Imagen 4 vs Nano Banana Pro: Which Is Better in 2026?

For most work, yes: Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) is the better model. It edits images in conversation, takes up to 14 reference images, keeps up to 5 people consistent and outputs 2K or 4K. Imagen 4 was a good text-to-image generator, but Google shut down every Imagen 4 model in the Gemini API on 17 August 2026, so as of 1 November 2026 it isn't a real choice for new projects anyway.

This guide compares the two on the points people actually ask about: text, photorealism, editing, references, price and speed. It also covers what Google says to use instead of each Imagen 4 tier, and where you can run the Nano Banana family today. Kenerate doesn't run Imagen 4 or Nano Banana Pro, and we say so wherever it matters below.

Imagen 4 vs Nano Banana Pro: the short comparison

Sources: Google's Nano Banana Pro announcement, the Gemini API pricing page, the Gemini API deprecations page and Firebase's Imagen-to-Gemini migration guide, all checked 1 November 2026.

Is Imagen 4 still available?

Not in the Gemini API. Google's deprecations page lists imagen-4.0-generate-001, imagen-4.0-ultra-generate-001 and imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001 with a shutdown date of 17 August 2026. The Imagen docs page in the Gemini API now simply says Imagen models are shut down and tells you to use Nano Banana.

Firebase's migration guide says the same shutdown covers both the Gemini Developer API and the Agent Platform Gemini API (formerly Vertex AI). Some older Vertex AI release notes mentioned an earlier "update before 30 June 2026" date. Either way, both dates have passed. If you have old code calling generate_images with an Imagen 4 model name, expect it to fail. Plan the migration rather than assuming the model is still there.

Some third-party apps may still show an "Imagen 4" option. If they do, they're running on cached access, a regional exception or a mislabel. Check what you're actually being billed for.

Which is better for text in images?

Nano Banana Pro. Google built its launch around text rendering: the announcement describes "correctly rendered and legible text" in multiple languages, aimed at posters, infographics, menus and diagrams.

Imagen 4 handled short headlines well for its time. That's why some older guides call it the "safer pick" for typography. It was weaker at long paragraphs, small labels and mixed languages. It also couldn't use a "thinking" step to plan a layout before drawing, and Nano Banana Pro can.

If text accuracy matters (a menu, a poster with a date and venue, a labelled diagram), use a Nano Banana model and spell out the exact words in quotes in your prompt.

Which is better for photorealism?

This was Imagen 4's strongest point, and it's the closest call. Imagen 4 Ultra produced clean, detailed photoreal images from one prompt, with good skin texture and lighting. For a single "hero" shot from text alone, it was hard to beat in 2025.

Nano Banana Pro matches it for most photoreal prompts and adds two things Imagen 4 never had:

1. 4K output. Imagen 4 topped out at 2K.
2. Iteration. You can say "make the light warmer" or "move her to the left" and keep the rest of the image. With Imagen 4 you had to re-roll the whole picture and hope.

So even where Imagen 4 Ultra won a one-shot test, Nano Banana Pro usually gets you to a better final image in fewer attempts.

Which is better for editing and reference images?

Nano Banana Pro, and it isn't close. Imagen 4 was a pure text-to-image model. Edits (inpainting, outpainting, style changes) needed the separate imagen-3.0-capability-001 model.

Nano Banana Pro is a Gemini model that outputs images, so editing is built in:

• Up to 14 input images blended into one result (products, logos, style references).
• Up to 5 people kept consistent across outputs, useful for storyboards and campaigns.
• Conversational edits. Describe the change and what must stay the same.
• Text and image output. It can explain what it changed as well as return the image.

For product shots from your own photos, keeping a character the same across scenes, or changing one detail without re-rolling, Imagen 4 was never the right tool.

Which is cheaper?

Imagen 4 was cheaper per image, but you can't buy it any more. Third-party pricing guides from early 2026 list Imagen 4 Fast at $0.02, Standard at $0.04 and Ultra at $0.06 per image. Google has since removed those prices from its pricing page.

Nano Banana Pro on Google's Standard tier costs $0.134 per image at 1K or 2K and $0.24 at 4K. Batch and Flex tiers halve that to $0.067 and $0.12. Input images add about $0.0011 each.

That price gap is why Google doesn't point most Imagen users to Nano Banana Pro. According to the Firebase migration guide:

In other words, Nano Banana Pro is Google's replacement for Imagen 4 Ultra only. Everyday volume goes to the cheaper Nano Banana 2.1.

Which is faster?

Imagen 4 Fast was built for speed and could return up to four images per call, so for raw throughput it was quick. Nano Banana Pro runs a reasoning ("thinking") step before it draws. That makes single images slower, but it's also why it follows long, detailed prompts more closely.

If speed matters more than the last bit of quality, the lighter Nano Banana models are the practical choice now: Nano Banana 2.1 at minimal thinking, or Nano Banana 2 Fast.

So which should you use in November 2026?

Since Imagen 4 is gone, the real question is which Google image model replaces it. Here's a simple way to choose:

1. Fast drafts, social posts, high volume. Nano Banana 2.1 or Nano Banana 2 Fast. This is Google's replacement for Imagen 4 Fast and Standard.
2. Final hero images, 4K print, dense text, up to 5 consistent people. Nano Banana Pro. This is Google's replacement for Imagen 4 Ultra.
3. Edits of your own photos. Any Nano Banana model with reference images. Describe only the change.
4. Legacy Imagen code. Switch generate_images to generate_content, read the image from the response parts, drop negativePrompt and numberOfImages (loop instead), and set the aspect ratio in ImageConfig.

For more on how the Nano Banana tiers differ, see our guides to Nano Banana vs Nano Banana Pro and Nano Banana 2.1 vs Nano Banana 2.

Can you use these models on Kenerate?

Kenerate doesn't run Imagen 4 (it's shut down) or Nano Banana Pro. It runs four models from the Nano Banana family, including Nano Banana 2.1, the model Google recommends in place of Imagen 4 Fast and Standard. Prices from Kenerate's model config as of 1 November 2026:

Paid plans start at $15 for 1,300 credits (Starter). That works out to roughly 60 Nano Banana 2.1 images at 1K, and credits never expire on the larger plans. To try it, open the Nano Banana image generator, or use the Nano Banana image editor to edit a photo you upload.

How to recreate an "Imagen 4 style" shot with Nano Banana 2.1

1. Open Kenerate's image studio and pick Nano Banana 2.1.
2. Write the prompt the way you would for Imagen: subject, setting, lighting, lens, mood. Put any on-image text in quotes.
3. Choose the aspect ratio and resolution. 2K is a good match for Imagen 4 Ultra's max size.
4. Generate, then refine in plain words ("softer shadows, keep the face the same") instead of re-rolling.
5. For product or character work, add your reference photos (up to 14) before generating.

Bottom line

Nano Banana Pro beats Imagen 4 on text, editing, references, people consistency and maximum resolution. Imagen 4 only competed on price and on one-shot photorealism, and since Google switched it off in August 2026, the comparison is now mostly history. If you're migrating, follow Google's own mapping: Nano Banana 2.1 for most work, and Nano Banana Pro only where you need its top-end quality, 4K or dense text.

Updated 1 November 2026. Model availability and prices change often, so check the linked Google pages before you build on them.