Nano Banana Provs.Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro
Which one is better?
In our own test both are on par. Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro has no arena rating yet. Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro has no API price.
Same prompt, two images
Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.
Result for “Product photography”:Nano Banana Pro slightly ahead
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 Pro: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:20 PM. Source
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:40 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6
Nano Banana Pro image SHA 256: eed53dcc080d2710e6e890382f6273382a12e2c5b079b8813962bff0c92b5df7
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: bd91dab4bec8386e191d73503d7df4b67c3c6019f345d436659db432ca4049f7
Infographic
Nano Banana Pro: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:20 PM. Source
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:40 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f
Nano Banana Pro image SHA 256: 4ff7d3965d18e197f00647c35d6aed5a86a376c92779ee9e748c598aebafa51d
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: 10f1aa7a0152cbeaa379c9df088528810dbc6f28b1f8064d22dca51107760880
Product photography
Nano Banana Pro: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:19 PM. Source
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:40 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3
Nano Banana Pro image SHA 256: d50770f426cac7920c9ffdaf210db2f11cdc51a8cf0b7ef52e6cd26850b1de70
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: a70ee76cf6bf6561eade58a43f67874358b13d711417b864249fbd386c143b1d
Typography and layout
Nano Banana Pro: together, 1024x1024, n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:00 PM. Source
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.210000, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:39 PM. Source
Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419
Nano Banana Pro image SHA 256: fc173de00b0df04772321167cfeabb55418d3d016081e7ebfb589c69a629b712
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro image SHA 256: de7f5a691e0fe0b251a93730c92603059b25432af9126fee410568fcaf829348
The numbers at a glance
Nano Banana Pro
Rank 12 of 22
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro
not in the arena
Nano Banana Pro
Rank 28 of 74
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro
Rank 35 of 74
Nano Banana Pro
expensive
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro
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 Pro
- Subscription
- At Google from €4.99 a month (Google AI Plus, with limited credits). Through other providers from ≈ €6.39 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 74 plans in Germany.
- Via API
- $0.13 per image, 100 images $13.40.
Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro
- Subscription
- Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.78 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). 4 plans in Germany.
- 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 Pro | Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | ||
| Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better | 1,246 | n/a |
| Arena rank | Rank 12 of 22 | n/a |
| Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating | 188,288 | n/a |
| GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 | 61 | 57 |
| GraduallyBench by task | ||
| Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition | 76 | 76 |
| Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details | 72 | 42 |
| Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency | 47 | 46 |
| InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization | 48 | 62 |
| API price | ||
| Per imagelower is better | $0.13 | n/a |
| 100 images | $13.40 | n/a |
| Profile | ||
| Released | November 2025 | n/a |
| Weightsopen means: runs locally | proprietary | unknown |
| Lifecycle | no notice | Separate API pricing/product SKU; no independent checkpoint identity confirmed |
| Access | API, Web app | API |
| Parameters | not published | not published |
| Largest output | 4K | not consistently published |
| Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model | 74 | 4 |
API prices for one image at 1,024 × 1,024 pixels according to Artificial Analysis.
Sources: Nano Banana Pro model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro model source, status 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 Pro and Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.
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