Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design
Affinity vs Nano Banana vs Pixlr
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Designers, photographers and confident DIYers who want professional design software without an Adobe subscription.
Pick it if: Marketers, store owners and creators who need realistic images and edits that stay true to the original person or product.
Pick it if: Small business owners, creators and students who want a cheap, quick photo editor without installing Photoshop.
Nano Banana scores highest overall, but Affinity gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Affinity | Nano Banana | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Free pro design app for photo editing, illustration and layout, with optional Canva AI. | Google's image model. Describe an edit and faces and products stay the same. | Browser photo editor with AI tools for removing backgrounds, filling and making images. |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Your Canva subscription | $19.99/mo | $2.49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Affinity | Nano Banana | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4 | 4.6Winner | 4.0 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Affinity | Nano Banana | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | No | Yes | No |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | No | 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 |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes video | No | No | Yes |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Affinity | Nano Banana | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Individuals, for personal or business use. | Free (Gemini app and AI Studio) Free Trying it and occasional images. | Free Free Occasional quick edits. |
With Canva Pro Your Canva subscription People who already pay for Canva. | Google AI ProOur pick $19.99/mo Marketers and creators making images every week. | Plus $2.49/mo, or $1.99/mo billed yearly Ad-free basic editing. | |
Canva Enterprise Custom Organisations rolling it out to a team. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Heavy daily image and video makers. | PremiumOur pick $9.99/mo, or $7.99/mo billed yearly Small businesses using AI tools weekly. | |
Gemini API From $0.034 per image Developers and automated workflows. | Ultra From $24.99/mo, or $19.99/mo billed yearly Heavy AI users. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Download it free. Only connect a paid Canva plan if you want the AI tools inside Affinity, or if you already pay for Canva anyway. | 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 adds 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 it free for simple edits. If the ads annoy you, Plus is cheap. Premium is the one to get if you'll use the AI tools every week. Ultra Max doubles Ultra's credits for $49.99/mo. |
Key features
| Attribute | Affinity | Nano Banana | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standout features |
|
|
|
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Affinity | Nano Banana | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pros |
|
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
|
Who each one is for
| Attribute | Affinity | Nano Banana | Pixlr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for |
|
|
|
| You'll find it used by |
|
|
|
Questions people ask
Which is better, Affinity, Nano Banana or Pixlr?
Nano Banana scores highest overall in our ratings (Affinity 4.4/5, Nano Banana 4.6/5 and Pixlr 4.0/5). Affinity is best for Replacing Adobe apps without the subscription and logos and vector illustrations. Nano Banana is best for editing photos by describing the change and product shots and lifestyle scenes. Pixlr is best for quick photo edits in the browser and removing backgrounds and objects.
Which is cheaper, Affinity, Nano Banana or Pixlr?
Affinity: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Your Canva subscription. Nano Banana: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Pixlr: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $2.49/mo.
Which is easier to use, Affinity, Nano Banana or Pixlr?
Nano Banana rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Marketers, store owners and creators who need realistic images and edits that stay true to the original person or product.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
Swap in another tool
More tools from Image, Logo & Design in the library.
