Which Nano Banana model to use, and what it costs

Google's newest image model, Nano Banana 2 Lite, costs $0.05 an image on Visual Sandbox. That undercuts standard Nano Banana 2, which starts at $0.09 at 1K, and it launched on June 30, 2026.

Google now ships four image models under the Nano Banana name. They sit next to each other on the menu and cost very different amounts. Pick the wrong one and you either overpay or hand a client a weaker image.

Here is the whole family with live prices, and when each one earns its cost.

The three you actually choose between

Model	Price per image	Best for
Nano Banana 2 Lite	$0.05 flat	high-volume drafts and batches
Nano Banana 2	$0.09 (1K) to $0.19 (4K)	everyday work, the default
Nano Banana Pro	$0.19 (1K) to $0.38 (4K)	final shots, print, fine text

Prices are live rates at publish time. Each model page shows the current rate before you generate.

Lite: the cheapest tier just got newer

Nano Banana 2 Lite is a flat $0.05 per image. Google says it renders in about four seconds and is built for high-volume work. It replaces the original Nano Banana, now a legacy model.

Here is the quiet part: Lite costs the same $0.05 as that older model, but it is the newer engine. If you were still reaching for the first Nano Banana out of habit, Lite is the straight upgrade at the same price.

Use it when you make many and keep few. Product variations, thumbnail tests, mood options for a client. Ten drafts cost $0.50.

Nano Banana 2: the default pick

Standard Nano Banana 2 runs $0.09 at 1K, $0.13 at 2K, and $0.19 at 4K. Turn on web or image search grounding and it adds $0.02 per image.

This is the generalist. Reach for it when a single image matters and you are not batching hundreds. It gives you more detail than Lite without the Pro premium.

Pro: when the image is the deliverable

Nano Banana Pro is $0.19 at 1K and 2K, then $0.38 at 4K. That is double the standard price at the top tier, so save it for the images that leave your desk.

Hero shots. Print. Anything that needs accurate text baked into the picture or detail that holds up at full size. Pro is the finisher, not the draft tool.

The volume math

Say you run a store and need 1,000 product images this month.

• Lite: $50
• Standard at 1K: $90
• Pro at 1K: $190
• Pro at 4K: $380

Same 1,000 images, a $330 gap between the cheapest and the priciest path. The move is not to always buy the cheapest. It is to draft on Lite and finish only the keepers on Pro.

A workflow that uses all three

1. Draft wide on Lite. Twenty options costs $1.
2. Pick two or three. Refine them on standard Nano Banana 2 at $0.09 each.
3. Render the finals on Pro at 4K only when they ship to a customer.

Run the numbers on that: 20 drafts on Lite ($1.00), three refined on standard ($0.27), three finals on Pro at 4K ($1.14). Total is $2.41 for a finished set.

That is the real advantage of prices per image. You match the model to the stage of the job, and you never pay Pro rates for a draft you were going to throw away.