NERDY PICKS · IMAGE GENERATION
Best Image Generation tools
Create images, art and illustrations from a text prompt.
Prices checked Oct 26, 2026
Which image generation tool should I start with?
If you want free, start with Ideogram, Leonardo.Ai, Adobe Firefly. Create images, art and illustrations from a text prompt. Below you'll find 29 tools with what each one does, the free plan and the cheapest solo plan in US dollars, checked Oct 26, 2026.
| Tool | What it does | Free plan | Paid from | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midjourney | Creates high-quality artistic images from text prompts. | No | Basic: US$10/month, or US$8/month on a yearly plan (US$96/year) | Oct 25, 2026 |
| Ideogram | Makes AI images that are especially good at readable text, like posters and logos. | Yes | Plus: US$20/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$180/year) | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Leonardo.Ai | Generates images and short videos from prompts, with many styles and models. | Yes | Essential: US$12/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year) | Oct 25, 2026 |
| Adobe Firefly | Adobe's AI image, video and audio generator, built into its creative apps. | Yes | Firefly Standard: US$9.99/month, or US$8.33/month on a yearly plan (US$99.99/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Recraft | Generates images, icons and editable vector graphics in a consistent brand style. | Yes | Basic: US$12/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Krea | Creates and upscales AI images and videos, including live sketch-to-image. | Yes | Basic: US$9/month, or US$5.25/month on a yearly plan | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Playground | Makes AI images and simple designs like posters, logos and social posts. | Yes | Pro: US$15/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| NightCafe | AI art generator with many models and a community for sharing and challenges. | Unclear | AI Hobbyist: US$12.49/month, or US$7.49/month on a yearly plan (US$89.91/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| getimg.ai | All-in-one AI image tool for generating, editing and training custom image models. | Unclear | Entry: US$15/month | Oct 26, 2026 |
| OpenArt | Creates AI images, characters and short videos using many models in one place. | Unclear | Starter: US$14/month, or US$13/month on a yearly plan (US$156/year) | Nov 1, 2026 |
| Picsart | Photo and design app with AI image generation, background removal and templates. | Unclear | Pro: US$15/month, or US$10.50/month on a yearly plan | Oct 25, 2026 |
| Artbreeder | Makes and remixes images, especially portraits and characters, by blending pictures. | Unclear | Starter: US$8.99/month, or US$7.49/month on a yearly plan | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Mage.Space | AI image and video generator with unlimited generations on paid plans. | Unclear | Basic: US$10/month | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Dzine | AI image editor and generator with layers, style presets and product photo tools. | Unclear | Beginner: US$8.99/month, or US$7/month on a yearly plan (US$84/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Magnific (formerly Freepik) | AI image, video and audio generation plus a large stock library, now under the Magnific name. | Yes | Premium: US$20/month, or US$14.50/month on a yearly plan (US$174/year) | Oct 27, 2026 |
| DeepAI | Simple AI image generator and chat in one place. | Yes | Pro: US$9.99/month, or US$7.50/month on a yearly plan (US$89.99/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Bing Image Creator | Microsoft's free image maker: type a description and get pictures. | Yes | Free | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Hotpot.ai | AI art, headshots and photo touch-ups paid with credits. | Unclear | 1,000 credits/month: US$10/month, or US$9/month on a yearly plan (US$108/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Stockimg AI | Generates logos, posters and social posts, and can schedule them. | Unclear | Starter Plan: US$12/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Glif | An AI creative agent that makes images, videos, audio and ads from a brief using 100+ models, including a cast of ready-made AI characters. | No | Starter: US$10/month | Nov 1, 2026 |
| Runway | Generates and edits video clips from text, images or existing footage with AI. | Yes | Standard: US$15/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year) | Nov 1, 2026 |
| Luma Dream Machine | Generates realistic video clips and images from prompts with Luma's Dream Machine. | No | Plus: US$30/month, or US$25/month on a yearly plan (US$300/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Kling AI | Generates realistic AI video clips from text or images. | Yes | Standard: US$8.80/month, or US$6.60/month on a yearly plan (US$79.20/year) | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Canva | Drag-and-drop design tool with templates and built-in AI image and writing tools. | Yes | Canva Pro: US$18/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Grok | xAI's AI assistant with live web and X search, plus image and video creation. | Yes | Plus (The X Subscription): US$8/month, or US$6.67/month on a yearly plan (US$80/year) | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Venice | Privacy-focused AI chat and image app that does not store your conversations. | Yes | Pro: US$18/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$180/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Predis.ai | Generates ready-to-post social images, videos and ads from a short prompt, with scheduling on higher plans. | Yes | Core: US$32/month, or US$19/month on a yearly plan (US$230/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Photoroom | Removes backgrounds and makes clean product photos, including in batches. | Unclear | Pro: US$12.99/month, or US$7.50/month on a yearly plan | Oct 26, 2026 |
| Photo AI | Trains an AI model on your selfies to create new photos and headshots of you. | No | Starter: US$19/month, or US$9/month on a yearly plan (US$108/year) | Oct 26, 2026 |
All 29 tools
Midjourney
Creates high-quality artistic images from text prompts.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Basic: US$10/month, or US$8/month on a yearly plan (US$96/year)
Discounts: About 20% off with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Ideogram, Leonardo.Ai, Recraft
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Ideogram
Makes AI images that are especially good at readable text, like posters and logos.
Free plan: Yes: Free weekly credits.
Paid from: Plus: US$20/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$180/year)
Discounts: Pricing page states no discounts or free trials are offered; annual billing is cheaper per month.
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai, Recraft
Checked Oct 30, 2026
Leonardo.Ai
Generates images and short videos from prompts, with many styles and models.
Free plan: Yes: 150 tokens per day.
Paid from: Essential: US$12/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year)
Discounts: Up to 20% off with yearly billing.
Cheaper or similar: Recraft, Ideogram
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Adobe Firefly
Adobe's AI image, video and audio generator, built into its creative apps.
Free plan: Yes: Some free daily generations without a paid plan (per Adobe's help page).
Paid from: Firefly Standard: US$9.99/month, or US$8.33/month on a yearly plan (US$99.99/year)
Discounts: Free trial; student and teacher pricing shown on the plans page.
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai, Recraft, Ideogram
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Recraft
Generates images, icons and editable vector graphics in a consistent brand style.
Free plan: Yes: Daily free credits; images are public and not for commercial use.
Paid from: Basic: US$12/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year)
Discounts: Cheaper per month with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Krea
Creates and upscales AI images and videos, including live sketch-to-image.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan at $0/month with limited usage.
Paid from: Basic: US$9/month, or US$5.25/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Save 40% with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai, Ideogram
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Playground
Makes AI images and simple designs like posters, logos and social posts.
Free plan: Yes: 10 images every 3 hours, 3 monthly generations on premium models, commercial use allowed.
Paid from: Pro: US$15/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year)
Discounts: Save 20% with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Ideogram, Canva
Checked Oct 26, 2026
NightCafe
AI art generator with many models and a community for sharing and challenges.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated on the pricing page (earns free 'relax' credits per plan).
Paid from: AI Hobbyist: US$12.49/month, or US$7.49/month on a yearly plan (US$89.91/year)
Discounts: Save 40% paying annually; save 15% paying quarterly.
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai, Playground
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
getimg.ai
All-in-one AI image tool for generating, editing and training custom image models.
Free plan: Unclear: No free plan listed on the pricing page.
Paid from: Entry: US$15/month
Discounts: Save 26% on yearly plans (Core and up).
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai, Krea
Checked Oct 26, 2026
OpenArt
Creates AI images, characters and short videos using many models in one place.
Free plan: Unclear: 'Start for free' offered; free plan limits not listed.
Paid from: Starter: US$14/month, or US$13/month on a yearly plan (US$156/year)
Discounts: Up to 27% off annual; 50% off Kling 4.0 generations on Wonder/Pro until Nov 20. Unlimited Flux 3 720p videos on Wonder ended Oct 31, 2026.
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai, Krea
Checked Nov 1, 2026
Picsart
Photo and design app with AI image generation, background removal and templates.
Free plan: Unclear: Some features are 'included with every plan', but free plan limits were not listed.
Paid from: Pro: US$15/month, or US$10.50/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Yearly billing saves up to 30% ('save $54 with yearly' on Pro).
Cheaper or similar: Canva, Adobe Firefly
Checked Oct 25, 2026
Artbreeder
Makes and remixes images, especially portraits and characters, by blending pictures.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated on the pricing page.
Paid from: Starter: US$8.99/month, or US$7.49/month on a yearly plan
Discounts: Cheaper with yearly billing.
Cheaper or similar: NightCafe, Leonardo.Ai
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Mage.Space
AI image and video generator with unlimited generations on paid plans.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated on the membership page.
Paid from: Basic: US$10/month
Discounts: Gem packs save 2.5%-10%.
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai, NightCafe
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Dzine
AI image editor and generator with layers, style presets and product photo tools.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated on the pricing page.
Paid from: Beginner: US$8.99/month, or US$7/month on a yearly plan (US$84/year)
Discounts: Save 22% with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Krea, Leonardo.Ai
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Magnific (formerly Freepik)
AI image, video and audio generation plus a large stock library, now under the Magnific name.
Free plan: Yes: Free account.
Paid from: Premium: US$20/month, or US$14.50/month on a yearly plan (US$174/year)
Discounts: Save 25% with annual billing (per the official page).
Cheaper or similar: Leonardo.Ai, Adobe Firefly
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 27, 2026
DeepAI
Simple AI image generator and chat in one place.
Free plan: Yes: Free ($0).
Paid from: Pro: US$9.99/month, or US$7.50/month on a yearly plan (US$89.99/year)
Discounts: Save 25% with a yearly plan.
Cheaper or similar: NightCafe, getimg.ai
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Bing Image Creator
Microsoft's free image maker: type a description and get pictures.
Free plan: Yes: Free with limited fast creations that refill over time.
Price: Free
Cheaper or similar: Adobe Firefly, Ideogram
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Hotpot.ai
AI art, headshots and photo touch-ups paid with credits.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated in what we read.
Paid from: 1,000 credits/month: US$10/month, or US$9/month on a yearly plan (US$108/year)
Discounts: Monthly saves 17%, yearly saves 25% versus one-time.
Cheaper or similar: getimg.ai, Picsart
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Stockimg AI
Generates logos, posters and social posts, and can schedule them.
Free plan: Unclear: Not stated in what we read.
Paid from: Starter Plan: US$12/month, or US$10/month on a yearly plan (US$120/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing gives 2 months free.
Cheaper or similar: Recraft, Ideogram
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Glif
An AI creative agent that makes images, videos, audio and ads from a brief using 100+ models, including a cast of ready-made AI characters.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Starter: US$10/month
Cheaper or similar: OpenArt, Krea
Checked Nov 1, 2026
Runway
Generates and edits video clips from text, images or existing footage with AI.
Free plan: Yes: One-time 125 credits (not monthly).
Paid from: Standard: US$15/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year)
Discounts: 20% off with yearly billing. Limited time: 25% off Kling 4.0 generations on Standard, Pro and Max until Nov 30, 2026.
Cheaper or similar: CapCut, VEED
Checked Nov 1, 2026
Luma Dream Machine
Generates realistic video clips and images from prompts with Luma's Dream Machine.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Plus: US$30/month, or US$25/month on a yearly plan (US$300/year)
Discounts: Cheaper with yearly billing.
Cheaper or similar: Pika, Kling AI, Runway · cheaper Luma Dream Machine alternatives
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Kling AI
Generates realistic AI video clips from text or images.
Free plan: Yes: Basic plan free forever ($0), with credits for logging in.
Paid from: Standard: US$8.80/month, or US$6.60/month on a yearly plan (US$79.20/year)
Discounts: New subscribers, monthly billing: 30% off the first month on every paid plan (Standard US$6.99 vs US$10, then US$8.80/month; Pro US$25.99 vs US$37). Yearly billing labeled '34% Off'.
Cheaper or similar: Pika, Luma Dream Machine, Runway
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 30, 2026
Canva
Drag-and-drop design tool with templates and built-in AI image and writing tools.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan: 1 Brand Kit, 5 GB storage, limited AI uses.
Paid from: Canva Pro: US$18/month, or US$12/month on a yearly plan (US$144/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing saves up to 16% on Business and a third on Pro; free trial of Pro.
Cheaper or similar: Adobe Firefly, Picsart · cheaper Canva alternatives
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Grok
xAI's AI assistant with live web and X search, plus image and video creation.
Free plan: Yes: Free tier at $0 under The X Subscription.
Paid from: Plus (The X Subscription): US$8/month, or US$6.67/month on a yearly plan (US$80/year)
Discounts: Intro offers on grok.com: 25% off for 6 months on Plus, 50% off the first month on higher tiers.
Cheaper or similar: ChatGPT, Google Gemini
Checked Oct 28, 2026
Venice
Privacy-focused AI chat and image app that does not store your conversations.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan at $0.
Paid from: Pro: US$18/month, or US$15/month on a yearly plan (US$180/year)
Discounts: Yearly billing saves up to 16.7%.
Cheaper or similar: Duck.ai, Poe
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Predis.ai
Generates ready-to-post social images, videos and ads from a short prompt, with scheduling on higher plans.
Free plan: Yes: Free plan available (limits not detailed).
Paid from: Core: US$32/month, or US$19/month on a yearly plan (US$230/year)
Discounts: Up to 50% off with annual billing.
Cheaper or similar: Ocoya, Canva
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Photoroom
Removes backgrounds and makes clean product photos, including in batches.
Free plan: Unclear: Free plan not confirmed on the pricing page.
Paid from: Pro: US$12.99/month, or US$7.50/month on a yearly plan
Cheaper or similar: Pixelcut, Canva
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Photo AI
Trains an AI model on your selfies to create new photos and headshots of you.
Free plan: No
Paid from: Starter: US$19/month, or US$9/month on a yearly plan (US$108/year)
Cheaper or similar: AirBrush, Picsart
Some details on this one weren't confirmed on the official pricing page, so we left them blank.
Checked Oct 26, 2026
Other jobs
FAQ
What's the best free image generation tool?
15 of the 29 image generation tools here have a free plan, including Ideogram, Leonardo.Ai, Adobe Firefly, Recraft. Start with the one whose job description matches yours, and check the free-plan limits in each card before you commit.
What's the cheapest paid image generation tool?
Of the prices we could confirm, Krea is cheapest: its Basic plan is US$9/month, or US$5.25/month on a yearly plan. Next is Kling AI: its Standard plan is US$8.80/month, or US$6.60/month on a yearly plan (US$79.20/year). Prices are in US dollars before tax, checked Oct 30, 2026.
How do you check these prices?
We read each tool's official pricing page (or the maker's own help pages) in US dollars before tax, and note the date. If a price isn't shown clearly, we leave it blank rather than guess.
Want to spend less? Tick the tools you pay for in the Nerdy Savings calculator.