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

Midjourney vs Nano Banana vs Recraft

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

Midjourney

4.1

Free to start

Best overall

Nano Banana

4.6

From $19.99/mo

Recraft

3.8

From $12/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Midjourney

4.1

Pick it if: Marketers, founders and creators who want imagery that doesn't look like generic stock.

Nano Banana

4.6
Best overallBest valueEasiest 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.

Recraft

3.8

Pick it if: Designers, marketers and founders who need brand assets they can keep editing.

Overview

AttributeMidjourneyNano BananaRecraft
In one lineType 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.Generates logos, icons and illustrations as editable vector files you can keep working on.
Pricing modelPaidFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceSee website$19.99/mo$12/mo
Free plan No Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeMidjourneyNano BananaRecraft
Overall rating4.14.6Winner3.8
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
4.5
3.5
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
5.0
5.0
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
4.5
3.5
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.

AttributeMidjourneyNano BananaRecraft
Access & platform
Free plan No Yes Yes
Mobile app No Yes No
Desktop app No No No
Browser extension No No No
API access No Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace No No Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO No Yes Yes
Connects to other apps No 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 No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations No No No
Learns your brand or style Yes No Yes
Works in many languages No Yes No
Capabilities score5/ 179/ 179/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeMidjourneyNano BananaRecraft
Plans

Basic

See website

Trying it out and light monthly use.

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

Free

Free

Learning the tool on personal projects.

StandardOur pick

See website

Most marketers and creators.

Google AI ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers and creators making images every week.

BasicOur pick

$12/mo, or $10/mo billed yearly

Founders and marketers making occasional brand assets.

Pro

See website

Agencies and anyone doing client work.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

Pro

From $20/mo, or $16/mo billed yearly

Designers producing assets every week.

Mega

See website

Heavy daily production.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Teams

From $22/seat/mo, or $18/seat/mo billed yearly

Design teams who share a house style.

Which plan to pickStandard 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.Basic is the sensible start for a business because it unlocks private images and commercial rights, and 1,000 credits goes a long way on stills. Pick Pro only if you are generating daily. Teams is for agencies where several people need the same brand style.

Key features

AttributeMidjourneyNano BananaRecraft
Standout features
  • Image quality
  • Style and character references
  • Web editor
  • Personalisation
  • Video
  • Stealth mode
  • Edit by describing
  • Consistent characters
  • Blend reference images
  • Sharp text and 4K
  • Grounded in Google Search
  • Gemini API
  • Vector output
  • Custom styles
  • Icon and illustration sets
  • Mockups
  • Image tools
  • API

Pros and cons

AttributeMidjourneyNano BananaRecraft
Pros
  • Consistently the most attractive output of any generator
  • Style and character references keep a campaign looking like one set
  • Relax mode on Standard and above means unlimited generations
  • The editor handles extending and fixing parts of an image well
  • 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
  • Real, editable vector files, which almost no other generator does well
  • Custom brand styles keep every asset consistent
  • Paid plans include clear commercial rights and private images
  • API makes it useful inside developer workflows
Cons
  • No free plan or trial
  • Text in images and exact layouts are unreliable
  • Your images are public unless you are on Pro or Mega
  • The learning curve is real if you want control rather than luck
  • No API or integrations with other tools
  • 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
  • Free plan is unusable for business: images are public, owned by Recraft and not for commercial use
  • Busier interface than the simpler generators
  • Credits run down faster on vector output and image tools
  • Photoreal images are not its strength

Who each one is for

AttributeMidjourneyNano BananaRecraft
Best for
  • Hero images for websites
  • Brand and campaign visuals
  • Mood boards and concepts
  • Illustration styles
  • Editing photos by describing the change
  • Product shots and lifestyle scenes
  • Consistent characters across images
  • Posters and graphics with readable text
  • Logos and icon sets
  • Illustrations in a consistent style
  • Vector graphics for print
  • Brand-matched assets
You'll find it used by
  • Marketers
  • Brand designers
  • Founders
  • Content creators
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers
  • Designers
  • Brand teams
  • Founders
  • Developers

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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