All 9 AI Image Models in Nenis Compared: Which One Should You Use?

Nenis gives you nine image generation models from OpenAI, Google, and ByteDance. That is useful only when the model selector helps you make a decision instead of creating another one.

This guide compares the actual models and controls currently available in Nenis: credit prices, resolution tiers, reference limits, output counts, and the kind of work each model is best suited to.

If you want one rule before the tables, use this:

Choose the cheapest model that can reliably satisfy the brief. Upgrade for a specific reason—not because a model name sounds more powerful.

The Nine Models at a Glance

All credit figures below are per output and reflect Nenis on August 20, 2026.

The range is not a quality score. It reflects each model's available resolution or quality tiers. Seedream pricing is flat across its tiers; GPT Image pricing changes dramatically between Low and High.

The Fast Answer by Task

Google Gemini: Lite, Workhorse, or Pro

Nano Banana 2 Lite

Use Lite for speed and volume. It costs 3 credits at Low (512px) or 4 credits at Standard (1K), accepts up to 14 references, and returns up to four outputs.

Best for drafts, moodboards, background experiments, thumbnails, early product concepts, and reference tests. It does not expose web or image search in Nenis and does not offer 2K or 4K.

Read the full Nano Banana 2 Lite guide.

Nano Banana 2

Nano Banana 2 is the Google generalist. It costs 6, 8, 12, or 18 credits across Low, Standard, High, and Ultra, covering 512px through 4K. It accepts up to 14 references and up to four outputs.

It is the best everyday Gemini choice when you want stronger generation, text, editing, broad aspect-ratio support, and optional web or image search without immediately paying Pro prices.

Read the Nano Banana 2 guide.

Nano Banana Pro

Nano Banana Pro costs 16 credits at Standard or High and 28 at Ultra. Standard and High share a price because Google charges the same provider cost for its 1K and 2K outputs. It accepts up to 14 references and can return up to ten outputs.

Choose it for complex professional prompts, brand work, typography-led assets, infographics, and high-control 4K results. It is usually wasteful while you are still unsure about the composition.

Read the Nano Banana Pro production guide.

OpenAI: Mini, Creative Control, or Maximum Fidelity

GPT Image 1 Mini

GPT Image 1 Mini costs 1 credit at Low, 2 at Standard, and 7 at High. It supports up to 16 references, up to ten outputs, square, 3:2, and 2:3 formats, plus transparent backgrounds.

It is the cheapest OpenAI route for prompt tests, batches, simple cutouts, transparent assets, and low-risk experiments.

Read the GPT Image 1 Mini guide.

GPT Image 1.5

GPT Image 1.5 costs 2 credits at Low, 6 at Standard, and 24 at High. It also supports up to 16 references, ten outputs, three native aspect ratios, and transparent backgrounds.

Choose it for more capable creative editing, preservation work, and transparent assets when Mini is not following the brief closely enough. Standard is often the most practical tier; High should have a clear final-output reason.

Read the GPT Image 1.5 guide.

GPT Image 2

GPT Image 2 costs 1 credit at Low, 7 at Standard, and 25 at High. It accepts up to 16 references, returns up to ten outputs, and supports ten useful ratios from square through 21:9. It does not support transparent backgrounds in Nenis.

This is the most capable OpenAI image model in the catalogue. Use it for high-fidelity instruction following, complex edits, realistic product work, and final assets where layout and preservation matter.

Read the GPT Image 2 guide.

ByteDance Seedream: Draft, Edit, or Reason

Seedream 4

Seedream 4 costs 4 credits per output at every available tier, accepts up to 14 references, and returns up to ten outputs.

It is the inexpensive Seedream sketchpad: quick concepts, broad reference experiments, image sets, moodboards, and early compositions.

Read the Seedream 4 guide.

Seedream 4.5

Seedream 4.5 costs 5 credits per output, supports High and Ultra tiers, accepts 14 references, and returns up to ten outputs.

Use it for controlled edits and reference workflows that benefit from a stable, familiar Seedream behavior. It remains valuable even though 5.0 Lite is newer, especially when an existing prompt and source-image workflow already works well in 4.5.

Read the Seedream 4.5 guide.

Seedream 5.0 Lite

Seedream 5.0 Lite also costs 5 credits per output and offers Standard, High, and Ultra choices mapped to 2K, 3K, and 4K. It accepts up to 14 references and returns up to ten outputs.

Choose it for visual reasoning, structured multi-subject scenes, information graphics, style transfer, and edits where the model must infer the intention behind the request. ByteDance advertises online search for the underlying model, but Nenis does not currently expose a Seedream search control.

Read the full Seedream 5.0 Lite guide.

Compare by Resolution

Resolution is only one part of quality. A well-followed 1K composition is more useful than a 4K image with the wrong subject, layout, or product geometry.

Compare by Reference Workflow

The OpenAI models accept up to 16 references. Gemini and Seedream accept up to 14. In practice, the quality of the roles matters more than the last two slots.

Use this format whenever you upload several images:

Image 1: exact subject or product.
Image 2: composition only.
Image 3: lighting only.
Images 4–6: color and material references.

Preserve: [non-negotiable details].
Ignore: text, logos, people, and objects from style-only references.

For a deeper workflow, read How to use reference images in AI.

A Sensible Credit Strategy

You do not save credits by using the cheapest model repeatedly on a job it cannot solve. You also do not improve every job by starting at 25 or 28 credits.

Use a three-pass approach:

1. Comprehension pass: one cheap output to see whether the model understands the subject and structure.
2. Direction pass: two to four outputs to compare composition, lighting, and style.
3. Finish pass: one stronger or higher-resolution output after the prompt and references are stable.

For example:

• GPT Image 2 Low to test a complex OpenAI brief, then Standard or High for the chosen direction.
• Nano Banana 2 Lite to explore a product scene, then Nano Banana 2 High for a larger asset.
• Seedream 4 to sketch a multi-reference idea, then Seedream 5.0 Lite to resolve the relationships.

What This List Does Not Include

Nenis also includes utility tools such as the Standard Upscaler and Background Remover. They are not generation models, so they are not counted among the nine in this guide.

Use them after generation when the job is specifically enlargement or separation—not as substitutes for choosing the right generator.

The recommendation

If you are still undecided:

• Start with Nano Banana 2 Lite for a fast general draft.
• Start with GPT Image 1 Mini for a cheap OpenAI draft or transparent output.
• Start with Seedream 5.0 Lite when the brief contains reasoning or structured relationships.
• Move to Nano Banana 2 for the best everyday balance.
• Use GPT Image 2 or Nano Banana Pro when a final asset truly needs the extra control.

The best Nenis model is not one permanent winner. It is the model whose capabilities match the current stage of the image.

Draft cheaply. Upgrade deliberately. Stop when the asset is ready.

Catalogue note

Capabilities and credit prices in this guide reflect the live Nenis model catalogue on August 20, 2026. Provider capabilities and prices can change; Nenis shows the final credit estimate before you create.