In this article, we’ll take a look at the top 11 free alternatives to Midjourney, one of the leading software for AI image generation.
Midjourney, one of the best AI image generators online, faces a swath of free alternatives that, sometimes, can work just as well if not even better. This is increasingly more common in the fast-changing landscape of artificial intelligence, where stakes are high and rewards even higher.
For common users who want to play around with AI image generation, or just need a few of them on a monthly basis, a free Midjourney alternative might be what to look for.
In this article, we’ll look at 11 of the best free Midjourney alternatives coming up to 2024, discussing their pros and cons.
What is Midjourney and how it works
While most AI software are text-based, the most stunning AI work can arguably be created with image generation. So far, the leader in this sector has been Midjourney, founded in 2022.
The way Midjourney works is similar to other AI-based tools: users enter a prompt for the picture they would like to see and Midjourney generates it in a matter of seconds.
Midjourney can generate truly outstanding pictures, it does not come for free. The basic plan comes at $10/month, but fees can go as high as $120/month. Indeed, it’s now clear that Midjourney aims at industry professionals: its Pro and Mega plans can be purchased only by companies generating over $1 million per year in revenues.
This is clearly a sign that the artificial intelligence sector is here to stay. Pioneering companies that released their software in 2022 are now profitable tech firms. However, new free alternatives come out almost every month, for the joy of regular users.
1) Stable Diffusion
On top of the list, Stable Diffusion has quickly become the most viable free Midjourney alternative.
Created by Stability AI, Stable Diffusion is an open-source and completely free image generator that also comes with advanced generating options. With Stable Diffusion, free users can change the seed and guidance scale of the creation.
Unfortunately, Stable Diffusion still needs some work to render hands and eyes, therefore it might not be the right software to use for portrait generation.
2) Playground AI
Playground AI is one of the best AI image generator tools because it hosts Stable Diffusion and DALL-E. The latter is the image generator software by OpenAI, the creator of the world-famous ChatGPT. In addition, Playground AI generates images faster than Stable Diffusion.
Though not exactly for free, Playground AI allows the creation of 1,000 pictures per day. However, free users cannot change the image dimension and are forced to download 515 x 512 or 768 x 768 pictures.
3) Bing Image Creator
Bing is the proprietary search engine of Microsoft and is mostly famous for its AI chatbot. However, the same software implements a free AI image generator as well.
In order to access the image generator, users have to click on the “Creative mode” inside the chatbot. The image generation is completely free and is powered by DALL-E. Microsoft purchased DALL-E’s parent company OpenAI for $10 billion earlier this year.
Unfortunately, Bing Image Creator has relatively few creative options compared to other software dedicated solely to image generation.
4) Adobe Firefly
Adobe is a relatively new player in the AI industry, but it’s already making its presence felt. Firefly is Adobe’s generative AI tool and, when fully developed, will be integrated with other products like Photoshop and Lightroom.
Firefly users have commended its style, saying it’s a different feeling completely from Midjourney and DALL-E.
For the moment, Adobe Firefly is a free-to-use software, though it will likely not be the case anymore once development is completed. Moreover, Firefly is currently limited to the United States.
5) Craiyon
Newcomers in the AI world will find Craiyon’s simple style the most suitable for them. Craiyon is a cute little image generator that is completely free, though not as sophisticated as other entries in this list.
Craiyon has only three styles: art, digital art, and drawing. It cannot generate photorealistic pictures on the same level as DALL-E, Midjourney, or Firefly, but is a nice place to start.
The premium plan to remove the watermark is also rather cheap: only $5 per month.
6) Blue Willow
At the beginning of AI development, image generators were only available on Discord servers. This is also how Midjourney started.
Blue Willow is a completely free AI picture generator that still runs on a Discord server. Users will have to log into their account and join the server in order to enter prompts and generate images.
Once this hustle is complete, Blue Willow will have no further limitations and is also very fast at generating images.
7) Fotor
Fotor is better known for its free photo editing tools. Recently, however, this site also joined the AI industry and released an image generator software.
Fotor appears especially good for artistic and conceptual pictures and allows the use of its editor tool for further modifications.
Unfortunately, Fotor does not come completely for free: it can only generate five pictures before switching to a premium account. Luckily, the pro plan is not particularly expensive: only $2.66 per month.
8) Canva
A miracle from the heavens for every student that ever had to deliver a presentation, Canva recently joined the AI race as well.
Canva allows the creation of unlimited graphic projects, with countless tools, materials, and original designs. Its new AI image generator tool allows the creation of 50 pictures for free.
After this limit is reached, only premium subscribers can continue to use this feature. With the premium plan comes also tons of additional features for regular Canva use.
9) Leonardo.ai
Leonardo.ai is a software designed specifically for gamers, and it is so good many compare it to Midjourney itself.
Leonardo.ai can generate in-game assets like armor, helmets, weapons, and so on. Unfortunately, Leonardo.ai is not open to everyone yet and gives access only to an early demo.
On its official discord server, however, it’s possible to see the development of new upcoming features and stay tuned for its release.
10) Dream Studio
StabilityAI created another AI image generator tool before Stable diffusion. Dream Studio, though smaller in scope, can be accessed with no limitations whatsoever and is very simple and easy to use.
Indeed, Dream Studio is so intuitive it can be used without creating an account. Once a prompt is set up and all the corrections are made, Dream Studio will provide a simple link for the picture’s download.
Creating an account, however, allows accessing previously generated images too.
11) Jasper Art
Finally, marketers and content creators will find Jasper Art the best AI image generator for their needs. Similar to Bing, Jasper is more famous for its AI chatbot.
Unlike Bing Image Generator, however, Jasper Art cannot be accessed for free. Instead, it is included as part of Jasper’s premium plan.
However, Jasper Art offers a 7-day free trial for new users and is particularly useful for ad-makers because of its several templates.
As we can see, free alternatives to Midjourney can satisfy every need, from online marketers to simple AI hobbyists.
