Depends on use case
Note: This article was originally published on January 13, 2025, and last updated on November 28, 2025. The AI image generation landscape has changed significantly since initial publication, including the replacement of DALL-E 3 in ChatGPT with GPT-4o’s native image generation in March 2025, and the release of Midjourney V7 in April 2025. This update reflects the current state of both tools.
Midjourney and DALL-E 3 are the two most popular AI image generators in 2025. Both produce stunning results, but they excel in different areas. This comprehensive comparison will help you choose the right tool for your creative needs.
Quick Answer: Choose Midjourney V7 for artistic, aesthetically stunning images. Choose GPT-4o in ChatGPT for conversational creation and improved text rendering (or DALL-E 3 API until its May 2026 deprecation). Many professionals use both.
Overview
| Aspect | Midjourney | DALL-E 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Midjourney Inc. | OpenAI |
| Interface | Discord bot | GPT-4o in ChatGPT / API (deprecated May 2026) |
| Strength | Aesthetic quality | Prompt accuracy |
| Weakness | Text rendering | Artistic style |
| Price | $10-120/mo | $20/mo (ChatGPT+) |
| Our Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.6/5 |
Image Quality
Midjourney: The Aesthetic King
Midjourney V7 (released April 2025, after this article’s original publication) produces images that look finished. There’s an intangible quality—call it aesthetic polish—that makes Midjourney images stand out. Colors are richer, compositions are more dynamic, and there’s an artistic sensibility baked into every generation.
Midjourney excels at:
- Artistic and creative imagery
- Portraits with character and mood
- Fantasy and sci-fi concepts
- Architectural visualization
- Product photography style
- Cinematic compositions
Sample prompt result comparison:
“A cozy coffee shop interior, morning light streaming through windows, warm atmosphere”
Midjourney produces an image that feels like a professional photograph from a design magazine. The lighting is perfect, the atmosphere is palpable, and every detail contributes to the mood.
DALL-E 3: The Accurate Interpreter
DALL-E 3 focuses on giving you exactly what you ask for. If your prompt specifies “three red apples on a blue plate next to a yellow cup,” you’ll get exactly that. The accuracy is remarkable.
DALL-E 3 excels at:
- Complex, detailed prompts
- Specific object arrangements
- Text and typography in images
- Infographics and diagrams
- Consistent character representation
- Educational and instructional images
Same prompt result:
“A cozy coffee shop interior, morning light streaming through windows, warm atmosphere”
DALL-E 3 produces an accurate coffee shop scene. All elements are present and correct, but there’s less of that intangible “magic” that Midjourney adds.
Quality Verdict
For artistic work: Midjourney wins For accuracy: DALL-E 3 wins Overall: Midjourney edges ahead for most creative use cases
Prompt Understanding
Midjourney’s Approach
Midjourney interprets prompts creatively. It takes your words as inspiration and adds its own artistic interpretation. This can be magical—or frustrating if you want something specific.
Prompt: “A businessman in a blue suit holding a briefcase, standing in front of a modern office building”
Midjourney result: A stunning, cinematic image of a businessman. The suit might be navy rather than blue, the pose might be different than you imagined, but it looks incredible.
DALL-E 3’s Approach
DALL-E 3 tries to understand your intent precisely. It delivers what you described with high accuracy.
Same prompt result: The businessman is in a blue suit, holding a briefcase, standing in front of a modern office building. Exactly as specified.
The ChatGPT Advantage
GPT-4o’s integration with ChatGPT (which replaced DALL-E 3 in March 2025) is a game-changer. You can:
- Describe images conversationally
- Ask for specific modifications
- Iterate through dialogue
- Get prompt suggestions
- Refine details naturally
Example conversation:
You: “Create an image of a cat sitting on a windowsill” ChatGPT: [generates image with GPT-4o] You: “Make it a tabby cat and add rain outside the window” ChatGPT: [generates updated image] You: “The cat should be looking outside, not at the camera” ChatGPT: [generates final image]
This conversational iteration is incredibly powerful for non-technical users.
Prompt Understanding Verdict
GPT-4o (via ChatGPT) wins for accuracy and ease of use Midjourney wins for creative interpretation
Text Rendering
This was DALL-E 3’s biggest advantage, though both tools have evolved significantly.
DALL-E 3: Readable Text (with limitations)
DALL-E 3 improved text rendering compared to earlier models, achieving approximately 92% accuracy in 2025 benchmarks. However, it still struggles with longer text or complex typography. More importantly, DALL-E 3 was replaced in ChatGPT by GPT-4o in March 2025, which offers better text rendering capabilities.
Prompt: “A vintage movie poster for a film called ‘Midnight in Paris’ with art deco styling”
Result: A beautiful art deco poster with “MIDNIGHT IN PARIS” readable in elegant typography, though occasional letter errors may occur.
Midjourney: Text Improved in V7
Midjourney V7 (released April 2025) includes a 65% improvement in text accuracy compared to V6. While earlier versions struggled with garbled letters, V7 handles text with remarkable accuracy for short phrases and labels.
Same prompt result: A gorgeous art deco poster with text that is mostly accurate, though very long text may still have occasional errors.
Text Verdict
GPT-4o (current ChatGPT image generator) wins for most text use cases DALL-E 3 wins over Midjourney V6, but V7 narrows the gap significantly
Speed & Workflow
Midjourney Workflow
- Open Discord
- Go to Midjourney server or bot DM
- Type
/imagine prompt: [your prompt] - Wait ~60 seconds
- Choose from 4 variations
- Upscale or create variations
- Download from Discord
Pros: Fast generation, multiple variations, quick iteration Cons: Discord interface, public by default, learning curve
DALL-E 3 / GPT-4o Workflow
- Open ChatGPT
- Describe what you want
- Wait ~30-60 seconds
- Review and request changes
- Download directly
Pros: Intuitive, conversational, private Cons: Fewer variations per generation, less control over parameters
Note: As of March 2025, ChatGPT uses GPT-4o for image generation, not DALL-E 3.
Speed Verdict
Tie - Both are fast, different workflows suit different users
Pricing Comparison
Midjourney Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Images | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10 | ~200 | Limited GPU time |
| Standard | $30 | ~900 | Most popular |
| Pro | $60 | ~1800 | Stealth mode |
| Mega | $120 | ~3600 | Maximum speed |
DALL-E 3 / GPT-4o Pricing
| Option | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus | $20/mo | Unlimited* via GPT-4o (replaced DALL-E 3 in March 2025) |
| DALL-E 3 API | $0.04-0.12/image | Pay per generation; deprecated May 2, 2026 |
*ChatGPT Plus has rate limits but is effectively unlimited for most users
Value Analysis
For casual users (50-100 images/month):
- GPT-4o via ChatGPT Plus: $20/mo ✓ Best value
- Midjourney Basic: $10/mo (but limited)
For regular users (200-500 images/month):
- Midjourney Standard: $30/mo ✓ Best value
- DALL-E 3 API: $8-60/mo (varies, deprecated May 2026)
For power users (500+ images/month):
- Midjourney Pro/Mega: $60-120/mo
- DALL-E 3 API: Can get expensive (plan migration before deprecation)
Pricing Verdict
GPT-4o (ChatGPT Plus) wins for casual users Midjourney Standard wins for regular/power users
Unique Features
Midjourney Exclusive Features
- Style tuning: Create custom style preferences
- Vary (Region): Inpaint specific areas
- Zoom out: Expand image canvas
- Pan: Extend image in any direction
- Blend: Combine multiple images
- Describe: Reverse-engineer prompts from images
- Permutations: Generate multiple variations from one prompt
GPT-4o / DALL-E 3 Exclusive Features
- ChatGPT integration: Conversational creation (now via GPT-4o)
- Prompt rewriting: AI improves your prompts
- Consistent characters: Better at maintaining character appearance
- Text generation: Improved text rendering (especially with GPT-4o)
- API access: Build applications (DALL-E 3 API deprecated May 2026)
- Content policy: Safer for commercial use
Use Case Recommendations
Choose Midjourney For:
- Artistic and creative projects — cinematic quality and atmospheric depth
- Marketing and advertising visuals — eye-catching imagery for campaigns
- Concept art and illustrations — bringing creative visions to life
- Social media content — scroll-stopping visuals at scale
- When aesthetic quality matters most — superior artistic interpretation
- High-volume generation — fast iterations via Discord
- Fantasy, sci-fi, and stylized work — imaginative, otherworldly aesthetics
Choose GPT-4o / DALL-E 3 For:
- Images requiring text — GPT-4o delivers accurate typography
- Technical or instructional images — precise, clean documentation visuals
- When accuracy matters more than style — faithful prompt interpretation
- Conversational, iterative creation — refine images through chat
- Building applications — DALL-E 3 API available until May 2026
- Users new to AI image generation — generous free tier removes barriers
- Commercial work requiring content safety — robust content filtering
Use Both For:
- Professional creative work — leverage each tool’s strengths
- Maximum flexibility — different tools for different needs
- Different project requirements — match tool to task
- Comparing results for client work — present multiple options
Real-World Comparison
We generated 50 images with identical prompts on both platforms. Note: This comparison was conducted in early 2025 using Midjourney V6 and DALL-E 3. Midjourney V7 (released April 2025) and GPT-4o (released March 2025) have since introduced significant improvements. Here’s what we found:
Portrait Photography Style
- Midjourney: More dramatic lighting, artistic poses, magazine-quality feel
- DALL-E 3: Accurate to prompt, natural looking, less stylized
Winner: Midjourney
Product Photography
- Midjourney: Beautiful but sometimes takes creative liberties
- DALL-E 3: Accurate product representation, good for e-commerce
Winner: DALL-E 3 (GPT-4o offers similar accuracy with improved text)
Fantasy/Concept Art
- Midjourney: Stunning, imaginative, gallery-worthy
- DALL-E 3: Good but less inspired
Winner: Midjourney
Infographics/Diagrams
- Midjourney: Struggles with accuracy and text
- DALL-E 3: Clear, readable, accurate
Winner: DALL-E 3 (GPT-4o offers similar accuracy with improved text)
Architectural Visualization
- Midjourney: Dramatic, beautiful, sometimes unrealistic
- DALL-E 3: Accurate, practical, good for client presentations
Winner: Tie (depends on purpose)
The Verdict
There’s no single winner. Both tools are excellent, and the best choice depends on your needs.
Midjourney is better when:
- Aesthetic quality is the priority
- You want artistic, stylized images
- You’re doing creative/marketing work
- You generate high volumes
- You need the latest V7 improvements
DALL-E 3 / GPT-4o is better when:
- Accuracy matters more than style
- You need text in your images
- You prefer conversational creation via ChatGPT
- You’re building applications (note API deprecation)
- You want the easiest learning curve
Our Recommendation
If you can only choose one: Midjourney V7 offers more value for most creative professionals.
If budget allows: Use Midjourney V7 for artistic work and ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4o) for conversational creation and text-heavy needs. DALL-E 3 API users should plan migration before May 2026 deprecation.
FAQ
Can I use both Midjourney and DALL-E 3 commercially?
Yes, both allow commercial use on paid plans. Check their specific terms for details. Note: DALL-E 3 API is deprecated May 2, 2026.
Which is better for beginners?
GPT-4o via ChatGPT is more intuitive. Midjourney has a learning curve but offers more control once mastered.
Which produces more realistic images?
Both can produce photorealistic images. Midjourney tends toward artistic realism, DALL-E 3 toward accurate realism.
Can I train custom models?
Neither offers custom model training. For that, look at Stable Diffusion or Flux.
Which has better customer support?
Midjourney has an active Discord community. OpenAI has traditional support channels. Both are responsive.
Related Resources
- Best AI Image Generators 2025 — Complete rankings and recommendations
- Master AI Image Prompting — From beginner to expert prompting techniques
- Mastering Cinematic Lighting in AI Portraits — Advanced lighting techniques
- AI Image Upscaling Guide — Enhance your AI-generated images
- Flux.1 Release — The open-source challenger
- Google Imagen 4 — The new benchmark