Nano Banana 2 Lite vs Grok Imagine Image 2.0
Preferred for text to image: Grok Imagine Image 2.0 · Preferred for image editing: Grok Imagine Image 2.0 · Lowest entry price: Nano Banana 2 Lite. Quality scores are blind human-preference votes; specs and prices come from each lab’s listings.
GoogleNano Banana 2 Lite
- Arena1,313
- From$0.034/image
- Max size1K
xAIGrok Imagine Image 2.0
- Arena1,439
- From$0.04/image
- Max size2K
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Where they differ
Quality is the arena score from blind, side-by-side human votes. Price, length and resolution come from each lab’s own listings.
- Preferred for text to imageGrok Imagine Image 2.0Nano Banana 2 Lite 1,249 (#15) · Grok Imagine Image 2.0 1,317 (#6) — blind human votes
- Preferred for image editingGrok Imagine Image 2.0Nano Banana 2 Lite 1,313 (#26) · Grok Imagine Image 2.0 1,439 (#5) — blind human votes
- Lowest entry priceNano Banana 2 LiteNano Banana 2 Lite from $0.034/image (1K) · Grok Imagine Image 2.0 from $0.04/image (1K, low)
- Highest resolutionGrok Imagine Image 2.0Nano Banana 2 Lite: 1K · Grok Imagine Image 2.0: 2K
- NewestGrok Imagine Image 2.0Nano Banana 2 Lite Jun 30, 2026 · Grok Imagine Image 2.0 Aug 7, 2026
- Widest inputsSame inputsNano Banana 2 Lite: Text prompts, Reference images · Grok Imagine Image 2.0: Text prompts, Reference images
- Image editingBoth edit imagesTakes a reference image as input: Nano Banana 2 Lite yes · Grok Imagine Image 2.0 yes
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs and apps
- Most API hostsNano Banana 2 LiteNano Banana 2 Lite: 8 · Grok Imagine Image 2.0: 3
Every spec in one table
Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Nano Banana 2 LiteGoogle | Grok Imagine Image 2.0xAI |
|---|---|---|
| Quality (blind human votes) | ||
| Text to image arenaElo-style score · higher is better | 1,249 ±6#15 of 82 · 17,813 votes | 1,317 ±7#6 of 82 · 10,902 votes (best) |
| Image editing arenaElo-style score · higher is better | 1,313 ±5#26 of 61 · 65,660 votes | 1,439 ±6#5 of 61 · 32,951 votes (best) |
| Price | ||
| Starting price | $0.034/image 1K (best) | $0.04/image 1K, low |
| Top price | — | $0.08/image 2K, medium |
| Extra charges | — | $0.01 per input image |
| How it is billed | Billed per token; Google’s listed cost per image. | Per image |
| Output | ||
| Produces | Images | Images |
| Resolutions | 1K | 1K · 1.5K · 2K |
| Highest resolution | 1K | 2K (best) |
| Largest image | 1K (about 1 MP) | 2K |
| Images per request | Up to 1 | Up to 10 (best) |
| Text in the reply | Yes | — |
| Inputs | ||
| Text prompts | Yes | Yes |
| Reference images (editing) | Yes | Yes |
| Max reference images | 14 (best) | 5 |
| Access | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image | — |
| API hosts | 8 (best) | 3 |
| Released | Jun 30, 2026 | Aug 7, 2026 |
Which should you choose?
Which is better, Nano Banana 2 Lite or Grok Imagine Image 2.0?
For text to image, voters prefer Grok Imagine Image 2.0 (Nano Banana 2 Lite 1,249 (#15) · Grok Imagine Image 2.0 1,317 (#6)). For image editing, voters prefer Grok Imagine Image 2.0 (Nano Banana 2 Lite 1,313 (#26) · Grok Imagine Image 2.0 1,439 (#5)). Arena scores come from blind, side-by-side human votes on the same prompts; when the gap is inside both models’ error margins we call it a tie. Test your own prompts before you commit.
Which is cheaper?
Nano Banana 2 Lite costs from $0.034/image (1K); Grok Imagine Image 2.0 costs from $0.04/image (1K, low), up to $0.08/image (2K, medium). Prices are list rates and change often; check the lab before budgeting.
What is the difference between Nano Banana 2 Lite and Grok Imagine Image 2.0?
Nano Banana 2 Lite is an image model from Google (Jun 30, 2026), taking text prompts and reference images and producing images. Grok Imagine Image 2.0 is an image model from xAI (Aug 7, 2026), taking text prompts and reference images and producing images.
Which is newer?
Nano Banana 2 Lite Jun 30, 2026; Grok Imagine Image 2.0 Aug 7, 2026.
Which can edit an existing image?
Takes a reference image as input: Nano Banana 2 Lite yes; Grok Imagine Image 2.0 yes.
Can I run any of these on my own hardware?
No open weights. Both are available only through APIs and apps.
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