Compare · Last checked October 20, 2026
Midjourney vs Stable Diffusion: a hosted app or models you run yourself
Midjourney is a subscription app for making and editing images, with its own models, a website, Discord and an Edit model for written instructions. Stable Diffusion is Stability AI's model family, sold through a pay per credit Platform API and self hosted licenses; its consumer app, Stable Assistant, now redirects away. Pick Midjourney if you want an app; pick Stable Diffusion if you want to build with the models or run them on your own hardware.
We make ImageQuarry, which is not one of these two products. We compared Midjourney and Stable Diffusion using their own public pages, checked October 20, 2026.
Last updated October 20, 2026
At a glance
| Midjourney | Stable Diffusion | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A subscription app on the web, Discord and mobile | Models through an API or self hosted weights |
| Consumer app | midjourney.com and the niji journey app | Stable Assistant now redirects; no current image app found |
| Price, October 2026 | $10 to $120 a month | $0.01 per credit; Stable Image Ultra 8 credits per image |
| Self hosting | Not offered | Community License for under $1M revenue; Enterprise License above |
| Editing with words | Edit model: written instructions | API: Search and Replace with a text prompt |
Midjourney and Stable Diffusion: the differences that matter
Ready to use or ready to build on
Midjourney is a finished app: you sign up, prompt and edit on its website or in Discord. Stability AI sells Stable Diffusion 3.5, SDXL and Stable Image models through its Platform API and self hosted licenses, and links no consumer image app from its homepage.
Running models on your own hardware
Stability AI's Community License lets researchers, developers, small businesses and creators under $1M in annual revenue self host its models. Midjourney's models are available only through Midjourney.
Paying by the image
Stability's API charges per credit at $0.01, from 0.9 credits for SDXL to 8 credits for Stable Image Ultra, with editing operations priced separately. Midjourney charges a monthly subscription with Fast GPU hours.
Editing in an interface
Midjourney's Editor gives you Vary Region, Pan, Zoom Out and brushes in the browser. Stability's Search and Replace and Search and Recolor are API endpoints that take a text prompt naming what to change.
Midjourney vs Stable Diffusion, 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 | Midjourney | Stable Diffusion |
|---|---|---|
| Models | V6, V7, V8.1, V8.2 and Niji | Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large, Turbo and Medium, SDXL, Stable Image Ultra and Core |
| Edit operations | Edit model, Vary Region, Pan, Zoom Out | Erase, Inpaint, Outpaint, Remove Background, Replace Background and Relight |
| Upscaling | Subtle and Creative upscalers to 2048 x 2048 | Creative, Conservative and Fast upscalers |
| Ownership | Broad use; Pro or Mega above $1M revenue | You own outputs from the Core Models |
| Free start | No free trial on the website or Discord | 25 free API credits |
| Discord | Yes | Not stated |
As of 2026-10-20
Sources: 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); Stable Diffusion homepage; Stable Diffusion stable assistant; Stable Diffusion page (Wayback capture); Stable Diffusion stable image; Stable Diffusion pricing; Stable Diffusion api reference; Stable Diffusion license; Stable Diffusion faq; Stable Diffusion api reference; Stable Diffusion conservative
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Stable Diffusion | Platform API | 1 credit = $0.01 per pay per credit | Stable Image Ultra 8 credits per image, SD 3.5 Large 6.5, SDXL 1.0 from 0.9 |
| Stable Diffusion | Community License (self hosted) | Free | Under $1M annual revenue |
| Stable Diffusion | Enterprise License | Custom Pricing | Over $1M annual revenue |
Prices as of 2026-10
About each product
Midjourney
Midjourney is a subscription image and video generator with its own models, V8.2 by default. Its Edit model changes images from written instructions, its Editor works on uploads, and plans cost $10 to $120 a month with General Commercial Terms. It runs on midjourney.com, in Discord and in the niji journey app.
Stable Diffusion
Stability AI makes the Stable Diffusion models and sells them through a pay per credit Platform API, at $0.01 per credit, and through self hosted licenses: a Community License for those under $1M in annual revenue and an Enterprise License above it. Its consumer chatbot app, Stable Assistant, now redirects away from its old address. Users own outputs from the Core Models under its license.
Which one fits your work
Choose Midjourney when
- You want an app you can use today without setup
- You want an editor in the browser
- You want a flat monthly price
- You like Discord
Choose Stable Diffusion when
- You want to self host image models under a license
- You are building with an image API and paying per call
- You want separate endpoints for erase, inpaint, outpaint and relight
- Your business is under $1M in revenue and wants the Community License
Where ImageQuarry fits
ImageQuarry is an app rather than a model you host: describe an image or upload one, ask for a change in words, and keep the version history, with variations and branches. It offers four image models by name, Nano Banana 2.1 by default, inside one workspace with projects and a library, on paid monthly plans.
Questions about Midjourney vs Stable Diffusion
Is there still a Stable Diffusion app from Stability AI?
Stability AI's Stable Assistant page now redirects to its strategic partnerships page, and assistant.stability.ai redirects to its homepage. No official shutdown notice was found, and no current consumer image app is linked from stability.ai.
Can I run Stable Diffusion myself?
Yes, under a license. Stability's Community License covers researchers, developers, small businesses and creators under $1M in annual revenue; above that an Enterprise License applies.
How much does Stable Diffusion cost by API?
One credit is $0.01. Stable Image Ultra costs 8 credits per image and Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large 6.5, as of October 2026, and Stability says pricing may change.
Can Midjourney be self hosted?
No self hosting appears on Midjourney's pages; it runs on midjourney.com, in Discord and in the niji journey app.
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
- 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)
- Stable Diffusion homepage
- Stable Diffusion stable assistant
- Stable Diffusion page (Wayback capture)
- Stable Diffusion stable image
- Stable Diffusion pricing
- Stable Diffusion api reference
- Stable Diffusion license
- Stable Diffusion faq
- Stable Diffusion api reference
- Stable Diffusion conservative
Create an image. Edit it with words. Keep refining.
Skip the setup, keep the iteration
ImageQuarry keeps each requested change as a version, so you can compare, branch and download the one you choose.
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