DALL-E 3 vs Midjourney 6: Which is Better

The world of AI image generation has boomed with a variety of tools, each offering unique ways to transform text into captivating visuals. Among these, two titans stand out: DALL-E and Midjourney. Trying to decide between DALL-E and Midjourney? Our comprehensive comparison is here to help. This in-depth guide will evaluate both tools across various key aspects, including pricing, ease of use, image quality, creativity, controllability, and image ownership.

Hope our DALL-E vs Midjourney comparison will help you make an informed decision that aligns perfectly with your creative needs.

FYI: If you want to upscale Midjourney or Dalle generated images to 4K/8K/16K/32K for print or display, you can try Aiarty Image Enhancer.

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DALL-E vs Midjourney: Pricing

When choosing between DALL-E and Midjourney, understanding their pricing structures is crucial. Now let’s check how DALL-E and Midjourney cost.

DALL-E:

Unlike Midjourney's subscription model, DALL-E utilizes a pay-per-image system with credits. You won't find traditional monthly subscriptions here; instead, you purchase credits in bulk. The cost per image depends heavily on the resolution you choose, with higher resolutions requiring more credits. Typically, these per-image costs can range anywhere from $0.016 to $0.12 (USD). This system can be cost-effective for infrequent users who only need to generate a handful of images occasionally. However, for frequent users, the cost can quickly add up.

Midjourney:

Midjourney takes a different approach to pricing compared to DALL-E's pay-per-image system. It offers a subscription model with four tiers: Basic, Standard, Pro, and Mega. These tiers range in price from $10 to $120 per month, with each tier offering a set number of image generations included. However, opting for an annual subscription will provide a significant cost saving compared to the monthly rates.

There's one additional factor to consider when using Midjourney's subscription model. If you choose to upscale lower resolution images to a higher quality after they've been generated, this will also consume credits from your monthly allotment. This means it's important to plan your image generation needs carefully and choose the tier that best suits your project requirements.

DALL-E vs Midjourney: Ease of Use

When venturing into the realm of AI image generation, navigating the user interface can be just as important as the tool's capabilities.

DALL-E greets users with a clean and minimalist web-based interface, making it a breeze to navigate. Image generation is initiated through detailed text descriptions, and the platform even offers helpful suggestion prompts to guide beginners. However, once the image is generated, DALL-E offers limited control over editing or fine-tuning. While this may not be a deal breaker for some, those seeking more granular control over their creations may find DALL-E's options somewhat restrictive.

Midjourney takes a different approach, primarily accessed through the Discord platform. If you're unfamiliar with Discord, there might be a slight learning curve involved. However, once you're comfortable with the interface, Midjourney opens up a wider range of options for editing and fine-tuning generated images after creation. This includes adjusting composition, style, and specific elements, giving users more creative freedom.

For those new to AI image generation, DALL-E's straightforward approach and clean interface make it an excellent starting point. Its user-friendly design and helpful prompts help beginners quickly grasp the basics of text-to-image generation.

On the other hand, experienced users who crave more control over their creations might find Midjourney's extensive editing capabilities and Discord integration more appealing. The ability to refine and enhance generated images after creation opens up a world of possibilities for those seeking a more hands-on approach.

Both DALL-E and Midjourney offer tutorials and resources to assist users in learning the ropes and maximizing their experience. Additionally, the specific ease of use may also depend on your individual comfort level with web-based interfaces versus Discord.

DALL-E vs Midjourney: Image Quality

Resolution and detail are crucial factors when evaluating the quality of AI-generated images. Let's compare how DALL-E and Midjourney stack up in these areas.

DALL-E offers a limited selection of output resolutions: 1024x1024, 1024×1792, and 1792×1024 pixels, with the highest resolutions requiring more credits.

Midjourney, on the other hand, provides a much wider range of resolution options. You're not limited to a few preset sizes. Additionally, the price per image remains consistent regardless of the chosen resolution. This gives you more flexibility to tailor the image size to your specific needs without worrying about fluctuating costs.

Midjourney's default resolution is 1024x1024 pixels. And Midjourney boasts a dedicated upscaling tool that can significantly increase the file size to a whopping 2048x2048 or even 4096x4096 pixels. This translates to an image that's much larger than anything DALL-E can natively generate, resulting in potentially greater detail and clarity.

DALL-E vs Midjourney: Creativity

When it comes to AI image generation, the ability to push creative boundaries is paramount. How do DALL-E and Midjourney empower users to tap into their creative potential? Let’s take a look.

DALL-E excels at interpreting textual descriptions and generating highly realistic and detailed images. This makes it a powerful tool for bringing concepts to life with a focus on accuracy. If you need a highly realistic representation, DALL-E is the ideal choice.  However, its strength in realism comes with a trade-off: limited control over artistic style. While it can generate stunningly detailed scenes, it might not be the best option for creating abstract or highly stylized visuals.

Midjourney, on the other hand, shines in its ability to generate artistic and evocative images. It allows users to incorporate specific artistic styles and creative concepts into their prompts, fostering a more experimental and playful approach. This makes it perfect for artistic exploration and creating unique visuals that capture a particular mood or aesthetic. However, the focus on artistic interpretation can sometimes lead to results that deviate slightly from the user's initial vision.  Achieving the desired level of detail or accuracy in Midjourney might require more refinement and iteration through multiple generations.

The best tool for you depends on your specific needs and artistic goals. For photorealistic realism, DALL-E's focus on detail and accuracy reigns supreme. For artistic exploration and a wider range of creative possibilities, Midjourney's artistic interpretation and style control take center stage.

Both platforms offer features that can further enhance your creativity. DALL-E allows for variations on generated images, enabling you to explore slight modifications and refinements. Midjourney boasts a vast online community where users can share prompts, techniques, and inspiration, fostering a collaborative creative environment.

DALL-E vs Midjourney: Image Ownership

OpenAI, the creators of DALL-E, grants users a limited commercial use license for generated images. This means you can use the images for commercial purposes, but with certain restrictions. While not mandatory, OpenAI recommends attributing the images to DALL-E, especially when used commercially. This acknowledges the role of AI in their creation and promotes transparency.

Midjourney takes a more permissive approach, granting users full commercial rights to the images they generate. You have the freedom to use, modify, and even sell these images without any limitations.

It's crucial to ensure you have the rights to use any source material you incorporate into your prompts, such as copyrighted images or text. The generated image may still contain elements from these sources, and the copyright of those elements would not be transferred to you. AI image generation and copyright laws are constantly evolving. It's essential to stay informed about any changes that may affect image ownership in the future.

If you intend to use the images for commercial purposes, Midjourney's full commercial rights might be a more attractive option. If you're uncomfortable attributing the images to DALL-E, Midjourney offers a solution.

DALL-E vs Midjourney: Controllability

DALL-E excels at interpreting detailed text descriptions. You can specify objects, actions, settings, moods, and even artistic styles (with some limitations) through your prompts. For example, a prompt like "a photorealistic close-up portrait of a pensive woman with flowing red hair, wearing a silver necklace in the style of Renaissance paintings" would provide DALL-E with the necessary information to generate an image.

DALL-E offers an "outpainting" feature that allows you to expand upon an existing image by adding elements to the canvas. This can be helpful for extending the scene or adding context to the original image.

While DALL-E excels at understanding complex text prompts, its post-generation control remains limited. You cannot directly edit specific elements within the image itself. However, requesting variations on an existing image with more specific details in the prompt can help you achieve some level of refinement.

Similar to DALL-E, Midjourney uses text prompts as the foundation for image generation. However, it offers greater flexibility by allowing you to incorporate specific artistic styles, techniques, and even references to existing artists directly into your prompts. For instance, a prompt like "a vibrant underwater scene teeming with colorful fish, reminiscent of the bioluminescent coral reefs depicted by [famous underwater photographer's name]" would instruct Midjourney to generate an image that captures the essence of the photographer's style while depicting the specified scene.

Midjourney provides advanced options like weights and negative prompts. Weights allow you to assign emphasis to specific elements within your prompt, while negative prompts help exclude unwanted elements from the generated image. This granular control over the prompt itself empowers you to create highly customized visuals.

Midjourney empowers you to refine and enhance your AI-generated images beyond the initial creation. Its post-generation editing tools provide a versatile set of options for fine-tuning and personalizing your artwork, including Vary (Strong), Vary (Subtle), Vary (Region), Upscale, and Zoom Out. With Vary options, you can nudge the generation in a new direction, whether it's a dramatic shift in style or a minor touch-up. Zoom Out lets you expand the canvas and potentially reveal hidden details or create a more expansive composition.

Midjourney vs. DALL-E: Pros and Cons

Both DALL-Eand Midjourney offer powerful AI image generation capabilities, but they cater to different needs and preferences. Here's a breakdown of their pros and cons to help you choose the best tool.

Midjourney and DALL-E: Which One to Choose?

The decision between Midjourney and DALL-E ultimately depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you prioritize a user-friendly experience with a low learning curve, DALL-E might be a better fit. If precise control over the creative process and extensive post-editing capabilities are crucial, Midjourney offers more advanced options. Midjourney excels at generating diverse artistic styles, while DALL-E focuses more on photorealistic and creative imagery. If you are already familiar with Discord, Midjourney's integration might be more convenient.

Kistent Waung

Kistent Waung is a quality-driven writer who has extensive knowledge of the multimedia market. She started her journey managing and supporting content at Digiarty Software, where she shared her expertise on a range of multimedia products spanning AI and codec trends, software reviews, and comparisons. She's now a writer for aiarty.com, with a focus on AI technology.

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