Midjourney

Midjourney has four plans: Basic ($10/month, 3.3 GPU hours/month), Standard ($30/month, 15 GPU hours + unlimited relaxed), Pro ($60/month, 30 GPU hours + stealth mode + 12 parallel jobs), and Mega ($120/month, 60 GPU hours). Relaxed mode queues are slower but don't consume GPU hours. Annual billing saves 20%. There is no free trial — a $10 subscription is required to start.

Midjourney generally produces more aesthetically refined, artistically coherent images — it excels at cinematic lighting, complex compositions, and painterly styles. DALL-E 3 (via ChatGPT) is better at following precise prompts, rendering accurate text within images, and incorporating specific logical details. Midjourney is preferred by artists and designers for quality; DALL-E 3 is better for users who need precise control and text-in-image accuracy. Both are excellent but serve different creative priorities.

Subscribers to paid plans own the images they generate and can use them commercially, subject to Midjourney's terms. On the Basic plan, you own output but Midjourney can use your images to train its models. Pro subscribers get stealth mode which prevents images from appearing in the public gallery. If you use the free trial (no longer available), Midjourney retains ownership. Always review the current terms of service for commercial use — they have evolved as the product has matured.