Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (50% lower; 2x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewGrok Build 0.1 vs Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview)
The standard workload cost is tied; choose by context window, provider fit, latency, or model quality.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
The standard workload cost is tied; choose by context window, provider fit, latency, or model quality.
Both models are estimated at $2 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Cost-first pickTie
Context-first pickGrok Build 0.1
Sample savings$00%
10x traffic gap$0
Context-window winner: Grok Build 0.1. Cost does not separate this pair on the standard workload, so the next decision point is context window and model behavior.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview), balanced workload favors Grok Build 0.1, and output-heavy chatbot favors Grok Build 0.1.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Grok Build 0.1 | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) | $6 | $4 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Grok Build 0.1 | $3 | $3.5 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Grok Build 0.1 | $11 | $15.5 |
Grok Build 0.1 is $1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
Grok Build 0.1 has 124.93K more context (1.95x larger).
Both models have the same estimated cost for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload: $2.
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 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) has the lower input price; Grok Build 0.1 has the lower output price; Grok Build 0.1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, the standard workload cost is tied.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2 for Grok Build 0.1 and $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview).
Choose Grok Build 0.1 when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
Choose Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when you care most about lower input-token price.
- Both models are estimated at $2 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
- Both models have the same estimated cost for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload: $2.
- Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (50% lower; 2x difference).
- Grok Build 0.1 is $1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
- Grok Build 0.1 has 124.93K more context (1.95x larger).
| Feature | NewGrok Build 0.1 (xAI) | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) (Google) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $1 | $0.5 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $2 | $3 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2 | $2 |
| Context Window | 256K | 131.07K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Tie | Both models are estimated at $2 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload. |
| High-volume input processing | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Grok Build 0.1 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Grok Build 0.1 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite offers 1.05M context with $1 sample workload cost.
- No popular competitor is currently available.
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsxAI catalog
Review all tracked xAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open xAI modelsGoogle catalog
Check other Google models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open Google modelsGrok Build 0.1 is xAI’s fast coding model trained specifically for agentic software engineering workflows. It supports text and image inputs with text output, and is optimized for interactive coding...
Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview, a.k.a. "Nano Banana 2," is Google’s latest state of the art image generation and editing model, delivering Pro-level visual quality at Flash speed. It combines...