What is Midjourney?
Midjourney is a paid AI image tool that you use on its website (with Discord still available). You type a description of what you want, and it returns a set of four images. You can then make variations, upscale a favourite, zoom out, pan, or open it in the built-in editor. Any image can be animated into short video clips. Your work is saved and can be sorted, filtered and put into folders on the Organize page.
Midjourney is known for artistic, polished images rather than plain stock-style shots. It gives you many ways to steer a style: personalisation profiles that learn your taste, moodboards, style references, and Omni Reference for putting a specific character or object into new scenes. In June 2026 V8.1 became the default model, which Midjourney says follows prompts better and renders text better. It suits people who want a strong visual style more than exact, text-heavy designs.
Midjourney key features
Four images per prompt
Each prompt gives you a grid of four options, so you can pick the best direction and build on it with variations or upscales.
V8.1 default model
Since June 2026 the default model is V8.1, which Midjourney says follows detailed prompts better, renders text better and has an HD mode with much higher resolution than V7.
Image-to-video
Press Animate on any image (or upload your own as a starting frame) to get four 5-second clips. Each clip can be extended about 4 seconds at a time, up to four times.
Loops and end frames
You can make a video that loops smoothly or set the image it should end on, which is handy for social clips and background visuals.
Editor, zoom and pan
Change parts of an image, zoom out to show more of the scene, or pan in one direction without starting over.
Personalisation and moodboards
Teach Midjourney your taste by rating images, or collect reference images in a moodboard, so new results match your style more often.
Omni Reference
Add a picture of a character, product or object and place it into new scenes. It currently works with V7 and uses twice the GPU time of a normal V7 image.
Fast, Relax and Stealth modes
Fast mode uses your monthly GPU hours; Relax mode (Standard and up) lets you keep making images more slowly at no extra cost; Stealth mode (Pro and Mega) keeps your work out of public view.
Who uses Midjourney, and how
Make eye-catching thumbnails, backgrounds and B-roll stills, then animate them into short loops for Reels and Shorts.
Explore many visual directions for a brief in minutes using moodboards and style references before drawing the final piece.
Create campaign visuals and social posts in a consistent brand style using a personalisation profile.
Generate concept art for characters and worlds, and keep a character consistent across scenes with Omni Reference.
Study composition, lighting and style by trying prompts and comparing the four results side by side.
Midjourney plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10/month ($8/month billed yearly, $96/year) | About 200 image jobs/month; SD video |
| Standard | $30/month ($24/month billed yearly, $288/year) | 15 Fast GPU hours/month; unlimited Relax image generations |
| Pro | $60/month ($48/month billed yearly, $576/year) | 30 Fast GPU hours/month; Relax images and SD video; Stealth mode |
| Mega | $120/month ($96/month billed yearly, $1,152/year) | 60 Fast GPU hours/month; Relax images and SD video; Stealth mode |
Prices in USD as shown on the official pricing page and plan docs; yearly billing is 20% cheaper and paid upfront. India prices may differ. Checked on 2026-11-05.
Free vs paid: what you really get
Free plan
- There is no free plan; you must subscribe before you can generate anything.
- Midjourney's pages do not mention a free trial.
- Every plan, starting with Basic, can earn some free Fast GPU time by rating images, but only after you subscribe.
Paid plans add
- Basic ($10/month) gives about 3.3 Fast GPU hours (200 minutes) a month and SD video.
- Standard adds 15 Fast hours, unlimited Relax image generation and HD video.
- Pro and Mega add 30 or 60 Fast hours, unlimited Relax video in SD, more jobs at once and Stealth mode for private work.
- All paid plans let you use your images and videos commercially, and you keep them even after cancelling.
- Extra Fast GPU time can be bought at $4 per hour on any plan.
Which plan should you pick?
You want to try Midjourney or make a modest number of images each month and do not mind your work being public.
You create regularly and want unlimited slower (Relax) image generation plus HD video.
You need private (Stealth) work for clients, or your company earns over $1 million a year, or you want unlimited Relax video.
You are a heavy user or studio that needs 60 Fast hours and the most video jobs at once.
Ways to save on Midjourney
- Paying yearly upfront saves 20% (for example, Basic drops to $8 a month, $96 a year).
- On Standard and above, Relax mode lets you keep making images without spending Fast hours.
- Midjourney lets every plan earn free Fast GPU time by rating images.
- If you only run short of time occasionally, buying extra GPU time at $4 an hour can be cheaper than upgrading.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Very strong artistic image quality with lots of style control
- Four options per prompt makes it quick to explore ideas
- Built-in image-to-video with loops, end frames and extensions
- You keep ownership of your images even after you cancel
- Relax mode gives unlimited slower images on Standard and above
- Works fully on the web; no need to use Discord commands
Watch out for
- No free plan or advertised trial
- Your images are public and remixable by others unless you pay for Pro or Mega
- Companies earning over $1 million a year must buy Pro or Mega
- Video costs about eight times an image job, so Fast hours run out quickly
- Omni Reference is not yet available on the newer V8 models
- Public reviews on Trustpilot are poor, with complaints about billing, support through Discord and account bans
How to start with Midjourney in 5 steps
- Go to midjourney.com and log in.
- Choose a plan on the pricing page and subscribe (monthly or yearly).
- Open the Create page and type a simple description into the Imagine bar.
- Press Enter, then upscale, vary, zoom or edit your favourite of the four results.
- Click Animate to turn an image into a short video, and save your work into folders on the Organize page.
What users say: public ratings
| Where | Score | Based on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 1.7 / 5 | 373 reviews | See reviews |
Ratings as shown on each site on 5 Nov 2026; they change over time. App store scores rate the mobile app; Trustpilot often collects billing and support complaints.
Midjourney compared with alternatives
Midjourney vs Adobe Firefly
Firefly has a free daily allowance, Adobe app integration and models trained on licensed content. Choose Firefly for commercial safety and editing; choose Midjourney for a more artistic look.
Midjourney vs Ideogram
Ideogram is better when the image must contain clear text, such as posters and logos, and it has a free tier. Midjourney usually wins on artistic style and mood.
Midjourney vs Runway
Runway is built mainly for AI video and video editing. Pick Runway if video is your main output, and Midjourney if you mostly need images with occasional short clips.
Good to know
- You must subscribe before generating; no free trial is mentioned
- Companies earning more than $1,000,000 USD a year in gross revenue must buy the Pro or Mega plan
- Basic has no Relax mode, and Stealth mode is only on Pro and Mega
Midjourney FAQ
Is Midjourney free?
No free plan
How much does Midjourney cost?
Paid plans start from $10/month ($8/month billed yearly, $96/year). Prices in USD as shown on the official pricing page and plan docs; yearly billing is 20% cheaper and paid upfront. India prices may differ.
Who makes Midjourney?
Midjourney is made by Midjourney, Inc..
Who is Midjourney for?
Artists, designers and marketers who want stylised AI images and short clips from text prompts
Can I use Midjourney images for commercial work?
Yes. Anyone who has a paid plan can use their images and videos in most ways, and ownership stays with you even after you cancel. Companies with more than $1 million a year in revenue must be on Pro or Mega, and you do not own upscales of other people's images.
Are my Midjourney images private?
Not by default. Midjourney's terms say content is publicly viewable and remixable unless you use Stealth mode, which is only on Pro and Mega. Anything made in a shared Discord channel is visible to that channel even with Stealth on.
Can Midjourney make videos?
Yes. You can animate any Midjourney image or an uploaded image. Each job gives four 5-second clips that can be extended, looped or given an end frame, and HD video is available from the Standard plan up.
Do I still need Discord to use Midjourney?
No. You can create, edit and organise everything at midjourney.com. Discord is still available and is used for the community and support.
What happens when my Fast hours run out?
On Standard, Pro and Mega you can switch to Relax mode and keep generating images more slowly. On Basic you can buy extra Fast time at $4 per hour or wait for your plan to renew.
Midjourney vs Ideogram: which is better for posters with text?
Ideogram is built around clear text in images and is usually the safer choice for posters, logos and ads with wording. Midjourney says V8.1 renders text better than before, but its main strength is artistic style.
Sources
- www.midjourney.com/pricing
- docs.midjourney.com/docs/plans
- docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/33329261836941-Getting-Started-Guide
- docs.midjourney.com/docs/terms-of-service
- docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/27870375276557-Using-Images-Commercially
- docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/36285124473997
- updates.midjourney.com/v8-1-is-now-the-default-model
- updates.midjourney.com/introducing-our-v1-video-model
- updates.midjourney.com/looping-and-end-frame-for-video-video-in-the-discord-bot
Facts from the official pages listed above, in our own words; ratings from the public review pages linked in the ratings table. Techpings is independent and not affiliated with the companies listed. Some links are affiliate links (disclosure).