Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) emerged as a cutting-edge AI image generation model with incredible editing capabilities. The tool leverages advanced deep learning techniques and algorithms to provide high-quality images based on text descriptions. However, since its introduction, many AI image generation contenders have surfaced, promising and delivering similar results. Let’s explore the following AI image models and understand how they stack up against Nano Banana:

1. Seedream v4
2. Qwen-Image
3. ImagineArt 1.0
4. Ideogram 3.0
5. Flux 1.1 Ultra

Nano Banana Features: A Quick Recap

Nano Banana is designed for flexibility and user-friendliness. What makes Gemini 2.5 Flash image different and better from others is its diversity in resolution, styles, and content. Before we compare Nano Banana with other models, here are some key features to consider:

• Natural Language Processing: this enables Nano Banana to better understand the context of text-based prompts, regardless of how lengthy or abstract the instructions are.
• Consistency: this allows you to maintain both character and scene consistency in images, regardless of the number of edits and reiterations.
• Real-Time Editing: this allows you to edit, enhance, and adjust the visual quality, aspects, elements, color palette, and more — all through a single prompt.
• Image Blending: this allows you to merge one or more images, adjust the visual quality and aspects, and create stunning portraits with consistency and coherence.
• Multi-turn Editing: this allows you to add iterative edits, reedit the already edited aspect, or even ask for a color swap and object removal and addition, with maintained image integrity and consistency.
• Style Mixing: this allows you to apply a certain texture, style, or pattern from one image to another image or an object in the existing image, all through prompting.

Explore Nano Banana features and use cases in detail on ImagineArt blog.

Nano Banana vs. Other AI Image Generation Models

Comparison in a glance:

Each of the above-mentioned AI image generation models offers a unique set of strengths and features. Here is the breakdown of Nano Banana in comparison with five other AI image generation models:

1. Image Styles

Nano Banana:

Nano Banana offers stylistic diversity, generating images in every style — from realism to creative art. The AI image generator supports a variety of aesthetic and artistic preferences, allowing creators and professionals across different industries to create and edit assets in almost any and every style.

Surrealism with Nano Banana -- generated on ImagineArt

Seedream v4:

ByteDance’s Seedream v4 excels in image realism. The AI image model can create incredibly realistic product renders, human portraits, and landscapes, making it an ideal tool for professional photographers and business and marketing professionals alike.

Realistic renders with Seedream v4 -- generated on ImagineArt

Qwen-Image:

Qwen-Image stands out with its ability to support multiple styles — from realistic photos and illustrations to anime and fantasy-style visuals. It is ideal for those looking to create digital art, digital character designs, minimalistic designs, and other similar creative projects.

Anime character design with Qwen-Image -- generated on ImagineArt

ImagineArt 1.0:

ImagineArt 1.0 is a powerful AI image model, exceling at photorealism. The AI image generator is fully capable of creating cinematic scenes, realistic prototypes, fashion designs, portrait photographs, landscapes, and architectural designs. The AI image model ensures human-like realism in each generated output.

Realistic portrait with ImagineArt 1.0 -- generated on ImagineArt

Ideogram 3.0:

Ideogram 3.0 is designed for stylistic flexibility and creative freedom, making it suitable for conceptual art and artistic designs. Its ability to integrate text accurately makes Ideogram 3.0 a great tool for creating branding and marketing assets.

Artistic brand design with Ideogram 3.0 -- generated on ImagineArt

Flux 1.1 Ultra:

Flux 1.1 Ultra is designed for generating cinematic images with incredible photorealism. The generated images feature realistic lighting, motion dynamics, and depth, making them ideal for video game art and visual storytelling content.

Movie-like scene with Flx 1.1 Ultra -- generated on ImagineArt

2. Prompt Understanding

Nano Banana:

Nano Banana offers strong prompt adherence, following and interpreting the nuanced descriptions with accuracy. From detailing a complex scene to stylizing a design concept, Gemini 2.5 Flash Image ensures each generated image aligns with the provided prompt.

Seedream v4:

Though Seedream v4 is great with prompt interpretation, it goes beyond exact detailing with an abstract prompt. Its ability to understand context subtlety allows this AI image generator to create artistic and realistic images with real-life emotions and creativity.

Qwen-Image:

Qwen-Image doesn’t ignore the instructions at all; it will do exactly what's asked, regardless of prompt technicality or complexity. It is ideal for those looking for higher creative control, but it can be a drawback for those who need a more ‘artistic/creative twist’ to their images.

ImagineArt 1.0:

ImagineArt 1.0 can handle both basic and complex text-based prompts without deviating from them. The AI image generator offers contextual awareness, enabling it to interpret the prompt accurately. The AI image model is perfect for marketing professionals, creators, and e-commerce projects, where complete control over image generation is a must.

Ideogram 3.0:

Ideogram 3.0 has a higher degree of image-prompt alignment. However, the clarity and specificity of your text-based prompt are necessary for accurate interpretation — especially when it comes to adding text elements to your images.

Flux 1.1 Ultra:

Flux 1.1 comes with improved architecture and specializes in the accurate interpretation of film-style prompts. The AI image generator is efficiently trained to focus on details, subtle nuances, mood, and stylistic composition of images.

3. Image Resolution

Nano Banana:

Nano Banana produces images of standard sizes, including 1024×1024 or 2048×2048 pixels. The generated outputs are of high quality with greater clarity and zero visual artefacts. The generated images can be scaled for use on websites and print media, making them best for advertising and social media assets.

Seedream v4:

Seedream v4 takes the bar higher with support for generating high-resolution images of up to 4K. The professional-grade images are best-suited for print and online mediums, product photography, portraits, and other creative projects.

Qwen-Image:

Qwen-Image offers higher definition images with a maximum of 2K resolution. The generated images are perfect for digital art and medium-sized print media, delivering high quality and clarity.

ImagineArt 1.0:

ImagineArt 1.0 ensures higher image resolutions, including HD and 4K, making it perfect for both web and print projects.

Ideogram 3.0:

Although the generated images are not of 4K resolution, Ideogram 3.0 comes with a built-in Upscaler, allowing you to improve visual quality. It supports a maximum base resolution of 1536 x 1536p, with accurate detailing and no visual inconsistencies.

Flux 1.1 Ultra:

Flux 1.1 Ultra comes with thorough support to generate 4K resolution images, making its outputs film-quality.

4. Image Consistency

Nano Banana:

Nano Banana excels at producing images that are visually and stylistically consistent throughout the many edits and reiterations. It maintains the lighting, object proportions, color palette, and subject interaction for a well-detailed output image.

Seedream v4:

Seedream v4 is designed with visual consistency as its core feature. The AI image generator can produce multiple images, replicating the exact features, appearance, lighting, saturation, color, and style. Even if you edit images mid-process, the AI image model will retain the facial and structural identity and visual consistency.

Qwen-Image:

Qwen-Image offers incredible semantic, stylistic, and visual consistency. The AI image model can retain the layout, structure, style, and overall theme of the image through multiple generations. It ensures the visual elements, including text, maintain their position and structure.

ImagineArt 1.0:

ImagineArt 1.0 offers aesthetic fidelity and improved realism in every generated output. The AI image generator specializes in creating coherent images without compromising on anatomy, consistency, and material rendering.

Ideogram 3.0:

Ideogram 3.0 focuses on character and style consistency, allowing you to lock in the characteristics and features of the main subject, including facial details, hairstyle, appearance, clothing, and more, across different generations. It is ideal for visual identity preservation, specifically with reference images.

Flux 1.1 Ultra:

Flux 1.1 Ultra excels at incorporating rich textures, incredible styles, and cinematic lighting in generated images. The AI image model ensures a sense of harmony across different generations, with a focus on keeping the style, mood, tone, and atmosphere consistent.

5. Pricing

Nano Banana:

Nano Banana costs around $0.039 per image when used through the Gemini API or Google AI Studio's paid tiers. On ImagineArt, Nano Banana consumes 24 credits per generation.

Seedream v4:

The basic plan costs around $9.9/month with 12000 credits per year for images. On ImagineArt, Seedream v4 consumes 18 credits.

Qwen-Image:

Qwen-Image is free to access through Qwen chat with limited features. The basic plan costs around $10/month with 100 image generation credits. On ImagineArt, Qwen-Image consumes 24 credits per generation.

ImagineArt 1.0:

ImagineArt 1.0 comes with free access with 50 daily credits. The basic plan costs around $15/month with 3500 credits per month. ImagineArt 1.0 Lite consumes 5 credits per generation, and ImagineArt Pro consumes 10 credits per generation.

Ideogram 3.0

The free plan comes with limited credits. The basic plan costs around $4/ 4/month with 400 priority credits per month. On ImagineArt, Ideogram 3.0 consumes 36 credits.

Flux 1.1 Ultra:

The basic plan costs around $7.99/month with 5000 credits per month. On ImagineArt, Flux 1.1 Ultra consumes 36 credits per generation.

Final Thoughts

There’s no one perfect tool for all your creative needs. Whatever your image generation requirements are, there’s an AI image model for every creator. If you’re looking for an affordable, flexible solution for generating AI-powered content across different mediums, ImagineArt might just be the perfect alternative.

Recommended read: Nano Banana vs. Seedream v4