# Best AI model per dollar for image generation — October 2026

As of Oct 14, 2026, Gemini Nano Banana 2.1 & Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image are tied for state of the art in Image generation, best per dollar (tracked since Oct 14, 2026; sources LMArena Text-to-Image; methodology v1.0).

Category board: https://isitsota.com/c/image-gen?slice=pareto

## Top 10

- #1 Gemini Nano Banana 2.1
- #1 Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image
- #17 Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview

## Crown changes


## Weights

- LMArena Text-to-Image: primary, weight 1