Compare Nano Banana 2.1, Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2, Flux Kontext, and Seedream 4.5 in Spicy Mayo. Choose by the output you need, the credits you want to spend, and how well each result follows your brief.
Start with Nano Banana 2.1 for fast drafts, multi-photo edits and 21:9 at 30–60 credits, Nano Banana Pro for the most demanding 4K and typography work, Flux Kontext for the lowest credit cost, Seedream 4.5 for lower-cost 2K exploration, or GPT Image 2 for another take on your brief.
Spicy Mayo brings these models together with image editing, video generation, a shared credit balance, and saved creations. It is an independent studio, not the developer of these models.
Find your creative fitAll five support text-to-image; Nano Banana 2.1 accepts up to four reference photos for editing, the others one. Upload JPG, PNG, or WebP up to 4 MB. Prices below are credits per output on current plans, not API dollar prices.
| Model / provider | Credits per image | Output settings | Aspect ratios |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana 2.1Google | 30 · 1K 45 · 2K 60 · 4K | 1K, 2K or 4K | 1:1 · 16:9 · 9:16 · 4:3 · 3:4 · 3:2 · 2:3 · 21:9 |
| Nano Banana ProGoogle | 50 · 2K 100 · 4K | 2K or 4K | 1:1 · 16:9 · 9:16 · 4:3 · 3:4 · 3:2 · 2:3 |
| GPT Image 2OpenAI | 63 · Standard | 1024 × 1024, 1024 × 1536, or 1536 × 1024 | 1:1 · 2:3 · 3:2 |
| Flux KontextBlack Forest Labs | 11 · Standard | Standard; dimensions depend on the provider output | 1:1 · 16:9 · 9:16 |
| Seedream 4.5ByteDance | 13 · 2K | 2048 × 2048, 2560 × 1440, or 1440 × 2560 | 1:1 · 16:9 · 9:16 |
Settings describe this website’s implementation. A provider may offer other options in its own product. Higher resolution or a higher price does not by itself prove a better result.
Everyday generation and edits at 1K, 2K or 4K with eight shapes, including 21:9, and up to four reference photos in one edit here. Fewer credits per image than Nano Banana Pro at each resolution.
Arena's leaderboards dated 6 October 2026 place it #5 in text-to-image and #6 in image edit, behind GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst and Flare. Google's model card notes small text can be blurry at 1K; choose 2K or 4K for lettering.
A flexible starting point when you need several print, portrait, or landscape shapes, or a 4K option.
Uses more credits than Flux Kontext and Seedream 4.5 at their current settings. Inspect text and preserved details after an edit.
An alternative image model to try on the same brief, with square, portrait, and landscape formats and high quality selected by the studio.
The studio exposes three shapes and a single Standard size setting; it does not expose a 4K selector for this model.
Testing focused edits or prompt variations with the lowest credit cost among the image models currently offered here.
Standard resolution only in this studio. A lower credit cost is useful for iteration, but does not establish better image quality.
Exploring 2K concepts on a smaller credit budget, in square, widescreen, or vertical formats.
Three aspect ratios and no 4K selector in this studio. Check fine detail, lettering, and product shape before publishing.
“Nano Banana 2.5” is the community name for the model Arena tested anonymously as “spicy-mayo” from 9 September 2026; Google never released a model under that name. What Google released on 6 October 2026 is Nano Banana 2.1 (gemini-nano-banana-2.1), which trackers report is that model under its production name — a link Google has not confirmed.
Status as of : Google released Nano Banana 2.1 (model id gemini-nano-banana-2.1) on 6 October 2026. Whether the Arena model codenamed spicy-mayo shipped as Nano Banana 2.1 is reported by trackers and not confirmed by Google or Arena. No model named "Nano Banana 2.5" has been released.
Nano Banana 2.1 is in the table above with its settings and credit costs, so you can run it against Nano Banana Pro on the same prompt today using the repeatable tests below.
For poster text, check exact spelling and placement. For a photo edit, inspect the face, product shape, and background details that should stay. The repeatable prompts below help you compare the available models.
Record the selected model, reference image, prompt, aspect ratio, and output size. Separate resolution and credit cost from image quality when judging the result.
Our chair example was generated with Nano Banana Pro and is labelled as such. Use results with a named model and documented settings when evaluating any claim about an unreleased model.
We asked Nano Banana Pro to turn an orange chair cherry red while preserving the scene. The color changed and the broad composition remained recognizable. Reflections and small details were re-rendered.
This example demonstrates one edit. A controlled quality benchmark across all five models has not been run; use the repeatable prompts below to compare results on the work that matters to you.
See the exact prompt and settings
Use the same prompt and reference, keep the aspect ratio consistent, and record the selected model, output size, credit cost, and result. Judge repeated outputs with model names hidden if you want a fairer comparison. These are suggested tests, not published benchmark results.
Change the orange chair to a glossy bright cherry red chair. Preserve the chair shape, the blue water, reflection, background, and composition.
What to check: Compare the silhouette, waterline, reflection, and crop with the original. A successful color change can still alter fine details.
A square editorial poster of an unbranded cobalt glass bottle on an ivory stone pedestal. Warm side lighting, soft shadows, minimal composition. Include only the exact words "A NEW NOTE" at the top, with generous margins.
What to check: Check every letter, the number of bottles, margins, and whether the lighting matches the request.
Replace the background with a warm ivory studio backdrop. Preserve the product silhouette, label text, colors, and camera angle. Add a soft contact shadow consistent with light from the upper left. Do not add props.
What to check: Use the same owned product photo for each model. Compare the label, edges, contact shadow, and any added objects.
Explore a prompt with several image models, then use a supported video model to animate a selected result.
The studio displays the total credit charge for your model and settings. You do not need your own API keys.
Reference uploads, saved creations, reusable prompts, and downloads are available in the same account.
There is no single winner established by this comparison. For the options in this studio, Nano Banana 2.1 has the lowest credit cost of the two Google models and accepts up to four reference photos, Nano Banana Pro offers seven aspect ratios and a 4K selector, Flux Kontext has the lowest current credit cost, and Seedream 4.5 offers 2K at a lower credit cost than Nano Banana Pro. Compare repeated outputs on your own brief to assess quality.
Spicy Mayo is an independent creative studio with five image models: Google’s Nano Banana 2.1 and Nano Banana Pro, OpenAI’s GPT Image 2, Black Forest Labs’ Flux Kontext, and ByteDance’s Seedream 4.5. Choose a model inside the studio before creating or editing an image.
Nano Banana 2 is deprecated by Google and shuts down on 29 October 2026, so we never added it. “Nano Banana 2.5” is not a released model; it is the community name for the Arena test model spicy-mayo. See our status page for the dated, sourced story.
Yes. The full model catalog lists the nine video models, supported modes, durations, resolution choices, and credit costs. Image and video outputs are different tasks, so their credit costs are not quality rankings.
If the entire allowance is used on one model and setting, it covers 73 Nano Banana 2.1 images at 1K, 44 Nano Banana Pro images at 2K, 34 GPT Image 2 images at Standard, 200 Flux Kontext images at Standard, 169 Seedream 4.5 images at 2K, or 22 Nano Banana Pro images at 4K. Unspent credits may remain. Mixing settings or creating video changes the total. Read credit expiry and plan details.
Explore the studio, choose a direction, and make it your own.