overall96
rank#5
credits1
median s35
max res4K
5thGoogle · text-to-image
1K · 2K · 4K tiers · 10 reference images
Benchmark v1.0 · 29 October 2026 · 26 models
Nano Banana 2.1
Newest Google model. Sharp design and text rendering, up to 4K.
- Best for producttied
- Technical qualitytied
- Aestheticstied
- Text rendering (OCR)tied
- Counts & placementtied
0weeks at #1
0weeks in top 3
1week in top 10
#5best rank1 benchmark run · in index since 29 October 2026
Benchmark record 12 prompts · v1.0
| Prompt | Score | Adh | Tech | Aes | Sec | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 PeopleStudio portrait of a woman in her forties with silver-streaked hair, soft window light from the left, neutral grey background, 85mm look, natural skin textureExcellent adherence to prompt with high-quality execution and pleasing aesthetics. | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 31.3 | 6/26 |
 PeopleA barista in a linen apron laughing while pouring latte art, warm cafe interior, shallow depth of field, candid editorial styleExcellent adherence and quality, warm and inviting aesthetic. | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 55.2 | 1/26 |
 ProductA matte black ceramic coffee mug on a walnut table, single soft light from the left, minimal studio backdrop, product photographyExcellent execution of prompt with high-quality product photography. | 98 | 100 | 95 | 95 | 31.3 | 1/26 |
 ProductA pair of white running shoes floating mid-air over a pastel pink background, even studio lighting, catalogue shotPerfect adherence and high-quality execution with pleasing aesthetics. | 98 | 100 | 95 | 95 | 33.7 | 1/26 |
 TextA vintage cinema marquee at dusk with the words OPEN ALL NIGHT in bold red letters, neon glow, wet street reflectionsExcellent adherence and quality; captures the vintage cinema marquee with neon glow and wet reflections beautifully. | 94 | 95 | 93 | 94 | 53.3 | 13/26 |
 TextA minimalist poster with the single word BALANCE in large serif type centred on cream paper, one small green circle below the wordPerfect adherence with clean, minimalist design. | 98 | 100 | 95 | 95 | 29 | 1/26 |
 IllustrationAnime-style illustration of a young woman with a red umbrella standing on a rainy city street at night, cel shading, vibrant neon reflectionsExcellent adherence to prompt with high-quality execution and vibrant aesthetics. | 97 | 98 | 95 | 95 | 18.5 | 7/26 |
 IllustrationFlat vector illustration of a cosy reading nook with a cat asleep on an armchair, limited palette of four colours, clean geometric shapesExcellent adherence to prompt with clean geometric shapes and limited palette. | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 49 | 5/26 |
 SceneA modern glass house on a cliff at golden hour, long shadows, calm ocean below, architectural photographyBeautifully captures the prompt with excellent lighting and composition. | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 36.2 | 12/26 |
 SceneMisty pine forest at dawn with rays of light through the trees and a narrow wooden boardwalk, wide angleBeautifully captures the prompt with excellent light and composition. | 98 | 100 | 95 | 95 | 18.9 | 1/26 |
 CompositionThree red apples and one green pear arranged in a single row on a blue plate, top-down view, white tableclothPerfect adherence and high-quality execution. | 98 | 100 | 95 | 95 | 42.9 | 1/26 |
 CompositionA small orange robot holding a yellow umbrella standing to the left of a tall blue mailbox, overcast day, photorealExcellent adherence and quality, slight text issue on mailbox. | 93 | 95 | 90 | 92 | 36.3 | 16/26 |
Accumulated benchmark v1.0 · price list
12images scored
35median seconds
53.3p90 seconds
1credits / image
$0.19≈ usd / image
96.2quality per credit
4Kmax resolution
10reference images
1per request
Five ways of judging rank out of 26
Overall index5th of 26
Prompt adherence6th of 26
Technical quality5th of 26
Aesthetics4th of 26
Text rendering (OCR)1st of 26
Counts & placement1st of 26
Adherence, technical and aesthetics come from a blind vision-model judge; text and counts are objective checks. The overall index blends the first three 50/30/20.
Profile by prompt type axis 90–100
Nano Banana 2.1Field median (26 models)
Output map every render, unretouched
AI-generated. First result returned, no retries, no editing.
Against the field Nano Banana 2.1 vs median · axis 90–100
Nano Banana 2.1Field median
Reading the card
Nano Banana 2.1 finishes 5th of 26 on the overall index at 96.2.
Its strongest kind of prompt is product (98 against a field median of 96.5); its weakest is people (95 against 95).
OCR found the exact words in 100% of the text prompts and 100% of the count, colour and placement checks passed.
A render takes a median 35 s, 20th of 26 for speed and slower than the field median of 20.3 s, and costs 1 credit (about $0.19 on the Premium plan), which puts it 2nd of 26 on quality per credit.
Pick it for
- Product98 · 1st of 26 · clean studio lighting, material fidelity, catalogue framing
- Illustration96 · 5th of 26 · holding a named art style with clean shapes and palette
- Composition95.5 · 10th of 26 · object counts, colours and left/right placement
- Value96.2 quality points per credit, 2nd of 26
Weigh up
- People95 · 6th of 26 · skin, hands, eyes and natural light on a human subject
- Speed35 s median is slower than the field’s 20.3 s
Nearest rivals closest overall scores
In the studio what you can set
- Vendor
- Resolution tiers
- 1K, 2K, 4K
- Highest output
- 4K
- Reference images
- Up to 10
- Images per request
- 1
- Seed
- No
- Negative prompt
- No
- Base price
- 1 credit · ≈ $0.19
Questions about Nano Banana 2.1
- Is Nano Banana 2.1 good at rendering text in images?
- In benchmark v1.0 the OCR check found the exact requested phrase in 100% of Nano Banana 2.1's text-prompt renders, and the blind judge gave its text category 96 out of 100 (field median 95.5). Every word came out exactly as written.
- How fast is Nano Banana 2.1?
- Median 35 seconds from submit to finished image across the 12 benchmark prompts, with the slowest tenth at 53.3 seconds. That is 20th of 26 models; the field median is 20.3 seconds.
- How much does Nano Banana 2.1 cost per image?
- 1 credit at the base 1K tier, about $0.19 at the Premium plan rate of $0.19 per credit. Higher resolution tiers (2K, 4K) can cost more; see pricing.
- Nano Banana 2.1 or GPT-Image 2?
- GPT-Image 2 scores 96.2 overall against 96.2 for Nano Banana 2.1, inside the judge’s noise, so treat them as equal on quality and decide on speed and price. Nano Banana 2.1 renders in 35 s for 1 credit; GPT-Image 2 in 46.6 s for 1 credit.
- What is Nano Banana 2.1 best used for?
- It ranks in the top three for product prompts in this run. Newest Google model. Sharp design and text rendering, up to 4K.
- How long has Nano Banana 2.1 been at the top?
- Nano Banana 2.1 is currently 5th; its best rank across 1 benchmark run is #5, and it has been in the top 10 for 1 week.
- How were these numbers measured?
- Every model rendered the same 12 prompts at matched settings. A vision-model judge scored each image blind on adherence, technical quality and aesthetics (blended 50/30/20 into the overall index); OCR and fixed yes/no checks measured text accuracy and composition without a judge. Seconds were timed through the production API. Benchmark v1.0, 29 October 2026.