AI Model Watch
Deprecations / Migrate

Migrate off Imagen 4

Retired

Imagen 4 has been retired and shut down on 17 Aug 2026. Google's official replacement is Gemini Nano Banana 2.1. The cheapest comparable model we track is Grok Build 0.1 (xAI) at $1.25 per 1M tokens blended.

Last verified: 24 Oct 2026 · sourced from official provider documentation

StatusRetiredGoogle
Shut down17 Aug 2026plan ahead
Official replacementGemini Nano Banana 2.1$8.63 /M blendedCheapest alternativeGrok Build 0.1$1.25 /M blended
What changes

Imagen 4 → Gemini Nano Banana 2.1

SpecImagen 4Gemini Nano Banana 2.1
StatusRetiredGA
Blended price /1M—$8.63
Input / output /1M—$1.50 / $30
Context window——
Max output——
Modalitytext-in, image-outtext, image, video, image-out
Knowledge cutoff——

API string was imagen-4.0-generate-001 → switch to gemini-nano-banana-2.1. See Gemini Nano Banana 2.1's full spec sheet →

Cheapest alternatives

Budget-friendly replacements for Imagen 4

Generally-available models that match Imagen 4's capabilities, ranked by blended price. Every number is computed from official catalog prices.

ModelBlended /1MInput / outputContext
Grok Build 0.1
xAI
$1.25$1 / $2256K
Grok 4.3
xAI
$1.56$1.25 / $2.501M
Grok 4.20 (0309) Reasoning
xAI
$1.56$1.25 / $2.501M
FAQ

Migrating off Imagen 4

What replaces Imagen 4?

Google's recommended migration for Imagen 4 is Gemini Nano Banana 2.1. The cheapest comparable model in our catalog is Grok Build 0.1 (xAI) at $1.25/1M blended.

Is Imagen 4 still available?

No — Imagen 4 has been retired (shut down 17 Aug 2026) and is no longer available via Google's API.

What is the cheapest alternative to Imagen 4?

Grok Build 0.1 (xAI) is the cheapest generally-available alternative we track that matches Imagen 4's capabilities, at $1 per 1M input and $2 per 1M output tokens ($1.25/1M blended).

Browse the full deprecation watch → or see Imagen 4's full spec sheet →