Nano Banana 2 Lite vs 2 vs Pro: which Gemini model to use

Google split "Nano Banana" into four tiers on June 30, 2026. Nano Banana 2 Lite joins the previously known Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro, turning what used to be treated as one model into a four-rung ladder — a free legacy option up through a premium tier built for complex professional work. If you generate images for a living, or just generate a lot of them, the useful question isn't "which one wins," it's "which one fits this job."

This guide breaks down all four tiers on speed, price, resolution, and reference-image limits — and, just as important for anyone working inside OmniArt right now, which ones you can actually use today versus which are still on the way.

The bottom line

Nano Banana 2 (gemini-3.1-flash) is the tier to reach for right now — it's live in OmniArt's image workspace today, tagged new and hot. Nano Banana 2 Lite and Nano Banana Pro are real, Google-announced models with real specs below, but neither has been integrated into OmniArt yet.

What Google announced: four Nano Banana tiers

Google's Nano Banana family now spans four models, each with a distinct job:

1. Nano Banana (legacy) — gemini-2.5-flash. The original model. Google is actively steering developers toward the newer tiers.
2. Nano Banana 2 Lite — gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image. The fastest, cheapest tier, built for volume.
3. Nano Banana 2 — gemini-3.1-flash-image. The generalist workhorse — the model most people mean when they say "Nano Banana 2."
4. Nano Banana Pro — gemini-3-pro-image. The premium tier, built for the most complex and professional visual work.

All four share the same foundation: text-to-image generation, image editing, multi-turn conversational iteration, the same 10 aspect ratios (1:1, 3:2, 2:3, 3:4, 4:3, 4:5, 5:4, 9:16, 16:9, and 21:9), a "thinking mode" that's on by default and configurable via thinking_level (minimal or high), and SynthID watermarking on every output. The spec table below covers where they diverge.

Nano Banana 2 Lite: built for speed and volume

Nano Banana 2 Lite is Google's answer to "I need a lot of images, fast." At roughly 4 seconds per image and $0.034 per 1K-resolution image, it's the quickest and cheapest tier in the family — Google's partners report it running about 2.7x faster than Nano Banana 2.

The trade-off is resolution: Lite tops out at 1K (0.5K and 1K only, no 2K or 4K), and it doesn't support Google Search grounding. What it doesn't sacrifice is the stuff that matters for iteration — character consistency, prompt adherence, and legible in-image text all hold up despite the speed focus. It also accepts up to 14 reference or object images per generation.

Arena.ai ranks Lite #5 overall on its Text-to-Image Arena with an Elo score around 1,251, and describes it as sitting on the "Pareto frontier" — near-flagship quality at a fraction of the price. For high-volume ideation, that's the pitch.

Nano Banana 2: the generalist workhorse

Nano Banana 2 is the tier most creators will reach for most of the time — and it's the one already live in OmniArt's image workspace, listed as gemini-3.1-flash. It generates up to 4K resolution, supports Google Search grounding for generations that need to reference real-world information, and accepts up to 10 object references plus 4 character references per generation.

Where Lite trades resolution for throughput and Pro adds a dedicated style-reference lane, Nano Banana 2 sits in the middle — enough resolution, reference capacity, and speed for most production work. If you're not sure which tier a job needs, it's the safe default, which is also why it's the one OmniArt ships today.

For how it stacks up against a non-Google model on identical prompts, see GPT Image 2 vs Nano Banana 2.

Nano Banana Pro: the professional tier

Nano Banana Pro is built for the most complex and professional visual tasks — Google's own language for the tier. It splits its reference-image budget into three categories: up to 6 object images, 5 character images, and 3 style images per generation — the only tier of the four with a dedicated style-reference lane.

Worth noting: all three current-generation tiers cap at the same total of 14 reference images (Lite leaves it undifferentiated, Nano Banana 2 splits it 10/4, Pro splits it 6/5/3). Pro's edge isn't a bigger number — it's the added style category, dedicated to matching a defined visual look across a composition. Google positions Pro as the most accurate tier in the lineup, which tracks with that extra control.

It's the tier for jobs with enough moving parts — multiple characters, multiple products, a style to match — that Lite's speed or Nano Banana 2's balance stop being the deciding factor.

Nano Banana (legacy): time to migrate

The original Nano Banana (gemini-2.5-flash) is still functional and still available on OmniArt today, tagged free. But Google has flagged it as being superseded by the newer tiers and is actively recommending developers migrate off it. None of the newer capabilities — expanded reference-image limits, Google Search grounding, higher resolution ceilings — apply to it. Treat it as a free, no-cost lane for casual generation, not a long-term production choice.

Choose by scenario

Match the tier to the job, not the other way around. The scenarios below cover all four tiers — including Lite and Pro, which aren't in OmniArt's workspace yet — so you know what to reach for as each one rolls out.

What's available on OmniArt today

To be direct: only one of the four tiers in this article is live inside OmniArt right now.

OmniArt's image workspace carries three models under its "Nano Banana" brand group today:

• gemini-3.1-flash (Nano Banana 2, Google's gemini-3.1-flash-image model) — tagged new and hot, generally available now.
• gemini-3.0 — tagged hot, generally available now. This is a separate option in the workspace; it isn't one of the four tiers Google announced on June 30.
• gemini-2.5-flash (the legacy Nano Banana) — tagged free, generally available now.

Nano Banana 2 Lite and Nano Banana Pro are not on that list. They were announced yesterday, and as of publishing, OmniArt has not integrated either one. If you came here hoping to switch your ideation pipeline to Lite or your hero shots to Pro this afternoon, you can't — not yet.

How OmniArt plans to handle the Lite and Pro rollout

OmniArt adds models when they clear two bars: stable public availability and a real creative job the existing lineup doesn't already cover. Lite has a clear case — high-volume ideation at a lower price point is a gap the current three-tier lineup doesn't fully close. Pro's case depends on how often its dedicated style-reference lane solves problems that Nano Banana 2's object-and-character budget doesn't already cover for most users. Neither gets added automatically just because Google shipped it.

For more on how OmniArt has tracked Google's release cadence recently, see our coverage of Gemini Omni Flash's developer API and the Gemini Omni video model leak that preceded it.

FAQ

What is Nano Banana 2 Lite?

Nano Banana 2 Lite (gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image) is the fastest and cheapest tier in Google's four-model Nano Banana family, announced June 30, 2026. It generates images in about 4 seconds at $0.034 per 1K-resolution image, tops out at 1K resolution, and accepts up to 14 reference images per generation.

Is Nano Banana 2 Lite faster than Nano Banana 2?

Yes — Google's partner testimonials report Nano Banana 2 Lite running about 2.7x faster than Nano Banana 2. The trade-off: Lite caps at 1K resolution and skips Google Search grounding, while Nano Banana 2 reaches 4K with grounding support.

What's the difference between Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro?

Nano Banana 2 is the generalist tier: up to 4K resolution, Google Search grounding, and 10 object plus 4 character reference images. Nano Banana Pro is the premium tier for complex, professional compositions: 6 object, 5 character, and 3 style reference images, and Google positions it as the most accurate tier in the family.

Can I use Nano Banana 2 Lite or Nano Banana Pro on OmniArt right now?

No. As of this article's publish date, only Nano Banana 2 (gemini-3.1-flash) is live in OmniArt's image workspace. Lite and Pro were announced by Google on June 30, 2026 and have not yet been integrated into OmniArt.

Does Nano Banana 2 Lite support Google Search grounding?

No. Of the four tiers, only Nano Banana 2 is confirmed to support Google Search grounding. Google's announcement doesn't specify grounding support for Nano Banana Pro or the legacy model.

Getting started on OmniArt

The model you can actually use today is Nano Banana 2 (gemini-3.1-flash), live now in OmniArt's image workspace alongside the legacy free tier and the separate gemini-3.0 option. Open the image workspace, run your brief through Nano Banana 2, and iterate with the same multi-turn editing Google describes for the whole family.

Watch this space for Nano Banana 2 Lite and Nano Banana Pro — when either clears OmniArt's bar for stable availability and a real creative gap, it'll land in the same workspace, next to the models you already use. Our guide to writing better prompts applies cleanly to Nano Banana 2 today, and once Lite rolls out, our prompt guide for Nano Banana 2 Lite will cover the fast-iteration patterns that tier rewards.