Ideogram vs Nano Banana (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Nano Banana grades higher than Ideogram: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ideogram grades higher on features and ease of use. Nano Banana grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ideogram
Image generator for designs with text, plus editing and video apps
Nano Banana
Google's image creation and editing model inside the Gemini app
Which one is for you
Pick Ideogram if
- Fits if your images need words in them, like a logo, poster or ad
- Works for small teams who want credits per person on one bill, with a 2-user minimum
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want free images kept private, as free-plan work is always public and needs a Google, Apple or Microsoft sign-in
- Tight if you lean on partner models, edits, upscales and video, which always cost credits, even with the slower unlimited queue
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $20 for Plus against $15 yearly, and custom model training needs Pro at $42
- Watch out: plan credits don't roll over, and extra credits at one cent each expire after 365 days
- Not for you if you're on Android or want a desktop app, and credits can't be bought in the iPhone app
Pick Nano Banana if
- Fits if you already use Gemini and want to edit photos by describing the change
- Works for casual image making on a free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want the newest model on the free plan, as Nano Banana 2.1 needs a paid Google AI plan
- Watch out: generated images carry a visible watermark as well as an invisible one
- Tight if you make many images: limits are stated as multiples of the free plan, not image counts
- Not for you if you want a standalone app, since it lives inside Gemini
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAIdeogramGood | 3.0GPANano BananaVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPlus is $15 a month on yearly billing ($20 monthly) for 2,400 credits and private images, just past this category's dearer quarter of $14.50. When credits run out, Ideogram's own models keep working in a slower queue. | AGoogle AI Plus is $4.99 a month, under 60% of the category's cheaper quarter of $8.33. Pro is $19.99 and Ultra $99.99. |
| Free plan and trial | C30 credits a week, but only if you sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft, and everything you make is public. The Video app needs a paid plan or bought credits. | BA free Gemini plan includes Nano Banana 2 for generating and editing, at lower limits. Limits are stated only as multiples of it. |
| Features | BSeveral in-house models, masking and inpainting, transparent backgrounds for stickers and icons, custom style models trained on 15 to 100 of your images, a video app and an API. That covers the whole job, with text in images as its focus. | CText-to-image, editing by instruction, combining and restyling, text in images and resizing. The newest model needs a paid plan. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 2,700 App Store ratings, the top band. You type a prompt that includes the words you want on the image. | BNo rating figure here, but it lives inside Gemini, an account most people already have, so there is nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and iPhone, with one API for the image and video models and an MCP server for Claude. No Android or desktop app, and credits can't be bought in the iPhone app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android through Gemini, with Google Flow and Search. No desktop app. |
| Best for | images with readable words in them | Google image generation and editing in Gemini |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ideogram and Nano Banana. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ideogram starts at $15 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Nano Banana starts at $4.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Ideogram scores higher, and starts $10.01 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, 1 scores higher than Ideogram for less, and 2 score higher than Nano Banana for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Ideogram also covers video generation.
- Nano Banana also covers chat assistant.
At a glance
| Ideogram | Nano Banana | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15 per month for 2,400 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) | $4.99 per month (Google AI Plus) |
| Free plan | 30 credits a week for accounts that sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft. Everything made on the free plan is public, and the Video app needs a paid plan or bought credits. | Free Gemini plan with Nano Banana 2 image generation and editing, at lower usage limits than the paid plans. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Ideogram AI Inc | |
| Price read from | docs.ideogram.ai | gemini.google |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ideogram
- Free credits go only to accounts signed in with Google, Apple or Microsoft, and free-plan images are always public.
- Monthly plan credits do not roll over. Extra credits cost one US cent each and expire 365 days after purchase.
- Partner models, reference images, edits, upscales and video always cost credits, even on plans with a slower unlimited queue.
- Credits cannot be bought inside the iOS app, and custom model training works on desktop only.
Nano Banana
- Nano Banana 2.1, the newest model, needs a paid Google AI plan; the free plan has Nano Banana 2.
- Generated images carry a visible watermark as well as an invisible one.
- Usage limits are stated only as multiples of the free plan, not as image counts.
Key features
Ideogram
- Several image models
- Ideogram 4.5 edits and combines up to five reference images, 4.0 handles very wide formats, and 3.0 keeps style presets, palettes and negative prompts.
- Editing and inpainting
- Mask an area to change it, extend a scene, remove objects or backgrounds, and upscale results.
- Transparent backgrounds
- Dedicated models produce images with no background for stickers, print-on-demand designs, icons and clip art.
- Custom models
- Train a style model on 15 to 100 of your own images. Training needs Pro or Team and a standard run costs 4,000 credits.
- Video app
- Makes short clips from a prompt, from start and end frames, or from uploaded images, video and audio, using models such as Seedance.
- API and MCP server
- One API covers the image and video models, and an MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude use Ideogram.
Nano Banana
- Text-to-image generation
- Describe a scene in the Gemini chat and get an image back, then ask for changes in plain follow-up messages.
- Photo editing by instruction
- Upload a photo and ask for a different background, lighting, camera angle or an added object while the rest is kept.
- Combine and restyle images
- Merge two uploaded pictures into one, or apply the texture, color or style of a reference photo to your subject.
- Text inside images
- Google says logos, invitations, posters and comics can carry readable text, in many languages.
- Resizing to other formats
- A creation can be resized to a different aspect ratio for each place it will be shared.
- SynthID watermark
- Images carry an invisible SynthID mark and a visible watermark that shows they are AI-generated.
Plans
Ideogram
Free$0
30 credits a week, all Ideogram image models, and public images only.
Plus$15
per month for 2,400 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Private generation and quality export; after credits run out, Ideogram models keep working in a slower queue.
Pro$42
per month for 7,500 credits, billed annually ($60 billed monthly)
Adds batch generation, a larger queue and custom model training.
Team$20
per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
3,600 credits per member each month, with central billing and admin. Minimum 2 users.
EnterpriseCustom
Terms, credits and features set by agreement, including a prepaid shared credit balance for organizations.
Nano Banana
Free$0
per month with a Google Account
Image generation and editing with Nano Banana 2; Flow access includes limited Nano Banana Pro.
Google AI Plus$4.99
per month
Twice the usage of Free, 200 Flow credits and 400 GB of storage.
Google AI Pro$19.99
per month
Four times the usage of Free, 1,000 Flow credits and 5 TB of storage; Nano Banana 2.1 per Google's FAQ.
Google AI Ultra$99.99
per month, or $199.99 for the higher tier
Highest limits: 5x the usage of Pro at $99.99, 20x at $199.99, with 10,000 or 25,000 Flow credits.
Ways to pay less
Ideogram
- Annual discount
Pay less with yearly billing
Yearly billing brings Plus from $20 to $15 a month, Pro from $60 to $42 and Team from $30 to $20 per user.
Nano Banana
- Education
Students: a Plus plan free for one year
The Gemini page says students can unlock more Nano Banana access with a Google AI Plus plan at no cost for one year.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ideogram or Nano Banana?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Nano Banana is cheaper to start with: $4.99 a month, against $15 a month for Ideogram. Ideogram starts at $15 per month for 2,400 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly), and Nano Banana starts at $4.99 per month (Google AI Plus).
Which has a free plan, Ideogram or Nano Banana?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Ideogram and Nano Banana have a free plan.
Which platforms do Ideogram and Nano Banana run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Nano Banana lists an Android app. Both list a web app and an iOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.