Get to know the tool
About Midjourney
Midjourney is a subscription-based AI image and video generator famous for polished, artistic results, built for designers, marketers and creators who want striking visuals from a text prompt. According to Midjourney’s official subscription plans page, pricing starts at $10/month for the Basic plan, and there is no free tier — every plan is paid.
What is Midjourney?
Midjourney is an AI image generator developed by the independent research lab of the same name. You describe the image you want in a text prompt, and Midjourney produces a set of images in seconds, working through its web app at midjourney.com and through Discord. The lab describes its goal as building “the most beautiful AI models in the world,” and that art-first focus shows in the output: Midjourney images tend to look richly lit, cinematic and painterly straight out of the prompt, with less coaxing than most rivals need.
The platform has grown past still images. According to Midjourney’s official plan comparison, current subscriptions also generate video, with SD resolution on every tier and HD available from the Standard plan up. That makes Midjourney a single subscription for concept art, marketing visuals, moodboards and short motion clips.
Key Features
- High-aesthetic image generation: Midjourney’s models are tuned for beauty and style, producing detailed, well-composed images from short prompts.
- Fast and Relax GPU modes: Fast mode generates immediately using your monthly GPU time; Relax mode queues jobs at no GPU-time cost on supported plans.
- Video generation: Subscriptions include video, in SD on all plans and SD & HD from Standard upwards, per the official plan chart.
- Stealth Mode: On Pro and Mega plans, Stealth Mode keeps your images and videos private instead of appearing in the public gallery.
- Flexible capacity: Extra Fast GPU time can be purchased at $4/hour on any plan, and top tiers run up to 12 Fast prompts at once.
- Commercial usage rights: Subscribers get general commercial terms, and you can also rate community images to earn free GPU time.
How to Use Midjourney
Getting started takes a few minutes:
- Create an account on the official Midjourney website and choose a subscription plan — there is no free plan, so a paid tier is required.
- Open the web app (or Discord) and type a text prompt describing the image you want, in as much or as little detail as you like.
- Review the generated set, pick the strongest result, and run more jobs to explore variations on the same idea.
- On Standard and higher plans, switch to Relax Mode for unlimited image exploration once your Fast GPU time runs low.
- Download your finished images or videos and use them under Midjourney’s general commercial terms.
How much does Midjourney cost?
According to Midjourney’s official subscription plans page, the four tiers below are billed monthly, and committing to an annual plan takes 20% off, with the year paid upfront. Every plan includes commercial usage rights; note that companies making more than $1,000,000 USD in gross revenue per year must subscribe to Pro or Mega.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10/mo | 3.3 hours of Fast GPU time per month, SD video, up to 3 concurrent Fast prompts; $8/mo on annual billing |
| Standard | $30/mo | 15 hours of Fast GPU time, unlimited Relax image generation, SD & HD video; $24/mo on annual billing |
| Pro | $60/mo | 30 hours of Fast GPU time, unlimited Relax images and SD video, Stealth Mode, up to 12 concurrent Fast prompts; $48/mo on annual billing |
| Mega | $120/mo | 60 hours of Fast GPU time, unlimited Relax images and SD video, Stealth Mode, up to 12 concurrent Fast prompts; $96/mo on annual billing |
Last verified: October 2026.
Pros
- Consistently beautiful, art-directed output that needs very little prompt engineering
- Relax Mode on Standard and above means unlimited image exploration at no extra GPU cost
- Image and video generation covered by one subscription
- Stealth Mode on Pro/Mega keeps client and commercial work private
- Clear, simple pricing with a genuine 20% annual discount
Cons
- No free plan or free trial — you must pay before generating anything
- Fast GPU time is capped monthly on every tier, so heavy users can run out
- Privacy costs extra: public gallery exposure is the default below Pro
- Large companies (over $1M revenue) are required to buy Pro or Mega
Who should use Midjourney?
Midjourney suits designers, art directors, marketers and content creators who care most about how an image looks — campaign visuals, book covers, concept art, social content and brand moodboards. If you need a free starting point or a more guided, template-driven editor instead, browse the other generators in our AI Image Generator category, including our PicLumen review, which offers a free plan with paid tiers from $7.59/month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Midjourney free to use?
No, Midjourney is not free. According to Midjourney’s official subscription plans page, every tier is a paid subscription and there is no free plan or free trial. The cheapest way in is the Basic plan at $10 per month, or $8 per month when billed annually.
How much does Midjourney cost?
Midjourney costs $10 per month for Basic, $30 for Standard, $60 for Pro and $120 for Mega, according to the official plan comparison. Annual billing takes 20% off each tier, bringing the effective monthly prices down to $8, $24, $48 and $96 respectively, paid upfront yearly.
What is Midjourney Relax Mode?
Relax Mode is Midjourney’s slower, unlimited generation queue that does not consume your monthly Fast GPU time. According to the official plan chart, Standard, Pro and Mega subscribers get unlimited Relax image generation, while Pro and Mega also add unlimited SD video generation in Relax Mode.
Can I use Midjourney images commercially?
Yes, Midjourney subscribers receive general commercial usage terms for the images and videos they generate. One condition applies: according to Midjourney’s official documentation, companies earning more than $1,000,000 USD in gross annual revenue must hold a Pro or Mega plan to use Midjourney commercially.
Final Verdict
Midjourney remains the image generator to beat on pure visual quality, and the current plans are sensibly structured: Basic for light use, Standard as the sweet spot with unlimited Relax images, and Pro for professionals who need privacy and volume. The lack of any free entry is the main hurdle. If output quality is your top priority and $10/month is acceptable, Midjourney earns its reputation.
A good fit starts with the details. Check the official website for current features, pricing and availability before choosing a tool.
