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HiDream-O1-Imagevs.Nano Banana 2.1

Which one is better?

In our own test, Nano Banana 2.1 leads. Nano Banana 2.1 has no arena rating yet. Nano Banana 2.1 has no API price.

Same prompt, two images

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

HiDream-O1-Image: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
HiDream-O1-Image19 out of 100
Nano Banana 2.1: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
Nano Banana 2.180 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Nano Banana 2.1 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

HiDream-O1-Image: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1735022440, estimated cost $0.010486, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:53 PM. Source

Nano Banana 2.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.036408, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:40 PM. Source

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

HiDream-O1-Image image SHA 256: 9ac2cbe23ee6a63b0daacd665a40c3471c52c52fd6ad23e46d3027bb95f8c880

Nano Banana 2.1 image SHA 256: f89e3f52678670058ce0e1e9b0b5b6ec084e25a212491b5025e76d7525fb8707

Infographic

HiDream-O1-Image: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=1456348218, estimated cost $0.010486, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:53 PM. Source

Nano Banana 2.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.036560, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:40 PM. Source

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

HiDream-O1-Image image SHA 256: 258eece8b53e4df0c990b78dee2e02ec57569b1c823c3feff2ab54671240d66f

Nano Banana 2.1 image SHA 256: ce5c4b7af2575ccf9964cfeea2e4f0bb75cdad21aea29c4201e693fa307e435b

Product photography

HiDream-O1-Image: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=124666889, estimated cost $0.010486, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:53 PM. Source

Nano Banana 2.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.036546, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:39 PM. Source

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

HiDream-O1-Image image SHA 256: 5a9cd3c59556412e4de93a3ef5c4121ec12b6cc02730cad527619c2d8a889783

Nano Banana 2.1 image SHA 256: 289b144f7d5348e9324d229e5508d5698c09035f2cbdea474845a84b852e859e

Typography and layout

HiDream-O1-Image: fal, requested 1024x1024, n=1, seed=2131088503, estimated cost $0.010486, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:41 PM. Source

Nano Banana 2.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.036497, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:39 PM. Source

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

HiDream-O1-Image image SHA 256: 418a9b974b87b751ad2e4e98cdf6b8d7e2f8f352aed63d25be84c02377f310d1

Nano Banana 2.1 image SHA 256: d27b58baa4115177a46fae2d71e258c5f4de9243fc66df93983ef6127df2f320

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better
1,115

HiDream-O1-Image

Rank 20 of 22

n/a

Nano Banana 2.1

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
20

HiDream-O1-Image

Rank 66 of 74

69

Nano Banana 2.1

Rank 11 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better
$0.04

HiDream-O1-Image

fairly cheap

n/a

Nano Banana 2.1

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.

HiDream-O1-Image

Subscription
n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API
$0.04 per image, 100 images $4.
License
Open weights.

Nano Banana 2.1

Subscription
At Google from €4.99 a month (Google AI Plus, with limited credits). Through other providers from €6.83 a month (Poe Basic, with limited points). 42 plans in Germany.
Via API
No API price known. Access: API, Web app.
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.

KennzahlHiDream-O1-ImageNano Banana 2.1
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better1,115n/a
Arena rankRank 20 of 22n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating77,624n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1002069
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition860
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details1980
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency2767
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization2571
API price
Per imagelower is better$0.04n/a
100 images$4n/a
Profile
ReleasedMay 2026Oct 6, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locallyopenunknown
AccessAPI, localAPI, Web app
Parameters8 billionnot published
Largest output2,048 × 2,048 pixelsnot consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this modeln/a42

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

Sources: HiDream-O1-Image model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · Nano Banana 2.1 model 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 HiDream-O1-Image and Nano Banana 2.1 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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