Being AI Ready
AI Image Generation

Midjourney

A subscription image generator accessed via Discord or its own web app, known for strong default aesthetics and stylization with less manual control than some competitors.

Visit website

What it does

Midjourney is a text-to-image and increasingly text-to-video generation service delivered through Discord or a dedicated web interface. Users type prompts and receive stylized image sets, which can be varied, upscaled, or edited within the same interface. It is one of the longest-running commercial AI image tools and is best known for its distinctive, aesthetically strong default output.

Ideal users

  • Concept artists and illustrators wanting fast stylistic exploration
  • Marketers and social media creators needing polished imagery quickly
  • Hobbyists who want good results with minimal prompt engineering
  • Game and film pre-production teams doing mood and concept art

Who should avoid it

  • You need precise, repeatable control over exact composition or in-image text — weaker than Ideogram for typography
  • You want a genuinely free tier — none exists
  • You need an API for programmatic or automated pipelines — no official public API

Key features

  • Strong default stylization and aesthetic quality
  • Fast, Relax, and Turbo generation speed modes
  • Image-to-image, style references, and character/omni-reference consistency
  • Inpainting and outpainting (vary region, zoom out)
  • Upscaling
  • Stealth Mode for private generations (Pro/Mega only)
  • Short AI video generation, plan-dependent

Pros

  • Widely regarded as producing the most art-directed, visually pleasing defaults
  • Active community and constant model iteration
  • Web app now available in addition to Discord
  • Commercial use rights included on all paid plans

Cons

  • No free trial — removed since March 2023
  • No official API, complicating automated or bulk workflows
  • Companies with over $1M annual gross revenue must use Pro or Mega tier
  • Less precise text rendering than Ideogram

Pricing

Paid — $10/month (Basic)

Subscription tiers (Basic $10, Standard $30, Pro $60, Mega $120/month; ~20% cheaper billed annually) grant a monthly allotment of fast GPU hours plus unlimited slower Relax generation on Standard and up; commercial use is included on all paid plans, but businesses earning over $1M/year gross revenue must be on Pro or Mega.

Typical workflows

  • Typical use is iterative prompting in Discord or the web app to generate a batch of variations, picking a favorite, then upscaling and lightly editing in Photoshop.
  • Concept artists use it for rapid mood-boarding before manual illustration; marketers generate campaign visuals and social graphics directly.

Integrations

  • Discord (primary interface)
  • Own web app

Privacy & security notes

Generations on Basic/Standard plans are public by default and visible in the community feed; private generation via Stealth Mode requires Pro or Mega.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Midjourney images commercially?

Yes, on any paid plan, subject to the over-$1M revenue rule requiring Pro or Mega.

Do I own the images I create?

Midjourney's terms state you own assets to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, while also granting Midjourney a broad license to use that content.

Is there a free version?

No — Midjourney has been subscription-only since March 2023.

Can I access it without Discord?

Yes, via Midjourney's own web-based app.

Best alternatives