Midjourney
B Tier · 7.8/10
Industry-leading AI image generation with stunning artistic quality. V8.2 launched 2026-07-24 as the new default model -- an aesthetics and quality pass that Midjourney says makes output 'more creative, bold, sophisticated, edgy and fresh' while dramatically cutting low-quality results, plus better Personalization for accounts with long rating histories. No price change
Score Breakdown
The Good and the Bad
What we like
- +Best-in-class image quality, especially for artistic and photorealistic styles
- +Huge active community for prompt inspiration
- +Consistent improvements with each version update
- +Strong upscaling and variation controls
What could be better
- −No free tier -- you have to pay to try it
- −Still primarily Discord-based which is clunky for non-gamers
- −Web interface exists but lacks some Discord features
- −No API access for developers on lower plans
Pricing
Basic
- ✓~200 generations/mo
- ✓3 concurrent jobs
- ✓General commercial terms
Standard
- ✓15hr fast generations
- ✓Unlimited relaxed
- ✓General commercial terms
Pro
- ✓30hr fast generations
- ✓Stealth mode
- ✓12 concurrent jobs
Known Issues
- FIRST ACQUISITION -- CO-STAR (2026-07-23): Midjourney bought **Co-Star**, its first acquisition ever, to build out its Product and Design organization; Co-Star founder Banu will lead that effort. The strategic signal matters more than the deal: the post describes 'the slow blossoming of a very unusual research lab' and promises 'the announcement of half a dozen similarly ambitious projects over the next 6 months,' citing **Midjourney Medical** as the first example. Read: Midjourney is deliberately widening past image generation, which is worth watching if you evaluate it purely as an image toolSource: Midjourney updates (updates.midjourney.com/midjourneys-first-acquisition/, fetched 2026-07-29) · 2026-07-23
- MODEL RELEASE -- V8.2 IS NOW THE DEFAULT (2026-07-24): Midjourney shipped V8.2 as its live image model, ending the preview-only period that started with the `--preview` flag on 6/25. The vendor post is an aesthetics-and-quality release rather than an architecture change: images should be 'more creative, bold, sophisticated, edgy and fresh', occurrences of a 'low quality image' are 'dramatically reduced', and Personalization understands preferences better for accounts with long rating histories, with a larger image pool available for building personalization profiles. **No pricing change accompanied the release** -- the vendor post mentions none. Supersedes the two entries below that state V8.2 does not exist / remains preview-onlySource: Midjourney updates (updates.midjourney.com/version-8-2/, fetched 2026-07-29) · 2026-07-24
- LAWSUIT UPDATE (2026-07-09 coverage; motion filed 6/29): in the Disney/Universal/Warner Bros. copyright case, Midjourney went on offense -- after a mid-June ruling denied its initial discovery request, it filed a renewed motion demanding the studios **reveal their own internal use of generative AI**. Midjourney's argument: if the studios are 'training generative-AI models on third-party copyrighted works' themselves, that conduct supports the industry treating AI training as fair use -- 'The studios are engaging in the very conduct they complained about.' No ruling yet on the renewed motion. Meanwhile **v8.2 remains preview-only** (`--preview` flag on v8.1; no GA date; updates.midjourney.com has no posts since 6/25). The case outcome remains the biggest structural risk/catalyst for the productSource: The Art Newspaper (theartnewspaper.com/2026/07/09/midjourney-demands-hollywood-AI-secrets) · 2026-07-09
- WEB UPDATE (2026-05-27, vendor changelog 'Web Updates 5'): conversational/voice sessions gained **Image Prompts and Style References** plus sidebar settings and recent-jobs access; Image Prompts now work from the tray/sidebar; tray images persist across voice submissions; new **'Rerun as HD' button upgrades V8.1 standard-res images** in one click; folder hidden-item counts and mobile settings cleanup. NOTE: 'V8.2 imminent' claims circulate in aggregators but the vendor changelog's newest version entries remain V8.1 Updates (4/30) and V8.1 Alpha (4/14) -- no V8.2 exists yetSource: Midjourney updates (updates.midjourney.com/web-updates-5/) · 2026-05-27
- Midjourney V8.1 Alpha opened on 2026-04-14 at alpha.midjourney.com -- default HD/2K output, roughly 3x faster than V8, meaningfully better prompt adherence. SUPERSEDED -- V8.1 later became the default and was itself replaced by V8.2 on 2026-07-24 (see the V8.2 entry above); retained for version historySource: Midjourney docs (docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/32199405667853-Version) · 2026-04
- Hands and text in images still inconsistent, though improved in v6Source: Reddit r/midjourney · 2026-03
- Discord bot occasionally slow during peak hoursSource: Midjourney community forum · 2026-02
Best for
Artists, designers, and content creators who need the highest quality AI-generated images and don't mind the Discord workflow.
Not for
Beginners who want a simple web interface, or developers who need API access on a budget.
Our Verdict
Midjourney is still the gold standard for AI image quality. The output is consistently stunning. But the Discord-first experience is a real barrier for casual users, and the lack of a free tier means you can't even test it before committing. If image quality is your top priority, it's worth the price. If you want something simpler, look at DALL-E or Leonardo AI.
Sources
- Midjourney updates: Version 8.2 (2026-07-24, new default model) (accessed 2026-07-29)
- Midjourney updates: Midjourney's First Acquisition (Co-Star, 2026-07-23) (accessed 2026-07-29)
- The Art Newspaper: Midjourney demands Hollywood AI secrets (2026-07-09) (accessed 2026-07-18)
- Midjourney docs: Version page (accessed 2026-04-21)
- Official Midjourney pricing page (accessed 2026-04-21)
- Reddit r/midjourney (accessed 2026-04-21)
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