Same prompt, two models
Nano Banana vs Seedream: we ran the same five briefs on both
Both families spelled every word we asked for and kept a product true to its reference. Nano Banana 2.1 is the lower price at 1.5 credits for a 2K image; Seedream 5 is 2.75 credits and leans darker and more graphic.
Google makes Nano Banana and ByteDance makes Seedream, and both run on Pixel Dojo under one plan. We wrote five briefs that test what people actually use them for, ran each one unchanged on both sides at 2K, and put the results next to each other with the price of every image.
1 credit ($0.06) per image at 1K. Included in every plan, from $10/month.
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By Brian Lovett · Updated
Nano Banana or Seedream: quick answers
Which one writes text better?
In our two text tests, both got every word right: a poster with three lines and a chalkboard menu with prices. Nano Banana Pro wrote the chalk with a looser hand; Seedream 5 set it neater and larger.
Which one is cheaper?
Nano Banana 2.1 costs 1.5 credits for a 2K image, Seedream 5 costs 2.75 at 2K, and Nano Banana Pro costs 4.5. Each model page shows its price before you generate.
Which one edits from a reference better?
Both kept our camera bag true to its catalog photo: the olive canvas, the brown straps, both brass buckles and the front pocket. Nano Banana 2.1 placed it in brighter morning light; Seedream 5 went moodier.
Which one makes better portraits?
Nano Banana 2.1 gave a candid, off camera glance. Seedream 5 gave a direct look into the lens with a softer grade. Both held fine skin and wool texture at 2K.
What about GPT Image 2 vs Nano Banana Pro?
GPT Image 2.6 runs on the same plan, so you can send the same brief to it, Nano Banana Pro and Seedream 5 and keep the one you like.
More from Nano Banana and Seedream
Four more briefs in four genres. Prompts, settings and credits are on each tile.
Nano Banana Pro set every map label in a ribbon banner.
Hand illustrated vintage map of a fictional tropical island titled exactly "ISLA VERDE" in a decorative banner, with small labels reading exactly "LIGHT POINT", "PALM BAY", "OLD MILL" and "REEF PASS", a compass rose, sailing ships and sea creatures in the margins, watercolor on aged paper, every label spelled exactly as written.
A fashion editorial on Nano Banana 2.1 with a film grain finish.
Fashion editorial photograph of a woman in her thirties in a sculptural saffron wool coat standing on a windswept black sand beach, her hair blown sideways, a pale grey sea and low clouds behind her, dramatic overcast light, medium format film look, no text.
A calm overhead still life on Seedream 5.
Overhead photograph of a tea ceremony on a low wooden table: a hand in a grey linen sleeve whisking bright green tea in a dark raku bowl, a bamboo scoop and a small sweet on a leaf beside it, soft window light, calm muted tones, fine texture on the ceramic.
A wide aerial on Seedream 5 with sun haze over the canopy.
Aerial photograph looking down on a rider in an orange helmet and harness flying along a steel zip line over a dense green rainforest canopy, mist in the valleys, a waterfall far below, bright morning sun, wide lens.
Test 1: exact text on a poster
A letterpress poster with three lines of exact text, at a tall 3:4 shape and 2K on both models.
Nano Banana 2.1 at 2K.
Vintage letterpress poster for a night fair, deep navy background, a lit Ferris wheel and striped tents in cream and tomato red. Large headline at the top reading exactly "MIDNIGHT CARNIVAL", a line under it reading exactly "RIDES 2 TICKETS", and at the bottom exactly "FRIDAY TO SUNDAY 7 PM TILL LATE". Clean bold type, slight paper grain, all words spelled exactly as written.
Seedream 5 at 2K.
Vintage letterpress poster for a night fair, deep navy background, a lit Ferris wheel and striped tents in cream and tomato red. Large headline at the top reading exactly "MIDNIGHT CARNIVAL", a line under it reading exactly "RIDES 2 TICKETS", and at the bottom exactly "FRIDAY TO SUNDAY 7 PM TILL LATE". Clean bold type, slight paper grain, all words spelled exactly as written.
- Both models spelled all three lines exactly as written, including RIDES 2 TICKETS and 7 PM TILL LATE.
- Nano Banana 2.1 packed the type into a bold block at the top and bottom; Seedream 5 gave the Ferris wheel more room and a cleaner, flatter print look.
Test 2: small hand lettering with Nano Banana Pro
Nano Banana Pro is Google's premium tier, so we gave it a harder text job: a chalkboard menu in a shop window with four lines and prices, against Seedream 5 at 4:3.
Nano Banana Pro at 2K.
Photograph of a black chalkboard menu propped in a Paris style pastry shop window, hand lettered in white chalk with exactly these lines: "TODAY", "PARIS BREST 7", "LEMON TART 6", "CROQUEMBOUCHE 48". Behind the glass, a tall croquembouche and a row of lemon tarts on marble, soft morning light, shallow depth of field, every word spelled exactly as written.
Seedream 5 at 2K.
Photograph of a black chalkboard menu propped in a Paris style pastry shop window, hand lettered in white chalk with exactly these lines: "TODAY", "PARIS BREST 7", "LEMON TART 6", "CROQUEMBOUCHE 48". Behind the glass, a tall croquembouche and a row of lemon tarts on marble, soft morning light, shallow depth of field, every word spelled exactly as written.
- Every word and price came out right on both, down to CROQUEMBOUCHE 48.
- Nano Banana Pro framed it as a street photo with the cobbles outside the window; Seedream 5 went tighter on the board and the pastries.
Test 3: a product shot on walnut
A studio product brief for a harmonica with a plain cover, one warm rim light and guitar picks in the background, at 4:3.
Nano Banana 2.1 at 2K.
Studio product shot of a chrome and pear wood harmonica with a plain polished cover, no engraving, no text and no logo, lying at a slight angle on a slab of dark walnut, one warm rim light tracing the chrome edges, the comb holes sharp, a few loose guitar picks blurred in the background, deep brown and amber tones, crisp commercial macro detail.
Seedream 5 at 2K.
Studio product shot of a chrome and pear wood harmonica with a plain polished cover, no engraving, no text and no logo, lying at a slight angle on a slab of dark walnut, one warm rim light tracing the chrome edges, the comb holes sharp, a few loose guitar picks blurred in the background, deep brown and amber tones, crisp commercial macro detail.
- Both kept the cover plain as asked and drew the wood comb between the reed holes cleanly.
- Nano Banana 2.1 used a lower, more natural angle; Seedream 5 gave a glossier catalog finish with brighter chrome.
Test 4: one product photo, a new scene
We made a plain catalog photo of a waxed canvas camera bag, then sent it as the reference image to both models with one brief: hang this exact bag in a sunlit mountain hut.
The reference photo, on FLUX 3 Image.
Plain catalog product photo of a waxed canvas camera bag in olive green with chestnut brown leather straps, two brass buckles and a front flap pocket, standing upright on a seamless white background, soft even studio light, sharp detail on the stitching.
Nano Banana 2.1 at 2K.
Use the camera bag in the reference image. Show that exact bag, same olive waxed canvas, chestnut leather straps, brass buckles and front pocket, hanging from a wooden peg inside a sunlit mountain hut, a wool blanket and a window with snowy peaks behind it, morning light falling across the canvas, editorial travel photograph.
Seedream 5 at 2K.
Use the camera bag in the reference image. Show that exact bag, same olive waxed canvas, chestnut leather straps, brass buckles and front pocket, hanging from a wooden peg inside a sunlit mountain hut, a wool blanket and a window with snowy peaks behind it, morning light falling across the canvas, editorial travel photograph.
- Both edits kept the olive canvas, the two brown straps, both brass buckles and the front pocket from the reference.
- Nano Banana 2.1 lit the hut warm and bright; Seedream 5 gave a quieter, low light mood.
Test 5: a portrait at 2K
An environmental portrait of a shepherd on a misty hillside, at 3:4 and 2K on both models.
Nano Banana 2.1 at 2K.
Environmental portrait of a shepherd in her sixties with a weathered face, silver hair under a grey wool cap and a heavy oilskin coat, holding a wooden crook on a misty highland hillside, a few sheep soft in the background, overcast light, 85mm lens, fine skin texture and wool detail.
Seedream 5 at 2K.
Environmental portrait of a shepherd in her sixties with a weathered face, silver hair under a grey wool cap and a heavy oilskin coat, holding a wooden crook on a misty highland hillside, a few sheep soft in the background, overcast light, 85mm lens, fine skin texture and wool detail.
- Both held real skin texture, wool and waxed cotton at full size.
- Nano Banana 2.1 made a candid moment; Seedream 5 made a posed, direct portrait.
What else you get on Pixel Dojo
Unlimited on every plan
On every paid plan, Relax runs Qwen Image 2.1, FLUX 3 Image Klein and MiniMax H3 Turbo, plus every video and photo effect, unlimited with no credits spent.
Sensei, the AI director
Describe a project and Sensei plans it, prices it, waits for your approval and reviews every take.
Character Studio
Save a face once and call it by @name in any prompt, so the same person shows up in every image and clip.
Photo effects
45+ photo effects restyle a picture in one click, from a hand painted anime still to a boxed action figure or a magazine cover, and every one starts from your own upload.
One job AI tools
35 single purpose tools each do one edit from an upload: remove a watermark, an object or text, restore and colorize an old photo, swap a background, retouch a portrait or make a thumbnail.
Star in any video
Upload a short clip, pick a saved character or a photo, and Character Swap puts your star in the lead while the scene, camera moves and sound stay the same.
Credits that roll over
Your credits roll over while you stay subscribed, so nothing you pay for disappears at the end of the month.
Every top model, plus an API
More than 80 image and 60 video models in one account, with a public API and a hosted MCP server for your own apps and AI assistants.
What each image cost
On Pixel Dojo, Nano Banana 2.1 costs 1.5 credits for a 2K image, Seedream 5 costs 2.75 credits at 2K, and Nano Banana Pro costs 4.5. The reference photo on FLUX 3 Image cost 1 credit.
Plans are Lite $10 a month for 160 credits, Pro $25 for 500 credits, Pro Max $50 for 1,100 credits. Both families are on every plan, along with GPT Image 2.6 and FLUX 3 Image. Credits roll over while you stay subscribed.
Under our refund policy, a first purchase can be refunded within 7 days, in full if under 20% of the credits are used and pro-rated after that.
Nano Banana vs Seedream questions
Is Nano Banana better than Seedream?
In our five tests both spelled every word right and kept a product true to its reference. Nano Banana 2.1 costs less at 1.5 credits for 2K, and Seedream 5 gives a darker, more graphic look at 2.75. On Pixel Dojo you can run both on one plan.
Seedream 5 vs Nano Banana Pro: which is better for text?
Both got our chalkboard menu exactly right, prices included. Nano Banana Pro costs 4.5 credits and Seedream 5 costs 2.75 at 2K.
Can both edit an image I upload?
Yes. Both take reference images on Pixel Dojo. Add your photo and describe the new scene, as in Test 4.
Is Nano Banana or Seedream free?
No. Both are paid by credits on Pixel Dojo. Every paid plan includes unlimited 1K images on Qwen Image 2.1 Turbo, FLUX 3 Image Klein and P-H3-Image, and anyone can try 3 free effects a day.
Where can I use Nano Banana and Seedream together?
On Pixel Dojo. Nano Banana 2.1, Nano Banana Pro, Seedream 5, GPT Image 2.6 and FLUX 3 Image share one credit balance, with a public API for each.
Make your first Nano Banana 2.1 image
Write a prompt above or start from any example on this page. One plan covers every top model, six studios and Sensei, and your credits roll over.
Start with Nano Banana 2.1