Seed 1.6 Flash vs Nano Banana 2.1
Seed 1.6 Flash costs 25.0x less per output token than Nano Banana 2.1 ($0.30 vs $7.50 per million). Updated October 23, 2026; no benchmark has tested both models yet.
- Coding
- No data
- Overall
- No data
- Output $/M
- $0.30
- Coding
- No data
- Overall
- No data
- Output $/M
- $7.50
Seed 1.6 Flash or Nano Banana 2.1: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Seed 1.6 Flash for output tokens 25.0x cheaper ($0.30 vs $7.50 per million) and a larger context window (262K against 66K tokens).
No benchmark has tested both yet. Seed 1.6 Flash has none yet; Nano Banana 2.1 on Design Arena: images, Design Arena: graphic design and Design Arena: logos. Compare them on price and context instead.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Image generation
Design Arena: images
No call
Only Nano Banana 2.1 has a Design Arena: images result, 1290.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Seed 1.6 Flash
Seed 1.6 Flash takes 262K tokens against 66K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Seed 1.6 Flash
Seed 1.6 Flash $0.0002, Nano Banana 2.1 $0.0053 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Seed 1.6 Flash not benchmarked, Nano Banana 2.1 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- None yet: no category has been tested on both models.
- Widest single gap
- None yet: no benchmark has tested both models.
- Output price
- Seed 1.6 Flash $0.30 against Nano Banana 2.1 $7.50 per million output tokens, 25.0x apart.
- Context window
- Seed 1.6 Flash takes 262K tokens, Nano Banana 2.1 66K.
Benchmark by benchmark
Every board either model has a result on, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale. Only one model is measured on each, so no row names a leader.
Image generationDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index5 boards measured
| Benchmark | Seed 1.6 Flash | Nano Banana 2.1 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: images | Not measured | 1290 | Only Nano Banana 2.1 measured |
| Design Arena: graphic design | Not measured | 1333 | Only Nano Banana 2.1 measured |
| Design Arena: logos | Not measured | 1277 | Only Nano Banana 2.1 measured |
| LMArena Text to Image | Not measured | 1328 | Only Nano Banana 2.1 measured |
| LMArena Image Edit | Not measured | 1426 | Only Nano Banana 2.1 measured |
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Seed 1.6 Flash costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Seed 1.6 Flash costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Seed 1.6 Flash costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | ByteDance Seed Seed 1.6 Flash | Google Nano Banana 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | ByteDance Seed | |
| Weights | No public weights listed | No public weights listed |
| Released | December 23, 2025 | October 6, 2026 |
| Context window | 262K | 66K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.075 | $1.50 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.30 | $7.50 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Seed 1.6 Flash better than Nano Banana 2.1 for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Seed 1.6 Flash for output tokens 25.0x cheaper ($0.30 vs $7.50 per million) and a larger context window (262K against 66K tokens).
Which is cheaper, Seed 1.6 Flash or Nano Banana 2.1?
Seed 1.6 Flash costs $0.075 per million input tokens and $0.30 per million output tokens; Nano Banana 2.1 costs $1.50 and $7.50. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Seed 1.6 Flash or Nano Banana 2.1?
Seed 1.6 Flash, with 262K tokens against 66K.
Has any benchmark tested both Seed 1.6 Flash and Nano Banana 2.1?
No benchmark has tested both yet. Seed 1.6 Flash has none yet; Nano Banana 2.1 on Design Arena: images, Design Arena: graphic design and Design Arena: logos. Compare them on price and context instead. Data as of October 23, 2026.