If the last AI-generated images you saw looked more like Picasso’s surrealist work than actually usable images, it’s time to give AI image generators another shot. Long gone are the days of disappointing and discombobulated images thanks to the quick progress and massive improvements AI tools have gone through.
In fact, AI image generators have come such a long way in a short time, they are now a go-to for professionals in all sorts of industries. But with constant improvements and new features being added daily, it can be hard to know which AI image tool is the best one for you.
Before you get overwhelmed by all the options available, check out this guide to the best AI image generators available so you can make the best choice!
What Is an AI Image Generator?
In basic terms, AI image generators will take a written prompt and turn it into an image. To be able to do this, these tools have been trained using a huge array of images and their corresponding descriptions.
With this technology, users can now create impressive, photo-realistic images of just about anything they can think of. Whether you want a photo of a landscape, a realistic portrait of a person, a cartoon depiction of a scenario, or anything in between, AI image generators can do it.
In the past, these tools may not have been very convincing, but they have grown exponentially and now offer amazing results. This means that images generated by AI can be used in professional settings. Whether you need images for a social media marketing campaign, marketing emails, your blog, your website design, or just want inspiration for a photo shoot, a mood board, or anything else, AI images are a quick and effective way to get all of this done.
💡 Need help getting inspiration for your AI images? Check out Freeflo’s professionally curated library of AI images!
How We Chose These Image Generators
When looking at AI image generators for this list, there were a few factors that we took into account. We didn’t want to throw together a list of all the image generators out there because, frankly, they’re not all great.
Some of the factors that played a role in this list include:
- Quality: There are so many AI image generators out there, but that doesn’t mean they’re worth your time. This list includes generators we think produce images that are high-quality and usable in a professional setting. They don’t all reach the same quality but for the price and ease of use, they still proved to be better than others.
- Speed: Generating AI images can take some time depending on the generator you choose. We tried to stick to the quickest generators because getting a quality image in a reasonable amount of time is essential in a professional setting.
- Pricing: If you’re going to invest in a new tool, whether it’s for yourself or for a team, you want to be sure the price matches what you’re getting. We also made sure to look out for free trials and free tools because not everyone is ready to pay for a new tool.
- Features and Styles: Some of the best AI image generators have tons of features and commands you can use to get a great image, but this isn’t ideal for everyone. This list includes generators that give you a lot of control and some with a more basic interface that is better suited to those who want their AI image journey to start off easily.
💡 Get great quality images no matter what with Freeflo’s library of professionally crafted AI image prompts!
The Best AI Image Generators
Best Overall: Midjourney
What Is Midjourney and How Does It Work?
Midjourney is one of the most popular AI image generators on the market. This is because of its amazing functions and high-quality output. It is easy to use but also offers a huge array of functions and commands to help you get the exact image you’re looking for.
Like most image generators, Midjourney will take a text prompt and produce an image that reflects the keywords in the prompt. What makes it different is that you do all of this through Discord. You do have to create a Discord account to use Midjourney, but, if you don’t already have one, this can be a great excuse to join. Because Discord is full of like-minded users and public rooms where you can send your image prompts, it’s easy to find community, connect with others, get inspired by other prompts, and even get feedback on yours.
Creating a Discord account is free, but you have to get used to this interface, the language, and the commands used to generate images.
To create an image, you have to send a command to the Midjourney bot. This command has to start with /imagine followed by your prompt. After submitting your prompt, you’ll see the bot getting to work on your images. It will display a grid featuring four image options and once they’ve fully loaded, you can choose one to upscale or ask the bot to create variations of one of the images.
Midjourney has a lot more commands, parameters, and new features being added constantly, making this process much more complete. For example, you can now upload your own image and use the /describe command to get four example prompts based on that image. You can also use the /blend command to blend two images into one.
Stand out Features
- The extensive list of commands allows you to interact with the Midjourney bot. Some of these commands will help you shorten your prompts to the most important words, give you prompts based on an image, and even combine multiple images into one.
- The extensive list of parameters lets you customize an image. For example, you can use the tile parameter to create seamless patterns, the aspect ratio parameter to set the aspect ratio for your image, use no for negative prompting, etc.
Zoom out of an image to extend what is visible in the canvas.
Pros and Cons of Midjourney
Pros:
- Incredible, high-quality for use in a professional setting (branding, marketing, art, etc.)
- A huge Discord community where you can connect with others, get ideas, get feedback to improve your prompts, etc.
- Lots of commands and parameters to help you customize your images further.
- Continual updates to make the image creation process even better.
- Get four images to choose from each time.
Cons:
- You have to create a Discord account.
- You can’t make consistent characters in varying images.
- Better image results once you learn how to use the parameters, commands, and varying features.
Midjourney Pricing
Due to its extremely high traffic, Midjourney doesn't offer free trials anymore. You can try your luck when demand is down, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll slow down any time soon.
With that said, Midjourney offers three pricing plans depending on your needs:
Basic: $8/month, billed yearly, and includes ~200 generations a month with 3 concurrent fast jobs.
Standard: This plan offers faster image generation for $24/month, billed yearly. It includes unlimited relaxed generations and 3 concurrent fast jobs.
Pro: This plan offers even faster image generation for $48/month, billed yearly. It includes unlimited relaxed generations and 12 concurrent fast jobs.
Best for Beginners: DreamStudio
What Is DreamStudio and How Does It Work?
DreamStudio is a popular text-to-image web app that, like most image generators, takes a text prompt and converts it into an image. It doesn’t offer advanced features like Midjourney, but it is still a reliable AI image generator.
This tool creates great-quality images but doesn’t require advanced knowledge or as much creative input to operate, making it a great option for beginners.
To create an image you will have to create a DreamStudio account. Once you’re registered, you can type in your prompt, select a style from their library of options, choose a canvas size (aspect ratio), and the number of image options you want it to show you. Keep in mind that the more options you choose, the slower it’ll work. You can create variations of the image results, or, if you see something you like, you can upscale it.
DreamStudio has useful features to make your results more accurate, like negative prompting and the ability to make an image based on an image you upload. With that said, the interface is a lot more basic, but this means it’s easier to use and more intuitive.
Stand out Features
- Negative prompting allows you to specify what you don’t want in your image.
- The advanced settings allow you to set the length and width of your image, how many steps the generation takes, and what model to use.
- It includes a library of styles you can apply to your image and examples of what each style looks like.
- DreamStudio gives you the ability to upload your own images and create variations of them.
Pros and Cons of DreamStudio
Pros:
- DreamStudio provides quick results.
- It can create good-quality images.
- It has an easy-to-use interface.
- You get API access when you sign up.
- DreamStudio gives you free credits when you sign up.
Cons:
- The settings and features are quite basic.
- It doesn't provide as much flexibility or customization as other tools.
DreamStudio Pricing
DreamStudio gives you 25 free credits when you sign up, which gets you about 125 image generations.
One thing that is really cool about DreamStudio is that you don’t have to purchase a plan. This means you don’t have to make a long-term commitment to it. When you run out of credits, you can purchase more by entering the dollar amount you want to spend. DreamStudio will tell you how many images you get for the amount entered.
Best for Teams: Jasper Art
What Is Jasper Art and How Does It Work?
If the name Jasper sounds familiar, maybe it’s because you’ve tried their AI writing assistant. Just like their writing assistant rivals some of the most well-known AI writing tools out there, their AI image generator is just as good.
To start generating images with Jasper Art you have to create an account and select a plan. Once you’re ready, you can head over to the Jasper Art page and input your text prompt. Below that, you’ll see a number of dropdown menus where you can select an art style, medium, artist, mood, and keyword to make your prompt more specific. These are super useful if you don’t know art styles off the top of your head but want to experiment with how these can affect your finished image.
When your prompt is complete, hit the Create button and you’ll see the images loading on the right-hand side of your screen. Jasper Art will load four image options for you to choose from. You can download any of these images or copy an image and paste it where you need it.
This tool is also pretty basic in terms of features and options, but it’s a great option for beginners who want a simple and user-friendly interface. The dropdown menus are also super helpful for experimenting with new styles without having to do much research. Since the Jasper plans include Jasper Art, their writing assistant, and other cool AI tools, it’s a great option for marketing teams and creation teams with broad needs.
Stand out Features
- The style dropdown menu lets you pick a style for your image, like 3D render, illustration, retro, etc.
- The medium dropdown menu lets you pick from different art mediums like line drawing, pastel, watercolor, etc.
- The artist/style dropdown menu lets you choose the name of an artist to apply their style to your image.
- The mood dropdown menu lets you pick from descriptive words to set the mood of your image. Some words you can choose from include: aggressive, angry, bright, calm, and cheerful.
- The keywords dropdown menu lets you get more specific about what you want your image to look like. Choose from words like photorealistic, highly detailed, close-up, full-face portrait, and more.
Pros and Cons of Jasper Art
Pros:
- Jasper Art is super fast at generating images.
- It has an interface that is great for beginners.
- The dropdown menus with styles are helpful for those with a limited vocabulary of visual terms.
Cons:
- It's basic in terms of features and updates.
- It only has one aspect ratio for generated images.
- It's not the best at generating photo-realistic images.
Jasper Art Pricing
When you create a Jasper account, you are prompted to pick a paid plan right away. Keep in mind that each plan comes with a 7-day free trial. These plans include Jasper Art and Jasper’s other services, like an AI writing tool, plagiarism checker, and brand tone.
From there the plans go as follows:
Creator Plan: $49/month and includes basic art generation.
Teams Plan: $125/month which includes everything in the previous plan as well as three seats per account.
Business Plan: Custom pricing depending on your needs and includes full image upscaling.
Best Free AI Image Generator: Craiyon
What Is Craiyon and How Does It Work?
Crayon was formerly known as Dall-E Mini but is in no way related to Dall-E 2. This is a simple text-to-image generator that is easy to use and is a great place for complete beginners to start.
There is no sign-up required and you can start generating AI images straight from their web page. Simply type in your prompt, select one of the art style options, and type in any negative words you may want to avoid. Hit the Draw button and Craiyon will take a minute to generate nine images for you to choose from. From here, you can pick an image to upscale and download, generate variations of an image, or add an image to a t-shirt.
This tool is completely free to use, which means it has its limitations. Free images have a watermark, but they do offer paid plans that remove the watermark and offer faster image generation.
Stand out Features
- Lets you pick from styles like art, drawing, and photo.
- Allows you to input negative words.
- Offers suggested prompts based on your most recent prompt.
Pros and Cons of Craiyon
Pros:
- Craiyon is completely free.
- There is no sign-up required.
- It creates nine images for you to choose from.
- It's easy to use and has a friendly interface for complete beginners.
Cons:
- This tool is very basic.
- The free images have a watermark.
- The images can sometimes be distorted.
Craiyon Pricing
As we mentioned earlier, Craiyon is a great option if you’re looking to experiment with AI image generation but don’t have the budget to invest in it yet. They offer completely free AI images, but they also have paid plans:
Supporter: $5/month billed annually. This plan gives you unlimited images, no ads, no watermark, high priority processing, and takes 45 seconds to generate nine images.
Professional: $20/month billed annually. This offers the same perks as the previous plan but cuts down the image-generating time to 15 seconds.
Enterprise: This is a custom offering that you can work out with them.
Best for Editing Images: Dall-E 2
What Is Dall-E 2 and How Does It Work?
Dall-E 2 is the original AI image generator that got everyone excited/scared about the future of AI image generation. It can create impressive art from text prompts and has shown some serious improvement since it was first introduced to the masses.
It is part of the OpenAI offering, which means we can expect great things to come from it. Currently, Dall-E 2 can create images from text prompts, expand the canvas of already existing images, modify images, and make variations of images.
Stand out Features
- The outpainting feature allows users to extend the canvas of an already existing image, like zooming out.
- The inpainting feature allows users to modify images with a text command, like removing objects in an image.
- The variations feature allows users to make variations of an already existing image, changing its style or medium, for example.
Pros and Cons of Dall-E 2
Pros:
- You can use different art styles for your images.
- Easily modify already existing images with Dall-E 2's various features.
- Expand the canvas of an image for a zoomed-out look.
Cons:
- Dall-E 2 has a longer processing time than other AI image generators.
- It doesn't always deliver the best quality results.
Dall-E 2 Pricing
Dall-E 2 used to offer free credits, but these are now just for early adopters. If you’re just now signing up, you’ll have to purchase $15 worth of credits to start generating images.
For this amount, you get 115 credits. You use 1 credit for every request whether it’s to generate a new image, edit an image, or get a variation of an image.
Start Making AI Images Like a Pro
These are only five options in a growing sea of AI image generators. We know there are a lot of options to choose from, but you can narrow down your options based on what you want the images for and what your current budget is. Don’t be afraid to start with a more basic tool and then move on to something more thorough as your own prompt writing abilities improve.
If you don’t think an AI image generator can give you usable images, you probably haven’t tried a good-quality tool recently. They’ve come a long way in a short time, so maybe it’s time to give them another chance.
Get out there, explore all the options available, and don’t forget to check out Freeflo for AI image prompts you can use to create the images you need for your professional work!
