FLUX vs Nano Banana

FLUX

FLUX is the practical choice when you want one vendor that covers both the hosted API and weights you can run yourself: the [klein] models are cheap enough for bulk generation, [pro] and [max] handle editing and high-resolution work, and the same family now extends to video. Per-megapixel billing is transparent once you remember that resolution rounds up, so a 1080p frame is charged as three megapixels. The open-weight licences are the part to read carefully: non-commercial use is free, but commercial self-hosting is a paid licence with monthly image caps, and the price for it is only visible after you sign in.

Pros

• +Published per-image and per-megapixel prices across the whole lineup, from $0.014 an image for [klein] 4B (15 October 2026)
• +Same model family available hosted and as self-hostable weights, including fine-tuning and LoRA rights on paid licences
• +Editing, inpainting, outpainting, try-on, eraser and video upscaling tools alongside generation
• +Named legal entity, registered address and managing directors on the imprint

Cons

• −Megapixel rounding inflates the cost of common resolutions such as 1920x1080, billed as 3 MP
• −Commercial self-hosting licences list image caps and domain limits but no public price
• −The pricing calculator on the main site shows a single unlabelled $0.048 figure until a model is selected
• −No consumer app or mobile client

Nano Banana

If you came here for Imagen, it is gone: the Gemini API has shut the Imagen models down, Vertex AI lists their endpoints as discontinued, and the DeepMind page redirects to Nano Banana. What replaced it is a stronger editing-first family that keeps characters consistent, follows layout instructions and renders text, priced by the image at rates that undercut most rivals at the Lite tier. Pick it when you need editing and consistency inside a Google stack; look elsewhere if you need an open-weights model you can run yourself.

Pros

• +Three tiers from a cheap Lite model to a 4K Pro model, all under one API
• +Editing, multi-image reference and character consistency are first-class rather than bolted on
• +Readable in-image text, a weak spot of earlier generators
• +Free access in the Gemini app and AI Studio before any API spend

Cons

• −The Imagen name, SDK method and response format are retired, so existing integrations break
• −No free tier in the API for image models — every generated image is billed
• −Output carries Google's SynthID watermark and usage sits under Google's content policies
• −Pro-tier 4K images cost about seven times a Lite image

Is FLUX cheaper than Nano Banana?

On published entry prices, FLUX starts lower — $0.014/image against $0.0336/image for Nano Banana. Entry price is the lowest paid plan as we last verified it; what each plan includes differs.

Does FLUX or Nano Banana have a free tier?

Both: FLUX has a free tier, and Nano Banana has a free tier.

Which has a public API, FLUX or Nano Banana?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.