Review · AI image generation · August 2026
Midjourney
Still the taste leader for stills. No official API keeps it a studio tool, not a production pipeline.
7 / 10
Best for · Designers and marketers who need strong aesthetic images and can work in Discord or the web app.
Not for · Engineers who need a stable public API, batch jobs in CI, or private generations on a cheap plan.
TL;DR
Midjourney still makes the prettiest stills in the room. V8.1, Discord or web, GPU hours not image slots. No official API as of August 2026. Basic starts at $10. Standard at $30 unlocks Relax. Companies over $1M revenue need Pro or Mega for commercial use. Score the frame, not the Discord hype.
Moodboards and campaign stills only; no API path into a product pipeline.
Product image
Midjourney video launch still. Taste wins until credits decide the bill.
What it is
The still.
Subscription image and video generator. Plans sell Fast GPU time. Standard and above add Relax queues. Pro and Mega add Stealth. Web app and Discord bot are the supported clients. Unofficial API wrappers are not Midjourney.
Pricing
What it costs.
| Plan | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10 / mo | About 3.3 Fast GPU hours. No Relax. Annual about $8/mo equivalent. |
| Standard | $30 / mo | About 15 Fast hours plus unlimited Relax images. Usually the first real working tier. |
| Pro | $60 / mo | About 30 Fast hours, Stealth, Relax for images and SD video. Required commercially if company revenue exceeds about $1M/yr. |
| Mega | $120 / mo | About 60 Fast hours. Same Stealth/commercial rules. Extra Fast time about $4/hr on all plans. |
Prices as of August 2026. Confirm on the vendor page — meters move.
Does well
What works.
Aesthetic ceiling
Composition and style still beat most open models for moodboards and campaign concepts. The artifact looks expensive.
Simple pricing story
Four tiers. GPU hours. Annual 20% off. Easy to explain to a design lead.
Relax saves heavy users
Once Fast burns out, Standard and up keep generating slower without buying hours. That matters for exploration.
Falls short
What fails.
No official API
As of August 2026 there is still no supported public API. Anything claiming Midjourney API pricing is a third party. That blocks real product integration.
Text and brand control
Typography and strict brand kits remain weak spots. Expect human cleanup for final ads.
Privacy and revenue gates
Stealth needs Pro or Mega. Bigger companies cannot hide on Basic for commercial work. Read the gross revenue rule.
Who should
Buy this if.
Creative teams iterating visuals by hand. Product engineers who need image generation inside an app should pick a model with an official API instead.
FAQ
Questions.
- Is there a free plan?
- No. Paid subscriptions only. Basic is the entry point.
- Can my company use Basic commercially?
- Maybe if annual gross revenue is under about $1M. Above that, Midjourney requires Pro or Mega. Confirm their current terms.
- Discord or web?
- Both work. Web is cleaner for focused sessions. Discord still works for shared rooms and old muscle memory.