FLUX.2 Flexvs.Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) has no arena rating yet. Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) has no API price.

Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.

FLUX.2 Flex: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — FLUX.2 Flex56 out of 100

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image): Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)77 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) slightly ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square premium product photograph of a brushed titanium wristwatch standing upright on dark green marble. The watch has a cream dial, thin black hands set to 10:10, twelve distinct hour markers, a realistic crown, and a dark brown leather strap. Soft window light from the left, controlled reflections, shallow depth of field, no text, no logo, no extra objects.

What the rating looks at: Materials, reflections, and fine details.

“Ahead”: better in all three rating rounds. “Slightly ahead”: a higher value, but not in every round.

Test protocol of the images

Both models receive the same archived prompt in exactly one request, and the first result counts. Files are normalized to 1,024 × 1,024 pixels without cropping. Provider resolution, randomness, quality tier and prompt processing can still differ. The images are a practical visual test, not a reconstruction of the arena configuration.

Character and detail

FLUX.2 Flex: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:25 PM. Source

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image): fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, Fal schema does not expose an output-resolution parameter; require square output of at least 1024px, estimated cost $0.039800, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:51 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6

FLUX.2 Flex image SHA 256: 43b43d5782192d7284de2b824dd1caaaa6b25032d22fc3f8565d438b137089f3

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) image SHA 256: 69ecb842e42e25cf866919f9bfa573f08398a78d4fa46bca2f9c9c27996d80a7

Infographic

FLUX.2 Flex: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:25 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f

FLUX.2 Flex image SHA 256: 105f60cdeb71a27021ffff1ad3c0ad919df4e5c74ad83b4628fbd64a8d795a09

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) image SHA 256: d12f93429b044d541a8ea71a1fd135f89343ff6efaefafe679e9e28699ee54cf

Product photography

FLUX.2 Flex: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:25 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3

FLUX.2 Flex image SHA 256: 9fef39b1500635ddbf78bcb8d3d9a68463ce952aa1fab89d12f6efe023907de7

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) image SHA 256: afdcf628727069979bcc9797a18b283079f9cafb136d8fcbc118ae1fc5523a15

Typography and layout

FLUX.2 Flex: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:01 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419

FLUX.2 Flex image SHA 256: 324f87bf898593446a400abb43bd00eee015fa0a1dc160db0f864402fc0b38af

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) image SHA 256: eeafdc566564b9398bc45b9e8cbaa7f4ca38a1b8795e198cd056c4bc47f72121

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,156

FLUX.2 Flex

Rank 17 of 22

n/a

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

FLUX.2 Flex

Rank 35 of 74

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)

Rank 44 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.06

FLUX.2 Flex

fairly cheap

n/a

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)

no API price

Ranks among the 22 image models with an arena rating and the 74 with a GraduallyBench run; prices compared with 28 models with an API price.

FLUX.2 Flex

Subscription: No Black Forest Labs subscription includes this model. Through other providers from €6.83 a month (Poe Basic, with limited points). 26 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.06 per image, 100 images $6.

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API.
Weights: unknown.

Subscriptions only count plans that name exactly this model. Subscription prices include VAT, API prices are in dollars.

Arena rating (LMArena) from Oct 28, 2026 · GraduallyBench from Nov 1, 2026 · API prices from Oct 28, 2026 · Subscription database from Sep 29, 2026 (34 days old)

All data side by side

The better value is bold. For ratings only when the gap is clear.

Kennzahl	FLUX.2 Flex	Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,156	n/a
Arena rank	Rank 17 of 22	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	156,876	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	57	54
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	71	58
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	56	77
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	58	54
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	41	27
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.06	n/a
100 images	$6	n/a
Profile
Released	November 2025	Oct 2, 2025
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	unknown
Lifecycle	no notice	Active stable API ID; earliest announced shutdown date is March 15, 2027
Access	API, Web app	API
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	4 Megapixel	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	26	n/a

API prices for one image at 1,024 × 1,024 pixels according to Artificial Analysis.

Sources: FLUX.2 Flex model source (verified Sep 24, 2026) · Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) model source, status source (verified Nov 1, 2026)

Arena ratings by category

From blind votes on LMArena. “Ahead” means the lead is clear.

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

The stored benchmark database contains no measurement for FLUX.2 Flex and Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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More matchups

Compare FLUX.2 Flex and Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

FLUX.2 Flex

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

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