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

Adobe Firefly vs Nano Banana vs Midjourney

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

Midjourney

4.1

Free to start

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 overallBest valueEasiest to use

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

Midjourney

4.1

Pick it if: Marketers, founders and creators who want imagery that doesn't look like generic stock.

Overview

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaMidjourney
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.Type a description and get striking, artful images that look nothing like stock photos.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumPaid
Starting price$9.99/mo$19.99/moSee website
Free plan Yes Yes No
Works with Claude Code No Yes No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaMidjourney
Overall rating3.84.6Winner4.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.5
3.5
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
5.0
5.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
4.5
3.5
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 BananaMidjourney
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes No
Mobile app Yes Yes No
Desktop app Yes No No
Browser extension No No No
API access Yes Yes No
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes No No
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes No
Connects to other apps Yes Yes No
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 No
Capabilities score13/ 179/ 175/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaMidjourney
Plans

Free

Free

Trying it and the odd image.

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

Basic

See website

Trying it out and light monthly use.

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.

StandardOur pick

See website

Most marketers and creators.

Firefly ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers who generate most days.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

Pro

See website

Agencies and anyone doing client work.

Firefly Pro Plus

$49.99/mo

Regular video and audio work.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Mega

See website

Heavy daily production.

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.Standard is the sweet spot because relax mode means you never run out. Go to Pro if you make images for clients, since Basic and Standard publish everything you make to the public gallery. Yearly billing takes a chunk off every plan.

Key features

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaMidjourney
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
  • Image quality
  • Style and character references
  • Web editor
  • Personalisation
  • Video
  • Stealth mode

Pros and cons

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaMidjourney
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
  • Consistently the most attractive output of any generator
  • Style and character references keep a campaign looking like one set
  • Relax mode on Standard and above means unlimited generations
  • The editor handles extending and fixing parts of an image well
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
  • No free plan or trial
  • Text in images and exact layouts are unreliable
  • Your images are public unless you are on Pro or Mega
  • The learning curve is real if you want control rather than luck
  • No API or integrations with other tools

Who each one is for

AttributeAdobe FireflyNano BananaMidjourney
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
  • Hero images for websites
  • Brand and campaign visuals
  • Mood boards and concepts
  • Illustration styles
You'll find it used by
  • Agencies
  • In-house creative teams
  • Photographers
  • Marketers
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers
  • Marketers
  • Brand designers
  • Founders
  • Content creators

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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