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Midjourney vs Ideogram: which should you pick?

Midjourney is a paid subscription aimed at look. Ideogram is the generator people open when the picture has to contain real words, and it has a free account.

Editorial scores, unchanged by this page: Midjourney 4.7 · Ideogram 4.4.

The tools

  • Midjourney

    4.7

    Image generator known for art direction, characters, and stylized key art.

    Visit

  • Ideogram

    4.4

    Ideogram generates images from prompts and is used when the picture has to contain readable words, such as posters and labels.

    Visit

Visit uses the partner URL only when that tool has one. The badge says Partner link, and the link is rel="sponsored". Affiliate disclosure.

Comparison

What it is

Midjourney

An image and video subscription with its own interface. Plans are Basic, Standard, Pro, and Mega. Relax mode and Stealth mode depend on the tier.

Ideogram

A prompt-to-image product used when the picture has to contain readable words, such as a poster, a label, or a thumbnail. It also lists video models on the pricing page.

Best for

Midjourney

Artists and teams who want a strong default look and will subscribe.

Ideogram

Designers and marketers who need text rendered inside the image, or who want to try a free account first.

Pricing model

Midjourney

Paid. On 1 Nov 2026 the plans doc listed Basic at $10 a month or $96 a year, Standard at $30 or $288 a year, Pro at $60 or $576 a year, and Mega at $120 or $1,152 a year. Annual billing is 20% off, paid up front. Extra GPU time is $4 an hour.

Ideogram

Freemium. On 1 Nov 2026 Plus was $20 a month or $15 a month at $180 a year, with 2,400 priority credits a month. Pro was $60 or $42 a month at $504 a year, with 7,500 priority credits. Team was $30 or $20 per user a month. Pay as you go is 1 cent a credit. Prices exclude tax.

Free tier

Midjourney

No. The plans chart does not list a free plan. Basic, at $10 a month, is the cheapest row.

Ideogram

Yes, with a limit the page does not fix. The FAQ says eligible free accounts receive weekly credits when you sign in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft, and that the amount may vary. It also says subscription plans have no free trial.

Platforms

Midjourney

Midjourney's own product, documented on its plans page. The chart includes Discord direct messages as a row. It does not list a mobile app.

Ideogram

Web app at ideogram.ai. The pricing page covers the apps and a credit-based API.

Key strengths

Midjourney

Standard and above include unlimited Relax image generations. Pro and Mega add unlimited Relax SD video and Stealth mode, which keeps images and videos private. Fast GPU time runs from 3.3 hours a month on Basic to 60 hours on Mega.

Ideogram

Readable text is the reason it is third on the image shortlist. Plus includes unlimited slow credits and 2,400 priority credits a month. The FAQ says Plus and Pro can generate unpublished images. Priority credits are what the editing tools require.

Limitations

Midjourney

There is no free row. A company with more than $1,000,000 in gross revenue a year must use Pro or Mega for the commercial terms on that page. Stealth mode is not on Basic or Standard. Video resolution on Basic is SD only.

Ideogram

It is the text-in-image pick, not the taste benchmark. Unused subscription priority credits expire at the end of the cycle. Slow-queue edits that need priority credits stop when those credits run out. The free weekly amount is not a fixed number.

Prices were checked against the sources below on Nov 1, 2026. They exclude tax unless a source says otherwise, and they change. Where a figure could not be pinned down, the cell says to check the site.

Pick one

  • Pick Midjourney if

    look is the whole point and you are ready to pay at least $10 a month, with no free plan on the chart.

  • Pick Ideogram if

    the image has to contain readable words, or you want weekly free credits before you subscribe.

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Questions

Which is better at text in an image?
Ideogram. It is third on the image shortlist specifically because the picture has to contain readable words. Midjourney is first on that list when look matters. This page does not change those places or the scores, 4.7 and 4.4.
Does Midjourney have a free plan?
Not on the plans chart read on 1 Nov 2026. Basic is $10 a month, or $96 for the year. Standard is $30 a month. Pro is $60. Mega is $120. Annual prices are 20% off, paid up front.
Does Ideogram have a free plan?
The FAQ says eligible free accounts receive weekly credits if you sign in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft, and that the amount may vary. It also says there is no free trial for subscription plans. Plus, the first paid plan, is $20 a month or $15 a month billed annually.
Can I keep Midjourney images private?
Stealth mode, which the plans doc says keeps images and videos private, is only on Pro and Mega. Pro is $60 a month, or $576 a year. Basic and Standard do not include it.
Can a company use Midjourney commercially?
The plans doc says a subscriber can use images and videos broadly, and that a company making more than $1,000,000 in gross revenue a year must be on Pro or Mega. Ideogram's FAQ says it does not claim ownership and that you may use generations commercially, including on the terms page it links.

On VibeStack

Sources