Nano Banana 2vs.Grok Imagine Image 1.0

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Grok Imagine Image 1.0 has no arena rating yet. Grok Imagine Image 1.0 has no API price.

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

Nano Banana 2: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Nano Banana 239 out of 100

Grok Imagine Image 1.0: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Grok Imagine Image 1.089 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Grok Imagine Image 1.0 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

Nano Banana 2: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:15 PM. Source

Grok Imagine Image 1.0: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, resolution 1K, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:30 PM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 5d3a70ed3fe3328484725565d9c91fb25fc7f745bd66872dae432444493a83de

Grok Imagine Image 1.0 image SHA 256: f0a1722dd70365a05d18f1872dcf5761f358e13dca81e6ceafca69d17f658412

Infographic

Nano Banana 2: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:15 PM. Source

Grok Imagine Image 1.0: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, resolution 1K, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:31 PM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 66123dd4e8cd5d22ecdca9cca8e4c5853a8046370aa4861ffee807a8c122c769

Grok Imagine Image 1.0 image SHA 256: 7dd25385835faf743c6e97b5a50ebcf5926cf94d862425177c25d8b27281ac8d

Product photography

Nano Banana 2: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:15 PM. Source

Grok Imagine Image 1.0: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, resolution 1K, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:30 PM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 509871921c450f6f07ec28f91a380992db1b3017108fd5928fe0aa9670a1ecdc

Grok Imagine Image 1.0 image SHA 256: 95c5d4be59e6c115257f2414c513efd79bf7fd9ac69965ec04677eda2ec5a27a

Typography and layout

Nano Banana 2: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 1:59 PM. Source

Grok Imagine Image 1.0: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, resolution 1K, estimated cost $0.020000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:30 PM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 06ae79c07d1604d3da3bbfa80bac73ac15c88af5cb8c013faaf5c9ea93092305

Grok Imagine Image 1.0 image SHA 256: ab6dfd89aec95ebe7cfd2f3cacb4fbd66123306647c78d621d5c8c6325f3d7c5

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,257

Nano Banana 2

Rank 8 of 22

n/a

Grok Imagine Image 1.0

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Nano Banana 2

Rank 40 of 74

Grok Imagine Image 1.0

Rank 5 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.067

Nano Banana 2

fairly expensive

n/a

Grok Imagine Image 1.0

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.

Nano Banana 2

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 ≈ €6.39 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 68 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.067 per image, 100 images $6.70.

Grok Imagine Image 1.0

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	Nano Banana 2	Grok Imagine Image 1.0
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,257	n/a
Arena rank	Rank 8 of 22	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	73,278	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	55	76
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	78	73
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	39	89
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	62	57
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	43	85
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.067	n/a
100 images	$6.70	n/a
Profile
Released	February 2026	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	unknown
Lifecycle	Previous generation to Nano Banana 2.1; Google recommends Nano Banana 2.1 for all new projects, the stable API has existed since May 28, 2026 and no shutdown is announced, the arena entry names the earlier pre-release configuration	no notice
Access	API, Web app	API
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	4K	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	68	n/a

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

Sources: Nano Banana 2 model source, status source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · Grok Imagine Image 1.0 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 Nano Banana 2 and Grok Imagine Image 1.0 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

Compare another matchup

First image modelSecond image model

More matchups

Compare Nano Banana 2 and Grok Imagine Image 1.0 with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

Nano Banana 2

Grok Imagine Image 1.0

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

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