Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is $4.7 cheaper per 1M input tokens (94% lower; 16.7x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥GPT-5.5 vs Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)
Pick Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) for lower cost; pick GPT-5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) for lower cost; pick GPT-5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is estimated at $1.55 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $18.45 (92.2% lower).
Cost-first pickNano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)
Context-first pickGPT-5.5
Sample savings$18.4592.2%
10x traffic gap$184.5
GPT-5.5 has more context, but Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) saves $18.45 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $184.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | GPT-5.5 | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | $40 | $2.75 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | $35 | $2.8 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | $155 | $12.8 |
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is $27.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (91.7% lower; 12x difference).
GPT-5.5 has 1.02M more context (32x larger).
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is $18.45 cheaper on the standard workload (92.2% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) has the lower input price; Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) has the lower output price; GPT-5.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $20 for GPT-5.5 and $1.55 for Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image).
Choose GPT-5.5 when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is estimated at $1.55 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $18.45 (92.2% lower).
- Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is $18.45 cheaper on the standard workload (92.2% lower).
- Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is $4.7 cheaper per 1M input tokens (94% lower; 16.7x difference).
- Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is $27.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (91.7% lower; 12x difference).
- GPT-5.5 has 1.02M more context (32x larger).
| Feature | 🔥GPT-5.5 (OpenAI) | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) (Google) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $5 | $0.3 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $30 | $2.5 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $20 | $1.55 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 32.77K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #17 | #121 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is estimated at $1.55 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $18.45 (92.2% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GPT-5.5 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
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