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Qwen Image 2.0 vs FLUX vs Nano Banana Pro: AI Image Generation Compared (2026)

qwen-image flux nano-banana
Qwen Image 2.0 vs FLUX vs Nano Banana Pro: AI Image Generation Compared (2026)

Three models are dominating AI image generation conversations in early 2026: Qwen Image 2.0 (Alibaba), FLUX.1 (Black Forest Labs), and Nano Banana Pro (Banana Designer). Each takes a different approach to the same problem — generating high-quality images from text prompts.

This comparison breaks down where each model excels and which one fits your specific needs.

Quick Comparison

FeatureQwen Image 2.0FLUX.1Nano Banana Pro
Parameters7B12B—
Max Resolution2048 × 20481024 × 1024+1024 × 1024+
Text RenderingExcellent (1K token)LimitedLimited
Image EditingBuilt-inSeparate toolsSeparate tools
Generation + EditingUnified modelGeneration onlyGeneration only
DPG-Bench88.3283.84—
GenEval0.91——
AI Arena ELO#1——
ArchitectureEncoder-DecoderRectified FlowDiffusion
Open WeightsAPI (weights TBD)Yes (Dev/Schnell)API

Text Rendering

This is where the gap is most dramatic.

Qwen Image 2.0 was designed from the ground with text rendering as a core capability. It handles:

  • Full paragraphs of Chinese and English text
  • Professional infographics with data tables, charts, and flow diagrams
  • Movie posters with multiple text layers (titles, credits, taglines)
  • Calligraphy in multiple styles (regular, thin gold, small regular script)
  • Comics with properly centered dialogue in speech bubbles
  • Calendar layouts with aligned grid text

The model supports prompts up to 1,000 tokens, allowing extremely detailed text layout instructions.

FLUX.1 can render short text strings but struggles with longer passages, complex layouts, and non-Latin scripts. Text accuracy drops significantly as complexity increases.

Nano Banana Pro handles basic text rendering but is not optimized for complex typographic layouts or multilingual text. Short labels and titles work reasonably well; paragraphs and infographics do not.

Winner: Qwen Image 2.0 — by a wide margin. If your use case involves text in images, there’s currently no real competition.

Photorealism and Image Quality

Qwen Image 2.0 generates at native 2K resolution with fine-grained detail — skin pores, fabric weave, architectural textures, and natural elements are rendered with high fidelity. The model handles complex spatial relationships well (e.g., “a horse standing on a person’s back” is correctly interpreted).

FLUX.1 produces excellent photorealistic output with strong prompt adherence. The Dev variant offers high-quality generation with good detail, while Schnell trades some quality for speed. FLUX excels at artistic styles and creative compositions.

Nano Banana Pro delivers strong photorealism with good detail and color accuracy. It performs well on portrait photography and product shots, with competitive output quality for standard generation tasks.

Winner: Close call. Qwen Image 2.0 has the resolution advantage (native 2K). FLUX.1 and Nano Banana Pro both produce excellent results at their supported resolutions. For pure photorealism without text, all three are competitive.

Speed and Efficiency

Qwen Image 2.0 — 7B parameters (reduced from 20B). Generation time is competitive for its quality level. The smaller architecture means lower hardware requirements for API providers.

FLUX.1 Schnell — Optimized for speed. Completes generations in under a second on high-end GPUs. The fastest option for bulk generation.

FLUX.1 Dev — Slower than Schnell but produces higher quality output. Typical generation time is a few seconds.

Nano Banana Pro — Competitive speed for API-based generation. Optimized for production workloads.

Winner: FLUX.1 Schnell for raw speed. For quality-per-second, Qwen Image 2.0’s 7B architecture is impressively efficient.

Image Editing

Qwen Image 2.0 — Built-in. The same model handles both generation and editing:

  • Add text overlays to existing images
  • Multi-image compositing (combine people from different photos)
  • Cross-domain editing (cartoon characters in real photos)
  • Style transfer while preserving content

FLUX.1 — Generation only. Editing requires separate models or tools.

Nano Banana Pro — Generation only. Editing requires separate pipelines.

Winner: Qwen Image 2.0 — the only model with native editing support.

Prompt Understanding

Qwen Image 2.0 — Powered by Qwen3-VL encoder, it has strong semantic understanding of complex, detailed prompts. The 1K token limit allows for extremely specific instructions. Particularly strong at spatial relationships and compositional reasoning.

FLUX.1 — Good prompt adherence for standard descriptions. Matches or exceeds many closed-source models in following complex prompts. Handles style and mood directions well.

Nano Banana Pro — Strong prompt following for straightforward descriptions. Handles compositional prompts well but may simplify very complex instructions.

Winner: Qwen Image 2.0 for complex, detailed prompts. FLUX.1 is very competitive for standard use cases.

Best For Each Model

Choose Qwen Image 2.0 if you need:

  • Text-heavy images (infographics, posters, presentations)
  • Chinese + English bilingual content
  • Combined generation and editing workflow
  • Native 2K resolution output
  • Complex scene composition with precise layout control

Choose FLUX.1 if you need:

  • Maximum generation speed (Schnell)
  • Open weights for local deployment
  • Creative and artistic styles
  • High-volume generation pipelines
  • Strong community and ecosystem (LoRA, ControlNet)

Choose Nano Banana Pro if you need:

  • High-quality portraits and product photography
  • Consistent production-ready output
  • Simple API integration
  • Competitive pricing for standard generation tasks

Pricing

ModelTypical Price per Image
Qwen Image 2.0Available via Alibaba Cloud BaiLian (invite-only)
FLUX.1 Dev~$0.02–0.05 (via API providers)
FLUX.1 Schnell~$0.01–0.03 (via API providers)
Nano Banana Pro~$0.02–0.05 (via API)

Pricing varies by provider, resolution, and generation parameters.

Access All Three on WaveSpeed

WaveSpeedAI already hosts FLUX.1 and Qwen Image models with fast inference, no cold starts, and simple REST API access.

Qwen Image 2.0 is coming soon to WaveSpeed — giving you access to all major image generation models through a single API platform.

Explore available models at wavespeed.ai/models.

FAQ

Which model produces the best overall image quality? For standard photorealism, all three are competitive. Qwen Image 2.0 pulls ahead when text rendering or complex layouts are involved. FLUX.1 excels at artistic and creative styles.

Can Qwen Image 2.0 replace FLUX.1? For text-heavy and editing use cases, yes. For speed-critical pipelines or artistic generation, FLUX.1 (especially Schnell) remains a strong choice. Many teams will benefit from using both.

Is Qwen Image 2.0 open source? The technical report is published. API access is available. Open weights for local deployment have not been confirmed for the 2.0 version yet.

Which is cheapest to run? FLUX.1 Schnell offers the lowest cost per image for bulk generation. Qwen Image 2.0 pricing through WaveSpeed will be announced when the model launches on the platform.

Can any of these models generate infographics? Only Qwen Image 2.0 can reliably generate complex infographics with accurate text, data layouts, and structured formatting. FLUX and Nano Banana Pro are not designed for this use case.