What is Nano Banana Pro?
Nano Banana Pro is Google's name for Gemini 3 Pro Image, a thinking model built on Gemini 3 Pro that works through a prompt before it draws. It can check facts with Google Search, blend up to 14 reference images, keep up to five people recognizable, and output 1K, 2K or 4K images with legible text in many languages.
It is current, but no longer Google's default: the newer, cheaper Nano Banana 2 now makes images in the Gemini app, and Google keeps Pro as the premium option for complex layouts, text-heavy designs and brand work. Its knowledge stops at January 2025, and there are no open weights.
Is Nano Banana Pro newer than Nano Banana 2?
No. Nano Banana Pro came first; Nano Banana 2 is the newer, faster model Google now uses by default, and Pro stays on as the premium option for the hardest jobs.
- Nano Banana Pro
- Gemini 3 Pro Image: the premium model for complex layouts, text and brand work, at $0.134 per 1K or 2K image.
- Nano Banana 2
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Image: Google's recommended default, from 0.5K to 4K, at $0.067 per 1K image.
- Nano Banana 2 Lite
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image: the fastest and cheapest, 1K only, at $0.0336 per image.
- Nano Banana
- Gemini 2.5 Flash Image: the original model, which Google is retiring, at $0.039 per image.
Who is Nano Banana Pro best for?
Nano Banana Pro is best for designers, marketers and developers who need accurate text inside images, the same brand or character look across many shots, and output up to 4K.
Infographics and diagrams
It thinks through the prompt and can pull live facts from Google Search, which helps explainers, charts and recipe cards get the content right.
Posters and mockups with text
It renders legible text from a tagline to a paragraph, in several languages, and can translate the text in an existing image.
Brand and character consistency
It blends up to 14 input images and keeps up to 5 people recognizable across one composition.
Print and high-resolution assets
It outputs 2K and 4K images and lets you change lighting, focus, camera angle and aspect ratio with a prompt.
What's included with Nano Banana Pro?
Google Search grounding, up to 14 reference images, text in many languages with translation, camera and lighting controls, 1K to 4K output and always-on thinking.
- Google Search grounding
- It can look up live facts such as weather or scores; 5,000 search requests a month are free across Gemini 3 models, then $14 per 1,000.
- Up to 14 reference images
- One request can mix up to 6 object images, 5 character images and 3 style references.
- Text and translation
- It writes legible text in many languages and can translate the text inside an existing image.
- Camera and lighting controls
- Prompts can change camera angle, focus, color grading and lighting, including day to night.
- 1K, 2K and 4K output
- Ten aspect ratios from 21:9 to 9:16, with 1K and 2K images at the same price.
- Always-on thinking
- It reasons through every prompt and sketches interim images, which are not billed, before the final render.
How much does Nano Banana Pro cost?
Nano Banana Pro costs $0.134 per 1K or 2K image and $0.24 per 4K image through the Gemini API, half that with Batch, while the Gemini app offers it from the $4.99-a-month Google AI Plus plan and free accounts get limited use in Google Flow.
- Limited Nano Banana Pro use in Google Flow
- 50 Google Flow credits a day
- The free Gemini app makes images with Nano Banana 2 instead
- $0.12 per 4K image
- $1 per million text input tokens
- For jobs that can wait
- $0.24 per 4K image
- $2 per million input tokens, about $0.0011 per input image
- 5,000 free Google Search grounding requests a month, then $14 per 1,000
- Redo Gemini app images with Nano Banana Pro
- Twice the Free plan's usage limits
- 200 Google Flow credits a month
Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) and Google AI Ultra (from $99.99 a month) also include Nano Banana Pro in the Gemini app, with higher limits. In the app, Pro redoes an image first made by Nano Banana 2 and stops once the daily Nano Banana 2 quota is used. In the API, image output is billed at $120 per million tokens: a 1K or 2K image uses 1,120 tokens and a 4K image 2,000. Text and thinking output costs $12 per million tokens. The Gemini API has no free tier for this model. Subscription prices are for the United States. There are no open weights, and every image carries a SynthID watermark. Full pricing on ai.google.dev. We checked these prices on .
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Nano Banana Pro pros and cons
It makes strong infographics, realistic images and multi-image edits, but it costs twice as much as Nano Banana 2 and fine details still slip.
Pros
- Makes detailed infographics, labeled maps and diagrams from a short prompt, and users like that it can run Google searches first to get the facts.
- Many users still prefer its realism to Nano Banana 2, and testers rate it well above the original Nano Banana on precise edits.
- Takes up to 14 reference images and tops Google's own multi-character editing test with 1135 Elo.
Cons
- It costs twice as much as Nano Banana 2 per 1K image, $0.134 against $0.067, and several developers call it too pricey for everyday use.
- Nano Banana 2 scores close to it or higher on most of Google's own tests, and some testers see little gain from Pro on many jobs.
- Fine details still slip: users report wrong clock times, piano keys and left and right mix-ups, and Google warns that small text can blur at 1K.
- In the Gemini app it is only a Redo option on paid plans, which subscribers say is easy to miss, and it stops once the daily Nano Banana 2 quota runs out.
What are the best Nano Banana Pro alternatives?
Nano Banana 2 for most work at half the price, Seedream 5.0 Pro for cheaper images up to 2K, and ChatGPT Images 2.5 for low-cost API images from OpenAI.
Nano Banana 2FreeChoose it when speed and price matter more than the last bit of accuracy; it costs $0.067 per 1K image, adds 0.5K output and image search grounding, and is the Gemini app's default image model.
Seedream 5.0 ProPaidChoose it when 2K is enough and price per image matters; ByteDance charges $0.045 per image up to 1.5K and $0.09 above, but it stops at 2K.
ChatGPT Images 2.5FreeChoose it when you want OpenAI's image model at a lower API cost; a medium-quality 1024x1024 image costs about $0.013.
Questions about Nano Banana Pro
What is Nano Banana Pro?
Nano Banana Pro is Google DeepMind's premium image model, built on Gemini 3 Pro for designers, marketers and developers who need accurate text, factual infographics and consistent characters at up to 4K.
Who is Nano Banana Pro for?
Nano Banana Pro is best for designers, marketers and developers who need accurate text inside images, the same brand or character look across many shots, and output up to 4K.
Is Nano Banana Pro free?
Only in a limited way. A free Google account gets limited Nano Banana Pro use in Google Flow, but the free Gemini app makes images with Nano Banana 2, and redoing an image with Pro there needs a Google AI plan from $4.99 a month. The Gemini API has no free tier for it.
How much does Nano Banana Pro cost?
Nano Banana Pro's paid plans are Gemini API Batch at $0.067 per 1K or 2K image, Gemini API Standard at $0.134 per 1K or 2K image and Google AI Plus at $4.99 per month.
What are the best Nano Banana Pro alternatives?
The closest alternatives on Recaply are Nano Banana 2, Seedream 5.0 Pro and ChatGPT Images 2.5.
Where can I try Nano Banana Pro?
On its official website, blog.google.
How do I use Nano Banana Pro in the Gemini app?
With Gemini set to Pro, make an image, then click More at its bottom right and choose Redo with Pro. It needs a Google AI plan, and it only works while you still have Nano Banana 2 images left in your daily quota.
Does Nano Banana Pro use Google Search?
Yes. Through the Gemini API it can ground images in Google Search results, such as live weather or sports scores. The first 5,000 search requests a month are free, shared across Gemini 3 models, then each 1,000 cost $14; one prompt can trigger several searches.
Are Nano Banana Pro images watermarked?
Yes. Every image Nano Banana Pro makes carries SynthID, Google's invisible watermark that marks it as AI-generated. You can check an image by asking the Gemini app, Gemini in Chrome or Google Search whether Google AI made it.
Our verdict
Nano Banana Pro is still worth paying for when text, facts or many references have to be right, but Nano Banana 2 is the better default.
Google keeps it for its hardest jobs: it holds five characters and three style references per request and tops Google's multi-character editing test, yet Nano Banana 2 comes close on most tests at half the price.
- Skip it for
- Bulk or everyday images, where Nano Banana 2 or Nano Banana 2 Lite cost far less.
- Check first
- Run your key prompts through Nano Banana 2 first, and note that the Gemini app offers Pro only on paid plans.
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