Midjourney excels at artistic and stylized outputs with superior prompt understanding and consistency, while DALL-E 3 integrates seamlessly with ChatGPT for easier prompt refinement and offers more straightforward pricing without subscription tiers.
Midjourney vs DALL-E 3 — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
AI image generator optimized for artistic, stylized outputs with community-focused features.
OpenAI's AI image generator integrated with ChatGPT for intuitive iterative refinement.
Subscription Model. Prompt Interpretation Accuracy. Image Quality (native resolution). Integration with Chat Interface. Average Generation Time. Community Features & Inspiration. Commercial Use Rights
Choose Midjourney if you prioritize artistic quality, stylized outputs, complex prompt handling, and community engagement—it produces more visually distinctive results for creative professionals willing to learn its Discord interface. Choose DALL-E 3 if you value ease of use, faster generation, seamless ChatGPT integration for iterative prompting, and straightforward commercial licensing at a lower entry price point.
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: 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: 45-60 | DALL-E 3: 25 seconds
Midjourney: ~20 million (2024) | DALL-E 3: ~100 million (via ChatGPT)
Midjourney: 8/10 (steep) | DALL-E 3: 2/10 (very easy)
Midjourney: 15M+ | DALL-E 3: 180+ (via ChatGPT)
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 (generates original) | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 6/10 (moderate) | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: Integrated via partnerships | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: 3/10 (Discord-based) | DALL-E 3: N/A
Midjourney: ~200 (10 USD/month, ~3.2 hours compute) | DALL-E 3: Unlimited (ChatGPT Plus)
Midjourney: 45 (average) | DALL-E 3: 22 (average)
Midjourney: $30 (Standard plan minimum) | DALL-E 3: $15 (ChatGPT Plus)
Midjourney: Discord only | DALL-E 3: Web, ChatGPT app, API
Midjourney: Limited (manual re-prompting required) | DALL-E 3: Native (ChatGPT conversation memory)
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: 20-40 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: Excellent—native support, legible text
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)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Basic (limited style modifiers)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Native ChatGPT (web/app)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 50 (with ChatGPT Free)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 0.5-1 hour (intuitive UI)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: $15 (Plus tier)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Realistic, photorealistic, professional
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 15-20 seconds
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: ChatGPT or OpenAI account (web-based)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: $15 (20 credits)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: No (additional cost)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Limited metadata
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Web-based only
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: GPT-4 based (advanced)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: Native (ChatGPT Plus)
Midjourney: N/A | DALL-E 3: 50+ documented styles
How to choose between Midjourney and DALL-E 3
Midjourney vs DALL-E 3 — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Midjourney vs DALL-E 3. Contains 133 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Midjourney vs DALL-E 3 — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Midjourney vs DALL-E 3.
DALL-E 3 is more affordable for commercial use at $15/month (ChatGPT Plus), while Midjourney requires its $30/month Standard plan or higher. Both permit commercial use under their respective subscriptions, but DALL-E 3 offers better value for small businesses or freelancers.
DALL-E 3 is significantly faster at 15-30 seconds per image versus Midjourney's 30-60 seconds. This difference compounds when generating multiple variations—DALL-E 3 is roughly 2x faster on average.
Which understands complex prompts better?
Midjourney achieves 92% accuracy on complex multi-element prompts versus DALL-E 3's 87%. Midjourney's advantage increases with longer, more detailed prompts requiring multiple simultaneous conditions.
DALL-E 3 excels here with native ChatGPT integration—you can refine prompts conversationally while maintaining context. Midjourney requires manual re-prompting on Discord, making iterative refinement slower and more cumbersome.
Which produces more artistic/stylized outputs?
Midjourney specializes in stylized, artistic images with distinctive visual signatures. DALL-E 3 defaults to more photorealistic, naturalistic outputs. For creative work requiring specific art styles, Midjourney is the stronger choice.
How to Choose Between Midjourney and DALL-E 3
Subscription Model: Midjourney has $10-120/month (4 tiers with usage limits), while DALL-E 3 has $15/month (ChatGPT Plus) or pay-per-image credits.
Consider: Prompt Interpretation Accuracy
Prompt Interpretation Accuracy: Midjourney has 92% success rate on complex, multi-element prompts, while DALL-E 3 has 87% success rate on complex, multi-element prompts.
Consider: Image Quality (native resolution)
Image Quality (native resolution): Midjourney has 1024x1024px standard, up to 2048x2048px with upscaling, while DALL-E 3 has 1024x1024px standard, with free upscaling available.
Consider: Integration with Chat Interface
Integration with Chat Interface: Midjourney has Discord-only, requires manual prompting, while DALL-E 3 has Native ChatGPT integration for iterative refinement.
Average Generation Time: Midjourney has 30-60 seconds per image, while DALL-E 3 has 15-30 seconds per image.
Consider: Community Features & Inspiration
Community Features & Inspiration: Midjourney has Robust showcase gallery with trending prompts and remix feature, while DALL-E 3 has Limited gallery features, no community showcase.
Commercial Use Rights: Midjourney has Permitted for Standard plan ($30+/month) and higher, while DALL-E 3 has Permitted for ChatGPT Plus subscribers ($15/month+).