render the exact title "CHOOSE YOUR PLAN" and exactly three columns labeled "STARTER", "PRO", and "TEAM".
- Rows: Right does better. Right clearly repeats the aligned labels "PROJECTS", "STORAGE", and "SUPPORT" in every column. Left includes those three labels under "STARTER", but under "PRO" its support row only reads "Priority Email", and under "TEAM" it only reads "24/7 Live Chat", omitting the required "SUPPORT" label in both columns.
- Buttons: Tie. Each image shows exactly one blue button labeled "SELECT" in each of its three columns.
- Alignment and additional text: Right does better on alignment: its three columns and repeated row labels are consistently positioned, while Left's support row formatting changes across columns. Both violate the no-additional-text requirement by including plan details beneath or beside the required labels, such as Left's "PROJECTS: 5" and Right's "5 active projects".
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Create a clean horizontal pricing comparison graphic titled "CHOOSE YOUR PLAN". Use exactly three equal columns labeled "STARTER", "PRO", and "TEAM". Under each column, show exactly three aligned rows labeled "PROJECTS", "STORAGE", and "SUPPORT", followed by one blue button labeled "SELECT". White background, dark navy text, no additional columns or text.
Six-reference object binding and edit
Better here: Nano Banana ProRight more clearly satisfies the requested object binding, especially for the navy mug, and presents a more coherent preserved tabletop composition. Both sides correctly include the requested fruit count and replacement objects.
- Mug and napkin replacement: Right does better. It shows a clearly dark navy-blue mug with a fully visible body and handle, plus a folded green-and-white striped napkin. Left's mug is viewed mostly from above, making its navy exterior and reference shape much less recognizable, although its striped napkin is also present.
- Orange and notebook replacement: Tie. Both images show exactly one orange and one mustard-yellow hardcover notebook, with no visible red mug, white towel, green pear, or blue notebook remaining.
- Two lemons: Tie. Both images show exactly two lemons positioned to the right of the mug, with no additional visible fruit or duplicated objects.
- Base-scene preservation: Right does better visually, though exact preservation cannot be confirmed without Reference 1 being shown. Right maintains a natural perspective tabletop scene with coherent lighting and shadows, while Left uses a substantially more overhead camera angle and highly regular object arrangement, indicating a greater visible change in framing and spatial presentation.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Use Reference 1 as the base tabletop scene. Replace the red mug with the exact dark navy-blue mug from Reference 2 in the same position and orientation. Replace the folded white towel with the exact green-and-white striped napkin from Reference 3 in the same folded area. Replace the green pear with exactly one orange from Reference 4 in the same position. Replace the blue notebook with the exact mustard-yellow hardcover notebook from Reference 5 in the same position. Add exactly the two lemons from Reference 6 to the right of the mug. Preserve the wooden table, camera, framing, wood grain, lighting, shadows, and all other spatial relationships from Reference 1. Do not copy the white product backgrounds from References 2–6, duplicate any asset, or add other objects.
In-image text replacement
Depends on the taskBoth outputs render the requested text cleanly and plausibly. The criteria that could distinguish them require comparison with the missing original, so neither has a defensible overall advantage.
- Exact text replacement: Both sides clearly read exactly "NIGHT OWL", with no visible remnants of old text.
- No malformed characters: Both sides show only the letters in "NIGHT OWL"; no additional, duplicated, or malformed characters are visible.
- Font, spacing, and perspective preservation: Both use clean uppercase sans-serif lettering aligned convincingly with the sign perspective. LEFT uses wider letter and word spacing than RIGHT, but the original image is not provided, so preservation cannot be determined.
- Material, lighting, and scene preservation: Both signs retain visible dark-green wood grain and consistent sunlight and shadows. The surrounding images differ somewhat in framing and scene details, but without the original image it is not possible to determine which better preserves it.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Replace only the sign text with exactly "NIGHT OWL". Preserve the original font style, spacing, perspective, sign material, lighting, and everything else.
Multi-reference identity and garment transfer
Better here: Nano Banana ProRight has the clearer visible advantage because it preserves the requested sleeve patch while maintaining coherent garment integration. Exact identity and jacket matching remain uncertain without the reference images.
- Identity preservation: Cannot be assessed reliably because Reference 1 is not shown. The two outputs depict a very similar person, expression, hair, pose, proportions, and framing, with minor differences in facial detail and crop, but there is no visible source against which to determine which preserves Reference 1 better.
- Jacket fidelity: Right does better. Both show a light-blue denim jacket with a cream fleece collar, metal buttons, and flap chest pockets, but only Right visibly includes a prominent red rectangular sleeve patch. Exact fidelity to Reference 2 cannot otherwise be verified because that reference is not shown.
- Suit replacement: Tie. In both images, the black suit jacket is fully absent and replaced by denim, while neither image visibly includes a ghost mannequin or white product background.
- Physical coherence: Right does slightly better. Its jacket structure, sleeve patch placement, cuff openings, hand overlap, and shadows appear coherent with the pose and scene. Left is also convincing, but the lower front closure and overlapping hands look slightly less cleanly resolved.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Use the portrait in Reference 1 for the person and the isolated jacket in Reference 2 for the garment. Dress the person from Reference 1 in the exact jacket shown in Reference 2. Preserve the person's identity, face, expression, skin, hair, hands, pose, body proportions, background, framing, and lighting from Reference 1. Preserve the jacket's material, color, collar, buttons, pockets, and sleeve patch from Reference 2. Do not copy the ghost mannequin or white product background.
Coherent scene relighting
Better here: Nano Banana ProRIGHT provides substantially clearer golden-hour relighting, with strong directional illumination and coherent object-specific shadows. Its advantage on the first three criteria outweighs the preservation criterion that cannot be verified from the outputs alone.
- Warm golden-hour light clearly enters from the left window: Right does better. Strong warm sunlight visibly projects from the left window across the wall, sofa, rug, and floor; Left is warm but much more diffuse and less clearly directional.
- Highlights and shadow directions respond coherently to the new light source: Right does better. The plant, window frames, table, sofa, and lamp cast distinct shadows toward the right, consistently indicating illumination from the left. Left has weaker directional modeling and fewer defined cast shadows.
- The result is more than a uniform yellow color filter: Right does better. It contains localized sunlit patches, darker ambient areas, window-shaped projections, and object-specific cast shadows. Left appears closer to an evenly warm overall treatment, though it has some floor and furniture shadows.
- No furniture or decor is moved, added, removed, or redesigned: This cannot be conclusively assessed without the original input image. Between the two visible outputs, both retain the same window, plant, sofa, lamp, table, and rug in broadly matching arrangements, though some object geometry and placement differ slightly between them.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Change the lighting to warm golden-hour sunlight entering from the left window. Do not move, add, remove, or redesign any object. Update highlights and shadows coherently.
Cross-ratio outpainting
Better here: Nano Banana ProRight wins because it visibly meets the requested 16:9 format, whereas Left is too wide. The preservation criteria remain uncertain without the original source image.
- 16:9 output and side extensions: Right does better. Right has the expected 16:9 landscape shape with beach, ocean, and sky continuing naturally to both sides, while Left is visibly wider than 16:9.
- Original centered without cropping or stretching: Both show the cabin centered with natural-looking proportions and no letterboxing, but whether the complete original was preserved cannot be confirmed without seeing the source image.
- Cabin, shoreline, and internal composition unchanged: This cannot be assessed reliably without the original image. The cabin and shoreline differ between Left and Right, but the source is unavailable to establish which one changed them.
- No seams, mirrored filler, or repeated objects: Tie. Neither image shows an obvious vertical join, mirrored beach pattern, or clearly repeated object; the ocean and shoreline extensions blend smoothly in both.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Expand the canvas to a 16:9 landscape by naturally continuing the beach, ocean, and sky on both sides. Keep the complete original image centered without cropping, stretching, letterboxing, or modifying it.
Product preservation across scene change
Better here: Nano Banana ProRIGHT more convincingly delivers the requested scene and environmental lighting. LEFT preserves finer sneaker detail, but without the source image neither output’s exact product preservation can be verified.
- Wet outdoor basketball court at dusk: RIGHT does better; visible painted court lines, puddles, fence reflections, and orange-blue twilight make the requested setting unmistakable, while LEFT’s tighter framing and blurred background make the basketball court less explicit.
- Silhouette, sole geometry, stitching, materials, and camera angle consistency: This cannot be fully assessed because the original sneaker image is not shown. Visibly, LEFT renders the stitching, leather texture, sole edge, and toe geometry with finer, cleaner detail, while RIGHT changes the viewing direction relative to LEFT.
- Black geometric side mark unchanged and readable: Whether it remains unchanged cannot be assessed without the original. Both marks are clearly readable, but their branch lengths and orientation visibly differ, with LEFT showing a downward branch toward the toe and RIGHT showing a long lower-left branch plus a short horizontal branch toward the heel.
- Contact shadow, wet-surface reflection, and dusk lighting: RIGHT does better overall; the shoe has firm surface contact, a visible dark reflection, and lighting that responds to the orange and blue dusk environment. LEFT has a sharper reflection and contact shadow, but its cool, bright product lighting is less integrated with the subdued background.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Place the sneaker on a wet outdoor basketball court at dusk. Preserve the exact sneaker shape, black geometric side mark, materials, stitching, sole geometry, and camera angle. Add physically coherent contact, reflections, and dusk lighting.
Cost & latency
Nano Banana starts at 20 credits, while Nano Banana Pro starts at 80 credits, making Nano Banana the lower-cost option per generation. In this run’s small latency sample, Nano Banana responses ranged from 15971 ms to 36072 ms, while Nano Banana Pro ranged from 39167 ms to 67861 ms; these observations describe this run, not general benchmark performance.
How we compared & disclosure
This comparison used one fixed prompt per scenario, with one run from each model per scenario, and the outputs are published as generated. Banana Pie sells paid access to both Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro.
Banana Pie sells paid access to this model alongside other models in one studio. Our verdicts come from tests run through the same pipeline our users get.