Compare image generation plans, prices and limits
Looking for the best AI tools for image generation? Compare options for non-technical buyers and small businesses in the US, UK and Canada. Each row shows the free plan, price, stated limits and commercial-use position.
The fact matrix
Read each row as a plan snapshot covering pricing, usage limits and the vendor’s stated position on commercial use. Under each cell is the vendor page we read and the date. The order of the rows is not a ranking.
| Tool | Free plan | Price | Stated limits | Commercial use, as stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MidjourneyMidjourney | No free plan listed; the help centre search snippet reads 'No free trial is currently' (cut off), with a limited trial on the niji journey app. All four plans are paid subscriptions. docs.midjourney.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Basic US$10/month, or US$96/year (US$8/month) billed upfront. Standard US$30, Pro US$60, Mega US$120 per month. docs.midjourney.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Basic: 3.3 hours of Fast GPU time a month (200 minutes), no Relax mode. Standard and above: unlimited images in Relax mode. Extra GPU time US$4/hour. docs.midjourney.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Vendor says you own the images and videos you create. Companies grossing over US$1,000,000 a year need a Pro or Mega plan to use images commercially. docs.midjourney.com checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| Adobe FireflyAdobe | Yes: free daily generations across image, video and audio without a plan; limits refresh every day (number not stated on the page). adobe.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Firefly Standard US$9.99/month (shown under 'Monthly'). Firefly Pro US$19.99, Pro Plus US$49.99, Premium US$199.99 per month. adobe.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Generative credits per month: Standard 2,000, Pro 4,000, Pro Plus 10,000, Premium 50,000. Standard also lists up to 20 five-second videos. adobe.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Not verified Not verified: the plans page lists the question 'Are Adobe Firefly outputs safe for commercial use?' but the answer text did not load in the captured page. adobe.com tried 2 Oct 2026 |
| IdeogramIdeogram | Yes: Free plan at US$0. Eligible free accounts get weekly slow credits (amount may vary); 1 running/queued generation; no private generation. ideogram.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Plus: US$20/month billed monthly, or US$15/month billed annually (US$180/year). Pro: US$60 monthly or US$42/month annually. ideogram.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Plus: 1,000 priority credits a month plus unlimited slow credits; 8 running/queued generations. Ideogram 4.0 uses 1-3 credits per image depending on rendering speed. ideogram.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Pricing FAQ: Ideogram does not claim ownership of generated images and says you may use them for any purpose, including commercial use (see its Terms of Service). ideogram.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| Leonardo.AiLeonardo.Ai | Yes: Free plan at US$0/month with 150 fast tokens a day; creations are public; 1 personal collection. leonardo.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Essential: US$12/month ex. tax. The page has a Pay Yearly / Pay Monthly switch and the captured text does not show which one the figure belongs to. Premium US$30, Ultimate US$60. leonardo.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Free: 150 fast tokens/day. Essential: 8,500 fast tokens/month, token bank 25,500, 2 simultaneous generations. Premium adds unlimited relaxed image generation on select models. leonardo.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Not verified Not verified: the pricing page does not state commercial-use or ownership terms, and the vendor FAQ URL tried returned a not-found page. leonardo.ai tried 2 Oct 2026 |
| Canva AI Image GeneratorCanva | Yes: Canva Free (US$0) includes up to 20 uses a month of Standard or Premium AI tools; no access to Ultra AI tools. canva.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Canva Pro: US$144/year for one person (yearly billing view, US country setting). Canva Business: US$250/year per person. canva.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Shared monthly AI allowance across AI tools: Free up to 20 uses; Pro up to 200 Premium uses or 20 Ultra uses; Business up to 400 Premium or 40 Ultra. Trial allowance equals Free. canva.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Canva says generated images can be used for personal or commercial projects under its AI Product Terms; you may not have exclusive rights. Canva makes no copyright claim on them. canva.com checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| ChatGPT ImagesOpenAI | Yes: ChatGPT Images is available on all tiers, including Free; the pricing page describes Free as 'Limited image creation' (no number given). help.openai.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | ChatGPT Plus is US$20/month (help centre). The cheaper Go plan was only readable in Australian dollars (A$13/month) from this machine, so its US price is not verified. help.openai.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | No per-plan image numbers published on the pages read. Pricing page wording: Free 'Limited image creation', Go 'More image creation'; the top tier lists unlimited and faster image creation. chatgpt.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Not verified Not verified: the ChatGPT Images help article read does not state commercial-use or ownership terms. help.openai.com tried 2 Oct 2026 |
| Gemini (Nano Banana image generation)Google | Yes: Free tier at US$0/month with a Google Account includes image generation and editing in the Gemini app. gemini.google checked 2 Oct 2026 | Google AI Plus US$4.99/month (2x Free usage limits). Google AI Pro US$19.99/month (4x). Google AI Ultra from US$99.99/month. gemini.google checked 2 Oct 2026 | No image counts published: limits are relative. Without a plan 'standard limits'; AI Plus 2x; AI Pro 4x; AI Ultra 5x or 20x AI Pro. Google says limits may change. support.google.com checked 2 Oct 2026 | Not verified Not verified: the Google help and subscription pages read do not state commercial-use or ownership terms for generated images. support.google.com tried 2 Oct 2026 |
| Stability AI (Stable Image API)Stability AI | No subscription plan on the developer platform; new accounts start with 25 free credits, then pay per use. platform.stability.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | Pay-as-you-go API credits: 1 credit = US$0.01. Stable Image Ultra 8 credits per image, Stable Image Core 3, SD 3.5 Large 6.5. platform.stability.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | No monthly allowance stated; usage is limited by credits bought. 25 free credits to start. The stability.ai/pricing URL returned a 404, so consumer app plans were not read. platform.stability.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 | License page (self-hosted Core Models): Community License allows commercial use under US$1M annual revenue; above that an Enterprise license is needed. Vendor says you own outputs. stability.ai checked 2 Oct 2026 |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
About the prices. Vendor pages were read on 1 and 2 October 2026 from a connection in Australia. Where a vendor shows local prices, we took the US-dollar figure from its United States page or its help centre and link to that page. Where we could not read a US-dollar price, the cell says so and names the currency we saw. Prices in other countries can differ.
Who each one suits, and who it does not
These lines are drawn only from the facts we could read on vendor pages. We have not run our own tests, so nothing here ranks the tools on the quality of their output.
MidjourneySource: docs.midjourney.com
- Best for
- People who want unlimited Relax-mode image generation on a flat subscription from the Standard plan up.Based on: stated limits, price
- Not ideal for
- People who want a free plan, or private generations without paying for Pro or Mega.Based on: free plan, listed features
Adobe FireflySource: adobe.com
- Best for
- People who want a monthly credit allowance that also covers video and audio generation alongside images.Based on: stated limits, listed features
- Not ideal for
- People who need a stated commercial-use position before buying, since that answer could not be read here.Based on: commercial use, as stated
IdeogramSource: ideogram.ai
- Best for
- People who want a free tier to start and a paid plan with unlimited slow-queue generation.Based on: free plan, stated limits
- Not ideal for
- Free users who need private generations, which are listed only on paid plans.Based on: free plan, listed features
Leonardo.AiSource: leonardo.ai
- Best for
- People who want a daily free token allowance to try image generation before paying.Based on: free plan, stated limits
- Not ideal for
- Free users who need private images, since Free creations are listed as public.Based on: free plan
Canva AI Image GeneratorSource: canva.com
- Best for
- People who want to generate an image and keep editing it inside a design tool, with a small free monthly allowance.Based on: free plan, listed features
- Not ideal for
- People who need exclusive rights to generated images, which Canva says you may not have.Based on: commercial use, as stated
ChatGPT ImagesSource: help.openai.com
- Best for
- People who already use ChatGPT and want image creation and editing inside the same chat, including on the Free tier.Based on: free plan, listed features
- Not ideal for
- People who need a published image allowance per plan, since the pages read give no numbers.Based on: stated limits
Gemini (Nano Banana image generation)Source: support.google.com
- Best for
- People who want image generation and editing in a free Google account, with a low-cost first paid tier.Based on: free plan, price
- Not ideal for
- People who need a fixed, published number of images per plan.Based on: stated limits
Stability AI (Stable Image API)Source: platform.stability.ai
- Best for
- Developers who want per-image API pricing rather than a monthly subscription.Based on: price, listed features
- Not ideal for
- People looking for a consumer app with a monthly image allowance, which was not found on the pages read.Based on: stated limits, free plan
How to choose from this table
Start with the generation option that matches your needs. Midjourney suits people who want unlimited Relax-mode image generation from the Standard plan up. Canva AI Image Generator fits people who want to generate an image and keep editing it in a design tool. Stability AI offers per-image API pricing for developers rather than a monthly subscription.
Check the listed price before choosing your budget. Adobe Firefly Standard is US$9.99/month, while Midjourney Basic is US$10/month or US$96/year (US$8/month) billed upfront. Ideogram Plus is US$20/month billed monthly, or US$15/month billed annually (US$180/year). Stability AI charges US$0.01 per credit.
Compare the limits that may affect regular image generation. Midjourney Basic includes 3.3 hours of Fast GPU time a month and no Relax mode, while Standard and above include unlimited images in Relax mode. Adobe Firefly states: Generative credits per month: Standard 2,000, Pro 4,000, Pro Plus 10,000, Premium 50,000. Ideogram Plus includes 1,000 priority credits a month and unlimited slow credits.
Match the plan with your privacy and commercial-use needs. Ideogram Free has no private generation, while Leonardo.Ai Free lists creations as public. The vendor says you own your Midjourney outputs, and companies grossing over US$1,000,000 a year need Pro or Mega for commercial use. Canva says you may not have exclusive rights to its generated images.
Treat not verified as a reason to check, not a mark against the product. It means the vendor page did not show us the detail on the day. Every figure, with its source and date, is also in the fact ledger.
Related: AI tools compared by task, price and usage limits, Free AI tools and their plan limits.
Questions people ask
Which AI image generators include a free plan?
Adobe Firefly, Ideogram, Leonardo.Ai, Canva AI Image Generator, ChatGPT Images and Gemini all include a free option. Canva Free includes up to 20 uses a month of Standard or Premium AI tools. Leonardo.Ai Free includes 150 fast tokens a day, while ChatGPT Images describes Free as offering limited image creation.
Which AI image generator includes unlimited Relax-mode generation?
Midjourney Standard and higher plans include unlimited images in Relax mode. Basic includes 3.3 hours of Fast GPU time a month and no Relax mode. Midjourney also lists extra GPU time at US$4/hour.
What limits are published for Ideogram and Adobe Firefly?
Ideogram Plus includes 1,000 priority credits a month, unlimited slow credits and 8 running or queued generations. Adobe Firefly states: Generative credits per month: Standard 2,000, Pro 4,000, Pro Plus 10,000, Premium 50,000. Ideogram 4.0 uses 1-3 credits per image depending on rendering speed.
Can I use images from these tools commercially?
Ideogram says you may use generated images for any purpose, including commercial use, subject to its Terms of Service. Canva says its generated images can be used for personal or commercial projects, but you may not have exclusive rights. The vendor pages read for Adobe Firefly, Leonardo.Ai, ChatGPT Images and Gemini did not provide a verified commercial-use position.