Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Midjourney.
Want the closest match?
StablecogMost similar to Midjourney in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Stablecog in a new tab)Need a free plan?
Playground AIHas a free plan, rated 4.4 out of 5. Midjourney has none.
Visit (opens Playground AI in a new tab)Want the best rated?
PixAIRated 4.1 out of 5 in our review, against 4.7 for Midjourney.
Visit (opens PixAI in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Midjourney, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 MidjourneyBaseline | 4.7 | $10/mo | No | Independent, Discord-born, and still the artistic benchmark | |
| Stablecog | 3.1−1.6 | Free | YesMidjourney has none | Describe anything, or feed it an image to remix - AI generates art in seconds across thousands of styles, free to try. | vs Midjourney |
 Shutterstock AI | 4.0−0.7 | $29/mo$19 more | No | AI trained only on Shutterstock's own licensed library | vs Midjourney |
 Deep Dream Generator | 3.9−0.8 | $19/mo$9 more | YesMidjourney has none | The 2015 tool that started the AI-art trend | vs Midjourney |
| Playground AI | 4.4−0.3 | $12/mo$2 more | YesMidjourney has none | Its own foundation model plus a real design canvas | vs Midjourney |
| PixAI | 4.1−0.6 | $10/moSame price | YesMidjourney has none | Over a million community models, all anime-focused | vs Midjourney |
 Bria | 4.0−0.7 | Not listed | No | Enterprise visual generation trained only on licensed data, avoiding the copyright risk of scraped models | vs Midjourney |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Midjourney.
Stablecog
3.1Free
vs Midjourney−1.6Free plan
Describe anything, or feed it an image to remix - AI generates art in seconds across thousands of styles, free to try.
- Text-to-image generation from any description
- Image-to-image transformation from an input image
- Thousands of artistic styles to choose from
Free to try before committing to a paid tier
Specific paid tier pricing isn't detailed on the main page
Shutterstock AI
4.0$29/mo
vs Midjourney$19 more−0.7
AI trained only on Shutterstock's own licensed library.
- Trained exclusively on Shutterstock's licensed contributor library
- Commercial indemnification for generated images
- Contributor royalty payments tied to AI usage
Commercially indemnified output backed by a long-established marketplace
No free tier to test before subscribing
Deep Dream Generator
3.9$19/mo
vs Midjourney$9 more−0.8Free plan
The 2015 tool that started the AI-art trend.
- Original DeepDream-style surreal image transformation
- Photo-to-art style transfer
- Text-to-image generation modes added over time
Distinctive psychedelic aesthetic no modern tool quite replicates
Falls well behind modern tools on photorealism
Playground AI
4.4$12/mo
vs Midjourney$2 more−0.3Free plan
Its own foundation model plus a real design canvas.
- In-house foundation models (Playground v2/v3)
- Canvas-based compositing and layering editor
- Inpainting for targeted regional edits
Own foundation model reduces dependence on third-party licensing
Canvas-based workflow takes longer to learn than a simple prompt box
PixAI
4.1$10/mo
vs MidjourneySame price−0.6Free plan
Over a million community models, all anime-focused.
- Over one million community models and LoRAs
- Anime and manga-style specialization
- Native mobile app for iOS and Android
Enormous, specifically anime-trained model library
Narrow focus won't suit users wanting general or photorealistic styles
Bria
4.0Not listed
vs Midjourney−0.7
Enterprise visual generation trained only on licensed data, avoiding the copyright risk of scraped models.
- Models trained exclusively on licensed, fully-attributed image data
- Commercial indemnification for enterprise customers
- API-first platform built for embedding into other products
Licensed-data training removes a real legal risk that scraped-data generators carry
Custom enterprise pricing means no self-serve tier for smaller teams to try quickly
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Midjourney free?
Midjourney does not list a free plan. Paid plans start from $10/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Midjourney?
Playground AI is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.4 out of 5). Other free options: PixAI, Deep Dream Generator, Stablecog.
What is the cheapest alternative to Midjourney?
Among paid plans, PixAI has the lowest starting price (from $10/mo). If you need it free, start with Playground AI.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.