ChatGPT Images vs Nano Banana

OpenAI's image models lead the public votes: on Arena's text-to-image leaderboard dated Nov 2, 2026, GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst is first at 1427 and OpenAI holds every place to fifth, while Google's Nano Banana 2.1 is seventh at 1325. ChatGPT Images 2.6, released on Nov 4, 2026, runs on the newer GPT-Image-2.6 models, which sit second and fourth. Nano Banana is the cheaper engine to call from code, from $0.0336 per image, and is free to try in the Gemini app. Midjourney, which many artists prefer for its look, does not take part in Arena's votes at all, so no measured comparison with it exists; FLUX from Black Forest Labs ranks lower but costs little at volume. Learn more: https://ai.vi.ki/nano-banana and https://ai.vi.ki/midjourney.

Quick facts

Verdict by task

Which makes better images?

ChatGPT Images, on the largest public vote. Arena's text-to-image board, with 6,961,993 votes across 84 models on Nov 2, 2026, ranks GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst 1st (1427), GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst 2nd (1409), GPT-Image-2.5 Flare 3rd (1399), GPT-Image-2.6 Flare 4th (1384) and GPT-Image-2 5th (1382). Microsoft's MAI-Image-2.6 is 6th (1331), Gemini Nano Banana 2.1 7th (1325) and Grok Imagine Image 2.0 8th (1317). Google's Nano Banana 2 with web search is 13th (1257) and Nano Banana Pro at 2K 18th (1246). Several top scores, including the first four and Nano Banana 2.1, are marked preliminary.

Image editing tells the same story. On Arena's single-image edit board, also Nov 2, 2026, OpenAI's models are 1st, 2nd and 3rd (GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst 1517) and Nano Banana 2.1 is 8th (1427).

A leaderboard is an average of strangers' preferences on their prompts, not a test of yours; on a given image either can win. Google's own model page describes Nano Banana Pro as "studio-quality" and Nano Banana 2 as pro-level at "Flash speed", without a head-to-head.

Price

In ChatGPT, image creation is on every plan: Free "Limited", Go "More", Plus "More complex and accurate", Pro "Unlimited and faster" (subject to abuse guardrails), and images with thinking on Plus, Pro and Business. OpenAI publishes no image count per plan. In Gemini, the free plan includes image generation and editing and limited Nano Banana Pro in Google Flow; Google AI Pro costs $19.99 a month against ChatGPT Plus's $20 (ChatGPT Plans and Pricing).

In the APIs, Google prices per image: Nano Banana 2.1 at $0.0336 (1K), $0.0504 (2K) and $0.113 (4K), half that in Batch; Nano Banana Pro at $0.134 (1K or 2K) and $0.24 (4K). OpenAI prices GPT Image by tokens: $30 per million image output tokens for the 2.6 models, with no fixed per-image table. For the older GPT Image 2 the guide lists $0.006 (low), $0.053 (medium) and $0.211 (high) for a 1024x1024 image. Verdict: Nano Banana is cheaper at high quality and easier to budget; OpenAI's low quality is cheapest of all.

Features

0:42 ChatGPT Images 2.6 makes GIFs, generates "50% faster than before", and in the API adds SVG export and a complexity setting; GIFs run from 2 to 16 frames. OpenAI says people make 4 billion images a week across ChatGPT, Codex and the API. With thinking, ChatGPT Images can use the web to find information for an image. Nano Banana is in the Gemini app, Google Pics, AI Studio and the API, and in Google Antigravity for developers.

Midjourney

Midjourney has no free plan on its comparison page: Basic $10 a month, Standard $30, Pro $60 and Mega $120, each 20% less billed yearly, sold in hours of fast GPU time. Its default model has been V8.2 since Jul 24, 2026, and it also animates images into clips of up to 21 seconds. Midjourney is not on either Arena board, so there is no measured comparison with ChatGPT Images; choose it for its own style and community, not on a score.

FLUX

Black Forest Labs' FLUX is the budget option in code: FLUX 3 Image from $0.041 per 768x768 image and FLUX 3 Image Klein from $0.008. On Arena its best ranked model is FLUX.2 [max], 30th for generation and 37th for editing; FLUX 3 Image is not on those boards yet.

Which should you choose?

Choose ChatGPT Images for the best-voted images and edits, GIFs, and a chat that refines the result; it is on every ChatGPT plan. Choose Nano Banana for predictable per-image API prices, free use in the Gemini app, or if you live in Google's apps. Choose Midjourney for its look, FLUX for cheap volume. Earlier OpenAI image models are on DALL-E, and the broader assistant comparison is ChatGPT vs Gemini. Learn more: https://ai.vi.ki/nano-banana and https://ai.vi.ki/midjourney.

What testers found

1:42 Parker Prompts, who paid for the $20 plans of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for a month, said in an Aug 12, 2026 video that Gemini's Nano Banana matches ChatGPT on quality. He gave ChatGPT "the slight edge" for text-heavy images such as a poster or an infographic, and found Nano Banana "right there with it and often a bit faster" for realistic edits to a photo.

1:35 In a Jun 7, 2026 video comparing the same plans, Paul J Lipsky went through the templates and the editing of uploaded images in both apps. He said both do a great job, with Gemini's results "just not as good" as ChatGPT's, and said either will do for someone who makes images only now and then.

4:35 Igor Pogany of The AI Advantage, in a Jun 8, 2026 video, called ChatGPT's the best image generator on the market, "even beyond what Google can do", for combining uploaded photos of people and for marketing images with the fonts and colors you ask for. These are three creators' impressions, in line with Arena's votes, not measured tests.

Frequently asked questions

Is ChatGPT Images better than Nano Banana? On Arena's public votes of Nov 2, 2026, yes: OpenAI's GPT Image models take the top five places for generation and the top three for editing, with Nano Banana 2.1 seventh and eighth. Several of those scores are still preliminary.

Which is cheaper, ChatGPT Images or Nano Banana? Both are included in their free and $20 consumer plans. In the API, Nano Banana 2.1 costs $0.0336 per 1K image, while OpenAI charges by tokens with no fixed per-image price for its 2.6 models.

Is ChatGPT image generation free? Yes, with "Limited" image creation on ChatGPT Free; OpenAI does not publish the number. Images with thinking need Plus, Pro or Business.

Is GPT Image better than Midjourney? No measured comparison exists, because Midjourney is not on Arena's leaderboards. Midjourney costs $10 to $120 a month with no free plan, while ChatGPT Images is on every ChatGPT plan.

What model does ChatGPT use for images? ChatGPT Images 2.6 since Nov 4, 2026, built on GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst and Flare.

Sources

• Introducing Images 2.6, OpenAI, Nov 4, 2026
• Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.0, OpenAI, Apr 21, 2026
• Pricing and Image generation guide, OpenAI API docs, read Nov 6, 2026
• ChatGPT pricing, OpenAI, read Nov 6, 2026
• Images in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Gemini image models, Google DeepMind, read Nov 6, 2026
• Gemini API pricing, Google AI Studio, read Nov 6, 2026
• Google AI plans, Google, read Nov 6, 2026
• Models, Google Antigravity, read Nov 6, 2026
• Comparing Midjourney Plans, Version and Video, Midjourney, read Nov 6, 2026
• Pricing, Black Forest Labs, read Nov 6, 2026
• Text-to-image leaderboard and Image edit leaderboard, Arena, Nov 2, 2026, read Nov 6, 2026
• GPT-Image-2.6: Faster image generation with Flare and Sunburst, OpenAI, Nov 4, 2026 (video)
• ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: Which $20 AI Plan Is Worth It?, Parker Prompts, Aug 12, 2026 (video)
• ChatGPT Plus vs Claude Pro vs Gemini Pro: The Best $20 AI Plan, Paul J Lipsky, Jun 7, 2026 (video)
• ChatGPT vs. Claude: Which Should You Use in 2026?, The AI Advantage, Jun 8, 2026 (video)