Midjourney makes some of the most beautiful AI images around, so it is no surprise that “is Midjourney free?” is one of the most searched AI questions. The honest answer is no: Midjourney has no free plan and, on its website and Discord, no free trial either.
But there is more to it. There are cheap ways in, a mobile app trial, ways to earn extra Fast time, and plenty of free alternatives that come close.
This guide covers every Midjourney plan and price for 2026, exactly what you get on each, how to pick the cheapest plan that fits, how to cancel, and the best free alternatives if you do not want to pay.
- Is Midjourney free? No. There is no free plan, and Midjourney says no free trial is available on midjourney.com or Discord.
- Cheapest plan: Basic at $10 a month, or $96 a year ($8 a month), with about 200 minutes (3.3 hours) of Fast GPU time.
- Best value for most people: Standard at $30 a month ($24 on annual), because it adds unlimited Relax mode images.
- Free browsing: you can look at the public Explore gallery without paying, but you cannot generate.
- Free alternatives: Bing Image Creator, Ideogram, Leonardo.Ai, Adobe Firefly and Google’s tools have free tiers, and you can run FLUX locally for free.
Is Midjourney Free? The Full Answer
Midjourney used to give new users a small number of free images through Discord. That ended a long time ago because of heavy demand and abuse, and it has not come back.
Here is where things stand in November 2026:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Free plan? | No. Every plan is a paid subscription. |
| Free trial on midjourney.com or Discord? | No. Midjourney’s help centre says no free trial is currently available there. |
| Free trial anywhere? | The separate niji·journey mobile app (anime-style images) has offered a limited free trial. Check the current app store listing. |
| Can I browse images for free? | Yes. The public Explore page at midjourney.com shows community images without a subscription. |
| Can I earn free generations? | Rating images can award bonus Fast time, but only subscribers can receive and use it. |
Be careful with websites and apps that claim to offer “Midjourney for free”. Midjourney does not offer an official free API or free web app, so these are either other models using the Midjourney name, or scams that want your login or payment details.
Midjourney Plans and Prices (2026)
Midjourney sells four plans. Prices are in US dollars, and the annual option saves 20%, paid up front.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Fast GPU time | Relax mode | Stealth mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10 | $96/year ($8/month) | 3.3 hr (200 min)/month | No | No |
| Standard | $30 | $288/year ($24/month) | 15 hr/month | Unlimited images | No |
| Pro | $60 | $576/year ($48/month) | 30 hr/month | Unlimited images and SD video | Yes |
| Mega | $120 | $1,152/year ($96/month) | 60 hr/month | Unlimited images and SD video | Yes |
The plans also differ in how many jobs you can run at once:
| Plan | Concurrent image jobs | Concurrent video jobs | Max video resolution | Repeat / permutation batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 3 Fast | 1 Fast | SD | 4 |
| Standard | 3 Fast or Relax | 3 Fast | SD and HD | 10 |
| Pro | 12 Fast or 3 Relax | 6 Fast or 3 Relax | SD and HD | 40 |
| Mega | 12 Fast or 3 Relax | 12 Fast or 3 Relax | SD and HD | 40 |
All plans can queue up to 10 jobs and renew automatically until you cancel. Every plan uses Midjourney’s latest image model. Prices can change, so always confirm on Midjourney’s plans page before you pay.
Fast, Relax and Stealth Explained
- Fast mode: your jobs get priority on Midjourney’s GPUs. Each plan includes a set amount of Fast time per month. Unused Fast time does not roll over. You can buy extra Fast hours if you run out.
- Relax mode: jobs wait in a shared queue, so they take longer, but they do not use your Fast time. Standard, Pro and Mega get unlimited Relax images. This is what makes Standard the value pick.
- Stealth mode: keeps your images out of the public Explore gallery. Only Pro and Mega have it. On Basic and Standard, what you make is visible to others.
- Turbo mode: faster than Fast, but uses Fast time at a higher rate. Useful when you need results right now.
Video generation uses far more GPU time than images, so if you plan to make many videos, Pro or Mega with Relax SD video is the practical choice.
How Many Images Do You Actually Get?
Midjourney measures usage in GPU time, not images, so the number depends on settings. As a rough guide, one standard image job (a grid of four images) takes about a minute of Fast time at default settings. Upscales, high-quality settings, Turbo and video use more.
| Plan | Rough Fast image jobs per month | Plus Relax? |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | About 200 jobs (around 800 images as grids) | No |
| Standard | About 900 jobs | Unlimited Relax images |
| Pro | About 1,800 jobs | Unlimited Relax images and SD video |
| Mega | About 3,600 jobs | Unlimited Relax images and SD video |
These are estimates. Check your remaining Fast time any time on your midjourney.com account page or with the /info command in Discord.
Cheapest Ways to Use Midjourney
- Try one month of Basic ($10). It is enough to learn prompting and decide whether Midjourney is worth it to you. For a single month, monthly billing is cheaper than paying for a year.
- Move to Standard if you run out. Unlimited Relax images usually beat buying extra Fast hours on Basic.
- Use Relax mode by default on Standard and above, and switch to Fast only when you are in a hurry.
- Rate images on midjourney.com while subscribed. Top daily raters can earn bonus Fast time, which expires after 30 days.
- Go annual only when you are sure. Annual saves 20%, but it is charged up front.
- Cancel before renewal if you only need it for one project. You keep access until the end of the paid period.
How to Subscribe Step by Step
- Go to midjourney.com and sign in. You can sign in with a Google account or a Discord account.
- Open the subscription or plans page from your account menu.
- Choose Monthly or Yearly billing.
- Pick a plan (Basic, Standard, Pro or Mega) and complete payment on the checkout page.
- Go to the Create page, type a prompt in the box at the top and press Enter.
- Use the buttons on your results to vary, upscale, edit or animate them.
You can also use Midjourney inside Discord by joining the Midjourney server or adding the bot to your own server, but most people now use the website.
How to Cancel Midjourney
- Sign in at midjourney.com.
- Open Manage Subscription from your account menu.
- Choose Cancel Plan and confirm.
- Your plan stays active until the end of the current billing period, then stops renewing.
Midjourney’s refund policy is limited. Check its help centre for the current rules on refunds before you cancel, especially for annual plans.
Can You Use Midjourney Images Commercially?
Yes, on any paid plan, under Midjourney’s General Commercial Terms. The main exception: if your company makes more than $1,000,000 USD in gross revenue a year, you must be on the Pro or Mega plan.
Keep in mind:
- On Basic and Standard, your images are public in the Explore gallery, and others can see and remix them. Use Pro or Mega with Stealth mode for client work you need to keep private.
- Copyright for purely AI-generated images is limited in many countries, so you may not be able to stop others copying them.
- Do not create images of real people or brands that could mislead or infringe rights.
Want to check whether an image you found was AI-made? See our guide on how to tell if an image is AI.
Best Free Midjourney Alternatives
If you want great images without a subscription, these options have free tiers or run free on your own PC. Limits change often, so check each site.
| Tool | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Bing Image Creator / Microsoft Designer | Free with a Microsoft account, with daily boosts | Quick everyday images |
| ChatGPT image generation | Limited free use, more on paid plans | Images from a conversation, text in images |
| Google Gemini and Google AI tools | Free tier with limits | Photoreal images and edits |
| Ideogram | Free tier with limited daily generations | Logos, posters and text in images |
| Leonardo.Ai | Free daily tokens | Game art and styles |
| Adobe Firefly | Limited free credits | Commercially safer stock-style images |
| FLUX in ComfyUI (local) | Completely free on your own GPU | Unlimited images, full control, privacy |
Our best free AI image generators roundup compares them in detail. If you have a decent GPU, running FLUX locally is the closest free match for Midjourney-level quality: start with how to use Flux or the low-VRAM FLUX 3 Klein guide.
Common Problems and Fixes
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “You need a subscription” when you try to create | No active plan | Subscribe to any plan; there is no free generation |
| Ran out of Fast time on Basic | 200 minutes used | Buy extra Fast hours or upgrade to Standard for unlimited Relax |
| Relax jobs are very slow | Shared queue is busy | Wait, run fewer jobs at once, or switch to Fast for urgent work |
| Bonus Fast time from rating disappeared | It expires after 30 days | Use it within 30 days |
| Your images appear in Explore | Stealth mode is only on Pro and Mega | Upgrade to Pro or Mega and turn on Stealth |
| Payment declined | Card or region issue | Try another card or contact your bank; check Midjourney’s billing help |
| Charged again after you thought you cancelled | Plan was still set to renew | Check Manage Subscription shows the plan as cancelled |
My Take
Midjourney is not free, and the free-trial days are over. If you just want to try it, one month of Basic for $10 is the cheapest honest way in. If you like it, Standard at $30 is the sweet spot because unlimited Relax mode removes the stress of watching your Fast minutes.
If paying is a deal breaker, free tools like Bing Image Creator and Ideogram are good for casual use, and FLUX on your own GPU is the best free option for serious, unlimited image work.
FAQ
Is there a Midjourney free trial in 2026?
Not on midjourney.com or Discord. The niji·journey mobile app has offered a limited trial for its anime-style model.
What is the cheapest Midjourney plan?
Basic, at $10 a month or $96 a year ($8 a month), with about 200 minutes of Fast GPU time.
Does Midjourney have unlimited images?
Standard, Pro and Mega include unlimited image generation in Relax mode. Basic does not include Relax mode.
Can I use Midjourney without Discord?
Yes. You can sign in and create on midjourney.com using a Google or Discord account.
Which Midjourney plan has Stealth mode?
Only Pro ($60 a month) and Mega ($120 a month).
Can I sell Midjourney images?
Yes, on paid plans under Midjourney’s commercial terms. Companies with over $1 million in yearly revenue must use Pro or Mega.
Is there a free Midjourney alternative as good as Midjourney?
For free, running FLUX locally in ComfyUI comes closest. Online, Ideogram, Bing Image Creator and Google’s tools offer free tiers.
