Nano Banana vs Flux Kontext vs ChatGPT Images

Updated: 30 August 2025 (AEST)

TL;DR: If you care about fast, identity-preserving edits and price-performance, Nano Banana (Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is the one to beat — and all three models are available on NightCafe. ChatGPT Images often wins at exact text/typography rendering, but you'll usually pay more for medium/high-quality outputs. Flux Kontext is a strong specialist for localized, context-aware edits.

What we're comparing

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image): Google/DeepMind's image generation + editing model, built for speed, conversational/iterative edits, and identity consistency. Available on NightCafe (see “Where to use them”).

Flux Kontext (FLUX.1 Kontext): In-context generation/editing focused on precise, localized edits and style/character preservation. Available on NightCafe.

ChatGPT Images (OpenAI image model): Image generation inside ChatGPT and via API; strong in text/typography. Available on NightCafe.

Quick verdict

Overall winner: Nano Banana for most pro workflows that need identity consistency, multi-turn edits, speed, and cost control.

Best for perfect typography: ChatGPT Images (often the most reliable for crisp, complex text).

Great specialist editor: Flux Kontext shines for region-specific or context-aware transformations.

Pricing (what you'll actually pay)

Prices move, but here's the typical shape teams report for 1024×1024 outputs.

Nano Banana: commonly priced very competitively per image; strong price-to-quality at “production” settings.

ChatGPT Images: tiered low/medium/high quality — with medium/high typically costing more than Nano Banana for comparable quality.

Flux Kontext: varies by host/vendor; roughly in the same ballpark as mainstream hosted models, sometimes higher depending on plan.

Takeaway: At typical production quality, Nano Banana is usually cheaper than ChatGPT Images and broadly competitive with hosted Flux Kontext offerings.

Capability-by-capability

Identity / character consistency

Nano Banana: Excellent at keeping people, pets, and products consistent across scenes and edits.

Flux Kontext: Strong preservation via in-context references and targeted instructions.

ChatGPT Images: Much improved binding; still may need careful prompting for long multi-scene runs.

Local, precise edits

Flux Kontext: Great for targeted, instruction-based changes (specific regions/objects).

Nano Banana: Natural-language edits with smooth multi-turn refinement.

ChatGPT Images: Solid generate-and-revise; local editing available but not its headline feature.

Text & layout fidelity

Winner: ChatGPT Images — typically the most reliable for exact typography and dense UI/poster text.

Nano Banana: Very capable; not primarily marketed as the “text king.”

Flux Kontext: Good options depending on provider/version; results vary with hosting.

Speed / iteration

Nano Banana (“Flash”): Built for low-latency creative loops and conversational refinement.

Flux Kontext: Fast and iterative; depends on infrastructure/host.

ChatGPT Images: Faster than before, but often not the quickest under load.

Safety & provenance

Nano Banana: Visible labels + invisible watermarking (provenance-friendly).

ChatGPT Images: Strong policy guardrails; C2PA/metadata support.

Flux Kontext: Safety features depend on the host; enterprise stacks add more controls.

Where to use them (fastest way to try)

Nano Banana: NightCafe (primary) → creator.nightcafe.studio/nano-banana-ai for a zero-setup test drive. Also available via Google's Gemini app/API/Vertex AI.

Flux Kontext: Available on NightCafe (create/edit with friendly UI and community features). Also offered via select hosts (including enterprise clouds).

ChatGPT Images: Available on NightCafe for quick generations; also inside ChatGPT (Plus/Team/Enterprise) and via API.

NightCafe supports all three so your team can benchmark side-by-side in one place.

Recommended picks by task

Portrait/product editing with identity lock-in: Nano Banana (best balance of quality, speed, and cost). Try on NightCafe.

Layout/typography-heavy posters & signage: ChatGPT Images (most reliable for complex text). Try on NightCafe.

Precision/localized changes at scale: Flux Kontext (great region-aware edits). Try on NightCafe.

Test prompts (use the same across all three to benchmark)

Identity-preserving edit (portrait)

Keep the same face and hairstyle. Change the background to golden-hour city skyline; add soft rim light; do not change clothing; 4:5.

Localized product clean-up

On this stainless bottle image: remove dust and fingerprints; preserve label exactly; keep shadows/speculars realistic; 1:1.

Text stress test (poster)

Poster that reads ‘NANO BANANA’ (heading) and ‘Gemini 2.5 Flash Image’ (subhead). Balanced kerning, grid-aligned layout, A3, print-ready.

Style/scene transfer

Restyle the reference living room into Japandi minimalism (natural wood, paper lantern, low-contrast palette). Preserve room geometry and window view; 3:2.

Bottom line

Nano Banana delivers the best price-to-capability for most real creative work — especially identity-safe edits and fast iteration — and it's live on NightCafe today.

Flux Kontext is an excellent precision editor, also available on NightCafe.

ChatGPT Images remains the text champion, and yes — also on NightCafe — but you'll often pay more for mid/high-quality outputs elsewhere.

Start comparing in one place: NightCafe — Nano Banana (Flux Kontext and ChatGPT Images are available there too).