Ideogram 3.0 Character vs Nano Banana 2.1: Which Should You Use?

TL;DR

• Need "one reference locks the character, new scenes keep the face"? Use ideogram-v3-character. Need "lower per-image price, resolution options, several references at once"? Use gemini-nano-banana-2.1.
• The hardest number is the price gap: Ideogram 3.0 Character TURBO at $0.09 per image versus Nano Banana 2.1 1K at $0.022 — $0.068 more per image, which is $90.00 versus $22.00 at 1,000 images.
• Both are live on HiAPI: the Ideogram 3.0 Character page and the Nano Banana 2.1 page, one shared /v1/tasks endpoint, 200 free credits on signup.

At a glance

HiAPI current prices, checked October 21, 2026. Pay for successful images; failures refund in full; references are free.

Same prompt, both models, real outputs

Identical prompt and the same reference (a landscape illustrated character) — only model changes.

Pair A: night market

The explorer character walking through a lantern-lit night market, holding a paper cup of hot noodles, warm glowing stalls on both sides, storybook illustration, no text, no signs

Left: ideogram-v3-character, 16:9, 1328×752, WebP, $0.09. Right: gemini-nano-banana-2.1, 16:9, 1K (1376×768), png, $0.022. Same reference, same prompt, one render each.

Generate with Ideogram 3.0 Character → | Generate with Nano Banana 2.1 →

What you can see in pair A:

• The character holds on both sides: round glasses, blue-green hair, yellow hooded jacket, backpack, hot food in hand at the center of the market, storybook style.
• The lanterns differ: Ideogram's carry vertical lettering (the prompt said no text, and it appeared anyway); NB2.1's stay solid color — lettering-sensitive workflows still need a manual pass.
• Foreground density differs: NB2.1's bowl has chopsticks, a phone in one hand, and a price board on the wall; Ideogram's frame carries fewer elements.

Pair B: a photographed person in a new scene

The same man working as a barista in a sunlit neighborhood cafe, pouring latte art into a ceramic cup, wearing a canvas apron, shallow depth of field, photorealistic, no text

Left: ideogram-v3-character, REALISTIC, 16:9, 1328×752, WebP, $0.09. Right: gemini-nano-banana-2.1, 16:9, 1K (1376×768), png, $0.022. Same reference, same prompt, one render each.

Generate with Ideogram 3.0 Character → | Generate with Nano Banana 2.1 →

What you can see in pair B:

• The person holds on both sides: dark short hair, trimmed stubble, canvas apron, latte art pouring into a ceramic cup, shallow depth of field.
• The environment differs: Ideogram sets a wooden grinder in a bookshop-coffee corner under warm light, a quiet frame; NB2.1 sets an espresso machine plus grinders by a window in daylight, with customers and a chalkboard menu behind.

Aspect ratios match in both pairs (16:9); output format and pixel size differ (WebP vs png, 1328×752 vs 1376×768) — that's the endpoints themselves, so keep it in mind when comparing at full size.

Choosing by scenario

• Brand mascot sets and serialized storybooks: ideogram-v3-character — one reference, dozens of scenes, no face drift.
• Volume generation and resolution-graded delivery: gemini-nano-banana-2.1 — $0.022 per 1K image, savings scale with volume.
• Blending several references (product + scene + style): gemini-nano-banana-2.1, whose image_input takes up to 10.
• Delivery needs jpg / png: gemini-nano-banana-2.1; ideogram-v3-character outputs WebP, so format conversion adds a step.
• Browse the prompt guide for scene recipes, or the pricing page for tier details.

Switching cost: change model and input only

Both models POST to /v1/tasks with the same key and polling; only model and the input field names differ:

{
  "model": "ideogram-v3-character",
  "input": {
    "prompt": "The explorer character walking through a lantern-lit night market",
    "reference_image_urls": ["https://example.com/character.jpg"],
    "rendering_speed": "TURBO"
  }
}

{
  "model": "gemini-nano-banana-2.1",
  "input": {
    "prompt": "The explorer character walking through a lantern-lit night market",
    "image_input": ["https://example.com/character.jpg"],
    "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
    "resolution": "1K",
    "output_format": "png"
  }
}

Swap reference_image_urls for image_input, and set the aspect explicitly instead of inheriting it from the reference — nothing else in your code moves.

FAQ

• Yes, you can mix them. Keep ideogram-v3-character on the hero line for character fidelity; push high-volume drafts and backgrounds to gemini-nano-banana-2.1.
• No, pricier isn't automatically better. Multi-reference blending, resolution options, and png output exist only on NB2.1; full-image character repainting is Ideogram Character's lane.
• Yes, both refund failures, and neither charges for references.
• No, the output formats differ. Ideogram Character emits WebP; NB2.1 emits jpg / png — check this row first when the delivery spec is strict.

Next: take the pair-A prompt, run one image from your own reference on both Ideogram 3.0 Character and Nano Banana 2.1, and see which one holds up on your subject matter.