As of March 22, 2026, Gemini's current app image generator is Nano Banana 2. Nano Banana Pro still exists, but in Gemini Apps it is a paid redo step after you generate with Nano Banana 2. Imagen 4 is not the current default Gemini image generator. It is a separate Google image family that mainly enters the conversation when you are comparing API routes, image-style priorities, or lifecycle tradeoffs.
That is why this keyword feels more confusing than it should. Search results keep mixing three different layers into one answer: the Gemini consumer app, the Gemini API model IDs, and the Imagen family. Once you separate those surfaces, the decision gets much simpler.
TL;DR
If you only need the fast answer, use this table.
| Question | Best current answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| What model does Gemini Apps use to create and edit images? | Nano Banana 2 | Google's current Gemini Apps help page tells users to generate and edit images with Nano Banana 2 |
| What is Nano Banana Pro now? | A paid redo path, not the default first-pass generator in Gemini Apps | Google says paid subscribers can generate with Nano Banana 2 first and then use Redo with Pro |
| Is Imagen 4 the same thing as Gemini's image generator? | No | Google lists Imagen 4 as a separate image family, while Nano Banana 2, Nano Banana Pro, and Nano Banana are separate Gemini image entries |
| What is the best current Gemini API default? | gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview | It is the Nano Banana 2 route and the forward default for most new Gemini-native image work |
| When does Imagen belong in the answer? | When you are evaluating specialized Google image API routes, not when you are just asking what Gemini uses today | Google's current Firebase docs say to start with Gemini for most use cases and choose Imagen only for more specialized quality-first tasks |
The one caveat most pages still bury is lifecycle. Google's current deprecations table says the older gemini-2.5-flash-image shuts down on October 2, 2026, and the current Imagen 4 family has a June 24, 2026 shutdown path. So even when those models still appear in docs and comparisons, they should not be treated as the obvious long-term default.
What Gemini's image generator is actually called right now
The short answer depends on which product surface you mean.
If you mean the Gemini app, the answer is straightforward: Google's current Gemini Apps help page says you can create and edit images with Nano Banana 2. The same page says paid subscribers can regenerate a result with Nano Banana Pro. That means Nano Banana 2 is the live default image generator in Gemini Apps, while Pro is the quality-upgrade pass after the first generation rather than the first thing every user sees.
If you mean the Gemini API model family, the picture is broader. Google's current models page lists these as separate entries:
- Nano Banana 2 Preview
- Nano Banana Pro Preview
- Nano Banana
- Imagen 4
That matters because it breaks the most common mistaken assumption in this keyword family: that Nano Banana and Imagen are two names for the same current Gemini image engine. They are not. Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro belong to Gemini's image line. Imagen 4 is a separate Google image family with its own role and lifecycle.
The naming confusion got worse after the February 26, 2026 rollout of Nano Banana 2. Google's launch post for Nano Banana 2 introduced it as Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, while the Gemini app moved its front-end experience toward that newer image flow. So users now see "Gemini image generation" and "Nano Banana 2" more often than the older "Nano Banana" label, while developers still see multiple model IDs on the API side. That split is exactly why an article for this keyword needs to be surface-first instead of nickname-first.
The practical rule is simple:
- asking about Gemini Apps means you are mostly asking about Nano Banana 2
- asking about better paid rerenders inside Gemini Apps means you are really asking about Nano Banana Pro
- asking about Google image APIs more broadly is the moment when Imagen 4 can enter the decision
If you skip that first sort, the rest of the topic stays muddy no matter how many capability bullet points you read.
Nano Banana 2 vs Nano Banana Pro in Gemini Apps
Inside Gemini Apps, the difference between Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro is less about identity and more about workflow position.
Nano Banana 2 is the generator Google puts in front of users when they open the image flow. Google's current help documentation tells users to go to Gemini, choose Create image, and generate with Nano Banana 2. It also describes image editing through the same model. In other words, Nano Banana 2 is the everyday path for creating, editing, and iterating inside the app.
Nano Banana Pro is the higher-detail step after that. Google's help page says paid subscribers can create an image with Nano Banana 2 and then use Redo with Pro. Google explicitly frames Pro as the better option when you want more detail, stronger text rendering, or infographic-like images. That makes Pro important, but it does not make Pro the default answer to "what image generator does Gemini use?" That is where many older tutorials are now misleading.
The plan table makes the practical split even clearer. Google's current Gemini plan help says Nano Banana 2 image generation is available with daily limits that vary by tier, while Redo with Pro is only available on paid tiers and also has its own daily cap. Google also warns that these image limits can change frequently and reset daily. So the live consumer experience is not "pick whichever model nickname you like." It is "generate with Nano Banana 2, then decide whether this image is worth a Pro redo."
That consumer flow tells you a lot about how Google sees the stack:
- Nano Banana 2 is the mainline image-generation experience
- Nano Banana Pro is the premium refinement pass
- old Nano Banana is no longer the main consumer story even though it still exists in API docs
This is also why community complaints keep surfacing. People who remember older tutorials or rollout screenshots expect a clear top-level Pro selector, then assume Google removed the model when they do not see it. The more accurate explanation is that Google changed the routing. Pro still exists, but the front door now runs through Nano Banana 2.
If your real problem is that Pro is not showing up where an older guide said it should, the follow-up page is why Nano Banana Pro is not showing in Gemini. But if your question is simply which model Gemini uses today, the answer is still Nano Banana 2.
Where Imagen 4 fits and why it is not the default Gemini answer
Imagen 4 belongs in this topic, but not for the reason many searchers assume.
Imagen 4 matters because Google still exposes it as a live image family on the developer side, and because some searchers really mean "which Google image model should I use?" rather than "which image generator does Gemini Apps use?" Those are related questions, but they are not the same question.
Google's current Firebase AI Logic documentation is unusually helpful here because it says the quiet part out loud: start with Gemini for most use cases, then choose Imagen only for specialized tasks where image quality is critical. The same guide says Gemini is the better starting point when you want world knowledge, interleaved text-and-image responses, or conversational image editing, while Imagen is the better fit when you want to prioritize photorealism, artistic style, branding, logos, product-design style tasks, or explicit aspect-ratio control.
That is a much cleaner routing rule than most page-one articles give you.
For this keyword, the practical implication is:
- if you are asking about the Gemini app, you usually do not need to think about Imagen first
- if you are comparing API routes for a product or workflow, Imagen becomes a real option
- if you specifically care about the broader Gemini-native experience, Google itself is still steering you toward Gemini before Imagen
There is another reason not to make Imagen the headline answer: lifecycle. Google's current deprecations page says imagen-4.0-generate-001, imagen-4.0-ultra-generate-001, and imagen-4.0-fast-generate-001 all carry a shutdown date of June 24, 2026, with Gemini image models listed as the replacements. That does not make Imagen 4 useless today. It does mean any article recommending Imagen as the obvious durable answer needs to explain that caveat instead of pretending it is a timeless recommendation.
If your question is a true Google-versus-Google routing decision, the better follow-up is Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview vs Imagen 4. For this article, Imagen belongs as a separate lane that becomes relevant only after you leave the narrow Gemini-app-default question.
The API and lifecycle caveat most "Gemini image generator" pages skip
The Gemini app answer is simple. The API answer is where the real nuance starts.
Google's current pricing page and deprecations page show that the image stack still has more than one live route, and those routes are not equally future-proof. That is why a good article cannot stop at "Gemini uses Nano Banana 2 now." Some readers are really deciding whether to build against the newer Gemini line, the older cheaper Gemini lane, or a separate Imagen route.
Here is the cleanest current model map for that decision.
| Model or family | What it is | Current cost signal | Lifecycle note | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview | Nano Banana 2 in the API | About $0.045 / $0.067 / $0.101 / $0.151 per 0.5K / 1K / 2K / 4K image | No shutdown date announced on the current deprecations page | Best current default for most new Gemini-native image work |
gemini-3-pro-image-preview | Nano Banana Pro in the API | About $0.134 per 1K or 2K image and $0.24 per 4K image | No shutdown date announced | Premium lane for harder text rendering, infographic, and higher-control image work |
gemini-2.5-flash-image | The older Nano Banana API lane | About $0.039 per image or $0.0195 in batch | Shutdown date October 2, 2026 with Nano Banana 2 as the recommended replacement | Cheap 1K holdover or short-term legacy compatibility |
| Imagen 4 family | Separate Google image family | Separate pricing surface and narrower product role | Current family shutdown date June 24, 2026 | Specialized Google image tasks where Imagen-specific strengths are the reason you are choosing it |
Two conclusions matter more than the raw numbers.
First, the best current Gemini default is Nano Banana 2, not because it is the cheapest, but because it is the forward image lane without the older model's shutdown date. If you are building something new and you want one default that matches Google's current product direction, start there.
Second, Nano Banana Pro should be treated as a premium branch, not the universal answer to every Gemini image question. Its role is clear: use it when detail, text rendering, higher-control layouts, or more polished visual work justify the higher spend.
The old Nano Banana still has one honest use case: cheap 1K output. But Google's own deprecations table is the reason you should treat that as a deliberate short-term exception, not as the best default for a new build. If you want the fuller migration version of that story, read Nano Banana 2 vs Nano Banana.
This lifecycle layer is also why "Imagen or Nano Banana?" is the wrong top-level framing for most users. The better framing is: Which surface am I on, and which current route fits that surface without forcing an avoidable migration later?
What I would choose in three common situations
If you only want a recommendation, this is the shortest honest version.
1. I use the Gemini app and just want to know what image generator it uses
Treat Nano Banana 2 as the answer.
That is the current default image-generation and image-editing path inside Gemini Apps. If the first image is good enough, stop there. If you are on a paid plan and you need a cleaner text-heavy result, more detail, or a better infographic-style rerender, use Redo with Pro.
2. I am building with the Gemini API and want the best current default
Start with gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview.
It is the Nano Banana 2 route, it matches Google's current forward story, and it avoids building fresh work on a model that already has a published shutdown date. If the workload is premium enough to justify more control and better text rendering, then step up to gemini-3-pro-image-preview.
3. I am really asking about Google's broader image stack, not only Gemini Apps
Only then bring Imagen into the decision.
And even there, use it intentionally. Google's own routing guidance says start with Gemini for most use cases and choose Imagen for narrower quality-first or style-specific tasks. On top of that, the current Imagen 4 family carries a shutdown path. That means Imagen should be a specific choice with a reason behind it, not a generic replacement for "Gemini image generator."
Those three scenarios are why this topic resists one-line answers. The right answer changes by surface. Once you accept that, the confusion mostly disappears.
If your next question is about paid API access rather than app behavior, the two best follow-ups are Gemini image API free tier and Nano Banana Pro price.
FAQ
Is Gemini's image generator actually Imagen?
No. In Gemini Apps, the current default image generator is Nano Banana 2. Imagen 4 is a separate Google image family that matters mostly in API-level model selection.
Is Nano Banana Pro the default image model in Gemini now?
No. Google's current Gemini Apps help flow says users create images with Nano Banana 2 first, then paid subscribers can use Redo with Pro.
Is the old Nano Banana gone?
Not in the API. The older gemini-2.5-flash-image model is still listed in Google's current deprecations table, but it has an earliest shutdown date of October 2, 2026 and a recommended replacement of gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview.
Should I choose Imagen instead of Nano Banana 2 for a new project?
Not by default. Google's own current routing guidance says start with Gemini for most use cases and choose Imagen only for more specialized quality-first tasks. On top of that, the current Imagen 4 family has a June 24, 2026 shutdown path.
The bottom line is that Gemini's current image generator is Nano Banana 2, not Imagen. Nano Banana Pro is the premium rerender path in Gemini Apps and the higher-end API lane, while Imagen is a separate family that only belongs in the answer when your question has moved from "what does Gemini use?" to "which Google image route fits this workflow best?"