Comparison

Midjourney vs DALL·E vs Stable Diffusion

A side-by-side look at three widely used text-to-image systems, drawn from their index records.

At a glance

Three common paths to text-to-image: a paid artistic service (Midjourney), OpenAI’s hosted generator (DALL·E), and an open-weight family you can run or host (Stable Diffusion).

Scrolling keeps every product column reachable

Midjourney vs DALL·E vs Stable Diffusion
Dimension	Midjourney	DALL·E	Stable Diffusion
Company	Midjourney, Inc.	OpenAI	Stability AI
Category	Image Generation	Image Generation	Image Generation
Business model	Paid	Paid	Open (open weights/source)
Licence	—	—	CreativeML Open RAIL-M
Pricing	Midjourney is subscription-only; tiers differ in generation speed, concurrency, and usage rights.	Image generation is included in ChatGPT plans; access through the OpenAI API is usage-priced. Pricing ↗	Model weights are free to download; Stability AI offers free community licenses for smaller businesses and paid licenses for larger enterprises.
Documentation	Documentation ↗	Documentation ↗	Documentation ↗
Launched	2022-07	2021-01	2022-08
Availability	Global	Global	Global
Distribution	Hosted subscription Source ↗ From the product record	Hosted (ChatGPT / API) Source ↗ From the product record	Open weights Source ↗ From the product record
Typical workflow	Web app and Discord Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.	ChatGPT or API calls Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.	Local UI, ComfyUI, or host Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.
Control vs convenience	Less setup, less self-host Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.	Tied to OpenAI account Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.	Max control, more ops Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.
Entry paid plan	Not readable Not independently verified — midjourney.com answered 403 to this fetcher on 2026-10-10, so its subscription price could not be read.	Not readable Not independently verified — The OpenAI image generation guide was readable, but no per-image DALL·E line could be read from the API pricing page on 2026-10-10.	Not readable Not independently verified — platform.stability.ai/pricing returned a 33-byte shell on 2026-10-10, so no API price could be read.
Public documentation	Not readable Not independently verified — midjourney.com and docs.midjourney.com both failed this fetcher on 2026-10-10 (403 and no response), so no documentation page could be read.	Yes — API image guide Source ↗ Verified 2026-10-10	Yes — vendor guides Source ↗ Verified 2026-10-10
Updated	2026-10-12	2026-10-10	2026-10-10

Fields taken from the product records use the record dates shown. Sourced claims are labelled per product: verified against the linked page on the date shown, taken from the product record without re-checking, or not independently verified.

Quick answer

Stable Diffusion can be used free of charge to start.

Where they differ — the rows worth reading first: Business model, Licence, Where it runs, Works offline, Runs on, Launched.

When to choose each

Midjourney — When you want a distinctive artistic look via a hosted web/Discord workflow and accept a subscription.
DALL·E — When you already use ChatGPT or the OpenAI API and want image generation in that account.
Stable Diffusion — When you need open weights, local or self-hosted generation, or community checkpoints.

Each tool on the record

Midjourney

Midjourney is made by Midjourney, Inc.. The record lists it as Paid, first recorded in 2022, and fit for Image generation. Its values below carry their own source and date.

Midjourney is listed under Image Generation: Text-to-image models and image creation services.

Company: Midjourney, Inc.
Category: Image Generation
Business model: Paid
Licence: proprietary
Launched: 2022-07
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Image generation
How you use it: Web app
Runs on: Web
Where it runs: Vendor cloud
Works offline: Not recorded
Commercial use: Not recorded

Pricing on the record: Midjourney is subscription-only; tiers differ in generation speed, concurrency, and usage rights.

Sources on the record: Official website, Midjourney (Wikipedia), Documentation.

Not recorded for Midjourney: Works offline, Public API, Commercial use. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

DALL·E

DALL·E is made by OpenAI. The record lists it as Paid, first recorded in 2021, and fit for Image generation. Its values below carry their own source and date.

DALL·E is listed under Image Generation: Text-to-image models and image creation services.

Company: OpenAI
Category: Image Generation
Business model: Paid
Licence: proprietary
Launched: 2021-01
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Image generation
How you use it: Web app
Runs on: Web
Where it runs: Vendor cloud
Works offline: Not recorded
Commercial use: Not recorded

Pricing on the record: Image generation is included in ChatGPT plans; access through the OpenAI API is usage-priced.

Sources on the record: Official website, DALL-E (Wikipedia), Image generation guide, API pricing.

Not recorded for DALL·E: Works offline, Commercial use. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

Stable Diffusion

Stable Diffusion is made by Stability AI. The record lists it as Open (open weights/source), first recorded in 2022, and fit for Image generation. Its values below carry their own source and date.

Stable Diffusion is listed under Image Generation: Text-to-image models and image creation services.

Company: Stability AI
Category: Image Generation
Business model: Open (open weights/source)
Licence: CreativeML Open RAIL-M
Launched: 2022-08
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Image generation
How you use it: Model weights
Runs on: Not recorded
Where it runs: Local machine
Works offline: Partly
Commercial use: Not recorded

Pricing on the record: Model weights are free to download; Stability AI offers free community licenses for smaller businesses and paid licenses for larger enterprises.

Sources on the record: Official website, Stable Diffusion (Wikipedia), Guides.

Not recorded for Stable Diffusion: Public API, Commercial use. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

Frequently asked questions

Which of these has been available longest?

DALL·E — first recorded in 2021.

Which of these can I start using for free?

Free to start: Stable Diffusion.

Which of these is open source?

None of these is open source; every tool in this comparison is proprietary.

Which of these works offline?

None of these is recorded as working offline.

Which of these has a public API?

A public API is recorded for DALL·E.

Which platforms do these run on?

Recorded platforms — Midjourney: Web · DALL·E: Web · Stable Diffusion: Not recorded.

Can any of these be self-hosted or run locally?

Recorded as self-hosted or local: Stable Diffusion.

Which one is free?

Midjourney is subscription-only. DALL·E is offered through OpenAI products with free and paid entitlements that change. Stable Diffusion weights can be run at your own cost.

Can I use the images commercially?

Terms differ by product and plan. Read each vendor’s license; this index does not summarize legal advice.

Why does this table have no prices at all?

Each of the three vendors failed this fetcher differently on 2026-10-10: Midjourney returned 403, the OpenAI image pricing page had no readable DALL·E line, and the Stability developer pricing page returned a 33-byte shell. The row is shown empty rather than filled with remembered figures.

How to use a comparison

Start from the task, not the brand: filter the index by what you need to get done.
Check the evidence: a value marked “verified” names the source page and the date it was checked.
Prefer the vendor’s own page for the final decision: prices and limits change without notice.

Related guides

AI image generators

Sources and record dates

Record dates describe index updates, not independent product tests. Check linked documentation for current features and pricing.