What Is Midjourney?Start Here
The AI image and video generator explained: what it does, how Discord and web access work, and why it runs on a subscription rather than a free tier.
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AI Image & Video Generation
AI image and video generation by Midjourney, Inc., accessed through Discord and the web app. Subscription-based, with billing measured in GPU time rather than image count.
Discord Bot
Generate with /imagine in the official server, a DM, or your own server
Web App
Editor with pan, zoom, region vary, and inpainting; syncs with Discord
Image to Video
Animate stills into short clips using the same fast GPU hours
Style & Character Refs
Carry palette, texture, and consistent characters across images
Subscription Plans
Basic, Standard, Pro, and Mega tiers; no free tier since March 2023 (vendor-reported)
Midjourney is a generative AI service from Midjourney, Inc., an independent research lab in San Francisco founded by David Holz. It produces images, and since 2025 short videos, from natural-language prompts. Users reach it two ways: the Discord bot (the /imagine command returns a grid of four images you can upscale or vary) and the web app at midjourney.com, which syncs with Discord and adds an editor for pan, zoom, region vary, and inpainting. All figures below are vendor-reported and verified 2026-06-09.
You generate images either through the Discord bot, by using /imagine in the official server, a direct message, or an invited server, or through the web app at midjourney.com. The web editor adds consolidated create and edit tools including region vary and inpainting, and it stays in sync with your Discord history. The older rule requiring 1,000 Discord images before web access was removed.
Midjourney is subscription-only, with no permanent free tier and no free trial since March 2023 (vendor-reported). Plans run from $10/month Basic through Standard, Pro, and Mega. The model bills fast GPU time, not image count: each plan includes a monthly allotment of fast GPU hours, and extra fast time can be purchased at $4 per hour. Standard and higher add an unlimited but queued Relax mode for images.
The current stable release is V8.1, an alpha released April 14, 2026, which carries the V7 aesthetic and adds HD images via the --hd parameter, image prompts, a prompt shortener, and an updated describe tool. Note that V8.1 is current, not V7. Provenance of training data remains a real, ongoing controversy: artists and several studios, including Universal, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery, have filed copyright suits that are still being litigated.
Vendor-reported, verified 2026-06-09. Pricing and versions move quickly; confirm current details at midjourney.com.
$10
Basic Plan / Month
V8.1
Current Version
$4/hr
Extra Fast GPU Time
2022
Open Beta Launch
In-depth coverage of Midjourney's pricing model, current version, image and video workflows, prompting, and how it stacks up against rival image generators. Researched with vendor documentation and honest trade-offs.
The AI image and video generator explained: what it does, how Discord and web access work, and why it runs on a subscription rather than a free tier.
Basic, Standard, Pro, and Mega plans broken down, plus how GPU-hour billing, Relax mode, and the $4-per-hour extra fast time actually work.
The short answer is no: there has been no free tier and no free trial since March 2023. Here is what the cheapest paid entry point actually gets you.
A walkthrough from first prompt to finished image: the /imagine command, upscaling and varying a grid, and the web editor's create and edit tools.
What the current V8.1 release adds over V7, from HD images and image prompts to the prompt shortener, and where it sits in the version timeline.
Turning a still into a short clip with the image-to-video feature, which GPU hours it draws from, and where SD video in Relax mode is available.
Subscription and GPU-hour billing against Google's image model: access, pricing structure, and where each one fits in an image workflow.
Working with style reference, character reference, image weight, and remix to steer results, with practical notes on each parameter.
Explore other image and multimodal models and the broader AI Tools Hub.
Google Gemini Hub
Multimodal models and the Nano Banana image generation we compare Midjourney against.
ChatGPT Hub
OpenAI's platform, with its own native image generation alongside chat.
Anthropic Claude Hub
Safety-first frontier model for writing, analysis, and tool use.
AI Tools Hub
Breakdowns, comparisons, and guides across the leading AI vendors.
AI Governance
Responsible AI, copyright, the EU AI Act, and compliance for generative tools.
Important context for responsible AI adoption
Midjourney is a hosted service: prompts, uploaded reference images, and generated results are processed through its cloud infrastructure and, for image generation, through Discord. By default many plans make your images publicly visible in the community gallery; Stealth mode on Pro and Mega keeps generations private. Review Midjourney's current privacy policy and terms of service, and avoid uploading confidential or personally identifiable images, before processing sensitive material.
Generative image tools like Midjourney are creative aids, not substitutes for professional judgment, and they can produce convincing but misleading or fabricated visuals. If you are experiencing distress:
AI systems can produce plausible-sounding but incorrect guidance. For mental health, medical, legal, or financial decisions, always consult a qualified professional.
See the NIST AI Risk Management Framework for structured guidance on AI risk assessment.
Under GDPR (EU) and CCPA (California), you have the right to access, correct, and delete your personal data. Midjourney grants commercial usage rights to paying subscribers under its General Commercial Terms, and companies with more than $1,000,000 in gross annual revenue must be on the Pro or Mega plan. The provenance of training data is an open legal question: artists and several studios, including Universal, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery, have filed copyright suits that remain ongoing.
The EU AI Act sets transparency obligations for generative AI, including disclosure that content is AI-generated. Organizations deploying generative imagery within the EU are responsible for meeting these provisions.
This publication is editorially independent. AI tool coverage reflects independent research, vendor documentation, and editorial judgment. Where affiliate links are present, they are clearly disclosed and do not influence conclusions.