Head-to-head · license & price checked
Midjourney vs Leonardo AI (2026)
The quality leader with no free tier, versus the cheaper tool whose free images are public and owned by the platform.
By Abdallah AmjidLast verified June 22, 2026
There is no free tier at all, Midjourney ended free trials in April 2023, so you must pay before you can generate or monetize anything.
Safe entry: Basic Plan at $10/mo (or $96/yr) is the cheapest plan that lets you generate and commercially use images.
Free images are public, owned by Leonardo, and kept under Leonardo's worldwide perpetual license.
Safe entry: Essential plan at $12/mo (or $10/mo billed yearly) unlocks private mode and full ownership of your images.
Both make strong stills for thumbnails and b-roll. Midjourney has no free tier at all (it ended free trials in 2023), so you pay from the first image, but its Basic plan at $10/mo gives clean, commercially-usable output. Leonardo does have a free tier and even grants commercial use on it, yet every free generation is public and owned by Leonardo, so the free path is neither private nor truly yours. Leonardo's Essential plan at $12/mo (or $10/mo billed yearly) unlocks private mode and full ownership.
Side by side
 Midjourney |  Leonardo AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Monetization safety | ||
| Safe on free plan? | Not safe | Not safe |
| Watermark on free | N/A, no free output exists | No visible watermark; the catch is that free generations are public and owned by Leonardo |
| Commercial use on free | None, commercial rights only come with a paid plan | Yes, a non-exclusive royalty-free commercial licence is granted, but Leonardo owns the images |
| Attribution required | No attribution required | No |
| Cheapest safe plan | Basic, $10/mo or $96/yr | Essential, $12/mo (or $10/mo billed yearly) |
| Free plan | ||
| Free plan | None, no free tier or free trial since April 2023 | $0/mo, image generations are public and owned by Leonardo |
| Max quality on free | N/A (paid subscription required to generate) | Not separately documented by Leonardo |
| Our rating | ||
| Our score | 8.4 / 10 | 8.2 / 10 |
The key difference
Midjourney is pay-to-enter but clean from the first dollar. Leonardo lets you start free and even monetize, but free images are public and owned by Leonardo until you pay for Essential.
Bottom line
Pick Midjourney if image quality is the product and you are fine paying $10/mo for the cleanest output. Pick Leonardo if you want a free starting point and can live with public, Leonardo-owned images until you upgrade to Essential for privacy and ownership.
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FAQ
Does Midjourney have a free tier?
No. Midjourney ended free trials in April 2023. The cheapest plan is Basic at $10/mo ($96/yr), which lets you generate and commercially use images.
Can I monetize Leonardo's free images?
Yes, the free tier grants a commercial license, but every free generation is public and owned by Leonardo. For private, fully-owned images you need Essential at $12/mo ($10/mo billed yearly).
Which is cheaper to use safely?
Their safe entries are close: Midjourney Basic at $10/mo versus Leonardo Essential at $12/mo ($10/mo yearly). The real difference is Midjourney has no free tier, while Leonardo's free output is public and platform-owned.