FLUX.2 vs Nano Banana 2.1: Same-Prompt Test

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Quick answer: Nano Banana 2.1, the default model in Fuser's Gemini Image node, beat FLUX.2 [pro] on product edits in our same-prompt test: told to keep every word on a label, it kept every word and number, and with a one-line instruction it still kept the volumes right. FLUX.2 [pro] gave the truer overhead flat lay and flat, print-ready poster artwork, and the two tied on spelling. Neither matched a requested hex glaze; both came out darker and greyer, about equally far off, and only FLUX.2 [pro] added details to the set. Its edit endpoint also rejected our longer keep-every-word instruction again. Both are nodes in Fuser, so you can wire one prompt into each and keep whichever result fits. This is four prompts and one longer edit, one run each, so read it as tendencies, not a benchmark.

How we tested

We ran the same prompts and source photo as our first test through each model on 6 October 2026, one generation each, with no retries or cherry-picking:

• Models: FLUX.2 [pro] from Black Forest Labs and Nano Banana 2.1, Google's gemini-nano-banana-2.1. Both are in Fuser: FLUX.2 [pro] is the Pro option on the FLUX.2 node, and Nano Banana 2.1 is the default model on the Gemini Image node. The FLUX.2 node defaults to Turbo, a faster tier, so we switched it to Pro to compare the two flagships.

• Settings: each model at what its Fuser node sends for a square image: 1920 × 1920 for FLUX.2 [pro] and 1:1 at 2K (2048 × 2048) for Nano Banana 2.1. Both ran through hosted API endpoints for the same model versions, plus their edit versions. The FLUX.2 endpoint is the one Fuser calls. Fuser runs Nano Banana 2.1 through Google's own API, but it is the same model.

• Judging: we zoomed every output at full resolution, read all text letter by letter, counted objects and measured the median glaze color against the hex value.

Our first run of this test, on 28 September, used Nano Banana 2, which Google shuts down on 29 October 2026. See what changed in Nano Banana 2.1.

Test 1: a product in an exact hex color

Prompt: "Studio product photograph of a matte ceramic pour-over coffee dripper glazed in color #1F6F5C, sitting on a glass carafe on a pale oak counter. Soft window light from the left, shallow depth of field, 50mm lens, clean off-white wall behind."

• FLUX.2 [pro] rendered the glaze darker and slightly bluer than #1F6F5C. It added condensation inside the carafe and measurement markings that read as made-up numbers. We followed Black Forest Labs' advice to put the hex code right next to the object it colors (FLUX.2 prompting guide).

• Nano Banana 2.1 also went darker and greyer, leaning slightly yellower; measured against the swatch, it was about as far off as FLUX.2 [pro]. The set is exactly what the prompt asked for: dripper, empty carafe, oak counter and window light from the left, with nothing added.

Verdict: a tie on color, since neither hit the swatch, so check brand colors on the output before you ship. Nano Banana 2.1 for a clean, literal product shot in this run.

Test 2: a poster with two lines of exact text

Prompt: a minimalist jazz poster with the headline "BLUE HOUR SESSIONS" in a bold condensed sans-serif and a serif line reading "Fri 14 Nov · Doors 8 PM · The Lantern Room", with a trumpet silhouette, a crescent moon, a cream and navy palette and a flat screen-print texture.

Both models spelled every word of both lines correctly. Nano Banana 2.1 set the headline in a true condensed face and kept the middle dots as written; FLUX.2 [pro] used a wider bold sans-serif and drew the dots as heavier bullets. Google lists enhanced text rendering among Nano Banana 2.1's updates (Gemini API), and Black Forest Labs says FLUX.2 handles "complex typography" and "legible fine text" (Black Forest Labs). The bigger difference was layout. FLUX.2 [pro] made flat artwork that fills the frame. Nano Banana 2.1 showed the poster as a sheet on a dark backdrop, a mock-up rather than the artwork itself.

Verdict: a tie on text. FLUX.2 [pro] if you need print-ready artwork edge to edge; Nano Banana 2.1 followed the type specification more closely. If the poster is text-dense, Black Forest Labs recommends FLUX.2 [flex], which it describes as "specialized for typography" (FLUX.2 overview). Flex is also on the Fuser node. More in best AI models for text in images.

Test 3: counted objects in set positions

Prompt: "Overhead flat lay on a grey linen tablecloth: exactly three lemons on the left, a blue enamel mug in the center, two croissants on a white plate on the right, and a folded newspaper along the top edge. Natural morning light, photorealistic."

Both got every count and position right: three lemons, one mug, two croissants on a plate and a newspaper at the top. FLUX.2 [pro] gave a true top-down view with every object fully in frame. Nano Banana 2.1 tilted the camera, so the mug's side shows and the plate runs off the right edge. Neither newspaper is readable: both are filled with pseudo-text.

Verdict: FLUX.2 [pro] for a clean, literal flat lay.

Test 4: editing a product photo without breaking the label

Both models got the same source photo, a hand-wash bottle with small type on its label, and the same instruction: "Change the background to a terrazzo counter."

Both produced a convincing terrazzo scene with the bottle's shape and pump intact. The difference is in the small print:

• FLUX.2 [pro] kept "SOLA", "HAND WASH" and "BERGAMOT & SAGE", but changed "300 ml · 10.1 fl oz" to "200 ml · 100 fl oz" and "EFFECTIVE" to "SFFECTIVE".

• Nano Banana 2.1 kept both volumes and every other word, except "GENTLE", which became "GONTLE".

We also ran the longer instruction from our first test: "Place this exact bottle on a sunlit terrazzo counter next to a small potted fern, with soft morning shadows. Keep the bottle, pump and label exactly as they are, including every word on the label." The FLUX.2 [pro] edit endpoint we used rejected it with a content-policy error, as it did three times in September. Nano Banana 2.1 placed the bottle beside a fern and returned every word and number on the label correctly (the last crop). The only changes were small ring-shaped separators in place of the middle dots and a warmer cast on the label from the sunlight. That matches Google's editing advice to "be explicit about what to keep exactly the same" (Google Cloud).

Verdict: Nano Banana 2.1 for edits where packaging text must survive, especially with an explicit keep instruction. With either model, zoom into small print before you use an edit.

What each model offers beyond this test

• FLUX.2 [pro]: up to 4 MP output and up to 8 reference images through the API. Prompts can use hex codes or structured JSON, and BFL notes that "FLUX.2 pays more attention to what comes first" in a prompt (FLUX.2 prompting guide). On the Fuser node you choose from five sizes (square, plus 4:3 and 16:9 in portrait or landscape), which render at about 1920 px on the long side. The same node also offers Max, Flex, Dev, Turbo and Klein.

• Nano Banana 2.1: 1K, 2K and 4K output, multi-image fusion from up to 14 reference images (character consistency for up to 4 characters and object fidelity for up to 10 objects) and grounding with Google Web and Image Search (Gemini API). On the Fuser node you get Auto or ten aspect ratios from 21:9 to 9:16, 1K, 2K (the default) or 4K, up to 10 input images, a system prompt and a Search Grounding toggle. The same node also offers Nano Banana Pro, Nano Banana 2 Lite, Nano Banana 2 and the original Nano Banana.

Run the comparison on your own brief

One test tells you more than any roundup. In Fuser, put your prompt in a text node and connect it to a FLUX.2 node set to Pro and a Gemini Image node side by side, as in the canvas at the top. For edits, connect the same product photo to both nodes. Keep whichever result wins, then pass it on to an upscaler or a video model on the same canvas (chain models in one workflow). For prompt-writing detail, see the FLUX.2 prompt guide and the Nano Banana 2.1 prompt guide.