Seedream 5 vs Nano Banana 2
Seedream 5 Lite vs Nano Banana 2 on six identical prompts, from realistic portraits to busy scenes and flat illustration, with real costs and a dated verdict.
Updated · Tested: Seedream 5 Lite; Nano Banana 2
The verdict
Seedream 5 Lite won two tests, Nano Banana 2 won one and they tied three. Seedream produced the stronger portrait (the clearest salt-and-pepper beard in the whole test) and the only raccoon shot that hit every item, including real bokeh. Nano Banana 2 won the crowded scene, where Seedream's dog looked away and the light went glossy and midday. Seedream costs under half as much per image, so for photoreal people and editorial shots it is the better value; Nano Banana 2 for busy, warm storytelling scenes.
- Seedream 5
- Nano Banana 2 Tests won
- 2
- 1 Average score
- 2.7
- 2.5 Credits per image
- 9
- 20 Render time
- 34 s
- 12 s
3 test(s) were a tie.
At a glance
| Test | Seedream 5 | Nano Banana 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Realistic portrait | Nailed it 9 cr | Mostly 20 cr |
| Product packshot | Nailed it 9 cr | Nailed it 20 cr |
| Exact text on a sign | Nailed it 9 cr | Nailed it 20 cr |
| Crowded scene, many details | Mostly 9 cr | Nailed it 20 cr |
| Flat illustration | Mostly 9 cr | Mostly 20 cr |
| Editorial character shot | Nailed it 9 cr | Mostly 20 cr |
Realistic portrait
Skin, wrinkles, beard texture and believable depth of field are where AI portraits look plastic.
Checked: Real skin texture, not waxy · Salt-and-pepper beard · Yellow oilskin hat · Overcast harbor background · Shallow depth of field
Close-up portrait of an elderly fisherman with deep wrinkles and a salt-and-pepper beard, wearing a yellow oilskin hat, overcast harbor light, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, documentary photograph
The clearest salt-and-pepper beard of the set, with deep crow's-feet and a warm smile under a mustard oilskin hat, against softly blurred harbor boats. Contrast is pushed a little hard, but nothing looks broken.
Weathered skin, a worn yellow oilskin hat and a busy harbor are all there, but it framed a half-length shot rather than a close-up and the boats behind are only lightly blurred. Heavy HDR-style sharpening makes the skin look crunchy.
Product packshot
Glass, metal and a clean set test material rendering and restraint.
Checked: Frosted glass reads as frosted · Gold dropper · Travertine block · Eucalyptus sprig · Soft light from the left on a beige backdrop
A frosted glass skincare serum bottle with a gold dropper standing on a travertine block, a sprig of eucalyptus beside it, soft window light from the left, plain beige backdrop, clean beauty product photography
Frosted bottle with an all-gold dropper, a low travertine slab and a eucalyptus sprig, in warm patches of sun from the left on a cream-beige set. Soft and airy, with no label to go wrong.
Frosted bottle, gold collar, pitted travertine and a eucalyptus sprig, lit by a window on the left against a beige plaster wall. It added an invented "AURA" label, spelled cleanly.
Exact text on a sign
Spelling two lines of quoted text exactly is still the clearest separator between image models.
Checked: "BLUE HOUR COFFEE" spelled exactly · "EST. 1987" spelled exactly · Cream serif letters on enamel · Red brick wall · Late afternoon sun
A vintage enamel shop sign mounted on a red brick wall that reads "BLUE HOUR COFFEE" in cream serif letters, with "EST. 1987" in smaller letters underneath, late afternoon sun, photograph
Spelled exactly, with tall condensed serif capitals for the name and a small sans-serif "EST. 1987" underneath. The panel reads more as painted metal than vintage enamel, but the sunlit brick is crisp.
Spelled "BLUE HOUR COFFEE" and "EST. 1987" exactly in cream serif on a round blue enamel sign, adding a small flourish and dots. The street beyond glows with late sun, though the sign itself sits in softer light.
Crowded scene, many details
A long list of people, props and actions shows whether a model follows the whole brief or only the first half.
Checked: Three kids · Girl in a red raincoat painting stars · Boy with glasses taping fins · Toddler with a colander helmet · Golden retriever watching · Cardboard rocket · Toys on the grass
Three kids building a cardboard rocket in a sunny backyard: a girl in a red raincoat painting stars on it, a boy with glasses taping on the fins, a toddler wearing a colander as a helmet, a golden retriever watching, toys scattered on the grass, warm afternoon light, photograph
Six of seven: the kids, star painting, tape roll and colander are all there, but the retriever gazes off to the right instead of watching. A bright blue midday sky and glossy, CG-like finish undercut the warm-photograph brief.
All seven items, down to the boy pressing tape onto a fin and a colander tied under the toddler's chin. It also put a NASA logo and a US flag on the rocket unprompted, worth noticing for commercial work.
Flat illustration
Style control: a limited palette and flat vector look are easy to describe and easy to miss.
Checked: Flat vector look · Teal, mustard and coral only · Cat asleep on books · Rain on the window · Paper grain
Flat vector illustration of a cozy reading nook with a cat asleep on a stack of books, a window with rain outside, limited palette of teal, mustard and coral, subtle paper grain, children's book style
Cat on books, rain and heavy grain are there, but the textured, painterly fills read as gouache rather than flat vector. The yellow is a bright lemon rather than mustard.
Flat and detailed, with the cat asleep on cleanly titled books, rain on the window and light paper grain. The palette spreads beyond teal, mustard and coral into browns, orange and mint.
Editorial character shot
Our original benchmark prompt: a costumed animal in a real setting, with lens and focus instructions.
Checked: Tailored tuxedo · Champagne glass · Rooftop at night · Eiffel Tower bokeh · 85mm look, shallow depth of field
A raccoon in a perfectly tailored tuxedo sipping champagne at a rooftop gala in Paris at night, Eiffel Tower bokeh behind, editorial photograph, 85mm lens, shallow depth of field
Hits every item: a real sip, a terrace balustrade, guests behind and a softly focused tower in a three-quarter, 85mm-style frame. Clawed paws and a striped tail look right.
The most complete scene: a balustrade, an iron railing, a crowd in evening wear, a boutonniere and a tail behind a sipping raccoon. The tower is fully drawn rather than bokeh, and the wide, full-length framing ignores the 85mm instruction.
Which should you use?
Choose Seedream 5 for
- Photoreal portraits and editorial character shots
- Lens and focus instructions (85mm look, bokeh)
- Value: under half the price per image
Choose Nano Banana 2 for
- Busy scenes where every character's action must read
- Warm, natural photographic light
- Flat illustration closer to a vector look
One take per model per test, judged in October 2026. Both models are updated often; prices and live availability are on the models page. Totals for these tests: Seedream 5 $0.54, Nano Banana 2 $1.20 of plan value.
Questions people ask
Is Seedream 5 better than Nano Banana 2?+
On our six prompts Seedream 5 Lite won two, Nano Banana 2 won one and three were ties. Seedream was stronger on portraits and lens instructions; Nano Banana 2 on busy scenes.
Which one looks more realistic?+
For people, Seedream 5 Lite in our test: natural texture, a clearly salt-and-pepper beard and true shallow depth of field. In wide outdoor scenes its finish turned glossy and CG-like.
We tested Seedream 5 Lite. What about Seedream 5 Pro?+
Seedream 5 Pro was not available to run in PromptLab at the time of this test, so it is not included. We will add it when it is.
More comparisons
Test them on your own prompt
Run one prompt on Seedream 5, Nano Banana 2 and two more models side by side, rate the results and keep the winner. Every run shows its cost before you click.