Midjourney is one of the most popular AI image generators. You type a prompt and it creates four detailed, artistic images, which you can upscale, vary, edit or animate into short videos. Midjourney has no free plan, and paid plans start at $8 a month billed yearly ($10 monthly).
What is Midjourney?
Midjourney is an independent AI research lab and the name of its image model. It is famous for beautiful, cinematic and artistic images, and it is used for concept art, ads, social posts, book covers and mood boards.
You can use Midjourney on its website or through Discord. Beyond images, it can edit parts of a picture, keep a consistent style or character, and turn images into short animated videos.
Midjourney key features
Text to image
Create four high-quality images from each prompt.
Upscale and vary
Upscale your favourite image or make subtle and strong variations.
Editor
Edit, extend and repaint parts of an image.
Style references
Match a look using reference images or style codes.
Character references
Keep the same character across many images.
Image to video
Animate images into short video clips.
Personalization
Train Midjourney on your taste for better results.
Draft mode
Generate fast, low-cost drafts to explore ideas.
Web gallery
Organise, search and download all your creations.
Midjourney pricing plans (2026)
Midjourney is paid only. Plans differ by fast GPU hours, Relax mode and Stealth mode for private images.
Basic
About 3.3 fast GPU hours a month. $10/mo billed monthly.
Standard
15 fast GPU hours plus unlimited Relax mode images. $30/mo billed monthly.
Pro
30 fast GPU hours, Stealth mode and more fast jobs. $60/mo billed monthly.
Prices checked in October 2026 (USD, billed yearly). A Mega plan ($96/mo yearly) is available for heavy users. There is no free trial. Confirm on the official Midjourney plans page.
How to use Midjourney
- 1
Go to midjourney.com and sign in with Google or Discord.
- 2
Choose a subscription plan.
- 3
Type a prompt in the Imagine bar at the top.
- 4
Pick your favourite image, then upscale, vary or edit it.
- 5
Download your image or animate it into a short video.
Who should use Midjourney?
Designers
Create concept art and mood boards fast.
Marketers
Make unique visuals for ads and social media.
Authors
Design book covers and illustrations.
Artists
Explore new styles and ideas.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Best-in-class artistic image quality
- Strong style and character control
- Easy web app
- Can animate images into video
Watch out for
- No free plan or trial
- Images are public on lower plans
- Text in images can still be imperfect
- Prompting takes practice
Best Midjourney alternatives
Midjourney is still the top choice when image quality and style matter most. It is not free, but the Basic plan is cheap to try. Choose Standard if you create images often.
Midjourney FAQs
Is Midjourney free?
No. Midjourney has no free plan or free trial. Paid plans start at $10/month or $8/month billed yearly.
How much does Midjourney cost?
Basic is $10/month, Standard $30, Pro $60 and Mega $120 on monthly billing. Yearly billing saves 20%.
Do I need Discord to use Midjourney?
No. You can use Midjourney on its website, though Discord is still supported.
Can I use Midjourney images commercially?
Yes. Paid subscribers can use images commercially, with extra rules for large companies.
Can Midjourney make videos?
Yes. Midjourney can animate images into short video clips.
Who owns Midjourney?
Midjourney is an independent, self-funded research lab founded by David Holz and based in San Francisco.
