Codestral 2508 vs Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)
Updated October 21, 2026. 0 benchmarks have a result for both. Coding is ranked on the Vibe Coding Index; every other board is shown as published.
- Coding
- No data
- Overall
- No data
- Output $/M
- $0.90
- Coding
- No data
- Overall
- No data
- Output $/M
- $2.50
Decision reading
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Codestral 2508 has the edge where output tokens cost 2.8x less, and where the context window is larger, 256K against 33K tokens.
- Shared results
- 0
- Codestral 2508 only
- 7
- Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) only
- 3
- Like-for-like categories
- 0 of 9
Shared results can support a head-to-head reading. Results only one model has describe coverage, not superiority.
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
Web design
Design Arena: websites
No call
Only Codestral 2508 has a Design Arena: websites result, 1013.
Directional only
Image generation
Design Arena: images
No call
Only Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) has a Design Arena: images result, 1179.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Codestral 2508
Codestral 2508 takes 256K tokens against 33K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Codestral 2508
Codestral 2508 $0.0008, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) $0.0015 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Codestral 2508 not benchmarked, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- No category has a result for both models.
- Widest single gap
- No benchmark has a result for both models.
- Output price
- Codestral 2508 $0.90 against Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) $2.50 per million output tokens, 2.8x apart.
- Context window
- Codestral 2508 takes 256K tokens, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) 33K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALE-Bench | 137.8 | Not measured | Only Codestral 2508 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 37 boards here | |||
IntelligenceNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 2 boards here | |||
Agentic workNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 39 boards here | |||
ReasoningNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 21 boards here | |||
MathNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 13 boards here | |||
KnowledgeNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 17 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index6 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | 1013 | Not measured | Only Codestral 2508 measured |
| Design Arena: UI components | 1017 | Not measured | Only Codestral 2508 measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | 968 | Not measured | Only Codestral 2508 measured |
| Design Arena: data viz | 1017 | Not measured | Only Codestral 2508 measured |
| Design Arena: 3D | 1020 | Not measured | Only Codestral 2508 measured |
| Design Arena: all code categories | 1007 | Not measured | Only Codestral 2508 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 3 boards here | |||
GeneralNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 46 boards here | |||
Image generationDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index3 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Codestral 2508 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: images | Not measured | 1179 | Only Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) measured |
| Design Arena: graphic design | Not measured | 1151 | Only Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) measured |
| Design Arena: logos | Not measured | 1169 | Only Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 2 boards here | |||
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
Codestral 2508 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Codestral 2508 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Codestral 2508 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 | Mistral Codestral 2508 | Google Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Mistral AI | |
| Weights | No public weights listed | No public weights listed |
| Released | August 1, 2025 | October 7, 2025 |
| Context window | 256K | 33K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.30 | $0.30 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.90 | $2.50 |
| 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 Codestral 2508 better than Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Codestral 2508 has the edge where output tokens cost 2.8x less, and where the context window is larger, 256K against 33K tokens.
Which is cheaper, Codestral 2508 or Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)?
Codestral 2508 costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $0.90 per million output tokens; Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) costs $0.30 and $2.50. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Codestral 2508 or Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)?
Codestral 2508, with 256K tokens against 33K.
How many benchmarks is the Codestral 2508 vs Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) comparison based on?
0 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Codestral 2508's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)'s on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.