Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design
ChatGPT Images vs Leonardo AI vs Nano Banana
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 already uses ChatGPT and wants quick, accurate images without learning another tool.
Pick it if: Creators, small studios and marketers who want a free starting point and a way to keep a consistent style or character.
Pick it if: Marketers, store owners and creators who need realistic images and edits that stay true to the original person or product.
Overview
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Leonardo AI | Nano Banana |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Make and edit images inside ChatGPT by describing what you want, words included. | Canva-owned image and video generator with free daily tokens and custom style training. | Google's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free | $12/mo | $19.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Leonardo AI | Nano Banana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.6Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 5.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Leonardo AI | Nano Banana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | No |
| 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 | Yes | No |
| Writes code | Yes | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | No | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 16/ 17 | 11/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Leonardo AI | Nano Banana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free A few images a day. | Free Free Trying it and occasional images. | Free (Gemini app and AI Studio) Free Trying it and occasional images. |
Go See website Light users who hit the free limits. | Essential $12/mo, about $10/mo billed yearly Hobbyists making images most weeks. | Google AI ProOur pick $19.99/mo Marketers and creators making images every week. | |
PlusOur pick See website Most marketers and business owners. | PremiumOur pick $30/mo, about $24/mo billed yearly Creators and marketers who generate a lot. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Heavy daily image and video makers. | |
Pro See website Heavy daily users. | Ultimate $60/mo, about $48/mo billed yearly Heavy daily image and video work. | Gemini API From $0.034 per image Developers and automated workflows. | |
Business See website Teams who need shared workspaces and admin. | Team From $24/seat/mo Small teams sharing a token pool. | ||
API Pay as you go Developers and automations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | 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. | Use Free to learn it, but remember everything you make is public. Premium is the plan to buy if you generate often, because relaxed mode means you never hit a hard stop on Leonardo's own image models. Essential is too tight once you touch video or partner models. | 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. |
Key features
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Leonardo AI | Nano Banana |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Leonardo AI | Nano Banana |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Leonardo AI | Nano Banana |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, ChatGPT Images, Leonardo AI or Nano Banana?
Nano Banana scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT Images 4.2/5, Leonardo AI 3.8/5 and Nano Banana 4.6/5). ChatGPT Images is best for mockups and signage with real text and editing an image by describing changes. Leonardo AI is best for game art and illustration in a fixed style and consistent characters across many images. Nano Banana is best for editing photos by describing the change and product shots and lifestyle scenes.
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT Images, Leonardo AI or Nano Banana?
ChatGPT Images: It's free to use. Leonardo AI: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $12/mo. Nano Banana: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo.
Which is easier to use, ChatGPT Images, Leonardo AI or Nano Banana?
ChatGPT Images rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who already uses ChatGPT and wants quick, accurate images without learning another tool.
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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