Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design
Leonardo AI vs Midjourney 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: 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, founders and creators who want imagery that doesn't look like generic stock.
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 | Leonardo AI | Midjourney | Nano Banana |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Canva-owned image and video generator with free daily tokens and custom style training. | Type a description and get striking, artful images that look nothing like stock photos. | Google's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | $12/mo | See website | $19.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Leonardo AI | Midjourney | Nano Banana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.6Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 3.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Leonardo AI | Midjourney | Nano Banana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | No | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | No |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | No | 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 | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | No | No | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 11/ 17 | 5/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Leonardo AI | Midjourney | Nano Banana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it and occasional images. | Basic See website Trying it out and light monthly use. | Free (Gemini app and AI Studio) Free Trying it and occasional images. |
Essential $12/mo, about $10/mo billed yearly Hobbyists making images most weeks. | StandardOur pick See website Most marketers and creators. | Google AI ProOur pick $19.99/mo Marketers and creators making images every week. | |
PremiumOur pick $30/mo, about $24/mo billed yearly Creators and marketers who generate a lot. | Pro See website Agencies and anyone doing client work. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Heavy daily image and video makers. | |
Ultimate $60/mo, about $48/mo billed yearly Heavy daily image and video work. | Mega See website Heavy daily production. | Gemini API From $0.034 per image Developers and automated workflows. | |
Team From $24/seat/mo Small teams sharing a token pool. | |||
API Pay as you go Developers and automations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | 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. | Standard is the sweet spot because relax mode means you never run out. Go to Pro if you make images for clients, since Basic and Standard publish everything you make to the public gallery. Yearly billing takes a chunk off every plan. | 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 | Leonardo AI | Midjourney | Nano Banana |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Leonardo AI | Midjourney | Nano Banana |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Leonardo AI | Midjourney | Nano Banana |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Leonardo AI, Midjourney or Nano Banana?
Nano Banana scores highest overall in our ratings (Leonardo AI 3.8/5, Midjourney 4.1/5 and Nano Banana 4.6/5). Leonardo AI is best for game art and illustration in a fixed style and consistent characters across many images. Midjourney is best for hero images for websites and brand and campaign visuals. Nano Banana is best for editing photos by describing the change and product shots and lifestyle scenes.
Which is cheaper, Leonardo AI, Midjourney or Nano Banana?
Leonardo AI: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $12/mo. Midjourney: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote. Nano Banana: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo.
Which is easier to use, Leonardo AI, Midjourney 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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