Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design
Canva 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.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone who needs good-looking marketing material regularly and doesn't have a designer on call.
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.
Nano Banana scores highest overall, but Pomelli gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Canva | Nano Banana | Pomelli |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Make social posts, decks and flyers from templates, with AI that writes and edits for you. | 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 model | Freemium | Freemium | Free |
| Starting price | $144/yr for one person | $19.99/mo | Free |
| 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.
| Attribute | Canva | Nano Banana | Pomelli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.5 | 4.6Winner | 4.1 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 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.
| Attribute | Canva | Nano Banana | Pomelli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | – |
| Capabilities score | 13/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 6/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Canva | Nano Banana | Pomelli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Occasional posts and trying it out. | Free (Gemini app and AI Studio) Free Trying it and occasional images. | FreeOur pick Free Every small business. There's no paid plan. |
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. | ||
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. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations with security requirements. | Gemini API From $0.034 per image Developers and automated workflows. | ||
| Which plan to pick | 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. | 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
| Attribute | Canva | Nano Banana | Pomelli |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Canva | Nano Banana | Pomelli |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Canva | Nano Banana | Pomelli |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Canva, Nano Banana or Pomelli?
Nano Banana scores highest overall in our ratings (Canva 4.5/5, Nano Banana 4.6/5 and Pomelli 4.1/5). Canva is best for social media posts and stories and quick decks and one-pagers. 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, Canva, Nano Banana or Pomelli?
Canva: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $144/yr for one person. Nano Banana: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Pomelli: It's free to use.
Which is easier to use, Canva, Nano Banana or Pomelli?
Canva rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who needs good-looking marketing material regularly and doesn't have a designer on call.
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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