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

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro vs Nano Banana 2

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.

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
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
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Third model

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

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Dashes mean the data is not published.

Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro vs Nano Banana 2 specifications side by side
Specification	Recraft V4.1 Utility ProRecraft	Nano Banana 2Google
Quality (blind human votes)
Text to image arenaElo-style score · higher is better	1,168 ±11#26 of 82 · 2,618 votes	1,257 ±4#11 of 82 · 73,278 votes (best)
Image editing arenaElo-style score · higher is better	—	1,387 ±3#15 of 61 · 262,911 votes
Price
Starting price	—	$0.045/image 512
Top price	—	$0.15/image 4K
How it is billed	—	Billed per token; Google’s listed cost per image.
Output
Produces	Images	Images
Resolutions	—	512 · 1K · 2K · 4K
Highest resolution	—	4K
Largest image	—	4K (about 16 MP)
Images per request	—	Up to 1
Text in the reply	—	Yes
Inputs
Text prompts	Yes	Yes
Reference images (editing)	No	Yes
Max reference images	—	14
Access
Weights	Proprietary	Proprietary
API model ID	—	`gemini-3.1-flash-image`
API hosts	1	13 (best)
Released	May 14, 2026	May 28, 2026

03 — Questions

Which should you choose?

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

For text to image, voters prefer Nano Banana 2 (Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro 1,168 (#26) · Nano Banana 2 1,257 (#11)). 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 Recraft V4.1 Utility Pro and Nano Banana 2?

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

Which is newer?

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

Which can edit an existing image?

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

Can I run any of these on my own hardware?

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