Midjourney vs DALL-E (now ChatGPT Images / GPT Image) in 2026

DALL-E 3 was retired in May 2026 and replaced by ChatGPT Images 2.0 and then 2.5, while Midjourney moved from V7 to V8.1 and V8.2 and added a Mega plan and a V8 edit model.

Updated Oct 26, 2026 · 10 sources checked

The short answer

DALL-E itself is gone; the real comparison today is Midjourney vs ChatGPT Images 2.5.

Pick Midjourney for stylized art, mood-heavy marketing visuals, concept art, and anyone who wants a consistent personal style
Pick DALL-E (now ChatGPT Images / GPT Image) for images with readable text, infographics, editing your own photos by chatting, and developers who need an image API

At a glance

MidjourneyDALL-E (now ChatGPT Images / GPT Image)
Made byMidjourney Inc.OpenAI
Starts at$10/moFree plan$8/moFree plan
All plansBasic $10/mo ($8/mo billed yearly), Standard $30/mo ($24/mo yearly), Pro $60/mo ($48/mo yearly), Mega $120/mo ($96/mo yearly). No free plan listed.Inside ChatGPT: Free (limited images), Go $8/mo, Plus $20/mo, Pro from $100/mo, all billed monthly. API: gpt-image-2.5-flare and gpt-image-2.5-sunburst cost $8 per 1M image input tokens and $30 per 1M image output tokens (half price with Batch).
Best forStylized art, mood-heavy marketing visuals, concept art, and anyone who wants a consistent personal styleImages with readable text, infographics, editing your own photos by chatting, and developers who need an image API

How they score

MidjourneyDALL-E (now ChatGPT Images / GPT Image)
Speed
8
8
Privacy
5
6

Scores out of 10: our judgment from hands-on use and each vendor's published limits.

Midjourney

by Midjourney Inc.

Paid AI image and video generator used on midjourney.com or in Discord. Its newest image model is V8.2 (July 2026), and an image edit model for V8 arrived in August 2026.

Good

  • Strong default look: images come out styled and polished with short prompts
  • Personalization profiles and style references keep a consistent look across many images
  • V8.1 renders in about 4 seconds (SD) or 12 seconds (HD), per Midjourney
  • Unlimited relaxed-speed images on Standard and above
  • Image editing, inpainting, outpainting and up to 4 reference images with the V8 edit model
  • Also makes short videos on every plan

Watch out

  • No free plan
  • No official public API, so it is hard to automate
  • Images are public by default; Stealth Mode needs Pro ($60/mo) or Mega
  • Companies earning over $1M a year must buy Pro or Mega
  • Text-heavy layouts (menus, infographics) are still weaker than ChatGPT Images
Visit Midjourney ↗

DALL-E (now ChatGPT Images / GPT Image)

by OpenAI

DALL-E is retired. OpenAI shut down the dall-e-2 and dall-e-3 API models on May 12, 2026. Image creation in ChatGPT now runs on ChatGPT Images 2.5 (September 2026), and developers use the gpt-image models in the API.

Good

  • Free to try in ChatGPT, with more images on paid plans
  • Very good at text inside images, layouts and following long instructions
  • Edit by conversation: change one thing and keep the rest, across many turns
  • Sketch, templates and comments-on-image editing in ChatGPT
  • Official API with two models (Flare for speed, Sunburst for precision)
  • C2PA metadata and invisible watermarking mark images as AI-made

Watch out

  • Free and Go plans have tight image limits
  • Default look is less artistic than Midjourney unless you describe a style in detail
  • Stricter content rules than Midjourney for some subjects
  • The name changed several times (DALL-E, GPT Image, ChatGPT Images), which confuses old tutorials
Visit DALL-E (now ChatGPT Images / GPT Image) ↗
Our verdict

DALL-E itself is gone; the real comparison today is Midjourney vs ChatGPT Images 2.5. Pick Midjourney ($10/mo and up) if you want striking, styled art and a consistent visual style across a whole project. Pick ChatGPT Images if you need readable text, posters, infographics, photo edits by conversation, or an API, or if you already pay for ChatGPT, since it is included even on the free plan with limits.

Questions people ask

Does DALL-E still exist?

Not as a product. OpenAI removed the dall-e-2 and dall-e-3 models from its API on May 12, 2026 and points developers to gpt-image models. In ChatGPT, image creation now runs on ChatGPT Images 2.5, released September 8, 2026.

Is Midjourney better than ChatGPT for images?

For artistic and stylized images, many people still prefer Midjourney's default look. For images with text, diagrams, product shots and precise edits to your own photos, ChatGPT Images 2.5 is usually the better choice.

Which is cheaper?

ChatGPT Images is free to try with limits, and comes with ChatGPT Go ($8/mo) or Plus ($20/mo). Midjourney has no free plan; Basic is $10/mo or $8/mo billed yearly, and unlimited relaxed images start with Standard at $30/mo.

Can I use Midjourney or ChatGPT images commercially?

Midjourney lets paying subscribers use their images commercially, but companies with more than $1M in yearly gross revenue must be on Pro or Mega. OpenAI images can be used commercially under OpenAI's terms; check its usage policies for restricted content.

Does Midjourney have an API?

No official public API. You use it on midjourney.com or in Discord. If you need to generate images from code, OpenAI's gpt-image models are the simpler option.

Sources (10), checked Oct 26, 2026

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