Midjourney sells one polished look by GPU time; Leonardo sells 50+ models by tokens with a free daily allowance. Prices, privacy, ownership and video compared.
These two get compared constantly because they cost almost the same, but they are built on opposite ideas. Midjourney is one lab's model with a recognizable look, sold by the hour of GPU time. Leonardo, owned by Canva, is a studio that wraps its own models and more than 50 from other labs in one token balance. Which is better depends on whether you want the best single style or the widest choice.
Midjourney's strength is consistency. Its V8.2 model, the default since July 24, 2026, produces polished, art-directed images from short prompts, and personalization profiles and style references keep a look stable across a project. V8.2 also brought the Edit model, which replaced Omni Reference, Character Reference and Retexture with one workflow: describe a change in plain language and add up to four reference images.
Leonardo's strength is range. Its own Lucid Origin, Lucid Realism and Phoenix models sit next to OpenAI's GPT Image 2, Google's Nano Banana Pro, FLUX.2, Ideogram 4.0, Seedream 5.0 Pro, Recraft V4 and Krea 2 for images, plus a long list of video models. You can pick Ideogram for text on a poster, Nano Banana Pro for consistent characters and infographics, and Lucid Origin for HD renders, and train up to 10, 20 or 50 personal models depending on the plan.
| Midjourney | Leonardo AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None on the website; a limited trial in the niji·journey app | 150 fast tokens a day, public creations |
| Entry plan | Basic $10: 3.3 Fast GPU hours, about 200 image prompts | Essential $12: 8,500 tokens a month |
| Middle plan | Standard $30: 15 Fast hours plus unlimited Relax images | Premium $30: 25,000 tokens plus unlimited relaxed images on selected models |
| Upper plans | Pro $60 (30 hours, Stealth Mode), Mega $120 (60 hours) | Ultimate $60: 60,000 tokens plus relaxed video on selected models |
| Yearly discount | 20% | Up to 20% |
| What you pay for | GPU time per job | Tokens per generation, by model |
| Private images | Pro and Mega only | Every paid plan |
| Video | Own model, 5 to 21 seconds | Dozens of models, including Veo 3.1 and Kling 3.0 |
| Through another subscription | No | Essential is included in Canva Business |
Midjourney prices from its plan page as of September 28, 2026; Leonardo prices from its pricing page, checked October 1, 2026.
The "unlimited" labels deserve a closer look. Midjourney's Relax mode on Standard and above covers its main model for images, and Pro adds unlimited Relax video at standard definition. Leonardo's relaxed mode covers its own models plus Flux Dev and Flux Schnell, and on Ultimate a few video models; the premium third-party models that draw people to Leonardo still spend tokens.
This is where the two differ most, and it matters for client work. Midjourney says paid users own their images and videos, even after cancelling, but companies earning more than $1 million a year must be on Pro or Mega. Images on Basic and Standard are public in Midjourney's gallery; only Pro and Mega include Stealth Mode.
Leonardo's terms split by plan instead. On the free plan, ownership of the output vests in Leonardo and creations are public. On any paid plan, ownership vests in you and you can mark creations private, and Leonardo's terms say private content is not used to train its models without written consent. A freelancer who needs private images pays $12 a month at Leonardo against $60 at Midjourney.
Midjourney's video starts from one of its images: a 5-second clip that can be extended four times by four seconds, to 21 seconds, at 480p on every plan and 720p in Fast mode on Standard and above. It is good for stylized motion and loops, and it keeps Midjourney's look.
Leonardo treats video as another model menu: Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0 and Kling O3 Omni, Seedance 2.5, MiniMax H3, Hailuo 2.3, Wan 3.0, LTX-2.3 and its own Motion 2.0, several with generated audio and image references. Video is token-hungry, but for finished clips with sound Leonardo has far more to offer.
| If you | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Want the most polished look with little prompting | Midjourney | V8.2 and a consistent house style |
| Want to try AI images without paying | Leonardo | 150 free tokens a day |
| Need private images on a budget | Leonardo | Private mode from $12 |
| Need text-heavy designs or infographics | Leonardo | Ideogram, GPT Image 2 and Nano Banana Pro in one place |
| Make large volumes of images in one style | Midjourney | Unlimited Relax images from $30 |
| Need video with sound | Leonardo | Veo 3.1, Kling and Seedance |
| Already pay for Canva Business | Leonardo | Essential is included |
The verdict stays with Midjourney for people whose main goal is the best-looking image: its aesthetics, editing and unlimited Relax mode at $30 remain hard to match. Leonardo is the better value for nearly everyone else, especially anyone who wants a free start, private work on a cheap plan, a choice of models or video with sound. For images trained on licensed content, Adobe's Firefly is the usual alternative, and our best AI image generators guide covers the wider field.
For a consistent, polished look from short prompts, Midjourney is still the stronger choice, and its V8.2 model adds plain-language editing. Leonardo is better if you want a free daily allowance, many models in one place, including GPT Image 2, Nano Banana Pro, Ideogram, Kling and Veo 3.1, private images on every paid plan or an API.
The list prices nearly match: Midjourney costs $10, $30, $60 or $120 a month, and Leonardo $12, $30 or $60, with about 20% off yearly on both. Leonardo has a free plan with 150 tokens a day, while Midjourney has no free plan on its website. Which costs less in use depends on volume: Midjourney's Standard plan includes unlimited Relax images, and Leonardo's Premium includes unlimited relaxed images only on selected models.
No. Midjourney's main website and Discord need a paid plan from $10 a month, and its help center says a limited trial exists only in the niji·journey mobile app. Leonardo's free plan gives 150 fast tokens a day, though free creations are public and, under Leonardo's terms, owned by Leonardo.
Leonardo, at a lower price. Every Leonardo paid plan, from $12 a month, lets you keep creations private. Midjourney keeps images public in its gallery on Basic and Standard; Stealth Mode, which hides them, comes only with Pro at $60 and Mega at $120.
Leonardo, for range: it offers dozens of video models including Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.5, Hailuo 2.3 and Wan 3.0, several with audio. Midjourney animates its own images into 5-second clips that can be extended to 21 seconds, at 480p or 720p, which suits stylized loops more than finished video with sound.
On paid plans, generally yes. Midjourney says you own what you create, but companies earning more than $1 million a year must use Pro or Mega. Leonardo's terms give paid subscribers ownership of their content, while free-plan output is owned by Leonardo, so commercial work belongs on a paid plan.