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

Nano Banana vs Qwen-Image

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

  1. Google

    Nano Banana

    Released Aug 26, 2025Deprecated

    • Text to image
    • Image editing
    • Arena1,291
    • From—
    • Max size—
    Full specs Remove Nano Banana

  2. Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen-Image

    Released Aug 7, 2025

    • Text to image
    • Arena1,057
    • From—
    • Max size—
    Full specs Remove Qwen-Image

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

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 BananaNano Banana 1,149 (#36) · Qwen-Image 1,057 (#66) — blind human votes
  • NewestNano BananaNano Banana Aug 26, 2025 · Qwen-Image Aug 7, 2025
  • Widest inputsNano BananaNano Banana: Text prompts, Reference images · Qwen-Image: Text prompts
  • Image editingNano BananaTakes a reference image as input: Nano Banana yes · Qwen-Image no
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs and apps
  • Most API hostsNano BananaNano Banana: 12 · Qwen-Image: 1
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Dashes mean the data is not published.

Nano Banana vs Qwen-Image specifications side by side
SpecificationNano BananaGoogleQwen-ImageAlibaba (Qwen)
Quality (blind human votes)
Text to image arenaElo-style score · higher is better1,149 ±2#36 of 82 · 907,282 votes (best)1,057 ±3#66 of 82 · 84,534 votes
Image editing arenaElo-style score · higher is better1,291 ±2#33 of 61 · 11,448,539 votes—
Output
ProducesImagesImages
Inputs
Text promptsYesYes
Reference images (editing)YesNo
Access
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDgemini-2.5-flash-image—
API hosts12 (best)1
ReleasedAug 26, 2025Aug 7, 2025
03 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better, Nano Banana or Qwen-Image?

For text to image, voters prefer Nano Banana (Nano Banana 1,149 (#36) · Qwen-Image 1,057 (#66)). 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.

What is the difference between Nano Banana and Qwen-Image?

Nano Banana is an image model from Google (Aug 26, 2025), taking text prompts and reference images and producing images. Qwen-Image is an image model from Alibaba (Qwen) (Aug 7, 2025), taking text prompts and producing images.

Which is newer?

Nano Banana Aug 26, 2025; Qwen-Image Aug 7, 2025.

Which can edit an existing image?

Takes a reference image as input: Nano Banana yes; Qwen-Image 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

Related comparisons