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

FLUX vs Magnific (formerly Freepik) 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.

FLUX

4.0

From From $0.041 per image

Magnific (formerly Freepik)

3.9

From $20/mo

Best overall

Nano Banana

4.6

From $19.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

FLUX4.0

Pick it if: Developers, designers and hands-on marketers who want precise, cheap image generation and editing without a subscription.

Pick it if: Marketers, social media managers and small agencies who want stock assets and AI generation in one subscription.

Best overallEasiest to use

Pick it if: Marketers, store owners and creators who need realistic images and edits that stay true to the original person or product.

Overview

AttributeFLUXMagnific (formerly Freepik)Nano Banana
In one lineBlack Forest Labs' image models: pay per image in the browser or run them free yourself.Stock photos plus dozens of AI image, video and audio models under one subscription.Google's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceFrom $0.041 per image$20/mo$19.99/mo
Free plan No Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeFLUXMagnific (formerly Freepik)Nano Banana
Overall rating4.03.94.6Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.0
3.5
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.0
5.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.0
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
3.5
4.5

Feature comparison

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

AttributeFLUXMagnific (formerly Freepik)Nano Banana
Access & platform
Free plan No Yes Yes
Mobile app No Yes Yes
Desktop app No Yes No
Browser extension No 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 Yes 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 No No No
Runs agents or automations No Yes No
Learns your brand or style No Yes No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score10/ 1714/ 179/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeFLUXMagnific (formerly Freepik)Nano Banana
Plans

Open weights

Free

Developers and hobbyists with a decent graphics card.

Free

Free

Grabbing the odd free stock asset and testing the AI tools.

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

Playground and APIOur pick

From $0.041 per image

Anyone who wants the best FLUX models without a subscription.

Premium

$20/mo, or $14.50/mo billed yearly

Stock-heavy users who generate now and then.

Google AI ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers and creators making images every week.

Self-hosting licence

Custom

Companies running FLUX on their own servers.

Premium+Our pick

$45/mo, or $33.75/mo billed yearly

Marketers generating images most days.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

Pro Starter

$110/mo, or $82.50/mo billed yearly

Agencies and heavy video users.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Pro

$280/mo, or $210/mo billed yearly

Studios producing video at volume.

Which plan to pickTop up $10 to $20 of Playground credits and you will get a couple of hundred standard images. If you already pay for Krea, Magnific or Leonardo, try FLUX there first. Only look at open weights or a self-hosting licence if you have a developer and a reason to run it yourself.Premium is fine if you mostly want stock with some AI on the side. Premium+ is where it starts to pay off, because the unlimited image models stop your credits draining on everyday stills. Only go to Pro if video is a daily job. Annual billing saves about 25% and gives you the year's credits up front.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

AttributeFLUXMagnific (formerly Freepik)Nano Banana
Standout features
  • FLUX 3 Image
  • Box layouts
  • Precise edits
  • Open models
  • Pay as you go
  • Video and MCP
  • Stock library
  • Many models, one place
  • Magnific upscalers
  • Spaces
  • Audio
  • MCP, API and plugins
  • Edit by describing
  • Consistent characters
  • Blend reference images
  • Sharp text and 4K
  • Grounded in Google Search
  • Gemini API

Pros and cons

AttributeFLUXMagnific (formerly Freepik)Nano Banana
Pros
  • FLUX 3 Image is among the most precise editors available
  • No subscription, and cheap per image
  • Open models you can run privately on your own PC
  • Built into many apps you may already use
  • Same price in the Playground and the API
  • Huge stock library and AI generation in one subscription
  • Most leading image and video models in one place
  • Unlimited image generation on selected models from Premium+
  • Annual plans give you a full year of credits up front
  • Magnific upscaler is one of the best around
  • 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
Cons
  • The Playground is a developer test bench, not a friendly design app
  • Licences are confusing: some open models are non-commercial
  • Strict filters, and users say the open models are weak at people
  • 4K images are expensive at about 61 cents each
  • Reviews of the small Klein model are mixed
  • 'Unlimited' covers selected models only, slows after fair-use limits and the list keeps changing
  • Billing glitches and slow, AI-first support are a common complaint in 2026
  • Prices are set by country and promotions change often, so it is hard to compare
  • Busy interface with a lot to learn
  • Video and upscaling still burn credits quickly
  • 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

Who each one is for

AttributeFLUXMagnific (formerly Freepik)Nano Banana
Best for
  • Precise layouts with elements placed where you want
  • Editing one part of a photo and keeping the rest
  • Cheap images through an API
  • Running a model on your own computer
  • Stock photos and vectors with AI on top
  • Trying many image and video models on one bill
  • Upscaling images and video
  • High-volume social and ad visuals
  • Editing photos by describing the change
  • Product shots and lifestyle scenes
  • Consistent characters across images
  • Posters and graphics with readable text
You'll find it used by
  • Developers
  • Designers
  • AI hobbyists
  • Product teams
  • Agencies
  • Marketers
  • Social media managers
  • Agencies
  • Designers
  • Content creators
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers

Questions people ask

Which is better, FLUX, Magnific (formerly Freepik) or Nano Banana?

Nano Banana scores highest overall in our ratings (FLUX 4.0/5, Magnific (formerly Freepik) 3.9/5 and Nano Banana 4.6/5). FLUX is best for precise layouts with elements placed where you want and editing one part of a photo and keeping the rest. Magnific (formerly Freepik) is best for stock photos and vectors with AI on top and trying many image and video models on one bill. Nano Banana is best for editing photos by describing the change and product shots and lifestyle scenes.

Which is cheaper, FLUX, Magnific (formerly Freepik) or Nano Banana?

FLUX: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $0.041 per image. Magnific (formerly Freepik): There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Nano Banana: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo.

Which is easier to use, FLUX, Magnific (formerly Freepik) or Nano Banana?

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.

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