Nano Banana Pro on Runway at 20 credits vs Google direct pricing
Runway sells Gemini 3 Pro Image at 20 credits ($0.20) at 1K-2K and 40 at 4K; Google lists $0.134 to $0.24. That is 1.49x at 1K-2K and 1.67x at 4K.
Through Runway, Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) costs 20 credits per image at 1K to 2K, which is $0.20, and 40 credits ($0.40) at 4K. Google's own pricing is $0.134 at 1K-2K and $0.24 at 4K, so Runway is 1.49x Google at 1K-2K and 1.67x at 4K. On Sume the Image Router default estimate is $0.1875.
Credit prices are from the Runway pricing guide and Google's from the Gemini API pricing page, both read 2026-10-04.
| Route | 1K-2K | 4K | 1,000 images at 1K-2K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google direct | $0.134 | $0.24 | $134.00 |
| Runway credits | $0.20 (20 credits) | $0.40 (40 credits) | $200.00 |
| Sume Image Router default | $0.1875 | size-dependent | $187.50 |
The arithmetic
Runway: 20 credits x $0.01 = $0.20 and 40 x $0.01 = $0.40. Ratios: 0.20 / 0.134 = 1.49 and 0.40 / 0.24 = 1.67. On 1,000 images at 1K-2K the premium is $200 - $134 = $66.
Sume bills the provider list x 1.25. The router's default table lists Nano Banana Pro at $0.15 per image at default quality, so $0.15 x 1.25 = $0.1875. That is $0.0535 more than Google ($0.1875 - $0.134) and $0.0125 less than Runway at the same size; larger sizes use a different, size-dependent estimate.
Why pay more than Google direct
Google direct is cheapest per image, but it comes with its own account, quotas and billing. A Runway or Sume balance lets you run the same image step alongside video and audio in one place, with refunds on failures on Sume per its billing docs. The premium is the price of that convenience, and for a team generating 1,000 images a month it is $53.50 to $66.
- Single-purpose, high-volume image jobs: Google direct.
- Image plus video plus audio in one pipeline: a consolidated balance.
Steps
- Decide the size tier first, since 4K moves every price.
- Multiply image count by each per-image price.
- Add retries; image prompts often need two tries.
- Check the Image Router's current estimate before you commit.
A 5,000-image month
At 1K-2K, 5,000 images cost 5,000 x $0.134 = $670 on Google, 5,000 x $0.20 = $1,000 on Runway and 5,000 x $0.1875 = $937.50 on Sume. At 4K on Google and Runway the totals are $1,200 and $2,000. The Runway premium at 4K is $800, versus $330 at 1K-2K.
Caveats
Google's table lists a range across sizes and I used the endpoints of that range, so exact intermediate sizes will differ. Prices read 2026-10-04.
Sources
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