Nano Banana 2.1 key facts
| Release date | October 6, 2026 |
| Replaces | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image), retired October 29, 2026 |
| API price | About $0.0336 per 1K image (Google Gemini API list price) |
| Resolutions | 1K, 2K and 4K |
| Modes | Text to image, and image editing from one or more input images |
| Family position | The efficient counterpart to Nano Banana Pro |
“Nano Banana” is the nickname Google uses for its Gemini image models. The original Nano Banana became popular for one reason above all: it could edit an existing photo from a plain-language instruction while keeping the person in it recognizable. Each version since has pushed on the same strengths, and 2.1 is the latest step for the Flash-class, lower-cost line.
What’s new in Nano Banana 2.1
Compared with Nano Banana 2, the update focuses on four areas.
Sharper text in images
Headings, labels, prices and step-by-step captions come out more legibly and land closer to where you asked for them. That makes 2.1 more useful for posters, social graphics, simple infographics and product mockups, where garbled lettering used to be the first thing to go wrong.
Steadier characters
The same face, hairstyle and outfit hold up better across new scenes. If you place one person into several settings, they look more like the same person each time, which matters for storyboards, brand mascots and photo series.
Multi-image composition
You can give the model several images at once, for example a person, a product and a style reference, and ask it to combine them into one picture. This is the feature behind “put this jacket on this model” or “place this bottle on this kitchen counter” workflows.
Optional planning before drawing
In the API, developers can let the model plan before it draws, using thinking levels. More planning tends to help with complex layouts and instructions with many parts, at the cost of a slower response.
Nano Banana 2.1 for image editing
For image to image work, the useful question is how well a model changes what you ask for and leaves everything else alone. That is where the Nano Banana line is strongest. Typical edits it handles well include:
- Style changes such as anime, watercolor or pencil sketch that keep the same person and pose.
- Background replacement with lighting that matches the subject.
- Adding, removing or recoloring a single object.
- Changing season, weather or time of day in a scene.
- Combining a product photo with a new setting for listings and ads.
Like other Google image models, Nano Banana 2.1 refuses explicit content, edits of real public figures and requests involving minors. Requests that sit near those lines can be refused even when the intent is harmless, so rephrasing is sometimes needed.
How to prompt Nano Banana 2.1 for edits
- Say what to change, then what to keep. “Replace the sky with a sunset. Keep the buildings, people and framing exactly the same.”
- Refer to images by role. When you pass several images, name them: “the person from the first image, wearing the jacket from the second”.
- Put exact text in quotes. For lettering, write the words in quotation marks and say where they go: a title “Summer Sale” at the top, centered.
- Ask for one change at a time. Chain edits instead of stacking five requests into one prompt.
- Pick the resolution at the end. Draft at 1K to get the idea right, then render the final at 2K or 4K.
Price and access
Google lists Nano Banana 2.1 at about $0.0336 per 1K image in the Gemini API, roughly half the price of Nano Banana 2. Higher resolutions cost more per image. The model is also available through third-party platforms such as fal, which set their own prices and add features like queues and hosted file storage.
If you don’t want to deal with API keys at all, you can test image editing on our free image to image AI tool. Our free tier uses a different, faster model; Nano Banana 2.1 will be part of the paid plan described on the pricing page.
Nano Banana 2.1 vs Nano Banana Pro
| Nano Banana 2.1 | Nano Banana Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Efficient everyday model | Top of the family for complex assets |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Pick it for | Drafts, social images, routine edits, 4K finals of simple scenes | Dense layouts, detailed scenes, assets that must be right first time |
A practical approach is to start with 2.1 and switch to Pro only for the images where 2.1 falls short. Our Nano Banana 2 vs Pro guide covers the family comparison in more detail.
Moving from Nano Banana 2
Nano Banana 2 was retired on October 29, 2026, so any app or workflow that still points at it needs a new model. For most uses, Nano Banana 2.1 is the direct successor: the same family, the same kind of prompts, and a lower price. Re-test your most important prompts after switching, especially ones with text in the image or recurring characters, because those are the areas that changed most. Keep a fallback model for requests 2.1 refuses, so your users see a result instead of an error.