Imagine, for a moment, waking up in the middle of a dream. You’re in a world that’s as real as the one you live in, yet entirely fabricated by an AI. Midjourney is that dream.
The AI image generator has been capturing minds, hearts, and, quite frankly, wallets since it was launched in July 2022. But here’s the million-dollar question we’re all asking: Is Midjourney free? Or does crafting your virtual reality cost an arm and a leg?
Is Midjourney Free?
Midjourney AI offers 25 free trials for new users, after which users can opt for a paid subscription to continue using the service.
The Real Cost of Midjourney
If you want to stay on the Midjourney, you’ll have to buy a ticket, and it’s not exactly cheap. The company offers three subscription plans. The Basic Plan will set you back $10 per month or $96 per year (a 20% discount for the mathematically inclined).
Then you have the Standard Plan, which goes for $30 monthly or $288 annually. And finally, the Pro Plan, the premium offer, comes at $60 per month, or $576 per year if you’re in it for the long haul.
The Midjourney Modes: Fast or Relaxed
Each plan comes with a set amount of “Fast GPU” allowance. The Basic Plan gets you 3.3 hours/month, the Standard Plan 15 hours/month, and the Pro Plan gives you 30 hours/month. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “What the heck is a Fast GPU allowance?” Allow me to shed some light on the mystery.
Fast mode is the VIP lane of Midjourney. Your images will be generated as soon as possible without waiting in line. But, alas, all good things must end, and even the most expensive plan has a monthly limit on the number of images generated in Fast mode.
Then, there’s the “Relaxed” mode. Your image requests will be sent to a queue and can take one to ten minutes to complete. It’s more like a stroll through the park. But here’s the kicker: if you use relaxed mode too often, Midjourney will put your requests at a lower priority. It is known as Midjourney’s dynamic queue.
Are There Any Midjourney Alternatives?
Although Midjourney offers excellent AI-generated images, the cost could potentially burn a hole in your pocket. Even if you do pay for a plan, you’ll need to balance your allocated hours carefully. But hey, who said you were stuck with just one option? It’s a big world out there, with plenty of fish in the sea, or in this case, AI image generators. Here are a few alternatives you can consider:
- Bing Image Creator: This is a free alternative to Midjourney. Thanks to Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI, you can use the DALL-E 2 image generator via Bing for free. You start with 100 boost credits and get unlimited slower generations after that.
- DreamStudio: If you find the chat app interface of Midjourney a bit unintuitive, then DreamStudio could be your ticket to a more user-friendly experience. It offers a rich website with many buttons and dials you can fine-tune. Plus, it uses the open-source Stable Diffusion model under the hood.
- Stable Diffusion Online: This option uses the Stable Diffusion model. It has a simpler interface with no settings or styles to choose from. But the best part? It’s free; you can wait a few minutes for each image to generate.
In conclusion, while Midjourney is a powerful AI image generator, its free trial is discontinued, and its subscription plans may not be ideal for everyone. Don’t let that stop you from exploring this amazing world of AI image generation. Because as the great philosopher Jagger once said, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.”
Conclusion
To wrap it all up, is Midjourney free? Well, not anymore. But hey, don’t let that stop you from creating your dream world. With the many options out there, you’re sure to find the perfect AI image generator for your needs, whether it’s Midjourney or a cost-free alternative.
In the end, it’s not about the journey; it’s about the destination. Or, in this case, it’s not about the Midjourney; it’s about the art you create. So, go forth and craft your virtual reality. Just remember to keep your wallet close.
