Free alternatives to Midjourney
Last updated · Prices change often; confirm on each tool's site.
Midjourney has no free plan (it starts at $10/month), so the best free alternatives are Ideogram for images with readable text, Leonardo.Ai for game art and consistent characters, and Adobe Firefly if you already work in Adobe apps. All three have free tiers with limits, and none copies Midjourney's look exactly, so try your own prompt in two of them before deciding.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Free tier | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midjourney | No free plan | Basic $10/mo, or $8/mo billed yearly | The most artistic, polished-looking images |
| Ideogram | Free weekly credits (sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft); free images are public | Plus $20/mo, or $15/mo billed yearly | Posters, logos and thumbnails with accurate text |
| Leonardo.Ai | 150 fast tokens a day; free creations are public | Essential from $12/mo | Game assets and consistent characters |
| Adobe Firefly | Limited free generations | Firefly Standard $9.99/mo | Images for Photoshop and Adobe Express workflows |
Who should pick which
- Pick Ideogram if your image needs words on it: posters, YouTube thumbnails, logos, social graphics. Text rendering is Ideogram's main strength.
- Pick Leonardo.Ai if you make game art or want the same character across many images. The free plan refills daily, and Leonardo says free users may use their images commercially (Leonardo also keeps rights to use them).
- Pick Adobe Firefly if you already use Photoshop or Adobe Express and want generation inside those tools.
- Pick Midjourney if artistic quality matters more than price. Basic is $10/month, and annual billing saves 20%.
Good to know
- Free usually means public. Ideogram publishes free images by default, Leonardo.Ai's free creations are public, and even paid Midjourney images are public unless you're on Pro or Mega (Stealth Mode).
- Limits change often. Credits and tokens are counted differently by each tool, so compare them by trying the same prompt, not by the numbers.
FAQ
Is Midjourney free?
No. Every Midjourney plan is a paid subscription, starting with Basic at $10/month ($96/year billed annually). There is no free plan listed on Midjourney's plan comparison page.
What is the best free alternative to Midjourney?
For most people, Ideogram, especially for anything with text in the image. For game art and consistent characters, Leonardo.Ai. Both have free tiers that refill (weekly for Ideogram, daily for Leonardo.Ai).
Can I use images from free AI image generators commercially?
It depends on the tool. Ideogram says it doesn't claim ownership and allows commercial use. Leonardo.Ai gives free users a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence for commercial use, but Leonardo keeps rights to use those images too. Read each tool's terms before using images in paid work.
Are my images private on free plans?
Usually not. Free images on Ideogram and Leonardo.Ai are public. If privacy matters, you need a paid plan that offers private generations.
Related guides
Sources
Prices and limits come from each vendor's own pricing or help pages unless noted, checked October 17, 2026.
How we pick
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