Nano Banana 2vs.MAI-Image-2.6

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. In the arena, MAI-Image-2.6 leads. Nano Banana 2 costs 1.7 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: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Nano Banana 245 out of 100

MAI-Image-2.6: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — MAI-Image-2.688 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:MAI-Image-2.6 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

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

MAI-Image-2.6: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.039287, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:42 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 5d3a70ed3fe3328484725565d9c91fb25fc7f745bd66872dae432444493a83de

MAI-Image-2.6 image SHA 256: d35364051eca0758b88795df477d282641f6ca6892e81b904352e3fd5489ae69

Infographic

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

MAI-Image-2.6: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.039317, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:42 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 66123dd4e8cd5d22ecdca9cca8e4c5853a8046370aa4861ffee807a8c122c769

MAI-Image-2.6 image SHA 256: cdc9c16cd554a18da292c721b142e5d78dd042fdde2539f797612bfd9cd674ef

Product photography

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

MAI-Image-2.6: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.039292, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:41 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 509871921c450f6f07ec28f91a380992db1b3017108fd5928fe0aa9670a1ecdc

MAI-Image-2.6 image SHA 256: a66f522e0ff2012b95dc3bc123216de7807206c9e91dd7711cd78eb34a234beb

Typography and layout

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

MAI-Image-2.6: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, received 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.039252, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:41 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 06ae79c07d1604d3da3bbfa80bac73ac15c88af5cb8c013faaf5c9ea93092305

MAI-Image-2.6 image SHA 256: 48fa1551aee7dcd737179b5ae860d30562fbd234321b8d8ade334cb40291fb47

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,257

Nano Banana 2

Rank 8 of 21

1,331

MAI-Image-2.6

Rank 4 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Nano Banana 2

Rank 51 of 108

MAI-Image-2.6

Rank 28 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.067

Nano Banana 2

fairly expensive

$0.039

MAI-Image-2.6

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

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). 73 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.067 per image, 100 images $6.70.

MAI-Image-2.6

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: $0.039 per image, 100 images $3.89.

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	MAI-Image-2.6
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,257	1,331
Arena rank	Rank 8 of 21	Rank 4 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	77,495	38,071
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	61	68
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	100	62
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	45	88
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	36	63
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	63	61
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.067	$0.039
100 images	$6.70	$3.89
Profile
Released	February 2026	Jul 31, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	proprietary
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	Preview in Microsoft Foundry
Access	API, Web app	API
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	4K	2,359,296 pixels
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	73	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) · MAI-Image-2.6 model source, status source (verified Sep 24, 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 2MAI-Image-2.6

Text to Image Arena1,1421,168ahead

Image Editing Arena1,1251,149ahead

Text to Image: 3D modeling1,2561,324ahead

Text to Image: Agentic image generation1,2571,316ahead

Text to Image: Art1,2401,338ahead

Text to Image: Cartoon1,2601,349ahead

Text to Image: Commercial design1,2681,333ahead

Text to Image: Overall1,2571,331ahead

Text to Image: Photorealism1,2611,331ahead

Text to Image: Portraits1,2551,342ahead

Text to Image: Text rendering1,2941,366ahead

Image Editing: Agentic image generation1,3771,418ahead

Image Editing: Overall1,3871,426ahead

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

All individual values with sources

Rating	Nano Banana 2	MAI-Image-2.6	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,142	1,168	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Image Editing Arena	1,125	1,149	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: 3D modeling	1,256	1,324	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Agentic image generation	1,257	1,316	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Art	1,240	1,338	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Cartoon	1,260	1,349	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Commercial design	1,268	1,333	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Overall	1,257	1,331	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Photorealism	1,261	1,331	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Portraits	1,255	1,342	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Text to Image: Text rendering	1,294	1,366	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Image Editing: Agentic image generation	1,377	1,418	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026
Image Editing: Overall	1,387	1,426	LMArenaRetrieved Nov 6, 2026

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