Nano Banana Pro vs Nano Banana 2 vs 2 Lite

Three models, one variable. That makes this the simplest comparison on the roster, and the answer isn't the one the naming implies.

What differs?

One row out of five.

Four of the five rows are identical across all three models. Fourteen references, image references only, ten aspect ratios, and no variations field on any of them.

So the entire comparison is the resolution row, and it doesn't run the way the names suggest.

Nano Banana 2 offers four tiers to Nano Banana Pro's three. Everything Pro does, plus a 0.5K option at the bottom that's the only sub-1K tier on the image roster.

Nano Banana 2 Lite shows 1K as a fixed label rather than as selectable buttons, so it appears locked to that single tier.

Nano Banana 2 does everything Pro does and adds a cheaper tier. The naming doesn't tell you that.

Where this falls short. The picker exposes capability, not quality. Pro's description is "studio-grade 4K with true character consistency" against Nano Banana 2's "fast, high-fidelity images in any format" — which suggests a quality difference at the same tier. That isn't a setting and we haven't measured it.

What do the descriptions claim?

Three different pitches for what looks like one model at three price points.

Nano Banana Pro — "studio-grade 4K with true character consistency." The only description on the image roster naming character consistency, which for a series is the claim that would matter most.

Nano Banana 2 — "fast, high-fidelity images in any format." "Any format" tracks with the ten aspect ratios, though all three models have those.

Nano Banana 2 Lite — "lightweight drafts at speed." Consistent with a locked 1K tier.

The character consistency claim is the one worth noting, because nothing in the settings corresponds to it. All three take the same fourteen image references, which is the mechanism you'd expect consistency to run on.

What's the 0.5K tier for?

Cheap drafts, and it's the only one on the roster.

Nothing else in Image Create goes below 1K. So if you're iterating on composition, framing or a prompt before committing to a final render, Nano Banana 2's 0.5K is the cheapest generation available anywhere in the image engine.

That's a real advantage and it sits on the model without "Pro" or "Lite" in its name — which is the second time the naming points away from the useful answer.

What do they cost?

Only one of the three is on the published panel.

Nano Banana Pro is listed at 45 credits for a 2K image and 80 for 4K. Neither Nano Banana 2 nor 2 Lite appears.

So there's no published comparison to make. If Nano Banana 2 costs less than Pro at the same tier, that would settle the choice — and if it costs the same, the descriptions are the only thing separating them.

Where this falls short. The authoritative figure is the cost shown before you render, which appears per model. For these three specifically that's the only source.

What are the ten aspect ratios?

The widest range on the image roster, and two of them are exclusive.

All three offer 1:1, 3:2, 2:3, 4:3, 3:4, 4:5, 5:4, 16:9, 9:16 and 21:9.

4:5 and 5:4 are Nano Banana only. No other image model on the roster produces either, and 4:5 in particular is the standard portrait feed ratio on several platforms.

So if a deliverable specifies 4:5, the family picks itself — and then the choice within it is purely the resolution question above.

If you need 4:5, the model is chosen for you. Only these three produce it.

So which should you use?

Three cases, and the resolution decides all of them.

All settings read from Hexcoded's Creative Studio picker in Image → Create mode in September 2026, all three models observed individually. Only Nano Banana Pro appears on the published render costs panel. Settings and costs change with model versions. The cost shown before you render is the authoritative figure.

More on model capability, access and rights in Models.