Midjourney vs Stability AI
Stability AI scores 6.5 to Midjourney's 6.0 among the AI image generators we rate, and is the better pick for 3 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Stability AI wins, 6.5 to 6.0
Midjourney keeps a character the same across images, a feature Stability AI's API reference does not have. Stability AI answers with a public API, one-action background removal and a Community license that lets you self-host, none of which Midjourney offers. Midjourney also generates a batch of images in one run, while Stability AI's API returns a single image per request.
Pick Midjourney if you want character consistency or batch generation in one run.
Pick Stability AI if you want an API, background removal or self-hosting.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Controlled by a pose, sketch or depth map: Stability AI yes, Midjourney no
- One-action background removal: Stability AI yes, Midjourney no
- Highest resolution it outputs: 4K against 2K
- But Midjourney leads on keeps a character the same across images: Midjourney yes, Stability AI no
- Public API: Stability AI yes, Midjourney no
- Can run on your own hardware: Stability AI yes, Midjourney no
- But Midjourney leads on generates a batch in one run: Midjourney yes, Stability AI no
- Does not train on what you make: Unless you opt out against No
- Cheapest paid plan, monthly: Midjourney $10, Stability AI not published
- Free trial: Midjourney 0 days, Stability AI not published
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other AI image generators we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. Stability AI leads on 4 of 5 criteria.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (11)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Midjourney
Stability AI
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Midjourney
- Every subscriber owns what they create and may use it commercially from the cheapest paid plan.
- Midjourney turns a still image into a 5-second video as well as generating stills, alongside style reference, seed and negative prompt controls.
- There is no free plan and no free trial, so there is no way to try Midjourney before paying.
- Midjourney trains on user prompts and interactions with no opt-out offered.
- There is no public API, so generation cannot be built into another product.
- A company with more than $1,000,000 a year in gross revenue must be on the Pro or Mega plan to use its images commercially.
Stability AI
- Pay-as-you-go pricing runs as low as 3 credits, $0.03, per image with no subscription required.
- The Community License lets individuals and organizations under $1M in annual revenue self-host the model for free.
- Editing tools include inpainting, outpainting, background removal and upscaling to 4K resolution.
- There is no recurring free tier; the 25 signup credits are a one-time bonus.
- There is no feature for keeping a character consistent across images.
- Stability AI's terms have you indemnify the company, not the other way round.
Midjourney vs Stability AI: common questions
Which is better, Midjourney or Stability AI?
Stability AI scores 6.5 and Midjourney 6.0 out of 10 among the AI image generators we rate. Stability AI is ahead on what it makes, control and automation, rights and privacy and openness and support. Midjourney is ahead on pricing.
Is Midjourney or Stability AI cheaper?
Midjourney's cheapest paid plan is $10/mo (Basic) and Stability AI's is From $0.03 an image (pay as you go). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Midjourney and Stability AI have a free plan?
Neither has a free plan.
What can Midjourney do that Stability AI cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: keeps a character the same across images and generates a batch in one run.
What can Stability AI do that Midjourney cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: controlled by a pose, sketch or depth map, one-action background removal, public API and can run on your own hardware.
