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AI image model comparison

Nano Banana 2.1 vs Grok Imagine 2.0

Nano Banana 2.1 and Grok Imagine 2.0 are close on image quality: Arena's text-to-image vote ranks them sixth and fourth, a statistical tie. Nano Banana 2.1 does more with reference images, resolution, and real-world facts. Grok Imagine 2.0 runs unlimited from the Pro plan, and Nano Banana 2.1 runs unlimited from the Pro Plus plan.

Try Nano Banana 2.1Try Grok Image 2.0
  • A white dragon perched on a city tower at dusk, in a telephoto news-photo style
    Nano Banana 2.1A white dragon perched on a city tower at dusk, in a telephoto news-photo style
  • A street food cook tossing noodles in a giant wok at a night market, flames leaping from the burner, steam and soft neon glow blurred behind, candid photo, 35mm
    Grok Imagine 2.0A street food cook tossing noodles in a giant wok at a night market, flames leaping from the burner, steam and soft neon glow blurred behind, candid photo, 35mm

Side by side

Prices, plans, resolutions, ratios, and reference limits are Mage's own, for the model compared. Release dates, search grounding, and watermarks are what each lab publishes. Arena ranks come from its text-to-image and text-rendering boards of October 7, 2026 and its image-edit board of October 19, 2026.

Nano Banana 2.1Grok Imagine 2.0
Made byGooglexAI
ReleasedOctober 6, 2026 SourceAugust 7, 2026 Source
Price on Mage, from51 Gems ($0.051) per image90 Gems ($0.09) per image
Unlimited on Mage fromPro PlusPro
Top resolution on Mage4K2K
Aspect ratios on Mage1:1, 3:2, 2:3, 3:4, 4:1, 4:3, 4:5, 5:4, 8:1, 9:16, 16:9, 21:91:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3, 2:1, 1:2, 19.5:9, 9:19.5, 20:9, 9:20
Reference images on Mage, up to143
Search groundingYes, Google Web and Image Search SourceNone documented Source
Arena text-to-image#6 of 82 (preliminary) Source#4 of 82 (preliminary) Source
Arena text rendering#5 (preliminary) Source#6 (preliminary) Source
Arena image edit#5 of 60 (preliminary) Source#4 of 60 (preliminary) Source
WatermarkSynthID on every image SourceNone stated Source

Last checked October 2026

Which should you use?

Choose Nano Banana 2.1 for

  • Up to 14 reference images, to keep several characters and objects consistent
  • 4K output and panoramas up to 8:1
  • Images grounded in Google Search

Choose Grok Imagine 2.0 for

  • Close instruction following and clean typography, which xAI built it for
  • Phone-shaped ratios such as 19.5:9 and 20:9
  • Unlimited images from the Pro plan

Image quality

In Arena's blind text-to-image votes, Grok Imagine 2.0 ranks fourth of 82 and Nano Banana 2.1 sixth, close enough that Arena's confidence ranges overlap. On image editing, Grok Imagine 2.0 ranks fourth of 60 and Nano Banana 2.1 fifth. All four scores are marked preliminary.

xAI built Grok Imagine 2.0 for practical work: close instruction following, typography and layout, and inputs preserved across edits. Google built Nano Banana 2.1 for speed and volume, with multi-reference fidelity and infographics.

Text in images

The two sit close together on Arena's text-rendering board: Nano Banana 2.1 fifth and Grok Imagine 2.0 sixth. xAI claims sharp small text and dense layouts that hold together. Google notes small text can blur at 1K, so render text-heavy images at 2K or higher.

Reference images

This is the clearest difference. Nano Banana 2.1 takes up to 14 reference images on Mage, enough for a cast of characters and the objects around them. Grok Imagine 2.0 takes up to 3, which suits restyling one image or combining a few.

Resolution and shape

Nano Banana 2.1 renders up to 4K on Mage, including 4:1 and 8:1 panoramas. Grok Imagine 2.0 goes up to 2K in 13 ratios, including tall phone shapes such as 9:19.5 and 9:20.

Price on Mage

Nano Banana 2.1 starts at 51 Gems (about $0.051) per image on Mage and runs unlimited from the Pro Plus plan. Grok Imagine 2.0 starts at 90 Gems (about $0.09) per image on Mage and runs unlimited from the Pro plan.

A little more clarity

Questions

Is Nano Banana 2.1 better than Grok Imagine 2.0?
They are close on Arena's text-to-image vote, and Grok Imagine 2.0 ranks ahead on image editing. Nano Banana 2.1 is the better pick when you need many reference images, 4K output, or facts from Google Search.
Which keeps characters more consistent?
Nano Banana 2.1, for anything beyond a couple of references: it takes up to 14 reference images on Mage, against 3 for Grok Imagine 2.0.
Which costs less on Mage?
Nano Banana 2.1 starts at 51 Gems (about $0.051) per image on Mage and runs unlimited from the Pro Plus plan. Grok Imagine 2.0 starts at 90 Gems (about $0.09) per image on Mage and runs unlimited from the Pro plan.
Can I use both on Mage?
Yes. Both run in the same prompt box on Mage, on the same Gems and plans, and through the Mage API and the Mage MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT, so you can try a prompt on each and keep the better image.

Try Nano Banana 2.1 and Grok Imagine 2.0 on one prompt

Run the same prompt on both in Mage's prompt box and keep the better image. New accounts get 300 free Gems.

Try Nano Banana 2.1