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Image models compared

Nano Banana 2 vs Qwen-Image 2.1: the same prompts, side by side

Google's Nano Banana 2 and Alibaba's Qwen-Image 2.1 on the same 16 prompts, two for each of 8 jobs, from logos to YouTube thumbnails: each image as it was made, what the checks found, what it cost and how long it took.

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Based on 32 images made on September 29, 2026 through kie.ai with llmwise's own settings for each model, each checked by Claude Sonnet 5.5. How the images are checked.

Short answer

On our 16 image test prompts, Nano Banana 2 passed 14 and Qwen-Image 2.1 11, each image checked the same way. Qwen-Image 2.1 was quicker, 79.9 s an image against 88.0 s. In llmwise a Nano Banana 2 image counts as 2 Claude Haiku 4.5 messages and a Qwen-Image 2.1 image as 1 Claude Haiku 4.5 message: up to 125 and 250 images a month on Pro.

Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 in llmwise

What llmwise asks Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 for, and what an image of each counts as.

Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 in llmwise
FactNano Banana 2Qwen-Image 2.1
Made byGoogleAlibaba
Made throughkie.aikie.ai
Output size1K1K
Aspect ratiossquare 1:1, portrait 2:3, landscape 3:2square 1:1, portrait 2:3, landscape 3:2
An image counts as2 Claude Haiku 4.5 messages1 Claude Haiku 4.5 message
Images on Proup to 125 a monthup to 250 a month

Job by job

Nano Banana 2 passed 14 of 16 and Qwen-Image 2.1 11 of 16. A prompt passes when every piece of writing it asked for is there and every question about the image is a yes.

Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1, job by job
JobNano Banana 2Qwen-Image 2.1
Logos2 of 2 passed, 12 of 12 checks1 of 2 passed, 11 of 12 checks
Text in images2 of 2 passed, 14 of 14 checks2 of 2 passed, 14 of 14 checks
Product photos2 of 2 passed, 12 of 12 checks2 of 2 passed, 12 of 12 checks
Photorealistic images2 of 2 passed, 11 of 11 checks0 of 2 passed, 9 of 11 checks
Illustrations2 of 2 passed, 10 of 10 checks2 of 2 passed, 10 of 10 checks
Portraits2 of 2 passed, 13 of 13 checks2 of 2 passed, 13 of 13 checks
YouTube thumbnails1 of 2 passed, 11 of 12 checks1 of 2 passed, 11 of 12 checks
Social media posts1 of 2 passed, 10 of 12 checks1 of 2 passed, 11 of 12 checks

The same prompts, side by side

Nano Banana 2's and Qwen-Image 2.1's image for each prompt, with each question either one was answered no on; a prompt's title links to it in full, with every answer.

  1. A coffee shop logo with its name

    Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Nano Banana 2's image came 7.9 s sooner (48.6 s to 56.5 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

    Nano Banana 2Passed
    Nano Banana 2's image for “A coffee shop logo with its name”
      Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
      Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A coffee shop logo with its name”

      • A wheel and a wrench in one icon

        Only Nano Banana 2 passed, not Qwen-Image 2.1; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 65.8 s sooner (53.7 s to 119.5 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

        Nano Banana 2Passed
        Nano Banana 2's image for “A wheel and a wrench in one icon”
          Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
          Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A wheel and a wrench in one icon”
          • Is there a bicycle wheel in the icon? No: The icon is a plain circle with a short horizontal line, with no spokes, tire or hub, so it reads as a ring rather than a bicycle wheel.

        • A bakery sign with two lines

          Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 17.7 s sooner (30.9 s to 48.6 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

          Nano Banana 2Passed
          Nano Banana 2's image for “A bakery sign with two lines”
            Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
            Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A bakery sign with two lines”

            • A café menu board with four prices

              Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Nano Banana 2's image came 38.6 s sooner (44.1 s to 82.7 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

              Nano Banana 2Passed
              Nano Banana 2's image for “A café menu board with four prices”
                Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A café menu board with four prices”

                • A white sneaker on a grey background

                  Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Nano Banana 2's image came 92.7 s sooner (43.8 s to 136.5 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                  Nano Banana 2Passed
                  Nano Banana 2's image for “A white sneaker on a grey background”
                    Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                    Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A white sneaker on a grey background”

                    • A perfume bottle and its reflection

                      Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Nano Banana 2's image came 46.4 s sooner (44.6 s to 91.0 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                      Nano Banana 2Passed
                      Nano Banana 2's image for “A perfume bottle and its reflection”
                        Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                        Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A perfume bottle and its reflection”

                        • A bowl of ramen from above

                          Only Nano Banana 2 passed, not Qwen-Image 2.1; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 35.1 s sooner (118.0 s to 153.1 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                          Nano Banana 2Passed
                          Nano Banana 2's image for “A bowl of ramen from above”
                            Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
                            Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A bowl of ramen from above”
                            • Are chopsticks resting across the bowl? No: The chopsticks lie on the table and reach the bowl's lower left edge, but they do not rest across the bowl. They look more like they pass over or in front of the rim than rest on it.

                          • A rainy street at night, one red umbrella

                            Only Nano Banana 2 passed, not Qwen-Image 2.1; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 12.4 s sooner (131.7 s to 144.1 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                            Nano Banana 2Passed
                            Nano Banana 2's image for “A rainy street at night, one red umbrella”
                              Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
                              Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A rainy street at night, one red umbrella”
                              • Is the person walking away from the camera? No: The person is seen from the side or back and appears to be crossing or facing sideways, so it isn't clearly walking away from the camera.

                            • A watercolour fox for a children's book

                              Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Nano Banana 2's image came 96.4 s sooner (47.2 s to 143.6 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                              Nano Banana 2Passed
                              Nano Banana 2's image for “A watercolour fox for a children's book”
                                Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A watercolour fox for a children's book”

                                • Three people at one laptop, flat vector

                                  Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 78.9 s sooner (104.6 s to 183.6 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                                  Nano Banana 2Passed
                                  Nano Banana 2's image for “Three people at one laptop, flat vector”
                                    Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                    Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “Three people at one laptop, flat vector”

                                    • A studio headshot

                                      Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Nano Banana 2's image came 37.9 s sooner (66.5 s to 104.3 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                                      Nano Banana 2Passed
                                      Nano Banana 2's image for “A studio headshot”
                                        Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                        Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A studio headshot”

                                        • A fisherman holding a rope in both hands

                                          Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 86.4 s sooner (30.8 s to 117.2 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                                          Nano Banana 2Passed
                                          Nano Banana 2's image for “A fisherman holding a rope in both hands”
                                            Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                            Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A fisherman holding a rope in both hands”

                                            • A cooking video thumbnail

                                              Only Nano Banana 2 passed, not Qwen-Image 2.1; Nano Banana 2's image came 27.8 s sooner (15.5 s to 43.4 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                                              Nano Banana 2Passed
                                              Nano Banana 2's image for “A cooking video thumbnail”
                                                Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
                                                Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A cooking video thumbnail”
                                                • Are there flames coming from the pan? No: The flames are on the far left beside the man, not coming from the pan, which only holds food and flying bits.

                                              • A phone review thumbnail with a question

                                                Only Qwen-Image 2.1 passed, not Nano Banana 2; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 153.7 s sooner (35.7 s to 189.4 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                                                Nano Banana 2Failed
                                                Nano Banana 2's image for “A phone review thumbnail with a question”
                                                • Is there only one piece of writing? No: Besides the large 'WORTH IT?' text, there are small app labels on the phone screen such as YouTube, Foto, Settings and Camera.
                                                Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                                Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A phone review thumbnail with a question”

                                                • A summer sale post

                                                  Both Nano Banana 2 and Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Qwen-Image 2.1's image came 33.0 s sooner (23.1 s to 56.0 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                                                  Nano Banana 2Passed
                                                  Nano Banana 2's image for “A summer sale post”
                                                    Qwen-Image 2.1Passed
                                                    Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A summer sale post”

                                                    • A book club announcement, top and bottom

                                                      Neither Nano Banana 2 nor Qwen-Image 2.1 passed; Nano Banana 2's image came 6.2 s sooner (85.5 s to 91.7 s), and Qwen-Image 2.1's cost $0.020 less at kie.ai.

                                                      Nano Banana 2Failed
                                                      Nano Banana 2's image for “A book club announcement, top and bottom”
                                                      • Is there one line of writing at the top and one at the bottom? No: The top has two lines, 'BOOK' and 'CLUB', not one, and the bottom has one line, 'THURSDAY 7PM'.
                                                      • Apart from those two lines, is nothing else written? No: The book pages have tiny text and the tea bag tag has small writing, so there is more writing than the headline and the bottom line.
                                                      Qwen-Image 2.1Failed
                                                      Qwen-Image 2.1's image for “A book club announcement, top and bottom”
                                                      • Apart from those two lines, is nothing else written? No: The open book's pages show small blurry lines of text, so there is other writing, though it is unreadable.

                                                    More image models, compared

                                                    Questions

                                                    Is Nano Banana 2 better than Qwen-Image 2.1?

                                                    On our 16 image test prompts, Nano Banana 2 passed 14 and Qwen-Image 2.1 11, each image checked the same way. Qwen-Image 2.1 was quicker, 79.9 s an image against 88.0 s. In llmwise a Nano Banana 2 image counts as 2 Claude Haiku 4.5 messages and a Qwen-Image 2.1 image as 1 Claude Haiku 4.5 message: up to 125 and 250 images a month on Pro.

                                                    Which is cheaper in llmwise, Nano Banana 2 or Qwen-Image 2.1?

                                                    Qwen-Image 2.1: in llmwise its image counts as 1 Claude Haiku 4.5 message, against 2 Claude Haiku 4.5 messages for Nano Banana 2.

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