Image generationDocumented overviewLast checked Sep 30, 2026
Midjourney turns short text prompts (optionally with reference images) into stylized images, and animates a still image into a 5-second video (extendable to 21 s) on the web app or in Discord.
Our take: Good fit for individual creators who want distinctive, aesthetic-first images and short clips under a flat subscription; the entry Basic plan gives 200 Fast GPU minutes per month.
Main limitation: No free trial on web or Discord, no official API, and every generation draws on a GPU-time budget, so heavy use needs the Standard plan or higher for unlimited Relax images.
Good fit for individual creators who want distinctive, aesthetic-first images and short clips under a flat subscription; the entry Basic plan gives 200 Fast GPU minutes per month. Based on the vendor's documentation, not on a hands-on test.
Also a good fit for
Or if
| Scenario | Fit | Why | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occasional image generation for personal projects | Good fit | Basic plan gives 3.3 hours (200 min) of Fast GPU time per month at about 0.8 GPU minutes per SD prompt. | Basic |
| High-volume image production | Good fit | Standard and above include unlimited image generations in Relax mode, with 0–30 minute queue waits. | Standard |
| Regular video generation | Fits with conditions | A batch of 4 SD videos costs 8 GPU minutes and HD costs 26; only Pro and Mega get unlimited SD video in Relax mode. | Pro |
| Private client work that must not be public | Fits with conditions | Stealth mode (private creations on the website) is only on Pro and Mega; content is public by default. | Pro |
| Company with more than $1M yearly revenue | Fits with conditions | Terms require Pro or Mega for such companies to own and commercially use assets. | Pro |
| Automated or API-driven generation | Poor fit | Community Guidelines state Midjourney does not provide an API and automation is prohibited. | — |
| Trying the tool for free first | Poor fit | Help center says no free trial is available on Discord or the website. | — |
Headlines from US outlets, selected automatically — not endorsements. Updated Oct 12, 2026
Prices checked Sep 30, 2026 on the official US pricing page. Official pricing ↗ Prices and limits change often.
No free trial on Discord or midjourney.com; a limited trial exists only in the separate niji · journey mobile app. Free Fast time can be earned by rating images (top 2,000 raters daily get 1 extra hour) and surveys.
None on web/Discord per help center.
$10/mo per user source (opens in a new tab)
Month
$96/year ($8/month equivalent) when paid upfront; 20% discount
For: Light personal use
Limits
Includes
No API
$30/mo per user source (opens in a new tab)
Month
$288/year ($24/month equivalent) when paid upfront; 20% discount
For: Frequent image creators who can wait in Relax mode
Limits
Includes
No API
$60/mo per user source (opens in a new tab)
Month
$576/year ($48/month equivalent) when paid upfront; 20% discount
For: Professionals needing privacy and video volume
Limits
Includes
No API
$120/mo per user source (opens in a new tab)
Month
$1,152/year ($96/month equivalent) when paid upfront; 20% discount
For: Heaviest individual users
Limits
Includes
No API
Custom pricing source (opens in a new tab)
Year, annual commitment
Standard yearly Pro/Mega pricing; no additional discount beyond yearly plan pricing
For: Organizations that need one invoice for many seats
Limits
Includes
No API
Extra Fast GPU time $4/hour, non-refundable, expires 60 days after purchase, requires an active subscription. HD images cost 1.3 GPU minutes vs 0.8 for SD; a batch of 4 HD videos costs 26 GPU minutes.
Sales tax/VAT calculated by Stripe at checkout based on billing details and added on top of plan price.
Midjourney is a subscription image and video generation service. Users type a prompt into the Imagine bar on midjourney.com or in Discord, optionally attach reference images (image prompts, style references, Edit Model references), and receive a batch of images; any image can be animated into a 5-second video and extended to 21 seconds. Editing tools (inpainting, outpainting, pan, zoom, layers) live in the web Editor.
You provide
You get back
Scenarios are worked out by our editors from the documentation; the actual result depends on your input and plan.
Lets you trade speed for GPU budget: Fast uses monthly minutes, Relax is unlimited but queued (0–30 min), Turbo is up to 4x faster at double Fast cost Control monthly spend versus turnaround
Generates 2048px images directly via --hd or settings Print-ready detail (about 6.8 in at 300 DPI for 1:1)
Animates a starting image into 5 s clips with low/high motion, loop or end-frame options, extendable to 21 s Short clips for social posts without a separate video tool
Inpainting, outpainting, pan, zoom out, custom aspect ratios, layers and prompt suggestion in a web canvas Fix or recompose images instead of regenerating
Learns aesthetic preferences from rated images and applies style reference images or codes Consistent look across a project
Keeps creations off the public website gallery Confidential or client work
editorial illustration of a lighthouse on a foggy cliff at dawn, muted teal and amber palette, soft overcast light --ar 16:9 --hd
| Integration | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Discord | Native | Full generation via the Midjourney Bot in Discord servers or DMs; settings synced with the website source (opens in a new tab) |
| Google sign-in | Native | Account creation and login option alongside Discord source (opens in a new tab) |
Export: Image download (format not specified in docs), .mp4 (raw or social-optimized), .gif
Midjourney has no public API in its official documentation. Community Guidelines: Midjourney does not provide an API except rare explicitly granted exceptions; automation is prohibited
Summarized from the vendor's current policies; this is not legal advice and a vendor's badge is not an independent audit.
Prompts (text and images), uploaded photos/videos and generated assets are collected as personal data; content is publicly viewable and remixable by default unless Stealth mode is used.
Privacy policy states personal data may be collected through the process of training Midjourney machine learning algorithms; Terms grant Midjourney a perpetual, irrevocable license to reproduce and create derivative works from inputs and assets. No user-level training opt-out is documented.
Retained as long as necessary for the stated purposes and legal obligations; account deletion requests are completed within 30 days with a 7-day reversal window.
Users own assets and may use them commercially; companies over $1M yearly revenue need Pro or Mega; upscaled images of other users belong to the original creator.
Stealth mode (private gallery) only on Pro and Mega.
Policies: docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32083055291277-Terms-of-Service docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32083472637453-Privacy-Policy docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32084462534541-Data-Deletion-and-Privacy-FAQ docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/48067080311309-Public-Summary-of-Training-Content docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32013696484109-Community-Guidelines
"Better suited" is based on documented features and pricing, not on a head-to-head test.
| Alternative | When to choose it | Pricing | Limitation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Firefly | You work in Photoshop/Illustrator or need enterprise procurement | See catalog profile source (opens in a new tab) | Different aesthetic and community; not verified here | Compare |
| Leonardo.Ai | You need to try before paying or automate generation | See catalog profile source (opens in a new tab) | Not verified in this profile | Compare |
| Runway | Video is the primary output | See catalog profile source (opens in a new tab) | Not verified in this profile | |
| Kling AI | You need video without starting from a still image | See catalog profile source (opens in a new tab) | Not verified in this profile | |
| Canva | Final deliverable is a designed asset rather than a standalone image | See catalog profile source (opens in a new tab) | Not verified in this profile |
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No, not on the website or Discord; only the separate niji · journey mobile app has a limited trial. source (opens in a new tab)
$10, $30, $60 or $120 per month (Basic, Standard, Pro, Mega), or 20% less when paying yearly upfront; taxes are added at checkout. source (opens in a new tab)
Yes, subscribers own their images and videos; companies with more than $1M yearly gross revenue must be on Pro or Mega. source (opens in a new tab)
No; the Community Guidelines say no API is provided and automating interactions is prohibited. source (opens in a new tab)
5 seconds initially, extendable four times to a maximum of 21 seconds, at 480p or 720p. source (opens in a new tab)
No by default; content is public and remixable unless you enable Stealth mode, which requires Pro or Mega. source (opens in a new tab)
Only if you have used under 20 GPU minutes over the account's lifetime; the option appears when cancelling. source (opens in a new tab)
Official announcement (opens in a new tab)
Official announcement (opens in a new tab)
Official announcement (opens in a new tab)
Not verified: Homepage marketing claims and the www.midjourney.com/pricing page itself could not be read (Cloudflare challenge); prices come from the help-center plan comparison article; Image download file format (PNG/JPEG) is not stated in the reviewed docs; Whether an explicit opt-out from model training on user content exists; only a perpetual license and CCPA cookie opt-out are documented; Exact Relax-mode rate limits (Terms only say 'reserve the right to rate limit'); Any separate enterprise or API channel pricing; docs state no API and no negotiated terms.
Every fact about Midjourney above comes from the 23 official pages listed here, last compared on Sep 30, 2026; we have not run Midjourney ourselves, so it has no editorial score. How we check and re-check pages.
Article updated Sep 28, 2026; prices checked Sep 30, 2026. Outbound links to vendors are plain links; we do not earn commissions. How we review · Report an error
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