Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) vs GLM-5.1
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) (2025) and GLM-5.1 (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Google DeepMind and Zhipu AI. Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) ships a 33K-token context window, while GLM-5.1 ships a 200k-token context window. On pricing, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) costs $0.3/1M input tokens versus $0.95/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is ~217% cheaper at $0.3/1M; pay for GLM-5.1 only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Released | 2025-04-01 | 2026-03-27 |
| Context window | 33K | 200k |
| Parameters | — | 744B total, 40-44B active |
| Architecture | decoder only | mixture of experts |
| License | Unknown | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | GLM-5.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.3/1M tokens | $0.95/1M tokens |
| Output price | $30/1M tokens | $3.15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | GLM-5.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: GLM-5.1, function calling: GLM-5.1, tool use: GLM-5.1, structured outputs: GLM-5.1, and code execution: GLM-5.1. Both models share the core language-model surface, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) lists $0.3/1M input and $30/1M output tokens, while GLM-5.1 lists $0.95/1M input and $3.15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts GLM-5.1 lower by about $7.6 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose GLM-5.1 when coding workflow support and larger context windows are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) or GLM-5.1?
GLM-5.1 supports 200k tokens, while Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) supports 33K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) or GLM-5.1?
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) costs $0.3/1M input and $30/1M output tokens. GLM-5.1 costs $0.95/1M input and $3.15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) or GLM-5.1 open source?
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is listed under Unknown. GLM-5.1 is listed under Proprietary. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) or GLM-5.1?
GLM-5.1 has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for function calling, Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) or GLM-5.1?
GLM-5.1 has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) and GLM-5.1?
Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) is available on Google AI Studio, GCP Vertex AI, and OpenRouter. GLM-5.1 is available on Z.ai and OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.