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

Nano Banana vs Topaz Labs

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

Best overall

Nano Banana

4.6

From $19.99/mo

Topaz Labs

3.7

From $19/mo or $199/yr

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

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.

Pick it if: Photographers, video editors and marketers who need to rescue small, noisy or old images and footage for print or a big screen.

Overview

AttributeNano BananaTopaz Labs
In one lineGoogle's image model. Describe an edit and it keeps faces and products looking the same.Sharpen, denoise and upscale blurry photos and old video so they look like new.
Pricing modelFreemiumPaid
Starting price$19.99/mo$19/mo or $199/yr
Free plan Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeNano BananaTopaz Labs
Overall rating4.6Winner3.7
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
5.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
3.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeNano BananaTopaz Labs
Access & platform
Free plan Yes No
Mobile app Yes Yes
Desktop app No Yes
Browser extension No No
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes
Makes images Yes No
Makes video No No
Writes code No No
Runs agents or automations No No
Learns your brand or style No No
Works in many languages Yes–
Capabilities score9/ 178/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeNano BananaTopaz Labs
Plans

Free (Gemini app and AI Studio)

Free

Trying it and occasional images.

Topaz for Web, Image

$19/mo or $199/yr

Occasional photo upscaling in the browser.

Google AI ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers and creators making images every week.

Gigapixel

$29/mo or $149/yr

People who mainly need images enlarged.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy daily image and video makers.

Topaz PhotoOur pick

$39/mo or $199/yr

Photographers fixing noise, blur and size.

Gemini API

From $0.034 per image

Developers and automated workflows.

Topaz Video

$59/mo or $299/yr

Video editors upscaling and restoring footage.

Topaz Studio

$69/mo or $399/yr

Anyone working on both photos and video.

Topaz Studio Pro

$799/yr

Businesses over $1M revenue and studios.

Which plan to pickStart 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.If you only fix photos, Topaz Photo on yearly billing is the sweet spot. Add video and Topaz Studio costs less than buying Photo and Video separately. The standard plans only cover businesses under $1M a year in revenue, so bigger companies need a Pro plan.

Key features

AttributeNano BananaTopaz Labs
Standout features
  • Edit by describing
  • Consistent characters
  • Blend reference images
  • Sharp text and 4K
  • Grounded in Google Search
  • Gemini API
  • Topaz Photo
  • Gigapixel
  • Topaz Video
  • Starlight models
  • Web and mobile
  • Plugins and API

Pros and cons

AttributeNano BananaTopaz Labs
Pros
  • 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
  • Still the reference for photo and video restoration according to most photographers and editors
  • Desktop apps render unlimited images locally with no credits
  • Covers photos, enlargement and video in one bundle
  • Web and phone versions mean you don't need a fast computer for images
  • Works as a Lightroom and Photoshop plugin
Cons
  • 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
  • No more one-off licences, and many long-time users resent the switch to subscriptions
  • Can invent detail, give faces a plastic look or change things that were never there
  • Video renders are slow and need an expensive graphics card, and recent updates brought crash and export errors for some users
  • Confusing range of apps, models and plans, with the best video models locked to Pro plans
  • Standard plans only allow commercial use for businesses under $1M a year

Who each one is for

AttributeNano BananaTopaz Labs
Best for
  • Editing photos by describing the change
  • Product shots and lifestyle scenes
  • Consistent characters across images
  • Posters and graphics with readable text
  • Enlarging small photos for print or billboards
  • Cleaning up grainy low-light and event photos
  • Upscaling old or phone video to HD and 4K
  • Restoring family photos and archive footage
  • Upscaling AI-generated images for print
You'll find it used by
  • Marketers
  • Ecommerce store owners
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Developers
  • Photographers
  • Video editors
  • Archivists
  • Marketers
  • AI artists

Questions people ask

Which is better, Nano Banana or Topaz Labs?

Nano Banana scores highest overall in our ratings (Nano Banana 4.6/5 and Topaz Labs 3.7/5). Nano Banana is best for editing photos by describing the change and product shots and lifestyle scenes. Topaz Labs is best for enlarging small photos for print or billboards and cleaning up grainy low-light and event photos.

Which is cheaper, Nano Banana or Topaz Labs?

Nano Banana: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Topaz Labs: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $19/mo or $199/yr.

Which is easier to use, Nano Banana or Topaz Labs?

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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