Midjourney vs Nano Banana 2.1: Which Image Model to Use in 2026
Oct 2026
Midjourney and Google's Nano Banana 2.1 are both in Flick's image node, and they pull in different directions: one toward a look, the other toward the instructions. We re-ran three of our Midjourney prompts on Nano Banana 2.1 with the same saved Flick style and compared.
The short version: Midjourney kept the mood and the style; Nano Banana 2.1 followed the prompt literally, rendered both sign texts, and came back in about 20 seconds. At the time of writing Midjourney is temporarily unavailable in Flick's picker; the Midjourney images here come from our earlier runs.
Quick answer: Midjourney or Nano Banana 2.1?
In an image node on Flick:
- Pick Midjourney for atmosphere. It held our saved style, grain and light most closely.
- Pick Nano Banana 2.1 for speed and instructions. About 20 seconds an image, every listed object placed, clean sign text.
- Expect Nano Banana to reinterpret subjects. Our "small dog" came back as a different breed in a wider shot.
| Midjourney | Nano Banana 2.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Midjourney | |
| Credits on Flick | 10 per batch of 4 images | 8 per image at 1K; 12 at 2K; 28 at 4K |
| Output we got (16:9) | 1456 × 816 | 1376 × 768 |
| Text in images | Legible but rough in our test | Clean |
| Reference images | Style reference | Character references, editing, style transfer |
| Status on Flick | Temporarily unavailable at the time of writing | Available on every plan |
Run one prompt on two image models
Keep your style, switch the model, compare.
How we tested
Three prompts from our own canvases: a dog carrying a bowl, a peach tree, and a haunted mansion with two signs. Each was first run on Midjourney with a saved Flick style; we then used Regenerate on the Midjourney node and switched to Nano Banana 2.1 at 1K, which keeps the prompt, the aspect ratio and the style. One Nano Banana image per prompt; Midjourney returns four, and we show the one from the node we regenerated.
Test 1: a dog carrying a bowl
A small dog walks by carrying a dog bowl in its mouth. The dog is shown in profile, not facing the camera. The scene is sun-drenched and summery, filmed in rich, warm golden-hour light in front of a beautiful house.Midjourney framed a white terrier close, in profile, like a film frame. Nano Banana 2.1 pulled back to a wide lawn with a stone farmhouse and a smaller brown terrier: every element is there, but the dog is a different breed and much smaller in frame. If the subject matters, describe it.
Test 2: a peach tree
A low-angle view of a peach tree laden with fruit, under the blazing summer sun. It evokes a lazy, indulgent summer afternoon, something both fleeting and eternal, with the kind of lush, richly sensuous countryside aesthetic.Midjourney went close into heavy, saturated fruit with film grain. Nano Banana 2.1 shot the whole tree into the sun, with a lens flare and many more peaches. Both are low angles; Midjourney's reads warmer and more intimate.
Test 3: a haunted mansion with two signs
A long prompt in a "Textured Silhouette Art" style, asking for a mansion on the right, a figure in the tower window, pumpkins along a stone path, a crow, a lantern, and two signs reading "Some Houses Never Forget" and "All Who Wander Are Not Lost".
Midjourney kept the silhouette look and lettered both signs roughly, the second one blurred. Nano Banana 2.1 drew a detailed, felted-looking illustration rather than silhouettes, placed the crow, lantern, pumpkins and tower figure, and set both signs in clean lettering.
Cost and speed
| Midjourney | Nano Banana 2.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | 10 for 4 images | 8 for 1 image (1K) |
| Per image | 2.5 | 8 |
| Our times | 32 s for a batch of 4 (mansion) | 21 s each (two timed runs) |
Rates for every model are on model credit costs.
Which one to use
| You want | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A frame with mood and texture | Midjourney | Closest to the saved style |
| Every object in a long prompt | Nano Banana 2.1 | Placed everything we listed |
| Readable sign or poster text | Nano Banana 2.1 | Clean lettering on both signs |
| A specific subject kept as described | Midjourney | Nano Banana changed our dog's breed and scale |
| The same character across shots | Nano Banana 2.1 | Supports character references |
The column "Why" is our assessment from these three prompts. More: Nano Banana 2.1 vs 2 vs Pro, character reference.
Sources
- Version and Style Reference, Midjourney documentation, checked October 21, 2026
- Gemini Nano Banana 2.1 model page, Google, updated October 6, 2026
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs 2 vs Pro, Flick, with Google's documentation linked there
- Images, credit rates and timings from Flick canvases, July to October 2026
Guides associés
- Generate an image
- Visual styles
- Character reference
- Model credit costs
- Nano Banana 2.1 vs 2 vs Pro
- Midjourney vs GPT Image 2.5
- How to use GPT Image 2.5
Questions fréquentes
Is Nano Banana 2.1 better than Midjourney?
Which is cheaper per image? Midjourney: 10 credits for 4 images. Nano Banana 2.1: 8 credits per image at 1K.
Which is cheaper per image?
Can Nano Banana 2.1 keep a character consistent? Yes. It supports character references in Flick.
Can Nano Banana 2.1 keep a character consistent?
Is Midjourney available on Flick? It is temporarily unavailable at the time of writing.