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Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design

Adobe Firefly vs Ideogram vs Nano Banana

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Adobe Firefly

3.8

From $9.99/mo

Ideogram

4.0

From $20/mo

Best overall

Nano Banana

4.6

From $19.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Adobe Firefly

3.8

Pick it if: Agencies and businesses that need generated imagery they can use for clients with less legal worry.

Ideogram

4.0

Pick it if: Marketers and small business owners who need graphics with words on them, fast.

Nano Banana

4.6
Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Marketers, store owners and creators who need realistic images and edits that stay true to the original person or product.

Overview

AttributeAdobe FireflyIdeogramNano Banana
In one lineImage and video generator trained on licensed content, so it's safer for client work.Generates images that spell words correctly, so posters and ads come out readable.Google's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$9.99/mo$20/mo$19.99/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No No Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeAdobe FireflyIdeogramNano Banana
Overall rating3.84.04.6Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.5
4.5
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
3.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
4.0
5.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
4.0
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.0
4.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeAdobe FireflyIdeogramNano Banana
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes No Yes
Desktop app Yes No No
Browser extension No No No
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes No
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes No Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes Yes
Makes images Yes Yes Yes
Makes video Yes No No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations No No No
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes No
Works in many languages Yes No Yes
Capabilities score13/ 178/ 179/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeAdobe FireflyIdeogramNano Banana
Plans

Free

Free

Trying it and the odd image.

Free

Free

Seeing whether it suits you.

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

Firefly Standard

$9.99/mo

Occasional images and a little video.

PlusOur pick

$20/mo, or $15/mo billed yearly

Most marketers and small businesses.

Google AI ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers and creators making images every week.

Firefly ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers who generate most days.

Pro

$60/mo, or $42/mo billed yearly

Agencies and heavy ad testing.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

Firefly Pro Plus

$49.99/mo

Regular video and audio work.

Team

$30/user/mo, or $20/user/mo billed yearly

Small teams sharing one bill.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Firefly Premium

$199.99/mo

Studios producing video at volume.

Enterprise

Custom

Larger organisations.

Firefly Pro for teams

$19.99/licence/mo, billed yearly

Agencies and teams who need admin and support.

Which plan to pickPro is the one for most marketers because it bundles Express Premium and web Photoshop, which many people would pay for anyway. Standard is fine for stills only. The two expensive plans are only worth it if video is a weekly job.Treat Free as a demo, not a plan, because everything you make is public. Plus covers a normal week of social and ad graphics. Only step up to Pro if you are testing many ad variations a day.Start free in the Gemini app to see if it suits your work. If you make images most weeks, Google AI Pro is the one to buy because it unlocks Nano Banana Pro and comes with Gemini, video credits and storage. Developers should use Nano Banana 2 on the API and save Pro for hero images.

Key features

AttributeAdobe FireflyIdeogramNano Banana
Standout features
  • Commercially safe models
  • Partner models
  • Generative Fill and Expand
  • Text to video
  • Text to vector
  • Audio and translation
  • Readable text
  • Magic Prompt
  • Canvas
  • Styles and colour palettes
  • Batch generation
  • API
  • Edit by describing
  • Consistent characters
  • Blend reference images
  • Sharp text and 4K
  • Grounded in Google Search
  • Gemini API

Pros and cons

AttributeAdobe FireflyIdeogramNano Banana
Pros
  • Trained on licensed content, so safer for commercial and client work
  • Image, video, vector and audio in one subscription
  • Partner models give you other looks without leaving the app
  • Deep integration with Photoshop, Illustrator and Express
  • Pro bundles Express Premium and web Photoshop
  • Best-in-class at getting words right on an image
  • Easy enough that a first-timer gets a usable poster in minutes
  • Plus is reasonably priced and keeps your work private
  • Styles and colour palettes make on-brand output easier
  • The best at editing a photo while keeping the person or product identical
  • Free to try in the Gemini app
  • Pro renders accurate text and up to 4K
  • Cheap, fast API with a half-price batch mode
  • Built into Canva, Photoshop and Higgsfield as well as Google's apps
Cons
  • Adobe's own models trail Midjourney and ChatGPT Images on quality
  • The commercial-safety promise does not cover partner models
  • Credits are confusing and video burns through them fast
  • Plans and promotional pricing change often, so the price you see today may not hold
  • Free plan is tiny, public, and locked to Google, Apple or Microsoft sign-in
  • Artistic quality is a step behind Midjourney
  • No video and no mobile app
  • Credit-based, so heavy months can run dry
  • Less artistic flair than Midjourney
  • Free images carry a visible watermark, and every image has an invisible SynthID mark
  • Model names and plan limits change often
  • Safety filters can block harmless requests involving people

Who each one is for

AttributeAdobe FireflyIdeogramNano Banana
Best for
  • Commercially safe stock replacements
  • Extending and retouching photos
  • Vector graphics from a prompt
  • Existing Adobe users
  • Posters and ad creatives
  • Quote and announcement graphics
  • Logo concepts
  • Merch and t-shirt designs
  • Editing photos by describing the change
  • Product shots and lifestyle scenes
  • Consistent characters across images
  • Posters and graphics with readable text
You'll find it used by
  • Agencies
  • In-house creative teams
  • Photographers
  • Marketers
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Social media managers
  • Merch sellers
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.

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