Imagen 4 vs Nano Banana 2.1
Nano Banana 2.1 is the newer model, released after Imagen 4.
Hyperrealistic Portrait
One prompt, one photorealistic portrait. Skin, eyes, light.
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Which answer wins?
Price and specs
| Spec | Imagen 4 | Nano Banana 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | — | $1.5/M tokens |
| Output price | — | $7.5/M tokens |
| Context window | — | 66K tokens |
| Weights | — | Closed |
| Free API (OpenRouter) | — | No |
| Released | May 2025 | Oct 2026 |
| At 10M a month | not listed | $15.00 |
Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.
Where to run it
Imagen 4
No hosts listed on OpenRouter.
Nano Banana 2.11 host
Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 6 Oct 2026.
Common questions
What is the difference between Imagen 4 and Nano Banana 2.1?
Both are developed by Google AI but target different use cases. You can compare their actual outputs across 17 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.
Which is better, Imagen 4 or Nano Banana 2.1?
It depends on your use case. Imagen 4 and Nano Banana 2.1 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 17 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.
How can I compare Imagen 4 and Nano Banana 2.1 on Rival?
This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Imagen 4 and Nano Banana 2.1 across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.
More comparisons
Against the newest arrivals
- Imagen 4 vs Recraft V4.1 FlashLanded Sep 2026
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs GPT Image 2.5 SunburstLanded Sep 2026
- Imagen 4 vs GPT Image 2.5 FlareLanded Sep 2026
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs Nano Banana 2 LiteLanded Jun 2026
- Imagen 4 vs Riverflow V2.5 FastLanded Jun 2026
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs Riverflow V2.5 ProLanded Jun 2026
- Imagen 4 vs Recraft V4.1Landed May 2026
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs Recraft V4.1 ProLanded May 2026
Same lab, same size, long tail
- Imagen 4 vs Nano Banana 2 LiteSame lab
- Imagen 4 vs Nano Banana 2Same lab
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs Nano Banana 2Same lab
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs Imagen 3 FastSame lab
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs FLUX ProSame size
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs FLUX SchnellSame size
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs Gemini 2.5 Flash ImageSame lab
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs GPT Image 1.5Same size
