Midjourney excels in artistic quality and style consistency with subscription-based pricing, while DALL-E 3 offers pay-per-image flexibility through ChatGPT but is being deprecated in May 2026. Midjourney is better for professional creative work, whereas DALL-E suits casual users seeking simplicity.
Midjourney vs DALL-E — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Premium AI image generation platform focused on artistic quality and creative control.
OpenAI's advanced text-to-image generative AI with exceptional quality and text rendering.
Pricing Model. Image Quality & Photorealism. Artistic Style Control. Platform Availability. Product Status. Character Consistency. Learning Curve
Midjourney is the superior choice for professional creatives and serious users seeking advanced features, character consistency, and artistic control, despite its subscription cost. DALL-E 3 remains user-friendly and flexible for casual users, but its deprecation by May 2026 makes Midjourney the more future-proof investment. For budget-conscious users, Midjourney's annual billing offers better long-term value.
Midjourney: $10 | DALL-E 3: $20 (with ChatGPT Plus)
Midjourney: #1 consistently | DALL-E 3: #2-3
Midjourney: $10/month | DALL-E 3: ~$3-5 (avg usage)
Midjourney: $0.0167 (Basic tier) | DALL-E 3: $0.04
Midjourney: Extensive (40+ parameters) | DALL-E 3: Basic (5-8 parameters)
Midjourney: 95% (with Omni Reference) | DALL-E 3: 70%
Midjourney: Discord (desktop/mobile) | DALL-E 3: ChatGPT (web/app/mobile)
Midjourney: Active (ongoing development) | DALL-E 3: Deprecated (ending May 2026)
Midjourney: 7/10 (moderate-steep) | DALL-E 3: 2/10 (very easy)
Midjourney: 9.2 (out of box) | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: Premium segment leader | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 15-30 seconds | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 19.83 million | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: Moderate (prompt-based) | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 25 free generations | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 20 million+ users | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: Limited (via Discord sharing) | DALL-E 3: Basic (share links)
Midjourney: $10 | DALL-E 3: $15 (115 credits)
Midjourney: $0.008 (at $10/month tier) | DALL-E 3: $0.13
Midjourney: 4096x4096 (paid upscale) | DALL-E 3: 1024x1024 (native max)
Midjourney: ~20 million (2024) | DALL-E 3: ~100 million (via ChatGPT)
Midjourney: 8/10 (steep) | DALL-E 3: 2/10 (very easy)
Midjourney: 45-60 | DALL-E 3: 30 seconds average
Midjourney: 12+ (weights, ratios, style, quality, chaos, seeds) | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: ~200 images/month (Basic plan) | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 45-60 seconds per image | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 25+ parameters (aspect ratio, style, seed, chaos, quality, niji mode, etc.) | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: No direct integration; manual export required | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: Not included; Pro plan ($30+/month) required | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 20+ million monthly active users | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 15 credits (limited)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 0 (generates from scratch)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 92% (DALL-E 3 benchmark)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Intermediate (prompt writing)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 15-45 (prompt refinement needed)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: $0.17 per image
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 8-12 seconds
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: ~15% of requests refused
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: ChatGPT only
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: $20 (ChatGPT Plus)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Licensed data + web crawl (some artist concerns)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Image generation specialist
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 28% readable
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Full REST API + batch processing
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Preset styles only
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: None (cloud-based)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 0 (proprietary)
How to choose between Midjourney and DALL-E 3
Midjourney vs DALL-E — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Midjourney vs DALL-E. Contains 100 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Midjourney vs DALL-E — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Midjourney vs DALL-E.
Will DALL-E 3 still be available after 2026?
No, DALL-E 3 support is ending in May 2026. OpenAI is transitioning users to newer models integrated with ChatGPT. Users should consider switching to Midjourney or other alternatives before the deprecation date.
How many images can I generate with Midjourney's Basic plan?
Midjourney's Basic plan ($10/month) provides approximately 200 images per month based on fast GPU hours allocation. The Standard plan ($30/month) offers 15 hours monthly of standard mode usage.
DALL-E 3 is integrated into ChatGPT, so you need a ChatGPT account to access it. It's not available as a standalone service, whereas Midjourney operates independently through Discord.
What's the Omni Reference feature in Midjourney V7?
Omni Reference is Midjourney's advanced feature that ensures precise character consistency across multiple image generations. It achieves 95% accuracy in maintaining character appearance, making it ideal for projects requiring consistent character designs.
Midjourney is better for commercial work due to superior quality, character consistency, and advanced features. DALL-E 3's deprecation also makes it unreliable for long-term commercial projects. Both offer commercial licenses, but Midjourney's professional features justify the investment.
How to Choose Between Midjourney and DALL-E 3
Pricing Model: Midjourney has Subscription ($10-60/month), while DALL-E 3 has Pay-per-image ($0.04 per generation).
Image Quality & Photorealism: Midjourney has Excellent (V7 with Omni Reference), while DALL-E 3 has Very Good.
Artistic Style Control: Midjourney has Superior (extensive style parameters), while DALL-E 3 has Good (basic style adjustment).
Platform Availability: Midjourney has Discord-based community, while DALL-E 3 has ChatGPT integration (Web/App).
Product Status: Midjourney has Active development (V7 released), while DALL-E 3 has Deprecated (support ends May 2026).
Character Consistency: Midjourney has Excellent (Omni Reference feature), while DALL-E 3 has Moderate.
Learning Curve: Midjourney has Moderate to steep, while DALL-E 3 has Very easy.