How to get AI to
help me choose an AI image generator.

What you’ll be able to do

By the end of this you’ll have picked one AI image generator for what you are making today, run the same prompt on two of them, checked the results properly, and know where the rights limits sit. You don’t need any AI experience. A prompt is just a description of the picture you want.

Nobody can tell you which is best for everything, because it depends on the job. A poster with words on it is a different job from a watercolour cat. So the tools below are sorted into three tiers, and the free route comes first every time. You don’t need to pay to get started, and I’d say don’t until you hit a wall.

If you only want the answer to “which is best for what I’m making”, use the picks below and jump to that tool.

Quick picks: what are you making?

• Need a quick picture, free, in an app you already use? ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot: no new login.
• Need to edit or combine photos you already have? Gemini: its page lists precise editing and combining photos on the free model.
• Need a poster with readable words? Ideogram is pitched on readable type. Gemini lists text rendering too. Test both.
• Need loose, stylised art or illustration? Midjourney, after trying a free chat assistant first.
• Already pay for Adobe? Adobe Firefly: images, video and audio in one place.
• Need a product photo of something you sell? Free route: a phone, window light and a plain backdrop, then Gemini or ChatGPT to change the background.
• Need to build it yourself, with full control? FLUX for the API and open weights, ComfyUI to run models on your own machine.

Before you start

Here is the scale used in this guide. It is ours, not an industry standard, but it makes the choice quicker.

The image generator tier scale

Tier 1: Chat assistant: image generation inside a chat you may already use. You type, pictures come back next to the text. ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot sit here.

Tier 2: Specialist app: a tool built for images. Separate login, more focus. Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Ideogram and FLUX’s browser playground sit here.

Tier 3: Open and local: you run the model yourself, or fully control it. No company setting the limits, but setup is on you. ComfyUI, and FLUX’s open weights.

Prices change often, so this guide gives bands and points you to each pricing page. Everything below was checked against the vendors’ own pages on 4 November 2026. Where a page could not be read, the guide says “check” rather than guessing.

Comparison chart

Get set up

You don’t need all of these. Read the tier line, the “Best for” tags and the “Skip it if” line for each. When one fits, start there. Most are free to try, so testing two costs nothing.

ChatGPT

Tier 1: Chat assistant

Best forquick ideasmixing chat and picturesnot learning a new tool

The Free plan has “limited image creation”, enough to run a few prompts and see whether you like it. Go has “more image creation” and may include ads. Plus has “more complex and accurate image creation” and image generation with Thinking, which Free and Go do not have. Pro has “unlimited and faster image creation”. You can also upload a photo and describe the change you want.

Cost: free to start, paid plans for more; check chatgpt.com/pricing. Skip it if: you want lots of images without paying.

Gemini

Tier 1: Chat assistant

Best forediting photoscombining photostext in imageskeeping a character consistent

Image generation and editing in the Gemini app is free with the Nano Banana 2 model, which Google lists as good for character consistency, text rendering, combining photos, precise editing and 2K resolution. Nano Banana 2.1, which Google calls its best image model, needs a Google AI plan (Plus, Pro or Ultra), and those plans also allow higher limits. In the app, open the tools menu and choose “Create images”. Images carry an invisible SynthID watermark and a visible watermark, and you can upload an image and ask Gemini whether Google AI made it.

Cost: free to start, paid Google AI plans for the newer model; check gemini.google/subscriptions. Skip it if: a visible watermark is a problem for what you are making.

Copilot

Tier 1: Chat assistant

Best forMicrosoft account usersno extra signupfree tries

Copilot has a free tier with a Microsoft account and can create images from a description. Some capabilities are subject to usage limits, with more on paid plans. It is a good free thing to try, though this guide cannot tell you which image model sits behind it.

Cost: free tier, paid options for more; check copilot.microsoft.com. Skip it if: you need to know exactly which model made your picture.

Adobe Firefly

Tier 2: Specialist app

Best forimages, video and audio in one placepeople who already use Adobe

Adobe describes Firefly as an all-in-one AI creative studio with 30+ AI models in one place, covering images, video and audio. That is the part checked here. The plans, credit allowances and commercial-use terms could not be read, so check them before relying on it for paid work.

Cost: check Adobe’s pricing and terms at firefly.adobe.com. Skip it if: you need commercial-use answers before you have tried anything.

Midjourney

Tier 2: Specialist app

Best forstylised artillustrationexploring looks

Midjourney is still actively developed: its update blog (updates.midjourney.com) is current, there is an alpha website, and in October 2026 it was testing a “Thinking Mode” aimed at prompt accuracy, typography and coherence. That is a test, not a promise. Pricing, any free trial and the terms could not be checked here.

Cost: check midjourney.com. Skip it if: you need a certain free route or the terms today.

Ideogram

Tier 2: Specialist app

Best forpostersreadable typefollowing your prompt closely

Current models are Ideogram 4.0 and 4.5, pitched on prompt fidelity and readable type. The apps include Precise Edit, Ad Resizer and Background Remover. The weights of Ideogram 4.0 are on Hugging Face, free under a non-commercial agreement, and commercial self-hosting needs a paid licence, so read that twice if you plan to sell what you make.

Cost: free plan limits not checked; see ideogram.ai/pricing. Skip it if: you want open weights for commercial use without paying.

FLUX

Tier 2: Specialist app

Best foreditingpay-as-you-go useopen weights

FLUX comes from Black Forest Labs. There is FLUX 3 Image, and FLUX 3 Image Klein, which is designed for image editing and has open weights. You can try it in a browser playground, or use a pay-as-you-go API with no subscription. Open-weights models need a licence for commercial use, though non-commercial licence terms exist. If “API” means nothing to you, stick to the playground.

Cost: pay as you go; check bfl.ai/pricing. Skip it if: you want a simple monthly plan.

ComfyUI

Tier 3: Open and local

Best forfull controlworking offlinelearning how it works

ComfyUI is an open source, node-based app for generative AI. Comfy Desktop installs on Windows 10 or later, macOS with Apple Silicon, and Linux. A dedicated NVIDIA or AMD GPU is recommended but not required, and each install needs at least 4.85 GB of disk. You download the models separately. Comfy Cloud gives new users 5 free runs, then usage-based plans.

Cost: free to run yourself; docs at docs.comfy.org. Skip it if: installing software and wiring up nodes sounds like a chore.

Try it yourself

Pick two tools from above, ideally one chat assistant and one specialist, and paste the same prompt into both. Ten minutes of that will teach you more than reading. Each of these prompts does a different job.

Prompt one tests mood, style and a portrait shape:

Create an image of a ginger tabby asleep in a sunbeam on a wooden windowsill, soft watercolour style, warm light, 4:5 portrait.

Prompt two tests words, which is where most generators struggle:

Make a poster with the exact words 'Open Mic Night' and 'Friday 8pm', bold type, dark blue background, plenty of space around the text.

Prompt three tests editing. Upload a photo first, then:

Using this photo, keep the subject exactly as it is and change only the background to a bright kitchen counter with soft morning light.

Check the result

Don’t look at the whole picture and think “nice”. Run these tests.

Zoom in on hands, text and edges. Count the fingers. Read every letter of the poster. Look where one object meets another, because that is where things melt.

Compare it with what you asked for, line by line. Did you get a ginger tabby, a windowsill, a sunbeam, watercolour, a 4:5 portrait shape? Missing two is a fail for that tool on that prompt.

If it’s a real product, put the picture next to the actual item and compare colour, shape, finish and wording. If the label now says something slightly different, it is wrong, however good it looks.

Then the two-tool test itself: which did better on your job? That is your answer to “which is best” for now, not forever.

If it doesn’t work

Start with privacy. Don’t give any AI something you wouldn’t want a company to hold: passwords, ID documents, client files, private photos of other people, anything covered by an agreement you’ve signed. Read each tool’s own privacy settings, and assume anything you upload is not private.

Don’t use a real person’s likeness without their consent, and that includes friends, colleagues and anyone else’s children. Don’t ask for brand names, logos or characters either: those are trade marks, and a tool letting you do it doesn’t mean you can use the result.

Commercial-use rules differ by tool and by plan, so read them before you sell or promote anything you made. Where a platform asks you to label realistic AI images, do it. Gemini adds a visible watermark and an invisible SynthID mark, so don’t crop a label off and pass the result off as a photograph.

Free tiers run out. That’s normal. Don’t pay until you’ve hit a real wall, then pay for the one tool that solved your problem.

If the picture is just wrong, the prompt is probably asking for too much. Ask for one thing at a time, cut the adjectives and try again. If words keep coming out garbled, try a tool pitched on text, such as Ideogram.

Questions people ask

Which AI image generator is best for posters with readable text?

Ideogram is pitched on readable type and prompt fidelity. Gemini lists text rendering too, so test both. If words keep coming out garbled, try a tool pitched on text, such as Ideogram.

Can I generate AI images for free?

Yes. ChatGPT's Free plan has limited image creation, Gemini is free with the Nano Banana 2 model, and Copilot has a free tier with a Microsoft account. Don't pay until you've hit a real wall, then pay for the one tool that solved your problem.

How do I check whether an AI image is actually good?

Zoom in on hands, text and edges, count the fingers and read every letter. Compare it with what you asked for, line by line; missing two things is a fail for that tool on that prompt.

What should I not upload to an AI image generator?

Don't give any AI something you wouldn't want a company to hold: passwords, ID documents, client files or private photos of other people. Assume anything you upload is not private, and don't use a real person's likeness without consent.

Does Gemini watermark the images it makes?

Yes. Gemini images carry an invisible SynthID watermark and a visible watermark. Skip it if a visible watermark is a problem for what you are making, and don't crop a label off and pass the result off as a photograph.

Keep exploring

Depending on what you’re making: “How to get AI to create an image” goes deeper on prompting. “How to get AI to edit a photo” covers changing something you already have. “How to get AI to make a logo” is worth reading before you try that, as logos have their own traps. And if you are still choosing a chat assistant, “How to get AI to help me choose an assistant” compares the main ones.

Our own sites: isthereathing.com gives an honest yes or no on whether a thing exists for a job, with the real tools and the catch; canyouuseai.com gives a verdict on whether to use AI for something, with the UK rules; aiguideson.com has short free AI courses for people who don’t code.

Sources and review notes

https://chatgpt.com/pricing https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation https://gemini.google/subscriptions https://copilot.microsoft.com https://firefly.adobe.com https://updates.midjourney.com https://ideogram.ai https://bfl.ai/pricing https://docs.comfy.org https://productphotoshots.com/llms.txt

Vendor facts checked 4 November 2026. Not covered because they could not be verified: Canva AI and Leonardo.

Review date: 4 November 2026

Disclosure: Product Photo Shots is one of our products — this site is made by the same studio, Adapt Progress Evolve. We have tried to compare fairly, and the alternatives named are real and worth a look.