Nano Banana 2 Litevs.Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. In the arena, Grok Imagine Image 2.0 leads. Grok Imagine Image 2.0 costs 1.8 times as much per image.

Test images

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

Nano Banana 2 Lite: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — Nano Banana 2 Lite47 out of 100

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: Character and detail, first image from the fixed test run — Grok Imagine Image 2.075 out of 100

Result for “Character and detail”:Grok Imagine Image 2.0 slightly ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square cinematic full-body portrait of a fictional bicycle courier waiting under a transparent umbrella at a rainy tram stop in Hamburg at blue hour. She wears a mustard raincoat, navy trousers, red sneakers, a silver helmet, and carries a teal messenger bag. Keep both hands visible, render the bicycle correctly, use realistic wet-street reflections, and include no readable brand names.

What the rating looks at: Anatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency.

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

Test protocol of the images

Each test attempt uses the same archived prompt and one request. The first output of that attempt counts. Repeats after technical test failures are disclosed for the affected images. 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

Nano Banana 2 Lite: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:21 PM. Source

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, quality medium, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.060000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:46 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 Lite image SHA 256: 6c7d17b2a84129cbeba7d52c8de703773e9296562d9d603688256d2717e65a0c

Grok Imagine Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 95148f93193910361a680d5cff305d51bb06d967cb8b35e7ec732bd8501beccc

Infographic

Nano Banana 2 Lite: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:21 PM. Source

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, quality medium, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.060000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:47 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 Lite image SHA 256: 11d8b5ddf15becefa6e4e32fca21729ff7d57f561a10e3a2b4b6f5c7a0aed6ef

Grok Imagine Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 732d7d3978293b5acd7aba0ec8534056bfa9bd5f6d2024c5eb7275d5bf203ba6

Product photography

Nano Banana 2 Lite: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:21 PM. Source

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, quality medium, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.060000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:45 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 Lite image SHA 256: 30d9b09b92917eca84675448260a083ad368d9ea25376dabccac0f526f3a3ab7

Grok Imagine Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 57f2809d2dc95671f5207c2cfc25f629c05be17edfe9bf87ca42d3d33119200e

Typography and layout

Nano Banana 2 Lite: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:00 PM. Source

Grok Imagine Image 2.0: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, quality medium, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.060000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:44 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 Lite image SHA 256: 9fab80fe1ad268b9ceceb4ef61ef1dd0e965dd3f28d377af7cf9cf201fdf47fa

Grok Imagine Image 2.0 image SHA 256: 4dae1c4c90d277eed2983780d71f40b4758238ea15a020047c1329fb220e5b51

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,249

Nano Banana 2 Lite

Rank 11 of 21

1,317

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Rank 5 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Nano Banana 2 Lite

Rank 21 of 108

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Rank 16 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.034

Nano Banana 2 Lite

fairly cheap

$0.06

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

fairly cheap

Ranks among the 21 image models with an arena rating and the 108 with a GraduallyBench run; prices compared with 28 models with an API price.

Nano Banana 2 Lite

Subscription: Free to use at Google (Google AI Free, with limited credits), more from €4.99 a month (Google AI Plus, with limited credits). Through other providers from ≈ €6.36 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 51 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.034 per image, 100 images $3.36.

Grok Imagine Image 2.0

Subscription: No xAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €15.90 a month (Runway Standard, with limited credits). 5 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.06 per image, 100 images $6.

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

Arena rating (LMArena) from Nov 6, 2026 · GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · API prices from Nov 6, 2026 · Subscription database from Sep 29, 2026 (38 days old)

All data side by side

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

Kennzahl	Nano Banana 2 Lite	Grok Imagine Image 2.0
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,249	1,317
Arena rank	Rank 11 of 21	Rank 5 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	17,787	10,830
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	71	73
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	82	71
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	87	68
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	47	75
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	66	77
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.034	$0.06
100 images	$3.36	$6
Profile
Released	June 2026	Aug 7, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	proprietary
Access	API, Web app	API, Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	1K	2K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	51	5

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

Sources: Nano Banana 2 Lite model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · Grok Imagine Image 2.0 model source (verified Sep 28, 2026)

Arena ratings by category

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

Arena rating per categoryfrom votes by users · higher is betterNano Banana 2 LiteGrok Imagine Image 2.0

Text to Image Arena1,1091,166ahead

Image Editing Arena1,0541,116ahead

Text to Image: 3D modeling1,2261,291ahead

Text to Image: Art1,2561,328ahead

Text to Image: Cartoon1,2561,352ahead

Text to Image: Commercial design1,2481,325ahead

Text to Image: Overall1,2491,317ahead

Text to Image: Photorealism1,2591,312ahead

Text to Image: Portraits1,2441,332ahead

Text to Image: Text rendering1,2741,349ahead

Image Editing: Overall1,3131,438ahead

Artificial Analysis from Nov 6, 2026 · LMArena from Nov 6, 2026

All individual values with sources

Rating	Nano Banana 2 Lite	Grok Imagine Image 2.0	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,109	1,166	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Image Editing Arena	1,054	1,116	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: 3D modeling	1,226	1,291	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Art	1,256	1,328	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Cartoon	1,256	1,352	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Commercial design	1,248	1,325	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Overall	1,249	1,317	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Photorealism	1,259	1,312	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Portraits	1,244	1,332	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Text rendering	1,274	1,349	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Image Editing: Overall	1,313	1,438	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026

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Predecessor and successor

PredecessorGrok Imagine Image 2.0 vs. Grok Imagine Image QualityPredecessor of Grok Imagine Image 2.0