Pick Nano Banana 2 Lite when you're generating at volume and want the lowest cost per image — drafts, variations, thumbnails, app features. Pick the standard Nano Banana 2 when you need resolution above 1K, complex scenes, or consistency you can ship. They're the same house style; the difference is the ceiling and the price.
Side by side
| Nano Banana 2 Lite | Nano Banana 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image | Gemini 3.1 Flash Image |
| Best at | Volume, drafts, cost | Polished assets, quality |
| Max resolution | 1K | Up to 4K |
| Speed (1K) | ~4 sec | ~3–5 sec |
| Cost per 1K image | ~$0.034 | ~$0.067 |
| In-image text | Good (25+ languages) | Best, incl. dense text |
| Character consistency | Wobbles across scenes | Stronger |
| Search grounding | No | Yes |
Nano Banana 2 Lite
Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image) is the family's budget tier, built for ultra-low latency and cost. It delivers a 1K image in about four seconds at roughly $0.034, keeps the clean Nano Banana look, and renders legible text in over 25 languages. Across a batch of images it stays consistent, which is what you want when you're generating variations at scale.
Its limits are deliberate: a hard 1K resolution cap, no Search grounding, weaker small-text rendering, and character-consistency wobbles when the scene changes. For high-volume, cost-sensitive, or draft workflows, none of that gets in the way. Read the full Nano Banana 2 Lite review for the deeper look.
Nano Banana 2
The standard Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) is the generalist — the go-to for balanced quality, intelligence, cost, and latency. It supports resolutions from 512 up to 4K, handles complex multi-subject compositions and realistic face consistency, and renders even dense in-image text reliably. It also keeps Search grounding for knowledge-aware edits.
At about $0.067 per 1K image it costs roughly double Lite, but it's the model to reach for when the output is a final asset rather than a draft. See the full Nano Banana 2 review and the pricing guide for the resolution tiers and batch math.
Which should you pick?
Pick Nano Banana 2 Lite for high-volume interactive generation, draft workflows, and cost-sensitive batches — anywhere the cost per image matters more than the last 10% of quality. At half the price, it's the smart default for app features and iteration.
Pick Nano Banana 2 for polished assets, consistency-sensitive series, text-heavy visuals, and higher-resolution output. A common pattern is to draft on Lite and finalize on the standard model — cheap iteration, quality output. For the broader field, see Nano Banana 2 vs Midjourney and our best AI image generators ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Nano Banana 2 Lite and Nano Banana 2?
Lite is the cheaper, faster tier capped at 1K with no Search grounding, built for volume and drafts. Nano Banana 2 supports up to 4K, higher quality, and stronger consistency for polished assets.
Is Nano Banana 2 Lite cheaper?
Yes — about $0.034 per 1K image versus roughly $0.067 for the standard model at the same resolution, so about half the cost per image.
Which Nano Banana model is best for final assets?
The standard Nano Banana 2. It handles up to 4K, complex multi-subject scenes, and consistency-sensitive series better than Lite, which is aimed at drafts and volume.
Do both render text well?
Both render legible text in 25+ languages, but the standard model is more reliable with dense or small text. For simple headlines and labels, Lite is fine.
Can I use both together?
Yes, and many teams do — draft and iterate cheaply on Lite, then generate the final version on the standard model. It keeps costs low without sacrificing the finished result.
Does Lite support 4K output?
No. Lite is capped at 1K. If you need 2K or 4K, use the standard Nano Banana 2 or the top-fidelity Nano Banana Pro tier.