Best Midjourney Alternatives to AI Art (Free and Paid)
Discover the best platforms for AI-generated images, free and easy to use.
Discover the best platforms for AI-generated images, free and easy to use.
In a recent shift, Midjourney was once the sole option for creating art with artificial intelligence, offering a free entry plan. Well, no more: The free plan is gone. However, with the dawn of the online AI era, numerous alternatives have emerged, saturating the digital landscape with both paid and free options for AI image generation.
Fear not, as I’ve navigated through various websites to present standout platforms, offering the ability to craft a diverse array of AI-generated images and digital art. To facilitate comparison, I’ve used the same prompts across each tool:
Prompt 1: “Cat with headphones sitting in a cozy sofa, cinematic style”
Prompt 2: “Beautiful woman with stylish red jacket, walking in the street, fashion style”
Prompt 3: “1970 Dodge Charger racing with flames in the road, dramatic style”
Let’s dive in. I’ve categorized the applications into two groups:
1. Fully Free AI Art Generators
I’m placing here AI tools that are free, but also paid options with a lighter free permanent option.
Leonardo AI, a worthy opponent
It is the only new text-to-image generation model that can be considered al alternative to Midjourney right now. It even has a unique feature where it’s clearly better: AI Video. With a focus on generating game assets, it has brought multiple artistic tools to quickly generate production-ready visual assets. Leonardo AI offers an entry plan of 150 free daily credits.
Playground AI, great alternative
While Playground AI may be less user-friendly, it compensates with 500 images per day and extensive customization options, making it an ideal choice for professional designers seeking advanced control over AI image generation.
Freepik Pikaso, quality contender
True to its name, Freepik is an all-around AI image generator that requires login but generously offers 20 free AI images per day. With various style options and no watermark on downloads, it stands out as one of the best free options.
Firefly, Adobe strikes back
Trying to create an alternative to Midjourney, Adobe has introduced its creative AI model, named Firefly, showcasing its commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancements. Currently, you get free 25 monthly prompts.
Microsoft Designer, powered by DALL E
Another contender as a real alternative to Midjourney, Microsoft has integrated its Bing image creator from Bing AI Chat into Microsoft Designer, besides the standalone website. It’s powered by OpenAI’s DALL E 3 and 2 models, and there is seemingly no limit on creating images on Bing Chat. Basically, it exists as a free service in Bing Search. However, after the first 25 image generations per day, you need to wait a little bit longer for the final AI art.
Limewire, multiple options
Formerly Blue Willow, Limewire has garnered over 300 million users on its Discord server within a brief span. Offering a free usage 10 Credits per day (roughly 10 images), it has launched its AI image generation website. It offers the chance to use Stable Diffusion AI for free, and Dall e 2 and 3 (in its premium plans).
Lexica, powered by Stable Diffusion
An AI image generator website that has refined its image model based on Stable Diffusion AI, doubling down as a search engine for images generated through it. Users can enjoy the freedom to generate up to 100 AI images monthly without incurring any charges. For a subscription fee of $10 per month, users gain the ability to generate a more substantial quota of 1000 images within the same timeframe. It is able to deliver high-quality images, proving to be a promising starting point.
Ideogram AI, the Type Master
It’s is a free, AI-powered tool that generates you an AI generated image with a focus on text elements. It can create logos and other text-based images, and it’s way more better than Midjourney in that area. It has a free plan with 100 images per day (25 prompts per day).
Craiyon, free but slow
Craiyon distinguishes itself by offering truly free AI art generation with unlimited credits. Despite its generous offering, the quality may not match expectations, and a wait time is expected for free users. Fine-tuned control, including the use of negative words, adds a layer of customization for your AI image.
DeepAI, not there yet
It stands out for its quick start approach for image generation, requiring no login to begin creating art with generative AI. While free, the quality of the AI art may not produce realistic images of good quality yet. An upgrade option is available at $5 per 100 API calls, providing access to HD models and additional styles.
2. Paid AI Art Generators with temporal free entry option
Canva, simple and easy
Known for its versatility in branding, Canva extends its offerings to an online image generator. Simply create an account, input your prompt, and download your AI image. While it excels in simplicity and ease of use, the caveat lies in a cap of 50 lifetime credits for free users.
Picsart, not good enough for the price
Picsart’s AI image generator integrates seamlessly with various image editing tools, making it appealing for regular Picsart users. You have 7 free days to try the AI tool. However, the art style may not be everyone’s favorite, and several features are paywalled at $7 per month, including the AI art generator.
Fotor, limited free entry
Fotor AI image generator allows users to input text prompts with diverse details, and it reconstructs the image based on the provided description. Notably, it has expanded its capabilities by unveiling an image-to-image AI photo generator. While good, Fotor offers only 5 credits to free users, giving little flexibility to test the tool.
Final Thoughts: Navigating the AI Art Landscape
As AI image generation becomes a blend of fun and business, finding the right platform is crucial. Midjourney is still the king for the moment, but it doesn’t offer a free entry plan for those looking to learn how to use it.
There are multiple AI alternatives to Midjourney, as the people working on AI technology keeps innovating. Whether for blog post images, product photos, or realistic visuals on a budget, let’s hope this guide helps you sift through all the options available to discover the perfect AI image generator for your needs.
Thanks for reading!
Hi👋 I’m Erik, a product designer by day, and AI educator by night.
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