Update — October 13, 2026: Google released Nano Banana 2.1 on October 6 and lists it as the recommended replacement for Nano Banana 2. No shutdown date has been announced for Nano Banana 2 on the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 is Google’s image model — Gemini 3.1 Flash Image — announced on February 26, 2026 as a way to bring Nano Banana Pro’s knowledge and quality to Flash speed. (Nano Banana Pro is the separate Gemini 3 Pro Image model.) It produces 4K-capable output with strong text rendering and instruction following, which makes it a good fit for product shots, marketing and anything with words in the frame.
At launch Google rolled it out across the Gemini app (where it replaced Nano Banana Pro across the Fast, Thinking and Pro models), Search, Ads and Flow, and offered it to developers through the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and on Vertex AI. It reached general availability on Vertex AI on May 28, 2026.
The trade-offs are ecosystem and provenance: it is tied to Google’s platforms, and outputs carry SynthID watermarking and C2PA Content Credentials. For distinctive artistic style choose Midjourney.
Pricing on the Gemini API
| Model | 1K image | 2K image | 4K image | Text input (per 1M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) | $0.067 | $0.101 | $0.151 | $0.50 |
| Nano Banana 2.1 | $0.0336 | $0.0504 | $0.113 | $1.50 |
The API is paid only; Google AI Studio requires a paid key for this model. Nano Banana 2.1 halves the per-image output price but triples text input cost.
How it compares
- vs Nano Banana 2.1: the newer model is cheaper per image and ranks 41 to 66 points higher on Arena’s three image boards; Nano Banana 2 keeps the lower text-input price.
- vs GPT Image 2.5: GPT Image 2.5 leads crowd-voted rankings; Nano Banana 2 is far cheaper per image.
- vs Midjourney v8.1: Midjourney leads on stylized, art-directed output but has no official API.
- vs FLUX.2: FLUX.2 can be self-hosted; Nano Banana 2 is hosted only.
For other models in this category, see the image models directory and our Best AI Image Generator ranking.
Best for
- Product, marketing and text-heavy visuals
- Conversational, multi-turn editing
- Existing Gemini API pipelines already tuned to this model
Pros & cons
Strengths
- 4K-capable photorealism with strong text rendering and instruction following
- Flash-tier speed and conversational, multi-turn editing
- Available across the Gemini app, Search, Google AI Studio, the Gemini API and Vertex AI
Limitations
- Superseded by Nano Banana 2.1, which is about half the price per image and ranks 41 to 66 points higher on Arena's image boards
- Locked into Google's ecosystem
- SynthID watermarking and C2PA Content Credentials on outputs
Frequently asked questions
Which Gemini model is Nano Banana 2?
Nano Banana 2 is Gemini 3.1 Flash Image (API ID gemini-3.1-flash-image), announced on February 26, 2026. Nano Banana Pro is the separate Gemini 3 Pro Image model.
Is Nano Banana 2 being shut down?
Not as far as Google's pages show. The Gemini API deprecations page lists Nano Banana 2.1 as the recommended replacement but gives no shutdown date, and the Vertex AI documentation lists a retirement date of May 28, 2027 or later. Check Google's pages before planning a migration.
Should I move to Nano Banana 2.1?
Nano Banana 2.1 costs about half as much per image ($0.0336 vs $0.067 at 1K) and ranks higher, but text input costs 3x more ($1.50 vs $0.50 per 1M tokens) and output style shifts between versions. Retest your prompts before switching.
Sources
- Google — Nano Banana 2: Combining Pro capabilities with lightning-fast speed
- Google Cloud — Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro are generally available
- Google AI for Developers — Gemini Developer API pricing
- Google AI for Developers — Deprecations
- Google Cloud — Gemini 3.1 Flash Image (Nano Banana 2)
- 13 Best AI Image Generators of 2026 — Curious Refuge