DALL-E 3 vs Midjourney
A detailed comparison to help you choose between DALL-E 3 and Midjourney.
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Verdict: Midjourney wins
Midjourney scores 4.5/5, edging out DALL-E 3 at 2.2/5. Designers, illustrators and creative teams whose first priority is the aesthetic quality of the image itself and who can work without an API.
DALL-E 3 OpenAI's image generation built into ChatGPT | Midjourney The gold standard of AI image generation | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 2.2 (1 review) | 4.5 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | usage-based | paid |
| Starting Price | Pricing varies | From $10/mo |
| Best For | Nobody should buy this today — existing DALL·E 3 users should migrate to the GPT Image models in ChatGPT or the OpenAI API. | Designers, illustrators and creative teams whose first priority is the aesthetic quality of the image itself and who can work without an API. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | api accessfree tier | — |
| Visit DALL-E 3 → | Visit Midjourney → |
DALL-E 3
Pros
- + Historical: the strongest prompt adherence and readable in-image text of its release era (the reason the name is remembered)
- + Historical: per-image API billing was simple to forecast — US$0.040 per Standard 1024x1024, no charge on content-policy rejections
- + ChatGPT integration made conversational iteration genuinely fast for concepting
- + Successor GPT Image models are cheaper per image at the low end and add editing plus transparent backgrounds
- + Deprecation was communicated with dates and a concrete migration path in OpenAI's changelog
Cons
- - Discontinued: removed from the API on May 12, 2026 — legacy dall-e-3 calls now fail
- - The DALL·E GPT in ChatGPT was retired on August 30, 2026; ChatGPT Images serves generation now
- - When live it was slow (8-20s per image), n=1 only, with no editing endpoint and no transparent backgrounds
- - Conservative content filter rejected borderline prompts inconsistently between sessions
- - 1792px maximum output ceiling looks small against current 2K/4MP competitors
Midjourney
Pros
- + V8.1 output led my test battery on lighting coherence, composition and short-text rendering
- + Unlimited Relax Mode on Standard (US$30/month) meant my workflow never hard-stopped when Fast hours ran out
- + Edit model accepted up to four reference images and held character identity across outfit changes in my testing
- + Bootstrapped and profitable with an estimated US$500M 2025 revenue — no investor pressure driving pricing churn
- + Style references, moodboards and personalization give repeatable control over look across a project
Cons
- - No free tier and no free trial — US$10/month is the only way in
- - No public API at all; nothing programmatic is officially supported
- - Stealth Mode (private generations) costs US$60/month; everything below Pro is public gallery material
- - Long passages of in-image text still garble where Ideogram stays accurate
- - Support is Discord-and-community based: no SLA, no SSO, no enterprise paperwork
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, DALL-E 3 or Midjourney?▼
Midjourney scores higher at 4.5/5 vs 2.2/5 for DALL-E 3, making it the better-rated option in our comparison.
What is the difference between DALL-E 3 and Midjourney?▼
DALL-E 3: DALL-E 3 is OpenAI's text-to-image model, available inside ChatGPT and through the OpenAI API. Midjourney: AI image and video generator used through the midjourney.com web app (Discord optional). Plans from $10/mo; no free tier or trial.
Is DALL-E 3 or Midjourney more affordable?▼
DALL-E 3 starts at €0/mo, Midjourney starts at €10/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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