Nano Banana Provs.Recraft V4.1

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Recraft V4.1 has no arena rating yet. Recraft V4.1 has no API price.

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

Nano Banana Pro: Typography and layout, first image from the fixed test run — Nano Banana Pro76 out of 100

Recraft V4.1: Typography and layout, first image from the fixed test run — Recraft V4.157 out of 100

Result for “Typography and layout”:Nano Banana Pro slightly ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square editorial poster for an imaginary night train called MONDFALTER. Show the exact German headline MONDFALTER and the exact subline BERLIN NACH LISSABON. Use a restrained midnight-blue and warm-cream palette, one stylized moth, strong Swiss-grid typography, generous negative space, and no additional words or logos.

What the rating looks at: Legible text, hierarchy, and composition.

“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: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Nano Banana Pro image SHA 256: eed53dcc080d2710e6e890382f6273382a12e2c5b079b8813962bff0c92b5df7

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: b4e53e88552e5850d1ca0858ae7351851544281c853d625fbe6e028a16920195

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: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Nano Banana Pro image SHA 256: 4ff7d3965d18e197f00647c35d6aed5a86a376c92779ee9e748c598aebafa51d

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: adaec4b62c06d7fc4107f8d61bbf8742b412abcdd17c22d01f8f21b194a6d3b6

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: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Nano Banana Pro image SHA 256: d50770f426cac7920c9ffdaf210db2f11cdc51a8cf0b7ef52e6cd26850b1de70

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: e6651efeb56090323aeb160fa80eeb4faab85c3b8dac61a684b6a975b2450530

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: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, provider default resolution, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.035000, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:37 PM. Source

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

Nano Banana Pro image SHA 256: fc173de00b0df04772321167cfeabb55418d3d016081e7ebfb589c69a629b712

Recraft V4.1 image SHA 256: c4f8387fba9aaf0223c56a3224559e21f670e14c38eb7d64b235b675ef1008c3

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,246

Nano Banana Pro

Rank 12 of 22

n/a

Recraft V4.1

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Nano Banana Pro

Rank 28 of 74

Recraft V4.1

Rank 34 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.13

Nano Banana Pro

expensive

n/a

Recraft V4.1

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

Subscription: Free to use at Recraft (Recraft Free, with limited credits), more from ≈ €12.78 a month (Recraft Basic, with limited credits). Through other providers from ≈ €6.39 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 27 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, Web app.
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
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	57
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	72	73
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	47	37
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	48	61
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.13	n/a
100 images	$13.40	n/a
Profile
Released	November 2025	May 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	unknown
Access	API, Web app	API, Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	4K	2K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	74	27

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 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 Pro and Recraft V4.1 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 Pro and Recraft V4.1 with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

Nano Banana Pro

Recraft V4.1

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

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