Compare · Last checked October 20, 2026
Leonardo AI vs Midjourney: many models in one app, or one model family
Leonardo.Ai is a web and mobile platform that puts its own models next to third party ones such as FLUX.2 Pro, GPT Image 2.5, Ideogram 4.5 and Nano Banana Pro, with a free plan, upscalers, background removal and a pay as you go API. Midjourney uses its own model family, with V8.2 as default, and adds an Edit model that takes written instructions. Leonardo starts free; Midjourney starts at $10 a month. Pick Leonardo for model choice, apps and an API; pick Midjourney for its documented edit model and sizes.
We make ImageQuarry, which is not one of these two products. We compared Leonardo AI and Midjourney using their own public pages, checked October 20, 2026.
Last updated October 20, 2026
At a glance
| Leonardo AI | Midjourney | |
|---|---|---|
| Models | Its own Phoenix and Lucid models plus third party models | Midjourney V6 to V8.2 and Niji |
| Editing with words | Edit while keeping characters and composition; no wording found on describing a change | Edit model: changes from written instructions |
| Free start, October 2026 | Free plan: 150 fast tokens a day, public creations | No free trial on the website or Discord |
| Paid entry | Essential $12 a month | Basic $10 a month |
| Apps and API | Web, iOS, Android, REST API and MCP | Website, Discord and the niji journey app; no public API found |
Leonardo AI and Midjourney: the differences that matter
Which models you can pick
Leonardo's docs list models from several labs, including FLUX.2 Pro, GPT Image 2, Ideogram 3.0 and 4.5, Nano Banana Pro and Seedream, next to its own Phoenix and Lucid models. Midjourney offers its own versions, from V6 to V8.2, plus Niji.
Describing an edit in words
Midjourney's Edit model is documented to make changes to an existing image using written instructions and up to 4 reference images. Leonardo's homepage says you can edit while preserving characters, composition and style, but the pages read show no wording about describing a change in words.
Trying before paying
Leonardo has a Free plan with 150 fast tokens a day, on which creations are public. Midjourney says no free trial is currently available on its website or Discord.
Who owns the images
Leonardo says paid subscribers retain full ownership of what they generate, while on the free tier Leonardo holds rights to use the images and grants a royalty free licence. Midjourney lets subscribers use their images in just about any way, and requires Pro or Mega for companies above $1,000,000 in yearly revenue.
Documented sizes
Midjourney documents output sizes from 1024 x 1024 up to 2048 x 2048 with HD or its upscalers. Leonardo names Pro Upscaler Precise and Creative and background removal, without a maximum size on the pages read.
Leonardo AI vs Midjourney, side by side
Checked against each vendor's public pages on October 20, 2026. "Not stated" means the pages we read do not say; it is not a claim that the feature is missing.
| Topic | Leonardo AI | Midjourney |
|---|---|---|
| Reference images | Up to 6 image guidance references on paid plans | Up to 4 references in the Edit model |
| Train your own model | Train or fine tune from about 10 to 20 images | Not stated |
| Workspace tools | Realtime Canvas, Flow State, Blueprints, collections | Editor, Organize page, Draft mode |
| Private images | Private creations on paid plans | Stealth Mode on Pro and Mega |
| Yearly billing | $10 to $48 a month, up to 20% off | $8 to $96 a month, 20% off |
| Team plans | Starter $72 and Growth $144 a month | Not stated |
| Video | Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.0 and Motion 2.0 | Video generation alongside images |
As of 2026-10-20
Sources: Leonardo AI page (Wayback capture); Leonardo AI homepage; Leonardo AI page (Wayback capture); Leonardo AI pricing and plans faq.md; Midjourney page (Wayback capture); Midjourney page (Wayback capture); Midjourney page (Wayback capture); Midjourney page (Wayback capture); Midjourney page (Wayback capture); Midjourney page (Wayback capture); Midjourney page (Wayback capture); Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
Pricing
Prices as of October 2026, from each vendor's own pages. Credits are not comparable across products, because each vendor defines its own credit. Check the vendor for current pricing.
| Product | Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonardo AI | Free | $0 per month | 150 fast tokens a day, public creations |
| Leonardo AI | Essential | $12 per month, billed monthly | 8,500 fast tokens a month |
| Leonardo AI | Premium | $30 per month, billed monthly | 25,000 fast tokens a month |
| Leonardo AI | Ultimate | $60 per month, billed monthly | 60,000 fast tokens a month |
| Leonardo AI | Essential, Premium, Ultimate (yearly) | $10, $24, $48 per month, billed yearly | Up to 20% off |
| Midjourney | Basic | $10 per month, billed monthly | 3.3 hours of fast GPU time a month |
| Midjourney | Standard | $30 per month, billed monthly | 15 hours fast GPU time, relax mode |
| Midjourney | Pro | $60 per month, billed monthly | 30 hours fast GPU time, Stealth Mode |
| Midjourney | Mega | $120 per month, billed monthly | 60 hours fast GPU time, Stealth Mode |
| Midjourney | Basic, Standard, Pro, Mega (annual) | $96, $288, $576, $1,152 per year, paid upfront | 20% discount |
Prices as of 2026-10
About each product
Leonardo AI
Leonardo.Ai describes itself as a creator-first generative AI platform for images and video. It offers its own models and many third party image models, image guidance references, model training from a small image set, Realtime Canvas and Flow State, upscalers and background removal. The Free plan gives 150 fast tokens a day with public creations; Essential, Premium and Ultimate cost $12, $30 and $60 a month. It runs on web, iOS and Android, with a pay as you go API.
Midjourney
Midjourney is a subscription image and video generator on midjourney.com and Discord. Its Edit model changes images from written instructions and references, its Editor works on your own uploads too, and Draft mode explores 24 images at once. Plans cost $10, $30, $60 and $120 a month, all with General Commercial Terms, and there is no free trial on the website.
Which one fits your work
Choose Leonardo AI when
- You want many image models from different labs in one place
- You want a free plan to start
- You need iOS and Android apps or an API
- You want to train a model on your own small image set
Choose Midjourney when
- You want an edit model documented to take written instructions
- You want known output sizes up to 2048 x 2048
- You prefer one model family with versioned releases
- You work in Discord
Where ImageQuarry fits
ImageQuarry is aimed at the step after the first generation: you ask for a specific change in words, such as different lighting or a new background, and get a new version while the earlier ones stay. Like Leonardo it offers more than one model, four in total with Nano Banana 2.1 as the default, and it organizes the work in projects. Plans are paid, Starter at $9 per month with 100 image credits a month or Pro at $29 per month with 300 image credits a month.
Questions about Leonardo AI vs Midjourney
Does Leonardo AI use Midjourney's model?
No. Leonardo lists its own Phoenix and Lucid models and third party models such as FLUX.2 Pro, GPT Image 2.5, Ideogram 4.5 and Nano Banana Pro. Midjourney's models are available only in Midjourney.
Which is cheaper to start with?
Leonardo has a Free plan with 150 fast tokens a day. Midjourney has no free trial on its website, and Basic costs $10 a month, as of October 2026.
Can I keep my images private?
Leonardo makes creations private on its paid plans; free tier creations are public. Midjourney keeps images private with Stealth Mode on Pro and Mega.
Who owns what I make?
Leonardo says paid subscribers retain full ownership; free tier users get a royalty free licence while Leonardo holds usage rights. Midjourney lets subscribers use their images in just about any way, with Pro or Mega required for companies above $1M in yearly revenue.
Sources
Every competitor fact on this page comes from the vendor's own pages, checked on the date shown. Recheck them before you buy.
Checked October 20, 2026
- Leonardo AI page (Wayback capture)
- Leonardo AI homepage
- Leonardo AI page (Wayback capture)
- Leonardo AI pricing and plans faq.md
- Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
- Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
- Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
- Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
- Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
- Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
- Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
- Midjourney page (Wayback capture)
Create an image. Edit it with words. Keep refining.
Ask for the change, keep the original
With ImageQuarry you select a version, describe what should change and what to keep, and every earlier version stays available.
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