Nano Banana Pro vs GPT Image 2 vs Seedream 5 Pro: Same Prompts

On VdoBloom, GPT Image 2 is the cheapest of the three flagships at 3, 5 or 8 credits per image (1K, 2K, 4K) and the one to draft with. Nano Banana Pro costs a flat 18 credits up to 2K and 24 at 4K, and it is our pick for faces and lighting. Seedream 5 Pro costs 10 or 19 credits, tops out at 2K, and gives you the most control when editing: up to 10 reference images and changes aimed at a specific area. If you only use one for posters and other text-heavy layouts, try GPT Image 2 first because a re-roll costs so little. Then check the result against Nano Banana Pro, which Google positions as its strongest model for legible text.

Updated October 2026.

Disclosure: VdoBloom is our platform.

All three models sit in the same picker in our AI image generator and AI photo editor. You pay per image from one credit balance and can switch models without a second subscription. This post adds Nano Banana Pro and Seedream 5 Pro to our earlier GPT Image 2 vs Nano Banana 2 comparison. That one covers the cheaper Nano Banana 2.

Which “GPT Image 2” and which “Seedream 5”

Both names cover more than one model, so here is exactly what we compared.

GPT Image 2: OpenAI released GPT Image 2 on 21 April 2026 and followed it with GPT Image 2.5 on 8 September 2026. The 2.5 release comes in two variants: Flare, the faster one, and Sunburst, the slower precision variant. GPT Image 2, Flare and Sunburst cost the same here, so our grids use Sunburst (how the variants differ).
Seedream 5: ByteDance’s 5-series has three tiers on VdoBloom: Flash (2 credits), Lite (6 credits) and Seedream 5.0 Pro, the flagship. Only Pro is in this test.
Nano Banana Pro: Google DeepMind’s Gemini 3 Pro Image, released 20 November 2025. Model page.

Spec and price table

One credit is $0.05 at the Lite rate ($15 for 300 credits). Every model shows its exact cost before you generate.

Fact (VdoBloom)	Nano Banana Pro	GPT Image 2 / 2.5	Seedream 5.0 Pro
Developer	Google DeepMind	OpenAI	ByteDance
Credits per image	18 at 1K or 2K, 24 at 4K	3 at 1K, 5 at 2K, 8 at 4K	10 Standard, 19 High
Approx. USD per image	$0.90 / $1.20	$0.15 / $0.25 / $0.40	$0.50 / $0.95
Highest output	4K	4K	2K (Standard is about 1.5K)
Aspect ratios	10 (1:1 to 21:9)	11 on GPT Image 2, 13 on 2.5, both with auto	5 (1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16)
Reference images when editing	Up to 8	Up to 10 (2) or 16 (2.5)	Up to 10
Edit prompt length	No limit set in our editor	Up to 20,000 characters	Up to 2,000 characters
Generate and edit	Same model in both tools	Separate generate and edit entries	Same model in both tools
Resolution catches	None; 2K costs the same as 1K	GPT Image 2: auto aspect renders 1K, 1:1 stops at 2K. 2.5: four ratios are 1K-only	No 4K

Nano Banana Pro costs the same at 2K as at 1K, so never pick 1K on it. GPT Image 2 at 1K costs a sixth as much, which makes it the drafting model.

Photoreal portraits and skin

Faces show the gap fastest. Look for real skin texture rather than a waxy finish, catchlights that match the light source, believable hands, and clean hair edges. Our Studio assistant routes realistic people to Nano Banana Pro, and Google says it keeps up to five people’s likeness consistent in one image.

We ran Seedream 5 Pro at High (2K) to match the others; Standard renders about 1.5K, so expect less fine detail. GPT Image 2 is the cheap way to settle pose and wardrobe before paying for a final elsewhere. If the face belongs to a real person, get their permission first.

Product shots

For packshots, check that the label stays legible on a curved surface, reflections follow the light, the contact shadow sits under the object, and the product keeps its shape. The useful differences are how often the label survives and what each re-roll costs.

If you need many angles of the same product, Seedream 5 Pro’s editor (up to 10 references) and GPT Image 2.5’s editor (up to 16) let you anchor the output to real product photos instead of the model’s guess. For catalogue-style work there is also a dedicated AI product photography tool.

Legible text and posters

All three vendors pitch text. Google describes Nano Banana Pro as its best model for accurate, legible text in several languages, from taglines to longer paragraphs. OpenAI’s Images 2.0 launch, which introduced GPT Image 2, was widely covered for better in-image text, including non-Latin scripts. ByteDance’s Seedream 5 Pro documentation lists accurate in-image text in 15 native languages, including Arabic, Thai, Korean and Japanese. We have not run a scored test, so don’t read the order of that list as a ranking.

Check every letter, including the small print, where dropped or doubled characters usually appear. The next grid repeats the test with a multilingual sign.

For text work, GPT Image 2 accepts edit prompts up to 20,000 characters, so you can spell out every line of copy and where it goes. Its low price also means a misspelled render costs 5 credits to retry at 2K rather than 18 or 19. To set up a layout without writing the prompt yourself, the AI poster maker handles that, and best AI image model for text in images covers the rest of our text-capable models.

Complex multi-subject scenes

Crowded scenes test instruction-following: the right number of people, each doing the action you assigned, positioned left, centre or right as written, with nobody merging into a neighbour. Count the subjects and check each instruction one by one.

Two specs matter here. If the scene needs a banner shape, Seedream 5 Pro only offers up to 16:9, while Nano Banana Pro and GPT Image 2 go to 21:9. If it needs 4K so you can crop in later, Seedream 5 Pro tops out at 2K.

Editing an existing photo

This is where the three differ most in what they let you do. Seedream 5 Pro can target a change at a specific area, so you can change one object and leave the rest of the frame alone. GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst is the OpenAI variant built for precise edits, and OpenAI’s launch notes stress keeping details consistent across several edits. Nano Banana Pro edits at up to 4K with up to 8 reference images in our editor; Google’s own model accepts up to 14.

Judge the edit by what stayed the same: the face, the hands, the clothing and the original light. A good edit changes only what you asked for.

The cost of a real session

Few people generate one image and stop. Take 20 drafts plus one final at each model’s best resolution:

GPT Image 2: 20 × 3 at 1K + 8 at 4K = 68 credits
Seedream 5 Pro: 20 × 10 at Standard + 19 at High = 219 credits
Nano Banana Pro: 20 × 18 at 2K + 24 at 4K = 384 credits

The cheapest workflow mixes models: draft on GPT Image 2, then spend one or two renders on whichever model wins for your subject. Credits come in one-time packs that never expire or an optional plan; see the pricing page.

Verdict by use case

Drafting and high-volume iteration: GPT Image 2 (or 2.5 Flare), at 3 credits per image.
Realistic people, portraits, headshots: Nano Banana Pro, our pick for faces. Also see the AI headshot generator.
Posters and text-heavy layouts: Start on GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst for the long prompts and cheap retries, and compare against Nano Banana Pro at 2K.
Multilingual signage and packaging copy: Seedream 5 Pro, given its documented 15-language text support.
Precise local edits and multi-image fusion: Seedream 5 Pro or GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst. Pick Sunburst when you have more than 10 references.
True 4K deliverables: Nano Banana Pro or GPT Image 2 / 2.5. Seedream 5 Pro tops out at 2K.
Wide banners (21:9): Nano Banana Pro or GPT Image 2. Seedream 5 Pro stops at 16:9.

Honest limits

Nano Banana Pro is the priciest per image and takes 8 references here, not Google’s 14. GPT Image 2 splits generate and edit into separate entries and has the resolution catches above. Seedream 5 Pro has no 4K, five aspect ratios and a 2,000-character edit prompt. Nano Banana Pro and GPT Image both use strict content filtering.

FAQ

Which is cheapest: Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image 2 or Seedream 5 Pro?

GPT Image 2 at every resolution: 3, 5 or 8 credits. Seedream 5 Pro is 10 or 19, and Nano Banana Pro is 18 (24 at 4K).

Is GPT Image 2.5 more expensive than GPT Image 2 on VdoBloom?

No. GPT Image 2, 2.5 Flare and 2.5 Sunburst all cost 3, 5 or 8 credits for both generating and editing.

Can Seedream 5 Pro make 4K images?

Not on VdoBloom. Standard renders about 1.5K and High renders 2K. For 4K, use Nano Banana Pro or GPT Image 2.

Which model is best for text in images?

All three vendors pitch text rendering, and we have not published a scored test. In practice, try GPT Image 2 first for cheap retries, Nano Banana Pro for a polished final, and Seedream 5 Pro for non-Latin scripts.