Best AI image generators

An AI image generator turns a written description into a picture. The tools below differ less in raw quality than in what they are built for: art direction, quick everyday images, text inside the picture, vector files or commercial safety. Each pick lists its price and free plan as the vendor published it in October 2026.

How these picks were chosen

We looked at public facts only: the vendor's pricing page, what the free plan allows, whether free images are public, commercial-use terms, platforms, and the features each vendor documents. We did not run our own benchmark and do not score image quality. Prices change often, so every number below carries its plan name and billing period, and the sources are listed at the end.

1. Midjourney

Best for: artistic, art-directed images · Price: Basic $10/month, Standard $30/month (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: no

Midjourney is the pick when the look of the image matters more than anything else. Version 8.2 shipped on July 24, 2026, and Midjourney says its images should be more creative and that random low-quality results should be "dramatically reduced". The V8.1 release before it improved text rendering and added an HD mode that renders at four times the resolution of V7 images. Style references and personalization carry over between versions.

Plans run from Basic at $10 a month to Mega at $120 a month, with yearly billing at $96 to $1,152 a year. Standard and above include unlimited generations in the slower Relax mode; Basic gets 3.3 hours of fast GPU time and no Relax mode.

Limits: there is no free trial on the website or Discord, only a limited trial in the separate niji·journey mobile app. Stealth mode, which keeps your images private, is only on the Pro and Mega plans. A business earning more than $1,000,000 a year needs Pro or Mega to use images commercially. Ready-made prompts are in our Midjourney prompt library.

2. ChatGPT

Best for: making and revising images in a conversation · Price: Plus $20/month (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes

ChatGPT creates images inside an ordinary chat, so you can ask for a change in plain words and keep refining. OpenAI's free tier FAQ lists "Create images in ChatGPT" among the free features, alongside file and image uploads, which lets you start from your own photo.

Plus costs $20 a month, billed monthly only. OpenAI's pricing page promises more complex and accurate image creation on Plus than on Free, and unlimited, faster image creation on the Pro plans ($100, $200 or $500 a month).

Limits: OpenAI does not publish a fixed number of free images. Its FAQ says image generation has usage limits separate from text chat, and ChatGPT tells you when you hit one. To write a detailed image brief first, try our ChatGPT image prompt generator.

3. Google Gemini (Nano Banana)

Best for: free image generation and photo edits · Price: Google AI Plus $4.99/month, Google AI Pro $19.99/month (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes

Gemini's image model is called Nano Banana. Free users get Nano Banana 2, which Google says balances speed with image quality, world knowledge and "reliable text rendering". You can upload photos, combine several images, and edit one part of a picture by describing the change. Google also highlights text in many languages for logos, invites and posters.

Nano Banana Pro is "Available with a Google AI Plan". Google's US plans page lists AI Plus at $4.99 a month and AI Pro at $19.99 a month.

Limits: free downloads are 1K resolution, and 2K needs a Google AI plan. Google publishes no daily image number; its limits are "compute-based" and depend on the prompt and the features used. You must be 18 or over to generate and edit images. Images carry a SynthID watermark and a visible one. Prompts that work well with it are in our Nano Banana prompts and Gemini photo prompts.

4. Adobe Firefly

Best for: images for commercial work · Price: Firefly Standard US$9.99/month, Pro US$19.99/month (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes, limited

Firefly is Adobe's generator, now on Firefly Image 5. Adobe states that its own Firefly models are "commercially safe" because they are trained on licensed Adobe Stock content and public-domain material, and that Adobe does not train on users' content. The same app also gives access to partner models, including Gemini with Nano Banana 2, GPT Image 1.5 and FLUX.2 [pro].

Standard includes 2,000 monthly generative credits, Pro 4,000, and Pro Plus 10,000 at a regular US$49.99 a month. In early October Adobe advertised 30% off the first year until October 21.

Limits: the free plan is described only as "limited free daily generations", with no number. Premium features draw on monthly credits.

5. Ideogram

Best for: posters, logos and images with text · Price: Plus $20/month or $15/month billed yearly (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes

Ideogram focuses on text and layout. Its 4.0 model, which is open-weight, advertises multilingual text, precise layout control, bounding boxes tied to plain-language descriptions, and realistic 2K images. Ideogram 4.5 is its editing model; the company says it preserves details across multi-turn edits and edits high-resolution images without downsizing them.

The free plan gives 30 credits a week. Plus includes 2,400 monthly credits, and Pro costs $60 a month or $42 a month billed yearly for 7,500. Paid plans can keep generating in a slower queue with no limit, except for edits, reference images and partner models, which still use credits.

Limits: on the free plan, "everything you generate is public". Unused monthly credits do not roll over. Ideogram is on the web and iOS; its FAQ does not mention an Android app.

6. Leonardo.Ai

Best for: a daily free allowance with commercial use · Price: Essential $12/month or $10/month billed yearly (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes

Leonardo gives free users 150 tokens a day, reset every 24 hours. Its FAQ says you can use generated images commercially, and that this "applies for free users too", which few free plans offer. The current model, Lucid Origin, is described as producing clean text, sharp layouts and native Full HD output. There are apps for iOS and Android as well as the web.

Essential includes 8,500 fast tokens a month and Premium, at $30 a month, 25,000. Paid tokens roll over for up to three months. Premium adds unlimited image generations at slower processing speed.

Limits: free images are public and visible to all Leonardo users; private generation is paid only. Free daily tokens expire if unused and cannot roll over.

7. Recraft

Best for: vector graphics, icons and brand assets · Price: Basic $12/month or $10/month billed yearly (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes

Recraft says it is the only generator that outputs "truly editable vector files", real SVGs with smooth paths and organized layers. That matters if the image will go into a logo, a website or print. It also promises "spell-perfect typography" on packaging, menus and posters. The latest model is Recraft V4.1.

The free plan gives 30 credits a day with no card required. Basic includes 1,000 credits a month; Pro is sold in tiers from 2,000 credits at $20 a month ($16 billed yearly).

Limits: free-plan images are public, remain Recraft's property and are not licensed for commercial use. Paid plans grant full ownership and commercial rights, which stay with you after the subscription ends.

8. Bing Image Creator

Best for: free images with no plan to buy · Price: free (as of Oct 2026) · Free plan: yes

Microsoft's Bing Image Creator is free for everyone with a personal Microsoft account. It runs two Microsoft models: MAI-Image-2.5-Flash for dramatic lighting and scenery, which can also edit an uploaded image, and MAI-Image-2e for quick, stylized pictures. Each prompt returns four images.

You get 15 fast creations a day, and after that generation continues at standard speed, up to 200 prompts in 24 hours.

Limits: it is not available with a work or school (Microsoft Entra ID) account.

Which one to pick

• Best look, will pay: Midjourney.
• Free, everyday images and edits: Gemini or ChatGPT, then Bing Image Creator when you hit a limit.
• Words in the image: Ideogram for posters and social graphics, Recraft when you need a vector file.
• Client or commercial work: Adobe Firefly, or a paid Recraft plan for full ownership.

Editing a photo you already have is a different job; see the AI photo editors roundup. For moving pictures, see AI video generators, and for more no-cost options, the free AI tools list.

A prompt that works in any of them

Most weak results come from a vague prompt. Name the subject, the setting, the style, the light and the format. More examples are in our AI image prompt collection.

Create an image of [subject] in [setting].
Style: [photo, watercolor, flat illustration, 3D render].
Lighting: [soft morning light, studio light, neon at night].
Composition: [close-up, wide shot, centered, rule of thirds].
Aspect ratio: [1:1, 16:9, 9:16].
If there is text, write exactly: "[text]".

FAQ

What is the best free AI image generator?

Gemini and ChatGPT both make images on their free plans, though neither publishes a fixed daily number. Bing Image Creator states its limit plainly: 15 fast images a day and up to 200 prompts in 24 hours. Leonardo's free 150 daily tokens come with commercial-use rights.

Which AI image generator is best for text in images?

Ideogram and Recraft both build their products around text. Ideogram 4.0 advertises multilingual text and layout control, and Recraft promises spell-perfect typography. Midjourney V8.1 also improved text rendering.

Are my images private on a free plan?

Often not. Ideogram, Leonardo and Recraft all make free-plan images public. Midjourney keeps images private only on its Pro and Mega plans.

Can I use AI images commercially?

It depends on the plan. Leonardo allows commercial use even on its free plan. Recraft's free images are not licensed for commercial use, while its paid plans grant full rights. Midjourney requires Pro or Mega for businesses earning over $1 million a year. Adobe positions Firefly's own models as commercially safe.