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

Affinity vs Nano Banana vs Pomelli

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

Affinity

4.4

From Your Canva subscription

Best overall

Nano Banana

4.6

From $19.99/mo

Pomelli

4.1

Free to start

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.

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.

Pick it if: Small business owners who need regular on-brand social posts and ads but don't have a designer or much time.

Overview

AttributeAffinityNano BananaPomelli
In one lineFree 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.Free Google tool that reads your website and makes on-brand marketing images and posts.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumFree
Starting priceYour Canva subscription$19.99/moFree
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.

AttributeAffinityNano BananaPomelli
Overall rating4.44.6Winner4.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.0
4.5
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
5.0
4.5
3.5
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
5.0
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.

AttributeAffinityNano BananaPomelli
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes No
Desktop app Yes No No
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 No
Learns your brand or style No No Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes–
Capabilities score8/ 179/ 176/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeAffinityNano BananaPomelli
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Individuals, for personal or business use.

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

FreeOur pick

Free

Every small business. There's no paid plan.

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.

Canva Enterprise

Custom

Organisations rolling it out to a team.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Which plan to pickDownload 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.There's only the free version. Sign in with a Google account, paste your website, and check the Business DNA it builds before you make anything.

Key features

AttributeAffinityNano BananaPomelli
Standout features
  • Photo editing
  • Vector design
  • Page layout
  • One app for all three
  • Canva AI
  • Mac, Windows and iPad
  • Edit by describing
  • Consistent characters
  • Blend reference images
  • Sharp text and 4K
  • Grounded in Google Search
  • Gemini API
  • Business DNA
  • Campaign ideas
  • Photoshoot
  • Animate
  • Product catalogue
  • Easy edits

Pros and cons

AttributeAffinityNano BananaPomelli
Pros
  • Professional design software for free
  • Photo, vector and layout in one app
  • Runs on Mac, Windows and iPad
  • Opens and exports Adobe and PDF files
  • No subscription for the core app
  • 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
  • Completely free
  • Learns your brand from your website in minutes
  • Product photoshoot uses Google's Nano Banana
  • Very easy for non-designers
  • Animate turns posts into short videos
Cons
  • Steep learning curve compared with Canva
  • AI tools need a paid Canva plan
  • Complex Adobe files don't always open perfectly
  • 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
  • A Google Labs experiment that could change or close
  • Designs are simpler than Canva or Lovart
  • No scheduling or posting
  • Needs a decent website to learn your brand from

Who each one is for

AttributeAffinityNano BananaPomelli
Best for
  • Replacing Adobe apps without the subscription
  • Logos and vector illustrations
  • Print layouts like brochures and menus
  • Detailed photo editing
  • Editing photos by describing the change
  • Product shots and lifestyle scenes
  • Consistent characters across images
  • Posters and graphics with readable text
  • On-brand social posts without a designer
  • Studio-style product photos from a phone shot
  • Campaign ideas for a sale or launch
  • Turning posts into short animated clips
You'll find it used by
  • Designers
  • Photographers
  • Illustrators
  • Small businesses
  • Students
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers
  • Small businesses
  • Online stores
  • Cafes and restaurants
  • Solo founders

Questions people ask

Which is better, Affinity, Nano Banana or Pomelli?

Nano Banana scores highest overall in our ratings (Affinity 4.4/5, Nano Banana 4.6/5 and Pomelli 4.1/5). 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. Pomelli is best for on-brand social posts without a designer and studio-style product photos from a phone shot.

Which is cheaper, Affinity, Nano Banana or Pomelli?

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. Pomelli: It's free to use.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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