Nano Banana 2vs.Muse Image

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. In the arena, Muse Image leads. Nano Banana 2 costs 6.7 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

Muse Image: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Muse Image81 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Muse Image 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

Muse Image: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.010000, source 1600x1600, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:48 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 5d3a70ed3fe3328484725565d9c91fb25fc7f745bd66872dae432444493a83de

Muse Image image SHA 256: 356427fe1ec15a444aae4eab2194344c7fe6b17ef205a8db16c1d64dbacb750e

Infographic

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

Muse Image: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.010000, source 1600x1600, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 66123dd4e8cd5d22ecdca9cca8e4c5853a8046370aa4861ffee807a8c122c769

Muse Image image SHA 256: c8b096001990f57cb5225f6387485b391a4a5e3c3031e7b0524a4c19e1e01bc8

Product photography

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

Muse Image: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.010000, source 1600x1600, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:48 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 509871921c450f6f07ec28f91a380992db1b3017108fd5928fe0aa9670a1ecdc

Muse Image image SHA 256: 0cb5d4c3dbe33c840ba87f0e8af255deec9e7e02eb6c7f172310af433e78fdb6

Typography and layout

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

Muse Image: fal, aspect ratio 1:1, n=1, seed=provider random, estimated cost $0.010000, source 1600x1600, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:48 AM. Source

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

Nano Banana 2 image SHA 256: 06ae79c07d1604d3da3bbfa80bac73ac15c88af5cb8c013faaf5c9ea93092305

Muse Image image SHA 256: b8232890082d6bdd72dd7be99d98a573566a2c62f94597ecdda2bd9110e2e143

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,257

Nano Banana 2

Rank 8 of 21

1,269

Muse Image

Rank 7 of 21

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Nano Banana 2

Rank 51 of 108

Muse Image

Rank 4 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.067

Nano Banana 2

fairly expensive

$0.01

Muse Image

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 ≈ €6.34 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 73 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.067 per image, 100 images $6.70.

Muse Image

Subscription: Free to use at Meta (Meta AI Free). Through other providers from ≈ €9.51 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 6 plans in Germany.
Via API: $0.01 per image, 100 images $1.

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 3, 2026 · API prices from Nov 3, 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	Muse Image
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,257	1,269
Arena rank	Rank 8 of 21	Rank 7 of 21
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	73,278	53,444
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	61	78
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	100	86
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	45	81
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	36	61
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	63	86
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.067	$0.01
100 images	$6.70	$1
Profile
Released	February 2026	Jul 7, 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	no notice
Access	API, Web app	API, Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	4K	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	73	6

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) · Muse Image model source (verified Sep 26, 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 2Muse Image

Text to Image Arena1,1401,127level

Image Editing Arena1,1241,129level

Text to Image: 3D modeling1,2551,239level

Text to Image: Agentic image generation1,2561,236level

Text to Image: Art1,2411,258ahead

Text to Image: Cartoon1,2591,276ahead

Text to Image: Commercial design1,2671,259level

Text to Image: Overall1,2571,269ahead

Text to Image: Photorealism1,2621,281ahead

Text to Image: Portraits1,2571,294ahead

Text to Image: Text rendering1,2941,293level

Image Editing: Agentic image generation1,3771,393level

Image Editing: Multi-image editing1,3691,399ahead

Image Editing: Agentic multi-image editing1,3901,415level

Image Editing: Overall1,3871,400ahead

Artificial Analysis from Nov 3, 2026 · LMArena from Oct 28, 2026

All individual values with sources

Rating	Nano Banana 2	Muse Image	Source
Text to Image Arena	1,140	1,127	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026
Image Editing Arena	1,124	1,129	Artificial AnalysisRetrieved Nov 3, 2026
Text to Image: 3D modeling	1,255	1,239	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Agentic image generation	1,256	1,236	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Art	1,241	1,258	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Cartoon	1,259	1,276	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Commercial design	1,267	1,259	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Overall	1,257	1,269	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Photorealism	1,262	1,281	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Portraits	1,257	1,294	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Text to Image: Text rendering	1,294	1,293	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Agentic image generation	1,377	1,393	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Multi-image editing	1,369	1,399	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Agentic multi-image editing	1,390	1,415	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026
Image Editing: Overall	1,387	1,400	LMArenaRetrieved Oct 28, 2026

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Predecessor and successor

PredecessorNano Banana 2 vs. Nano Banana ProPredecessor of Nano Banana 2
Nano Banana 2 has no successor yet
No predecessor recorded for Muse Image
Muse Image has no successor yet

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