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Image model comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Nano Banana 2 vs Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

Preferred for text to image: Nano Banana 2 · Newest: Nano Banana 2 · Widest inputs: Nano Banana 2. Quality scores are blind human-preference votes; specs and prices come from each lab’s listings.

  1. Google

    Nano Banana 2

    Released May 28, 2026

    • Text to image
    • Image editing
    • Arena1,387
    • From$0.045/image
    • Max size4K
    Full specs Remove Nano Banana 2

  2. Recraft

    Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

    Released May 14, 2026

    • Text to image
    • Arena1,168
    • From—
    • Max size—
    Full specs Remove Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro

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01 — At a glance

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 imageNano Banana 2Nano Banana 2 1,257 (#11) · Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro 1,168 (#26) — blind human votes
  • NewestNano Banana 2Nano Banana 2 May 28, 2026 · Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro May 14, 2026
  • Widest inputsNano Banana 2Nano Banana 2: Text prompts, Reference images, PDFs, Video · Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: Text prompts
  • Image editingNano Banana 2Takes a reference image as input: Nano Banana 2 yes · Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro no
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs and apps
  • Most API hostsNano Banana 2Nano Banana 2: 13 · Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro: 1
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Dashes mean the data is not published.

Nano Banana 2 vs Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro specifications side by side
SpecificationNano Banana 2GoogleRecraft V4.1 Utility ProRecraft
Quality (blind human votes)
Text to image arenaElo-style score · higher is better1,257 ±4#11 of 82 · 73,278 votes (best)1,168 ±11#26 of 82 · 2,618 votes
Image editing arenaElo-style score · higher is better1,387 ±3#15 of 61 · 262,911 votes—
Price
Starting price$0.045/image 512—
Top price$0.15/image 4K—
How it is billedBilled per token; Google’s listed cost per image.—
Output
ProducesImagesImages
Resolutions512 · 1K · 2K · 4K—
Highest resolution4K—
Largest image4K (about 16 MP)—
Images per requestUp to 1—
Text in the replyYes—
Inputs
Text promptsYesYes
Reference images (editing)YesNo
Max reference images14—
Access
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDgemini-3.1-flash-image—
API hosts13 (best)1
ReleasedMay 28, 2026May 14, 2026
03 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better, Nano Banana 2 or Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro?

For text to image, voters prefer Nano Banana 2 (Nano Banana 2 1,257 (#11) · Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro 1,168 (#26)). 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 costs from $0.045/image (512), up to $0.15/image (4K). Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro has no published per-image price. Prices are list rates and change often; check the lab before budgeting.

What is the difference between Nano Banana 2 and Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro?

Nano Banana 2 is an image model from Google (May 28, 2026), taking text prompts, reference images, pdfs and video and producing images. Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro is an image model from Recraft (May 14, 2026), taking text prompts and producing images.

Which is newer?

Nano Banana 2 May 28, 2026; Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro May 14, 2026.

Which can edit an existing image?

Takes a reference image as input: Nano Banana 2 yes; Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro no.

Can I run any of these on my own hardware?

No open weights. Both are available only through APIs and apps.

04 — Keep comparing

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