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

Adobe Firefly vs Nano Banana vs Canva

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

Best overall

Nano Banana

4.6

From $19.99/mo

Canva

4.5

From $144/yr for one person

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.

Nano Banana

4.6
Best overall

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

Canva

4.5
Easiest to use

Pick it if: Anyone who needs good-looking marketing material regularly and doesn't have a designer on call.

Overview

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaCanva
In one lineImage and video generator trained on licensed content, so it's safer for client work.Google's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same.Make social posts, decks and flyers from templates, with AI that writes and edits for you.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$9.99/mo$19.99/mo$144/yr for one person
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaCanva
Overall rating3.84.6Winner4.5
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.5
5.0
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
5.0
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
4.5
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.5
4.5

Feature comparison

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

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaCanva
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes No Yes
Browser extension No No No
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes No Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes 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 Yes
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations No No No
Learns your brand or style Yes No Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score13/ 179/ 1713/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaCanva
Plans

Free

Free

Trying it and the odd image.

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

Free

Free

Occasional posts and trying it out.

Firefly Standard

$9.99/mo

Occasional images and a little video.

Google AI ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers and creators making images every week.

ProOur pick

$144/yr for one person

Anyone making marketing material every week.

Firefly ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers who generate most days.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

Business

$250/yr per person

Teams who need shared brands and approvals.

Firefly Pro Plus

$49.99/mo

Regular video and audio work.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations with security requirements.

Firefly Premium

$199.99/mo

Studios producing video at volume.

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.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.Use Free until you find yourself fighting it, usually over the brand kit or background removal. Pro pays for itself the first time you skip a stock photo subscription. Business only makes sense once two or more people are working in the same brand.

Key features

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaCanva
Standout features
  • Commercially safe models
  • Partner models
  • Generative Fill and Expand
  • Text to video
  • Text to vector
  • Audio and translation
  • Edit by describing
  • Consistent characters
  • Blend reference images
  • Sharp text and 4K
  • Grounded in Google Search
  • Gemini API
  • Templates for everything
  • Brand Kit
  • Canva AI
  • Magic Resize
  • Docs, sheets and video
  • Claude connection

Pros and cons

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaCanva
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
  • 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
  • Nobody needs training to use it
  • The free plan is big enough to run a small business on
  • Brand Kit and Magic Resize save hours every week
  • Covers decks, documents and simple video as well as graphics
  • Works with Claude, so designs can start from a chat
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
  • 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
  • Template designs can look generic unless you customise them
  • Fine control over type and layout is limited next to Figma or Adobe
  • Built-in image generation is a step behind the dedicated generators
  • AI features burn through credits faster than you expect on Free

Who each one is for

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaCanva
Best for
  • Commercially safe stock replacements
  • Extending and retouching photos
  • Vector graphics from a prompt
  • Existing Adobe users
  • Editing photos by describing the change
  • Product shots and lifestyle scenes
  • Consistent characters across images
  • Posters and graphics with readable text
  • Social media posts and stories
  • Quick decks and one-pagers
  • Resizing one design for every channel
  • Simple logos and brand kits
You'll find it used by
  • Agencies
  • In-house creative teams
  • Photographers
  • Marketers
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Social media managers
  • Teachers
  • Agencies

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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