--- title: "gemini-nano-banana-2.1 - Model Details & Comparison" description: "gemini-nano-banana-2.1 from Google Vertex AI: capabilities, context limits, pricing, and side-by-side comparisons with alternative models." url: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/vertex_ai/gemini-nano-banana-2.1" markdown: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/vertex_ai/gemini-nano-banana-2.1.md" --- # gemini-nano-banana-2.1 - Model Details & Comparison > gemini-nano-banana-2.1 from Google Vertex AI: capabilities, context limits, pricing, and side-by-side comparisons with alternative models. ## Important Links - [View MCP Gateway](https://www.getmaxim.ai/resources/mcp-gateway.md) - [Features](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/#features) - [Enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/enterprise) - [Pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/pricing.md) - [Docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai) - [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost) - [Book a Demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/book-a-demo) ## About gemini-nano-banana-2.1 gemini-nano-banana-2.1 is an image generation model from Vertex AI, one of 7 image generation models they offer. It is priced at $1.50 per 1M input tokens and $7.50 per 1M output tokens, ranking 19 out of 59 image generation models by cost and cheaper than 68% of models in this category. gemini-nano-banana-2.1 supports vision, reasoning, web search, prompt caching — one of only 2 image generation models with this combination. Its 131K-token context window is in the top 10% among image generation models. ## Specifications - **Google Vertex AI Provider.** - **Image Generation Mode.** - **131,072 Max Input Tokens.** - **32,768 Max Output Tokens.** - **32,768 Max Tokens.** - **$1.50 / 1M tokens Input Price.** - **$7.50 / 1M tokens Output Price.** ## Capabilities gemini-nano-banana-2.1 supports: Vision, Reasoning, Web Search, Video Input, Prompt Caching, System Messages, PDF Input. ## gemini-nano-banana-2.1 Pricing Overview At $1.50 per 1M input tokens and $7.50 per 1M output tokens, gemini-nano-banana-2.1 ranks 19 out of 59 image generation models by input cost. It is more affordable compared to the median of $2.00 for image generation models, and is cheaper than 68% of models in this category. gemini-nano-banana-2.1 is one of 7 Vertex AI image generation models, one of only 2 image generation models combining prompt caching, reasoning, vision, web search. its 131K-token context window places it in the top 10% of image generation models. ## Models to Compare Alternatives to gemini-nano-banana-2.1 with comparable capabilities. | Model | Provider | Input $/1M | Output $/1M | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | gemini-nano-banana-2.1 | Google Gemini | $1.50 | $7.50 | | gemini-3-pro-image-preview | Google Gemini | $2.00 | $12.00 | | gemini-3-pro-image | Google Gemini | $2.00 | $12.00 | | nano-banana-pro-preview | Google Gemini | $2.00 | $12.00 | | mai-image-2.6-flash | OpenRouter | $1.75 | $0.0000 | - [Compare gemini-nano-banana-2.1](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/gemini/gemini-nano-banana-2.1.md) - [Compare gemini-3-pro-image-preview](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/gemini/gemini-3-pro-image-preview.md) - [Compare gemini-3-pro-image](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/gemini/gemini-3-pro-image.md) - [Compare nano-banana-pro-preview](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/gemini/nano-banana-pro-preview.md) - [Compare mai-image-2.6-flash](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/mai-image-2.6-flash.md) ## Related Resources - [Calculate gemini-nano-banana-2.1 costs](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator/provider/vertex_ai/model/gemini-nano-banana-2.1.md) - [All Vertex AI pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator/provider/vertex_ai.md) ## FAQ ### Is gemini-nano-banana-2.1 cheaper than gemini-nano-banana-2.1? Yes. gemini-nano-banana-2.1 costs $1.50 per 1M input tokens compared to gemini-nano-banana-2.1's $1.50 per 1M input tokens, making it 0% more affordable. Both are image generation models and share support for vision, reasoning, web search. ### How does gemini-nano-banana-2.1 pricing compare to the average image generation model? gemini-nano-banana-2.1 input pricing is $1.50 per 1M tokens, which is 25% below the median of $2.00 for image generation models. It ranks 19 out of 59 image generation models by input cost, making it cheaper than 68% of models in this category. For output, it costs $7.50 per 1M tokens compared to the median of $8.00. ### What makes gemini-nano-banana-2.1 different from other Vertex AI models? Among Vertex AI's 7 image generation models, gemini-nano-banana-2.1 ranks 5 by input cost. Its combination of prompt caching, reasoning, vision, web search is shared by only 1 other image generation model. ### What are the best alternatives to gemini-nano-banana-2.1? The most comparable image generation models to gemini-nano-banana-2.1 are: gemini-nano-banana-2.1 from Google Gemini ($1.50/1M input tokens); gemini-3-pro-image-preview from Google Gemini ($2.00/1M input tokens); gemini-3-pro-image from Google Gemini ($2.00/1M input tokens); nano-banana-pro-preview from Google Gemini ($2.00/1M input tokens). These alternatives were selected based on similar capabilities, pricing, and provider diversity. You can compare any of these models in detail using the Bifrost Model Library. ### How large is gemini-nano-banana-2.1's context window? gemini-nano-banana-2.1 supports up to 131,072 input tokens, placing it in the top 10% of image generation models by context window size (rank 10 of 101). This makes it suitable for processing long documents, extensive code repositories, or maintaining detailed conversation histories. ### How do I calculate gemini-nano-banana-2.1 costs? gemini-nano-banana-2.1 is priced based on input and output tokens, images. Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to estimate costs for your specific workload. Enter your expected input and output tokens volume and the calculator will show the total cost breakdown. For reference, processing 1M input tokens costs $1.50 and generating 1M output tokens costs $7.50. ## Related Resources - [Google Vertex AI models](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/provider/vertex_ai.md) - [Model library](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library.md) - [LLM cost calculator](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator.md) - [Docs: Bifrost docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai) - [GitHub: maximhq/bifrost](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost) - [Pricing: Bifrost pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/pricing.md) - [Enterprise: Bifrost enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/enterprise) - [Book a Demo: Bifrost demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/book-a-demo) - [Resources: Bifrost resources](https://www.getmaxim.ai/resources.md) --- *This is a markdown version of [https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/vertex_ai/gemini-nano-banana-2.1](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/vertex_ai/gemini-nano-banana-2.1) for AI/LLM consumption.*