Midjourney
by Midjourney, Inc.
Text-to-image generator known for stylized, high-aesthetic AI art
Last reviewed 2026-06-20
Midjourney is a generative AI service that creates images from natural-language prompts. It built its reputation on a distinctive, painterly, high-aesthetic look that many users prefer over more photo-literal generators, and it originally ran entirely as a Discord bot before launching a web app at midjourney.com in August 2024 (alongside model V6.1). Its image models have iterated through V7 (April 2025) and V8.1 (default in June 2026), plus a Niji series tuned for anime styles. In June 2025 it added its first video model, V1, an image-to-video feature. Midjourney is a creative tool, not an autonomous agent: a person writes a prompt, generates a grid of options, then upscales, varies, edits, or re-rolls until satisfied. It is used by illustrators, designers, marketers, concept artists, and hobbyists. The company is an independent San Francisco research lab founded by David Holz (co-founder of Leap Motion); Holz said as early as 2022 that it was already profitable, and it is reported to have taken no outside venture funding. In June 2025, Disney and Universal jointly sued Midjourney for copyright infringement over AI-generated images of their characters.
What it can do
Generate images from text prompts
AssistantProduces images from natural-language descriptions, returning a grid of options the user can then upscale or vary; known for a stylized, high-aesthetic look. Latest image models are V7 and V8.1.
sourceEdit and refine generated images
AssistantThe web editor consolidates inpainting (region variation), panning, zooming, upscaling, and an Omni Reference feature for guiding generation with reference images, all under direct human control.
sourceGenerate video from images (V1)
AssistantIts first video model (V1, June 2025) animates a single image into four roughly five-second clips that can be extended in-app up to about 21 seconds, with Auto/Manual motion modes; launched at 480p, web-only, and silent audio.
sourceApply personalization and styles
AssistantV7 introduced default personalization based on a user's rated images, plus a faster, cheaper Draft Mode; the Niji model series is tuned specifically for anime and illustration styles.
source
Strengths
- +Distinctive, high-aesthetic art style that many users prefer for illustration and concept work
- +Mature editing toolkit (inpainting, pan/zoom, upscale, Omni Reference) plus image-to-video (V1)
- +Simple flat-rate subscription starting at $10/month with no per-image metering on Relax mode (Standard and up)
Limitations
- −An assistant, not an autonomous agent: the human prompts, curates, and iterates on every output
- −No free tier and no API for programmatic generation (web app and Discord only)
- −Facing a high-profile Disney/Universal copyright lawsuit (filed June 2025); video generation consumes credits about 8x faster than images
Overview
Midjourney is a generative AI service that turns natural-language prompts into images. It is run by an independent San Francisco research lab founded in 2022 by David Holz (co-founder of Leap Motion), and it became widely known for a distinctive, stylized, high-aesthetic look. It originally operated entirely as a Discord bot and launched a standalone web app at midjourney.com in August 2024.
What it does
Users write a prompt and Midjourney returns a grid of image options, which can then be upscaled, varied, panned, zoomed, inpainted (region variation), or guided with reference images (Omni Reference). Its image models have iterated through V7 (April 2025) and V8.1 (default in June 2026), with a separate Niji series tuned for anime styles. V7 added default personalization from a user's rated images and a faster, cheaper Draft Mode. In June 2025 it shipped V1, its first video model, which animates a single image into roughly five-second clips extendable to about 21 seconds. Throughout, the human prompts and curates: Midjourney is an assistant, not an autonomous agent.
Integrations & setup
Access is through the web app at midjourney.com or the original Discord bot; there is no official public API as of mid-2026, so it is used directly rather than embedded in other products. It runs on Midjourney's own proprietary models.
Pricing
Subscription only, no free tier. Plans are Basic ($10/month), Standard ($30/month), Pro ($60/month), and Mega ($120/month), with roughly a 20% discount for annual billing. Higher tiers grant more Fast GPU hours; Standard and above add unlimited Relax-mode generation, and Pro and above add Stealth mode (private generation). Video generation consumes generation allowance about eight times faster than image generation.
Best for / not for
Best for illustrators, designers, marketers, concept artists, and hobbyists who want a strong, opinionated art style and a deep editing toolkit at a flat monthly rate. Less suited to teams needing API/programmatic generation, true scalable vector output (see Recraft), or anyone wanting a free tier. Note the pending Disney/Universal copyright lawsuit filed in June 2025.
Alternatives
Recraft targets brand and vector design with an API; Runway focuses on generative video; ChatGPT's image generation is a general-purpose alternative bundled into a chat assistant.
What people are saying
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FAQ
Is Midjourney an AI agent?+
No. It is a text-to-image (and image-to-video) generation tool. A person writes a prompt, generates options, and then upscales, edits, or re-rolls until satisfied. It operates at the assistant level with no independent multi-step action.
Does Midjourney have a free plan or an API?+
No. There is no free tier (paid plans start at $10/month for the Basic tier), and as of mid-2026 Midjourney does not offer an official public API; access is via its web app and Discord bot.
Can Midjourney make videos?+
Yes, via its V1 video model launched in June 2025. It is image-to-video: it animates an existing image into roughly five-second clips that can be extended to about 21 seconds. At launch it output 480p silent footage through the web interface.
Sources
- Midjourney (Wikipedia) · accessed 2026-06-20
- Midjourney launches its first AI video generation model, V1 (TechCrunch) · accessed 2026-06-20
- Version (Midjourney documentation) · accessed 2026-06-20
- Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement (Washington Post) · accessed 2026-06-20
Last reviewed 2026-06-20