Alternatives · 15 models compared · checked 10 Oct 2026
Nano Banana 2.1 alternatives: 15 models in or near grid E2
The closest model to Nano Banana 2.1 on the atlas is GPT-5.2 Chat, in the same square, at $1.75 per 1M input tokens against Nano Banana 2.1’s . 10 of the 15 nearest models are cheaper on input; the cheapest is MiniMax M2-her at $0.30. We rank by position on the atlas, not by capability, because we hold no capability data.
$1.50
observed We measured
- Source
- Our catalogue
- Retrieved
- 10 Oct 2026
Ask an AI about this pageGChatGPTCClaudePPerplexityGeGeminiXGrok
Cite
Cite this page
ModelsAtlas. “Nano Banana 2.1 alternatives: 15 models in or near grid E2”. Retrieved 10 Oct 2026. https://modelsatlas.com/models/google/gemini-nano-banana-2-1/alternatives
Where the alternatives sit
Each square is a price band (A–H) × a context band (1–6). How the grid works
Same squareGRIDE25 modelsCommand R+ (08-2024), GPT Audio, GPT-4o and 2 more
Nano Banana 2.1Its 15 nearest modelsOther modelsOpen weights
View the map as a table (3 squares)
| Square | Price band | Context band | Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRIDD2 | $0.30–1 | 32–128K | MiniMax M2-her, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image), Mistral Small 3.1 24B, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct, WizardLM-2 8x22B, Qwen2.5 Coder 32B Instruct, Qwen2.5 VL 72B Instruct |
| GRIDE2 | $1–3 | 32–128K | Nano Banana 2.1, GPT-5.2 Chat, Mixtral 8x22B Instruct, Command R+ (08-2024), GPT Audio, GPT-4o |
| GRIDE3 | $1–3 | 128–256K | Claude Haiku 4.5, Grok Build 0.1, o3 Mini High |
Top 15 alternatives
Ranked by steps away on the atlas, then cheaper before pricier, then input price
| # | Model | Grid | Why it fits | Input / 1M | vs Nano Banana 2.1 | Output / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Nano Banana 2.1Google · the model you’re replacing | GRIDE2 | Baseline | $1.50 | — | $7.50 | 66K | |
| 1 | GPT-5.2 ChatOpenAI | GRIDE2 | Same square, 17% pricier input, 2× the context | $1.75 | +17% | $14.00 | 128K | Compare → |
| 2 | Mixtral 8x22B InstructMistral AI | GRIDE2 | Same square, 33% pricier input | $2.00 | +33% | $6.00 | 66K | Compare → |
| 3 | Command R+ (08-2024)Cohere | GRIDE2 | Same square, 67% pricier input, 2× the context | $2.50 | +67% | $10.00 | 128K | Compare → |
| 4 | GPT AudioOpenAI | GRIDE2 | Same square, 67% pricier input, 2× the context | $2.50 | +67% | $10.00 | 128K | Compare → |
| 5 | GPT-4oOpenAI | GRIDE2 | Same square, 67% pricier input, 2× the context | $2.50 | +67% | $10.00 | 128K | Compare → |
| 6 | MiniMax M2-herMiniMax | GRIDD2 | Neighbouring square D2, 80% cheaper input | $0.30 | −80% | $1.20 | 66K | |
| 7 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)Google | GRIDD2 | Same maker, neighbouring square D2, 80% cheaper input | $0.30 | −80% | $2.50 | 33K | |
| 8 | Mistral Small 3.1 24BMistral AI | GRIDD2 | Neighbouring square D2, 77% cheaper input, 2× the context | $0.35 | −77% | $0.56 | 128K | |
| 9 | Qwen2.5 72B InstructQwen (Alibaba) | GRIDD2 | Neighbouring square D2, 76% cheaper input | $0.36 | −76% | $0.40 | 33K | |
| 10 | WizardLM-2 8x22BMicrosoft | GRIDD2 | Neighbouring square D2, 59% cheaper input | $0.62 | −59% | $0.62 | 66K | |
| 11 | Qwen2.5 Coder 32B InstructQwen (Alibaba) | GRIDD2 | Neighbouring square D2, 56% cheaper input | $0.66 | −56% | $1.00 | 33K | |
| 12 | Qwen2.5 VL 72B InstructQwen (Alibaba) | GRIDD2 | Neighbouring square D2, 47% cheaper input, 2× the context | $0.80 | −47% | $1.00 | 128K | |
| 13 | Claude Haiku 4.5Anthropic | GRIDE3 | Neighbouring square E3, 33% cheaper input, 3.1× the context | $1.00 | −33% | $5.00 | 200K | |
| 14 | Grok Build 0.1xAI | GRIDE3 | Neighbouring square E3, 33% cheaper input, 3.9× the context | $1.00 | −33% | $2.00 | 256K | |
| 15 | o3 Mini HighOpenAI | GRIDE3 | Neighbouring square E3, 27% cheaper input, 3.1× the context | $1.10 | −27% | $4.40 | 200K |
What switching saves
3,000 input + 800 output tokens × 1,000 requests a day
Σ Derived from standard-tier prices; excludes caching and batch discounts. Use your own numbers →
Larger-context alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.2 ChatOpenAI | $1.75 | 128K | Compare |
| Command R+ (08-2024)Cohere | $2.50 | 128K | Compare |
| GPT AudioOpenAI | $2.50 | 128K | Compare |
| GPT-4oOpenAI | $2.50 | 128K | Compare |
| Mistral Small 3.1 24BMistral AI | $0.35 | 128K |
Free alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyria 3 Clip PreviewGoogle | Free | 1.05M | |
| Lyria 3 Pro PreviewGoogle | Free | 1.05M |
Compare Nano Banana 2.1 head to head
Questions
What is the best alternative to Nano Banana 2.1?
GPT-5.2 Chat ranks first: same square, 17% pricier input, 2× the context. Input is $1.75 per 1M tokens against $1.50 for Nano Banana 2.1. Ranking is by position on the atlas, not by quality.
What is the cheapest alternative to Nano Banana 2.1?
MiniMax M2-her at $0.30 per 1M input tokens, 80% less than Nano Banana 2.1, among the 15 closest.
Is there an open-weight alternative to Nano Banana 2.1?
None of the 15 closest is marked open-weight in our records.
Which alternative has a larger context window?
Grok Build 0.1, Claude Haiku 4.5, o3 Mini High, GPT-5.2 Chat and 5 more hold more than Nano Banana 2.1's 66K; the largest is Grok Build 0.1 at 256K.
How are alternatives ranked?
By distance on the atlas grid from Nano Banana 2.1's square E2: the same square first, then neighbouring squares. Within the same distance, cheaper models come before pricier ones, then the lowest input price wins. We hold no capability data, so we do not claim a model can do what Nano Banana 2.1 does, only that it costs and holds about the same. No vendor pays for position.
More alternatives
Keep going in your AI
Opens with this page as the source. We add nothing else to the prompt.
- What is the best alternative to Nano Banana 2.1?
- What is the cheapest alternative to Nano Banana 2.1?
- Is there an open-weight alternative to Nano Banana 2.1?