Alternatives · Last reviewed October 20, 2026

Craiyon alternatives for editing, private images and apps

Craiyon, formerly DALL-E mini, is an ad-supported text to image generator from Craiyon LLC that runs its own models, with paid tiers for Pro models and private images. Its live site could not be read in October 2026, so the facts here come from 2025 captures of its pages. People look elsewhere because editing means rewriting the prompt, free images could appear in Craiyon Search, and there was no app or public API. DeepAI suits people who want to edit uploads, starryai people who want a daily allowance on a phone, Ideogram people who need text in images, and Perchance people who want no login. ImageQuarry suits people who want to change one image in words over many rounds.

We make ImageQuarry, one of the alternatives below. Craiyon and each alternative were compared on editing an existing image, image visibility, platforms, how you start and attribution, using each vendor's public pages, checked October 20, 2026.

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Last updated October 20, 2026

Craiyon alternatives at a glance

Tool	Best for	Price from	How it differs
DeepAI	People who want to edit uploads by description, with phone apps and an API	$0 to start; DeepAI Pro $9.99 a month billed monthly (as of 2026-10)	Describe edits on uploads, phone apps, and an API with Pro
starryai	Phone users who want daily images without a watermark and clear ownership	25 artworks a day at no cost; plan prices not shown on the pages read (as of 2026-10)	25 unwatermarked images a day and iOS and Android apps
Ideogram	People making posters, cards and graphics with readable text who want unpublished images	Plus $20 a month billed monthly (as of 2026-10)	Unpublished images from Plus, typed edits, an API and an iPhone app
Perchance	People who liked Craiyon's simple prompt-only generator and want no login at all	No paid plan found; funded by ads (as of 2026-10)	No login, no credit limits and a private gallery, per its own page
ImageQuarry	People who want to keep changing one picture in words instead of rewriting prompts	Pro $29 or Starter $9, each per month (as of 2026-10)	Create or upload, then change it by request, version by version

What is Craiyon?

In a 2025 capture, Craiyon describes itself as "a free AI image generator" that runs on its own model, previously known as DALL-E mini and created by CEO Boris Dayma. A simple text prompt is all it needs: you pick Craiyon V4 modes such as Auto, Photo, Drawing and Vector, or Pro Illustration, Pro Vector and Pro Photo, and refine by editing the prompt or excluding elements. A separate Remove BG tool sits in the menu, and finished images are saved by download.

Despite its former name, DALL-E mini, Craiyon runs its own models from Craiyon LLC.

What Craiyon does well

A no-cost tier paid for by ads

In 2025 captures the free tier used the Lite model and was paid for by ads, and the paid plans listed unlimited Lite images.

Its own models and style modes

Captures show Craiyon V4 modes (Auto, Photo, Drawing, Vector), older v3 modes, and Pro Illustration, Pro Vector and Pro Photo models.

Commercial use on every tier

Craiyon's captured homepage allows commercial use on all tiers as long as you respect the Terms of Use, asking free users to credit craiyon.com.

Paid plans drop ads and attribution

The 2025 Supporter plan listed 120 Pro credits, no ads, no watermarks, no attribution required and high quality downloads.

Private images on Professional

The Professional plan in the same capture listed 250 Pro credits, private images, the fastest generation and early access to new features.

Where Craiyon falls short

Current prices could not be read

On October 20, 2026, craiyon.com and its pricing page returned a Cloudflare block, so current prices were not readable on its site; the only price capture, from August 2024, shows an older plan structure.

Editing means rewriting the prompt

The captured pages describe editing the text prompt and excluding elements, with no instruction editing of an existing image and no image upload for generation.

Free images could be public

An older capture says free-tier images may be shared and appear anonymously in Craiyon Search, and the 2025 Supporter plan still listed generated images as public.

No app and no public API

Craiyon's captured FAQ said there was no Craiyon app "at the moment" and no public API, with API access only on Enterprise.

Sales are final

The 2025 pricing page capture states that sales are non-refundable.

Why people look for a Craiyon alternative

You want to edit an image you already have, and Craiyon's captured pages describe editing only by changing the prompt.
You want private images without the top paid tier, and in 2025 captures only Professional made images private.
You want a phone app or a public API, and Craiyon's FAQ said it had neither.
You want to see current prices before choosing, and Craiyon's site could not be read in October 2026.
You would rather not credit the tool, and Craiyon asked free users to credit craiyon.com.

The 5 Craiyon alternatives

Ordered by how many of the reasons above each one answers: editing an existing image, private images, then apps and an API. Perchance comes next because it keeps Craiyon's simple no-cost start. ImageQuarry is last: it answers the editing reason but every plan is paid.

1. DeepAI

Best for: People who want to edit uploads by description, with phone apps and an API

How it differs from Craiyon: Where Craiyon's captured pages describe changing only the prompt, DeepAI's AI Photo Editor edits an uploaded image from a description such as "turn the cat into a rabbit", and every generated result has an Edit option. It runs on the web, Google Play and the App Store, and an image editing API comes with DeepAI Pro.

Price: $0 to start; DeepAI Pro $9.99 a month billed monthly (as of 2026-10)

Limitation: DeepAI treats generated images as public domain with no owner, and API calls need a Pro subscription.

Visit DeepAI

2. starryai

Best for: Phone users who want daily images without a watermark and clear ownership

How it differs from Craiyon: starryai runs on the web and as App Store and Google Play apps, gives up to 25 artworks a day without a watermark, and takes an image or sketch as a prompt as well as text. Its licence says you own the copyright to your creations and that attribution is appreciated rather than required, and it keeps your art stored indefinitely.

Price: 25 artworks a day at no cost; plan prices not shown on the pages read (as of 2026-10)

Limitation: It names no models, and image edits and transformations cost Lumens.

Visit starryai

3. Ideogram

Best for: People making posters, cards and graphics with readable text who want unpublished images

How it differs from Craiyon: Ideogram's Precise Edit changes an existing image from a focused instruction with optional masks, and its Canvas adds Magic Fill and Extend. Plus and Pro subscribers can generate unpublished images, and Ideogram offers an API and an iPhone app, both absent from Craiyon's captured FAQ.

Price: Plus $20 a month billed monthly (as of 2026-10)

Limitation: Images are published by default below Plus, and eligible free accounts get weekly credits whose amount may vary.

Visit Ideogram

4. Perchance

Best for: People who liked Craiyon's simple prompt-only generator and want no login at all

How it differs from Craiyon: Captures of Perchance's AI Image Generator describe a page with no login, no daily credit limits and no watermark, kept running by ads much as Craiyon's free tier was. Images you save go to a private gallery with their prompt and seed, and a seed and guidance scale give extra control.

Price: No paid plan found; funded by ads (as of 2026-10)

Limitation: It is text to image only, with image input disabled, and outputs top out at 768 pixels on the long side.

Visit Perchance

5. ImageQuarry

Best for: People who want to keep changing one picture in words instead of rewriting prompts

How it differs from Craiyon: Craiyon refines by editing the prompt and generating again. ImageQuarry edits the image you already have: select a version, ask for a different background or a new color direction, and the result is saved as a new version next to the earlier ones.

Price: Pro $29 or Starter $9, each per month (as of 2026-10)

Limitation: Every plan is paid, and ImageQuarry has not published Terms, a rights policy or output specifications yet.

Who should stay with Craiyon

You want quick no-cost images from a text prompt and do not mind ads or crediting craiyon.com.
You like Craiyon's own V4 style modes, such as Drawing and Vector.
You already pay for a plan and use the Pro models it includes.

How to try an alternative alongside Craiyon

Download the images you want to keep, using Craiyon's per-image save or download.
Keep your prompts and the Exclude elements terms you used, so you can reuse them as a prompt and negative prompt elsewhere.
If you pay for Craiyon, remember that its 2025 pricing page said sales are non-refundable before you change plans.
Take one image you would have regenerated in Craiyon and try it as an edit request in the alternative instead.

Does not carry over: Craiyon's own models and style modes, and anything shared to Craiyon Search, stay with Craiyon.

Craiyon alternatives: questions

How much does Craiyon cost now?

Current prices were not readable on Craiyon's site in October 2026, because the site and its pricing page returned a Cloudflare block. The newest price capture, from August 2024, shows an older plan structure, and a 2025 capture lists the Supporter and Professional plans without prices. For comparison, starryai gives 25 artworks a day at no cost, and Ideogram Plus is $20 a month.

Is there a free Craiyon alternative without a credit line?

starryai's licence asks for no attribution and allows up to 25 images a day without a watermark, and Perchance's page promises no watermark and no login, though it is also funded by ads. Craiyon's 2025 capture asked free users to credit craiyon.com. Every ImageQuarry plan is paid.

Does Craiyon have an app or an API?

Its 2025 FAQ answered "Not at the moment" about an app, warned that Craiyon apps in the stores are not from Craiyon, and said there was no public API; Enterprise listed API access. DeepAI and starryai have phone apps, and DeepAI and Ideogram offer APIs.

Are Craiyon images private?

In captures, free-tier images could appear anonymously in Craiyon Search, Supporter images were public, and only Professional made images fully private. Ideogram Plus and Pro can generate unpublished images, and Perchance saves to a private gallery.

How does ImageQuarry compare with Craiyon?

Craiyon generates from text and refines by changing the prompt. ImageQuarry is a paid workspace where you start from a description or an upload and ask for changes to the image itself, with each change kept as a version.

Sources

Checked October 20, 2026. Recheck public pages before making a buying decision.

Checked October 20, 2026

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Create an image. Edit it with words. Keep refining.

Change the image, not just the prompt

Ask for a different background or light on the version you have, and keep every earlier version beside it.

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