Midjourney is an AI image generator from the lab founded by David Holz. You write a description (the “prompt”) and it returns several options you can vary, upscale, edit or turn into a short video clip.
It is famous for its aesthetic finish: studio-grade lighting, composition and textures. It is used for concept art, moodboards, covers, posters and visual inspiration. It used to work only inside Discord; today it has a full website with an editor, a public gallery and a personalisation system that learns your taste.
It might suit you if…
Illustrators, art directors and designers who need concepts and moodboards; creators looking for polished covers or thumbnails; game, film and advertising studios in pre-production.
Try a concrete use case.
Rate images to build your personalisation profile and add --p to your prompts. Explore in Draft mode first (cheaper and faster) and render at full quality only the winning version.
What to check.
There is no free plan or trial. Your creations are public by default (Stealth mode only on Pro and Mega) and Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. have open lawsuits over protected characters.
Why this tier
Delivers the most polished art direction, lighting, textures and aesthetics in the whole generative image market.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Benchmark aesthetic quality even with simple prompts.
- Real personalisation with --p (refined in V8.2) and style references with --sref.
- Turns images into 5-second videos extendable to about 21.
- Draft mode, built-in editor and a huge Explore gallery to learn from.
Cons
- No free plan: at least $10 a month.
- Images public by default; privacy only on Pro and Mega.
- Learning curve (best in English and with parameters) and fast hours that run out quickly with video.
Plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | None | No free plan or trial since March 2023. |
| Basic | $10/month ($8/month billed annually) | About 3.3 fast GPU hours a month. No Relax or Stealth. |
| Standard | $30/month ($24/month billed annually) | 15 fast GPU hours and unlimited images in Relax mode. |
| Pro | $60/month ($48/month billed annually) | 30 fast GPU hours, Relax for images and SD video, Stealth mode. |
| Mega | $120/month ($96/month billed annually) | 60 fast GPU hours, Relax, Stealth and maximum concurrency. |
Official prices checked on 4 November 2026. They may vary by country, tax and billing period.
Current models
V8.2, default model since 24 Jul 2026; Niji 7 for anime; image-to-video (V1 Video); “Thinking Mode” in testing.
Where to use it
Web (midjourney.com) and Discord.
Privacy and data
By default everything you generate (and its prompt) is public and remixable; only Pro and Mega offer Stealth mode. Using it grants Midjourney a perpetual, irrevocable licence over your prompts, images and uploads. Minimum age: 13.
Sources checked
⏱ Quick start
Get started in 5 minutes
- Go to midjourney.com and sign in with your Google or Discord account.
- Choose a subscription plan: generating images requires a paid plan.
- On the Create page, type your description in the top bar: subject, style, lighting, framing and aspect ratio.
- From the 4 results, make variations of your favourite and upscale it when you are happy.
- Remember that, except on plans with Stealth mode, what you generate is public in the gallery.
Example prompts
Product photograph of on [surface], soft side studio light, plain [colour] background, soft shadows, centred framing, catalogue style --ar 4:5
Editorial illustration about [topic], flat style with geometric shapes, [colours] palette, plenty of empty space on the left for the headline --ar 16:9
Portrait of [character] with [clothing or detail], [emotion] expression, sunset light, blurred [place] background, [photographic / watercolour / comic] style --ar 2:3
Sign in with your AIAO account to share prompts and tips and mark the ones you find useful.
Your rating as a member
Tell other members how it works for you. You can change it at any time.
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