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 maps each one to the model entry you can use inside OmniArt today.

The bottom line

All four Nano Banana options are now available in OmniArt's image workspace. Reach for Nano Banana 2 Lite for fast 1080p iteration, Nano Banana 2 for general production, Nano Banana Pro for the premium lane, or legacy Nano Banana for the free lane.

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. All four options in the scenarios below are available in OmniArt's image workspace.

What's available on OmniArt today

All four Nano Banana options in this article are live inside OmniArt now.

OmniArt's image workspace carries four 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-3.1-flash-lite (Nano Banana 2 Lite) — available at 1080p with up to 14 reference images.
• gemini-3.0 (Nano Banana Pro) — tagged hot, generally available now.
• gemini-2.5-flash (the legacy Nano Banana) — tagged free, generally available now.

Use the direct model pages to keep the choice explicit: Lite, Nano Banana 2, Pro, or legacy.

How OmniArt handles the family now

The four entries now cover distinct production lanes in one picker: Lite for fast high-volume ideation, Nano Banana 2 for the balanced default, Pro for premium compositions, and the legacy model for free casual generation. Pick by the output and reference needs in the tables above rather than treating the family as one interchangeable model.

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?

Yes. Nano Banana 2 Lite and Nano Banana Pro are both available in OmniArt's image workspace alongside Nano Banana 2 and the legacy free model.

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

Open the image workspace on the model that fits the job: Nano Banana 2 Lite for fast 1080p iteration, Nano Banana 2 for the balanced default, Nano Banana Pro for premium work, or legacy Nano Banana for the free lane.

Our guide to writing better prompts applies across the family, and the Nano Banana 2 Lite prompt guide covers the fast-iteration patterns that tier rewards.