Wan 2.6 Text to Imagevs.Nano Banana 2.1

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. Neither is in the arena. Nano Banana 2.1 has no API price.

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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Wan 2.6 Text to Image38 out of 100

Nano Banana 2.1: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run — Nano Banana 2.180 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:Nano Banana 2.1 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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: together, requested 1280x1280, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:30 PM. Source

Nano Banana 2.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.036408, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:40 PM. Source

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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image image SHA 256: cf49d7136a442f4f1c1ae29af99e917aa83bcbf501fdacfe3a13a3b3e74d7f9a

Nano Banana 2.1 image SHA 256: f89e3f52678670058ce0e1e9b0b5b6ec084e25a212491b5025e76d7525fb8707

Infographic

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: together, requested 1280x1280, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:30 PM. Source

Nano Banana 2.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.036560, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:40 PM. Source

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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image image SHA 256: 28eecbf460194ec047237c35415d934929baee9de9938bdff435cd21a4416435

Nano Banana 2.1 image SHA 256: ce5c4b7af2575ccf9964cfeea2e4f0bb75cdad21aea29c4201e693fa307e435b

Product photography

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: together, requested 1280x1280, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 12:29 PM. Source

Nano Banana 2.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.036546, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:39 PM. Source

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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image image SHA 256: e8dbcfd0ce965814d72d676eddf74f723d476c1f78c5928c7b6efbc4eca4765e

Nano Banana 2.1 image SHA 256: 289b144f7d5348e9324d229e5508d5698c09035f2cbdea474845a84b852e859e

Typography and layout

Wan 2.6 Text to Image: together, requested 1280x1280, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), n=1, seed=provider random, provider default steps, generated Aug 14, 2026, 2:01 PM. Source

Nano Banana 2.1: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.036497, generated Nov 1, 2026, 9:39 PM. Source

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

Wan 2.6 Text to Image image SHA 256: 7e9557478ee297369d7680b31ab3b23a13c984981c0e0c922ef07372999122a7

Nano Banana 2.1 image SHA 256: d27b58baa4115177a46fae2d71e258c5f4de9243fc66df93983ef6127df2f320

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

n/a

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

not in the arena

n/a

Nano Banana 2.1

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

Rank 47 of 74

Nano Banana 2.1

Rank 11 of 74

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

$0.03

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

cheap

n/a

Nano Banana 2.1

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.

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: $0.03 per image, 100 images $3.

Nano Banana 2.1

Subscription: At Google from €4.99 a month (Google AI Plus, with limited credits). Through other providers from €6.83 a month (Poe Basic, with limited points). 42 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.

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	Wan 2.6 Text to Image	Nano Banana 2.1
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	n/a	n/a
Arena rank	n/a	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	n/a	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	50	69
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	30	60
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	38	80
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	73	67
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	60	71
API price
Per imagelower is better	$0.03	n/a
100 images	$3	n/a
Profile
Released	January 2026	Oct 6, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locally	proprietary	unknown
Access	API	API, Web app
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	2K	not consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	n/a	42

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

Sources: Wan 2.6 Text to Image model source (verified Aug 15, 2026) · Nano Banana 2.1 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 Wan 2.6 Text to Image and Nano Banana 2.1 from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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First image modelSecond image model

More matchups

Compare Wan 2.6 Text to Image and Nano Banana 2.1 with other important image models.

View the complete image model comparison

Same prompt, two images

The numbers at a glance

Wan 2.6 Text to Image

Nano Banana 2.1

All data side by side

Arena ratings by category

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

Compare another matchup

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