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Test scope & comparison notes
These are recorded facts, not a unified ranking. Tested tiers and scope are not consistently recorded. Read pricing with its date and timing with its conditions. Privacy observations reflect visible flows and statements, not a security audit.
Cross-task capability coverage across selected products
Each product is scored independently per task edge; switch tasks below while keeping shared products selected| Task edge | Nero AI | Ideogram | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 80/100 2000 × 2000 · PNG | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Image compression | 88/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Image upscaling | 84/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Object removal | 77/100 2000 × 2000 · PNG | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Image generation | 91/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | 88/100 2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached | Active task |
| Photo restoration | 79/100 JPEG · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Nero AI Agent (AI Image Creator) Image generation 91/100 Seven-aspect task score Free signup credits run Basic Nano Banana (1:1, 1K, 4 credits/image) to export a 1024×1024 unwatermarked PNG in 7.0s server wait with exact sign text and 5-digit hands; requires sign-in and rendered one extra apple. Tested export 1024 × 1024 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-21 | Ideogram AI (Ideogram 4.0) Image generation 88/100 Seven-aspect task score Good text and 2K output come with four candidates per request; free credits depend on sign-in method, exclude email-only signup, and this run took about 34 seconds. Tested export 2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-16 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Nero AI web plans (Free / Standard / Yearly promo / Business); USD · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free 5 free guest runs without login; 10 one-time credits per registered account (max 1000×1000px upload, 5 images/batch; 2× costs 1 credit, 4× costs 2 credits). Standard Monthly (300 credits)2026-10-21 ↗ USD 21.95/month — Monthly 300 credits/month (promotional USD 21.95/month, regular USD 24.99/month); up to 4000×4000px upload, 30 images/batch, priority processing, and 8× upscaling. Standard Yearly (3,000 credits/yr)2026-10-21 ↗ — Annual price not verified Annual 3,000 credits/year; promotional banner displays USD 7.66/month equivalent. Public page displays only the 7.66 USD/month equivalent without showing the annual invoice total before login. Business2026-10-21 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Custom credits and pricing (up to 200 images/batch, highest priority, API processing, and dedicated server). 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official pricing page and credit table state that guests get 5 free runs and registered Free accounts receive 10 one-time Nero Credits (Standard/Photo/Anime 2× costs 1 credit/image, 4× costs 2 credits/image, paid-only 8× costs 4 credits/image). Standard monthly is USD 21.95/month promotional (regular USD 24.99/month, 300 credits/month). The yearly promo banner displays only "7.66 USD per month" (3,000 credits/year) without printing the annual invoice total before login, so the annual total is marked unverified. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel anytime by turning off auto-renewal in account settings (remaining credits expire at the end of the billing period); FAQ states refunds are not allowed once Nero Credits have been used. Nero AI official pricing, credit consumption table, and FAQ ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ | Ideogram official plans (Free / Plus / Pro / Team / Enterprise); USD (before tax) · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free (OAuth sign-in)2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free 30 credits/week when signing in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft (email/password accounts receive no free credits; public generations). Plus Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 20/month — Monthly 2,400 priority credits/month (do not roll over) + unlimited slower queue on Ideogram models + private generation and quality export. Plus Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 180/year Annual Billed annually at USD 180/year (USD 15/month equivalent); 2,400 priority credits issued monthly + unlimited slower queue + private generation. Pro Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 60/month — Monthly 7,500 priority credits/month (do not roll over) + unlimited slower queue + Batch Generation, larger queue, and private generation. Pro Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 504/year Annual Billed annually at USD 504/year (USD 42/month equivalent); 7,500 priority credits issued monthly + unlimited slower queue + Batch Generation and private generation. Team Monthly (per user, min 2)2026-10-21 ↗ USD 30/month — Monthly USD 30 per user/month (minimum 2 users); 3,600 priority credits/user/month + unlimited slower queue + central billing and administration. Team Yearly (per user, min 2)2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 240/year Annual USD 240 per user/year (USD 20/user/month equivalent, minimum 2 users); 3,600 priority credits/user/month + unlimited slower queue + central billing. Enterprise Agreement2026-10-21 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Custom organization agreement and shared Enterprise Prepaid wallet. 8 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Official documentation (Plans and Credits) lists Free (30 credits/week when signing in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft; email/password accounts do not get free credits; public generations), Plus (USD 20/month or USD 180/year, i.e., USD 15/month, with 2,400 credits/month + unlimited slow queue + private mode), Pro (USD 60/month or USD 504/year, i.e., USD 42/month, with 7,500 credits/month + batch generation), and Team (min 2 users, USD 30/user/month or USD 240/user/year, 3,600 credits/user/month). Legacy Basic ($8/mo) is no longer sold. Cancellation, sources & verification recordMonthly plan credits reset on each renewal date and do not roll over; purchased top-up credits are spent after monthly credits. Manage subscriptions and auto-recharge in Settings → Wallet & Billing. Ideogram official documentation: Plans and Credits pricing table ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | Free credits granted exclusively to Google / Apple / Microsoft OAuth accounts; default Ideogram 4.0 (Auto) costs ~12 credits for 4× 2048×2048 images |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancel anytime by turning off auto-renewal in account settings (remaining credits expire at the end of the billing period); FAQ states refunds are not allowed once Nero Credits have been used. | Monthly plan credits reset on each renewal date and do not roll over; purchased top-up credits are spent after monthly credits. Manage subscriptions and auto-recharge in Settings → Wallet & Billing. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Submit button explicitly shows the 4-credit cost and top header displays remaining free credits before submission | Disclosed upfront in the login page footer before registration ("Email accounts don't include free credits") |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Not verified | Not verified |
| Fixture findings | 'REALTEST 2026' sign lettering (25/25) and 5-digit robot hand structure (19/20) are accurate; right side shows 2 blue mugs accurately while left side rendered 4 red apples instead of 3 (60.0/65). | Text and hand structure performed well on this prompt, with 2048px output; other prompts remain untested. |
| Original historical observation | Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | Powered by Ideogram 4.0, it is the only platform tested that exports native 2048×2048 (2K) unwatermarked images on the free tier while achieving a 64.0/65 constraint score (#4 overall at 88.2 pts). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users wanting fast 1K text-accurate illustrations and anatomical hand structure via Basic Nano Banana | Designers and creators needing native 2048×2048 (2K) unwatermarked exports, world-class typography, and 5-finger anatomical precision |
| Result & output evidence | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. | |
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 1024 × 1024 · PNG · No watermark in test | 2048×2048 (2K Original size unwatermarked JPEG, 785.6KB, 400% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims. |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | [1024, 1024] | 2048×2048 (2K Original Size Unwatermarked JPEG · Ideogram 4.0) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark (native 1024×1024 lossless RGB PNG) | Zero watermark (clean 2048×2048 2K export) |
| Batch & API | Conversational agent interface supporting Basic Nano Banana (1K) and Pro Nano Banana (2K/4K) with multi-turn editing | 4-image batch default + Magic Prompt, Remove BG, Upscale, Edit (Ideogram 4.5), and Developer API |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 1024 × 1024 | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | 1024 × 1024 · PNG | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 7.01s · End-to-end reference: 7.51s | Network-observed server wait: 33.9s · End-to-end reference: 34.45s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-21 · anchor_t2i_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-16 · anchor_t2i_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) |
| Repeated tests & reliability | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. |
| Interaction experience | ||
| Account requirements | Account required in this test | Account required in this test |
| Sign-in methods | Authorized test profile; see dated run record | Must sign in with Google / Apple / Microsoft to receive free credits (Email-only signups receive 0 free credits) |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Historical rubric scores withdrawn pending review of the new run. Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | Completing Google login (Pass 2) allows skipping the plan upsell ("Skip for now"); default Auto model invokes flagship Ideogram 4.0 (~12 credits), generates 4 concurrent variations, and allows free download of the full 2K (2048×2048) unwatermarked JPEG (03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Established German Multimedia Software Vendor (Nero AG, est. 1995) | Ideogram AI, Inc. |
| Recorded origin | Karlsruhe, Germany | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Domain history record | 1995–present | 2023–present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Historical rubric scores withdrawn pending review of the new run. Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | Operated by Ideogram AI, Inc. (Toronto, Canada, founded 2023 by former Google Brain diffusion researchers Mohammad Norouzi, William Chan, et al., backed by a16z), globally renowned for AI typography. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Historical rubric scores withdrawn pending review of the new run. Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | Generates 4× 2048×2048 (4.19MP, 400% of 1024² baseline) images per run (~33.9s) and integrates native Remove BG, Upscale, and Ideogram 4.5 Edit apps. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 28 / 35 Historical rubric scores withdrawn pending review of the new run. Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | 29 / 35 Landing page (01_landing.png) CTA "Get started" leads to the login page (01_pass1_login_modal.png), where bottom fine print explicitly discloses a critical rule: "*Email accounts don't include free credits — you'll need a paid plan to generate. Sign up with Google, Apple, or Microsoft to get free credits." |
| Interaction restraint | 26 / 30 Historical rubric scores withdrawn pending review of the new run. Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | 26 / 30 Completing Google login (Pass 2) allows skipping the plan upsell ("Skip for now"); default Auto model invokes flagship Ideogram 4.0 (~12 credits), generates 4 concurrent variations, and allows free download of the full 2K (2048×2048) unwatermarked JPEG (03_download.png). |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Historical rubric scores withdrawn pending review of the new run. Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | 20 / 20 Operated by Ideogram AI, Inc. (Toronto, Canada, founded 2023 by former Google Brain diffusion researchers Mohammad Norouzi, William Chan, et al., backed by a16z), globally renowned for AI typography. |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Historical rubric scores withdrawn pending review of the new run. Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | 14 / 15 Generates 4× 2048×2048 (4.19MP, 400% of 1024² baseline) images per run (~33.9s) and integrates native Remove BG, Upscale, and Ideogram 4.5 Edit apps. |
| Task quality | 60 / 65 Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | 64 / 65 Text Rendering (25/25: Exact 2-line "REALTEST / 2026" hand-carved typography on the wooden sign with 100% spelling accuracy (25/25)) · Count & Color Binding (19/20: Strictly 3 red apples on the left + 2 stacked blue ceramic mugs on the right (slight twin-handle / 3rd rim artifact behind the lower mug, -1 pt) (19.0/20)) · 5-Finger Hand & Structure (20/20: Vintage brass robotic right hand supporting the bottom of the wooden sign displays 5 crystal-clear, distinct articulated brass fingers (20/20)) |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 Native file obtained; see format/dimension inspection. Google test account generated canonical 1:1 prompt using Basic Nano Banana, 4 credits. Downloaded original result. Signup showed 10 base plus 20 newsletter credits; accidental newsletter opt-in is being reversed and bonus excluded from test-budget accounting. | 20 / 20 Clean unwatermarked export (8/8); Export & Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (2K Original Size Unwatermarked JPEG · Ideogram 4.0) |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 Network-observed server wait was not reliably isolated; speed and aggregate scores remain unknown. | 3 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 33.9s (API mode: async_poll; end-to-end 34.45s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
