Software · head to head
DALL-E vs Midjourney
The short version
- Each has a real cost: DALL-E dALL-E 3 API pricing as captured 6 January 2024 ranged from $0.040 per Standard 1024x1024 image up to $0.120 per HD widescreen image; DALL-E 2 was cheaper at $0.016 to $0.020 per image depending on resolution; Midjourney subscription tiers as captured 29 December 2023 ranged from $10/month (3.3 Fast GPU hours) to $120/month (60 Fast GPU hours), with extra GPU time at $4/hour, and companies earning over $1,000,000/year in gross revenue were required to use the Pro plan
- They diverge on capability: DALL-E covers Prompt refinement, Midjourney covers Style transfer.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DALL-E and Midjourney actually diverge.
| Attribute | DALL-E | Midjourney |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0.04/per-image | $10/month |
| Pricing model | usage-based | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, Api, Chatgpt | Discord, Web |
| Founded | 2015 | 2021 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in DALL-E
- Prompt refinement
- Multiple aspect ratios
- HD quality
- OpenAI API
- ChatGPT integration
- Api support
- Chatgpt support
Only in Midjourney
- Style transfer
- Image upscaling
- Variation generation
- Discord
- Web interface
- Discord support
Both cover
- Text-to-image
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
DALL-E
- ai tools management
- Workflow automation
- Reporting
Midjourney
- ai tools management
- Workflow automation
- Reporting
Both are used for ai tools management, workflow automation, reporting, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
DALL-E
- DALL-E 3 API pricing as captured 6 January 2024 ranged from $0.040 per Standard 1024x1024 image up to $0.120 per HD widescreen image; DALL-E 2 was cheaper at $0.016 to $0.020 per image depending on resolution
Midjourney
- Subscription tiers as captured 29 December 2023 ranged from $10/month (3.3 Fast GPU hours) to $120/month (60 Fast GPU hours), with extra GPU time at $4/hour, and companies earning over $1,000,000/year in gross revenue were required to use the Pro plan
Pricing, plan by plan
DALL-E
$0.04/per-image- Standard$0.04/per-image
- 1024x1024 resolution
- HD$0.08/per-image
- HD quality
- 1792x1024 resolution
Midjourney
$10/month- Basic$10/month
- 200 generations/month
- General commercial terms
- Standard$30/month
- 15 GPU hours
- Unlimited relaxed
- Pro$60/month
- 30 GPU hours
- Stealth mode
Which should you pick?
Choose DALL-E if
- You need prompt refinement.
- You work on Web, Api, Chatgpt.
- You also want multiple aspect ratios.
Choose Midjourney if
- You need style transfer.
- You work on Discord, Web.
- You also want image upscaling.
Questions people ask
- Is DALL-E or Midjourney better?
- Neither clearly leads. DALL-E starts at $0.04/per-image and Midjourney at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, DALL-E or Midjourney?
- DALL-E starts at $0.04/per-image and Midjourney at $10/month.
- Does DALL-E or Midjourney run on more platforms?
- DALL-E runs on Web, Api, Chatgpt. Midjourney runs on Discord, Web.
- What is DALL-E best used for?
- DALL-E is most often used for ai tools management, workflow automation, reporting.
- What can DALL-E do that Midjourney cannot?
- DALL-E covers Prompt refinement, Multiple aspect ratios, HD quality, OpenAI API. Midjourney covers Style transfer, Image upscaling, Variation generation, Discord. Both handle Text-to-image, Web support.