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

Canva vs Nano Banana vs ChatGPT Images

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

Canva

4.5

From $144/yr for one person

Best overall

Nano Banana

4.6

From $19.99/mo

ChatGPT Images

4.2

Free to start

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Canva

4.5

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

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.

ChatGPT Images

4.2

Pick it if: Anyone who already uses ChatGPT and wants quick, accurate images without learning another tool.

Overview

AttributeCanvaNano BananaChatGPT Images
In one lineMake social posts, decks and flyers from templates, with AI that writes and edits for you.Google's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same.Make and edit images inside ChatGPT by describing what you want, words included.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$144/yr for one person$19.99/moFree
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeCanvaNano BananaChatGPT Images
Overall rating4.54.6Winner4.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
5.0
4.5
5.0
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.5
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
5.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.5
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.5
3.5

Feature comparison

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

AttributeCanvaNano BananaChatGPT Images
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes No Yes
Browser extension No No Yes
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 Yes
Runs agents or automations No No Yes
Learns your brand or style Yes No Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score13/ 179/ 1716/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeCanvaNano BananaChatGPT Images
Plans

Free

Free

Occasional posts and trying it out.

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

Free

Free

A few images a day.

ProOur pick

$144/yr for one person

Anyone making marketing material every week.

Google AI ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers and creators making images every week.

Go

See website

Light users who hit the free limits.

Business

$250/yr per person

Teams who need shared brands and approvals.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

PlusOur pick

See website

Most marketers and business owners.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations with security requirements.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Pro

See website

Heavy daily users.

Business

See website

Teams who need shared workspaces and admin.

Which plan to pickUse 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.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.Free is enough to find out if the quality suits you. Plus is the one to buy if you make images most days, because the limits stop getting in the way and you get the whole assistant too. Pro is only for people living in ChatGPT all day.

Key features

AttributeCanvaNano BananaChatGPT Images
Standout features
  • Templates for everything
  • Brand Kit
  • Canva AI
  • Magic Resize
  • Docs, sheets and video
  • Claude connection
  • Edit by describing
  • Consistent characters
  • Blend reference images
  • Sharp text and 4K
  • Grounded in Google Search
  • Gemini API
  • Edit by conversation
  • Accurate text
  • Reference images
  • Thinking mode
  • Lives inside ChatGPT
  • API as gpt-image-2

Pros and cons

AttributeCanvaNano BananaChatGPT Images
Pros
  • 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
  • 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
  • No learning curve: describe it, then describe the fix
  • Reliable text and faithful use of your logo and product photos
  • Included in every ChatGPT plan, including Free
  • Handles many languages well
  • Thinking mode makes complex layouts and infographics workable
Cons
  • 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
  • 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
  • Slower than dedicated generators
  • Free plan limits run out quickly on a busy day
  • Less distinctive artistic style than Midjourney
  • Limited fine control over composition compared with a design tool
  • No vector output

Who each one is for

AttributeCanvaNano BananaChatGPT Images
Best for
  • Social media posts and stories
  • Quick decks and one-pagers
  • Resizing one design for every channel
  • Simple logos and brand kits
  • Editing photos by describing the change
  • Product shots and lifestyle scenes
  • Consistent characters across images
  • Posters and graphics with readable text
  • Mockups and signage with real text
  • Editing an image by describing changes
  • Social tiles and quick marketing visuals
  • Multilingual text in images
You'll find it used by
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Social media managers
  • Teachers
  • Agencies
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Anyone on ChatGPT

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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