Dall-E vs Midjourney - A Hands-On Comparison

Want to find the right fit in the battle between “DALL-E vs Midjourney” to subscribe? Here I compared the tools on multiple use cases for a clear answer.

If decades earlier, someone must’ve said that you can create images just by providing a text prompt, most likely, that person would become a subject of ridicule. However, as the AI revolution has spread, it is making its way to the farther reaches of human creativity, including image creation. Quite ironically, I will be comparing “DALL-E vs Midjourney” to see which tool is more capable of pulling off image creation.

Each of the tools has had a presence for a while. However, they have gone through several iterations to enhance their capabilities, and the results produced, well, jaw-dropping. So, if both of them are great, which one should you pick? Well, I have tried my best to give a clear perspective, and yes, the results can blow you away.

Note: The comparison throughout the editorial is made between “DALL-E 3” and the latest iteration of Midjourney.

DALL-E vs Midjourney - Discussing the Purpose & Features

DALL-E and Midjourney are both AI image generators that function using prompts. To talk further about these generative AI tools, here are some details about them to set the context.

DALL-E - An Introduction

DALL-E is a generative AI model developed by OpenAI that is capable of generating distinct and realistic images using textual prompts. Its first iteration, DALL-E 1, dropped in January 2021, which showcased the potential of AI in creative fields. As of now, the tool’s AI model has undergone two updates, and the latest version of this model is DALL-E 3, which is currently available on AI platforms like ChatGPT and Bing AI.

DALL-E 3 is capable of generating photorealistic and detailed images. To achieve this, it uses a combination of algorithms like the Transformer Model, CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training), dVAE (Discrete Variational Autoencoder), and Encoder-decoder pipeline. The reason behind its accuracy also lies in its training. The model is trained on millions of captioned images that have helped it create original images along with accuracy as per text.

As of now, the tool offers immense potential in fields like Design, Art, Education, etc. However, it is important to note that the tool is still in development and is bound to improve with each iteration.

Features of DALL-E:

• High-Quality Images: Sharper high-resolution images with fine details
• Realism: Realistic textures through the rendering of light, shadow, and material textures
• Precise Prompt Reading: Images are aligned with textual descriptions
• Access to Nuanced Concepts: Generate images with abstract ideas and creative styles better than previous versions
• Selective Edits: Modify parts of images using new prompts or replacing descriptions
• Consistent Styles: Ensure seamless blending of edits with the original image
• Structured Layouts: Allows spatial relationships and arrangements in detail within the image
• Scene Complexity: Capability to handle complex multi-element scenarios without losing coherence
• Mimic Art Styles: Supports the replication of multiple styles like historical and abstract and allows tweaks based on adjectives
• Dynamic Design Flexibility: Allows the users to specify the mood, tone, and context of the image
• In-Image Text Creation: Generate images with accurate text within signs, labels, logos, etc
• Better Legibility: You can choose fonts and alignment for realistic integration
• Better Anatomy: Accurately depicts human poses and proportions
• Natural Expressions: Render facial features and emotions
• Photorealism to Fantasy: Generates outputs that range from hyper-realistic to imaginative and stylized
• Cultural Representation: Adapts to diverse cultural and thematic contexts
• Default Quality: Generates images at 1024x1024 resolution
• Resolution Adjustment and Custom Sizes: The default resolution generated is 1024x1024, which can be adjusted to support wider (1792x1024) or taller (1024x1792) formats.
• Prevention of Harmful Content: Restricts generating explicit, violent, or politically sensitive images
• Copyright Compliance: Adheres to intellectual property guidelines, avoiding the creation of copyrighted characters or post-1912 artistic reproductions
• API Access: Enables API integration with apps and software easily
• Context-Aware Adjustments: Adjusts images instantly based on user feedback, enhancing outputs in ongoing sessions

Midjourney - An Introduction

The journey of Midjourney started after DALL-E in the year 2022. David Holz, the co-founder of Leap Motion, created the tool in an independent research lab. Since then, this tool has undergone several updates and continuously improved its image generation capabilities. The key event to note occurred in August 2024 when the tool officially got its web interface beyond the initial Discord platform with capabilities like image editing, panning, zooming, etc.

Similar to DALL-E, it also works by analyzing text prompts to generate varied styles of image content. For instance, oil painting, watercolor, anime, etc. Midjourney, in essence, is a combination of multiple AI techniques like machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing (NLP), generative adversarial networks, and custom algorithms. So, the combination of each of these AI techniques allows it to be an excellent tool for art, design, etc.

Features of Midjourney:

• Detailed Outputs: Capability to produce intricate and high-resolution images with rich textures and clarity
• Photorealism and Stylization: Can create hyper-realistic visuals with more abstract and stylized outputs
• Diverse Aesthetic Choices: Delivers a wide range of artistic styles ranging from realism and surrealism to anime
• Customizable Visuals: Capability to specify tone, mood, and era for unique outputs.
• Precise Prompt Interpretation: Generate images that have detailed and complex textual descriptions.
• Nuanced Understanding: Handle abstract ideas and combine their creativity effectively
• Aspect Ratios: Allows specification of image dimensions (e.g., square, wide, or portrait)
• Resolution Control: Generates images in various resolutions, including high-definition formats
• Image Mixing: Combines multiple images to create hybrid designs, allowing creative experimentation.
• Style Fusion: Integrate elements from multiple sources to create a cohesive output
• Upscaling: Enhances details and resolution for selected images
• Variations: Generate multiple variations of an image in a single go and refine them further
• Shared Workspaces: Explore and collaborate on generated images for public use
• Inspiration from Others: Access to a community gallery of new creations and techniques used
• Prompt Flexibility: Advanced users can modify parameters such as stylization (--stylize), seed values, or aspect ratios (--ar)
• Stylize Parameter: Adjust the level of creativity or abstraction within an image. For example, low for photorealism, high for artistic flair, etc.
• Weighting Options: Gives priority to certain elements in a prompt for more tailored results
• Custom Seeds: Allows you to replicate or build upon prior outputs for consistency
• Private Mode: Enables you to work on projects confidentially for professional use
• Improved Anatomy: Creates accurate depictions of human forms and facial features.
• Dynamic Scenes: Capability to handle complex compositions with multiple elements easily.
• Global Accessibility: Accepts prompts in various languages like French, German, Italian, etc., broadening its user base.
• Version Flexibility: Users can easily switch between Midjourney versions (e.g., v4, v5, etc.) and access specific features or styles.
• Regular Enhancements: Frequent model updates that improve accuracy, speed, and artistic capabilities.
• Commercial Use: Offers plans that permit the use of images in business projects.
• Visual Narratives: Supports storytelling via consistent styles across multiple images
• Scene Continuity: Sequential imagery to foresee changes within an image
• Real-Time Interactions: Instant feedback and fast image generation of images
• User-Friendly: Easy to use for beginners while offering depth for advanced users

Also Read: Best Midjourney Alternatives That Deserve Your Attention

Comparative Overview: DALL-E and Midjourney 

To do an accurate DALL-E vs Midjourney analysis, it is crucial to compare the features of the two side-by-side. In the table below, I have compared the two best AI art generators on a number of essential factors. Let’s dive right in!

Also Read: Leonardo AI vs Midjourney - Who is the Winner?

Power and Control “Midjourney vs DALL-E” - Creative Freedom Comparison

For me, the entire idea behind creating this DALL-E vs Midjourney was to help you distinguish side-by-side results of their AI image generation capabilities. So, to do it, I created multiple prompts in different categories and have provided the results below for you to compare.

1. Portrait

Prompt: Create a portrait of an old lady who is standing in front of a blue curtain. There is a chair on the right side of the woman and a mirror on the left. Also, the age of the woman should be around 85 with a slight slouched posture.

Inference: Both DALL-E and Midjourney were able to follow the instructions depicting each element in the correct place. However, the image of the lady generated by Midjourney feels more realistic.

2. Landscape

Prompt: Create a landscape inspired by the Indian Himalayas. In the front, I want a river or sea that leads to the mountains on the horizon. Make sure that there are clouds on the peak. And, the environment in the image should be sunny and bright.

Inference: Both images look equally enticing to me. However, I personally prefer DALL-E’s version more because it highlights the sun more. On the flipside, again the mountains on Midjourney look more realistic to me.

3. Wildlife

Prompt: In the image, I want hyenas, badgers, tigers, and peacocks. The image should display the scene of a forest where the tigers are running behind hyenas. Also, the badgers will be fighting against snakes, and we can have peacocks sitting on the tree.

Inference: In both images, one can witness visible errors in depicting the scenario. While the image of DALL-E looks less cluttered, the visible errors are quite obvious. On the contrary, Midjourney is much less ridden of errors, plus I personally like the scenario created by it.

4. Logo & Text

Prompt: Create a logo for ‘MobileAppDaily’. The color of the logo should be red, white, and black. Also, it should say MobileAppDaily somewhere in the logo. And, the caption below should say “Resources to Learn Everything IT”.

Inference: Here, without a doubt, DALL-E is the clear winner. The logo created by DALL-E is really good, and its AI model doesn’t mess up the text. On the other hand, Midjourney showcases a minimal version of the logo, but I personally like the design. But, the text is completely messed up from what I envisioned with the results.

5. Renaissance

Prompt: Create an image showing the Renaissance period when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, and showing how it works for the common population there. The image should look like a photo that was captured with a photo film camera.

Inference: In this prompt, the trick was to display the right color of images, and Midjourney accurately anticipated a black-and-white image. Plus, without a doubt, the image from Midjourney looks realistic. In fact, on DALL-E, you can easily see that the people standing on the right don’t really have a face.

6. Baroque

Prompt: I want an intricate baroque-style painting of an opulent hall. The scene should have contrasting light with a massive crystal chandelier shining. The focus of the image should be on nobles who are engaged in a lively conversation wearing rich clothes from the 17th century full of velvet and jewels. The background comprises gilded columns ornate tapestries, and marble structures. The image overall should convey the feeling of grandeur.

Inference: I personally liked both the images. For me, it is more of a choice depending upon the tonality one wants. The only thing that I felt was slightly missing was in the Midjourney image. There, we can see the nobles engaged in some activity, but the image doesn’t convey that they are having a conversation. Contrarily, DALL-E perfectly captures this element.

7. Minimalism

Prompt: Create an image that portrays minimalism. In the image, I want women carrying hay in a wide landscape while they are walking on grass that is green, similar to what it is after rain. Aside from that, I want all these women to have different clothes that mimic day-to-day wear from Indian states like Himachal Pradesh. Also, one of the women is carrying a kid on her front. The image should mimic a 14 mm focal length capture from a full-frame DSLR.

Inference: Again, Midjourney was able to create a more realistic image. In fact, I placed a bet of 10 bucks with one of my colleagues to look at the image and tell if it was real or not, and she was confused about the right answer. I personally don’t mind a little animated tone because I liked the minimalist image created by DALL-E. However, Midjourney still takes the cake for its realism for me personally.

8. Conceptual Art

Prompt: Create a concept art of a car that mimics the design language of Lamborghini. The car is being driven on Tokyo highways and there is a heavy motion blur by the side. I want the color of the car red and it should have round headlights and the environment should be similar to NEO noir.

Inference: For some people, the image created by DALL-E would seem more enticing. But here’s the truth. While three simultaneous results from Midjourney didn’t showcase round headlights, one did. Also, DALL-E asked me to simplify the prompt so that it could generate the results. Further on, Midjourney perfectly captures the Neo-noir theme while DALL-E’s image looks straight out of a video game.

9. Pixel Art

Prompt: Create a vibrant pixel art scene of a futuristic city at sunset. The city should have skyscrapers with neon signs, flying cars, and a bustling street market. The sky should be a mix of orange and purple hues which are scattered clouds. It should include small details like glowing streetlights, tiny figures walking, and a robotic vendor selling hotdogs. They should have a mix of both retro and cyberpunk aesthetics.

Inference: Again, DALL-E struggled with creating the image in a single go. And after toning down the prompt, it didn’t generate the desired results. On the other hand, Midjourney was able to complete the task in one go, and it provided the result I wanted.

10. 3D Art

Prompt: Create a 3D scene of a futuristic city where the water is floating by the subset. The city features skyscrapers with geometric shapes, patterns, and cars hovering. Also, the ocean reflects the golden and orange hues of the sky with shimmering bioluminescent waves in the shades of blue and green.

Inference: Here, I made a mistake knowingly to see if they could predict what I asked for. Instead of “sunset,” I wrote “subset,” but both the best AI apps predicted sunset right. Also, again, I was confused about which pic to go for, as the only difference was the style of the images.

11. Photorealism

Prompt: Create a photorealistic portrait of a guy with his face covered entirely with hair. He is wearing a coat and a striped shirt and is directly looking at the camera. There is a detective cap over his head, and he is smiling.

Inference: Surprisingly, both the images looked a little cartoonish this time. However, for me, Midjourney won only for accurately depicting the feature. I think DALL-E is the overall winner here, as it understood the prompt correctly.

12. Vintage

Prompt: Create a vintage image back when the first car launched in 1886 is being driven on the road. And, there are people walking on the road. It should look like an old picture and should have no elements of animation.

Inference: The clear winner for this comparison is Midjourney. The image created by the tool looks real, as suggested. While Midjourney doesn’t get the face of the women in the background right, which can be the case with old photographs of that time, DALL-E completely fails there. The image of the driver is not clear, and again, the results look animated.

DALL-E and Midjourney - Comparing Pricing to Understand Value Proposition

Out of the two AI image generators, DALL-E and Midjourney, only DALL-E is the AI image generator for free, but only to a certain degree. So, if you have made up your mind to use one of the two, here are the prices along with related details:

Also Read: Best ChatGPT Alternatives to Use!

DALL-E Pricing:

As mentioned earlier, DALL-E offers users both free and paid access. So, here are details related to its free and paid usage.

Free Access:

• ChatGPT Free Tier Program: By using the free version of ChatGPT, you can create up to 3 images as per my testing in a single day. After that, it will ask for credits to perform the task.
• Bing Image Creator: Microsoft's Bing Image Creator, which is powered by DALL·E 3, offers its users a limited number of credits that can be used to create an image for free. 

Paid Access:

The paid capabilities of DALL-E can be accessed in two ways. These are:

ChatGPT Plus Subscription

For a subscription of $20 per month, the number of daily images that you can generate can vary. In some forums, the answer is 15, while others say 60. If we ask ChatGPT the same question, it says that this number is unlimited but has stopped producing results, as per reports & articles online.

DALL-E API: 

Developers can use this API to integrate DALL-E into their applications. The price of using DALL-E through API can differ based on the resolution and quality required. Developers can integrate DALL-E into their applications through the API. Below, we have shared a table that showcases the prices associated with the API:

Midjourney Pricing:

When Midjourney dropped into the market, it was free for its users. However, today, if you want to use the image generator AI, a subscription is required. Below is a table describing the prices - both monthly and on a yearly basis:

Monthly Basis:

Yearly Basis:

Commercial and Legal Implications - DALL-E vs Midjourney

Tools like Midjourney and DALL-E AI image generator are a huge leap in terms of what AI can do. The user practically has the power to generate any image simply by creating a text prompt and can further refine it by adjusting a few words. This potential can lead to dark spaces like deepfakes, political disruption through manipulative images, racial discrimination & bias, IP infringement, etc.

In fact, since the time these best AI tools have been developed, there have been multiple incidents where they weren’t fairly used. Some of these examples are:

• In 2023, an artist named Kris Kashtanova was able to successfully register a comic book generated using Midjourney. The copyright had to be removed later as the AI-generated elements didn’t meet the requirements of human authorship.
• In 2022, AI-generated images that resembled real photos were circulated during a political campaign that had a misleading effect and sparked conversations.
• In 2023, a freelance illustrator had to protest against AI-generated artwork from getting submitted to major art competitions because of its unfair nature.

In fact, the regulations around AI image are still developing, but makers like OpenAI and Midjourney have tightened policies and regulations for fair usage. In fact, I personally tried to create something manipulative to see if the tool could produce the results, and it didn’t.

Stating each of these points, I have also consolidated some implications ranging from commercial to legal and more around DALL-E and Midjourney. So, here they are:

• DALL-E and Midjourney can be used by businesses, developers, creators, designers, etc., to create content around corporate presentations, e-commerce, entertainment, branding, NFT collections, etc.
• Both tools offer ownership and intellectual property rights for the AI images created. However, where DALL-E provides full ownership, for Midjourney, you need to meet certain requirements for commercial use.
• Both tools have developed filters for content moderation, blocking harmful prompts, controversial creations, or any image that raises ethical concerns.
• Governments and institutions around the world are discussing policies to regulate AI-generated content with acts like the EU AI Act.

My Verdict

The tiff between “Midjourney vs DALL-E” is a long one. All sorts of opinions have already been formed since both of these tools have existed for more than a year. However, for me, Midjourney is a clear winner. Why? Well, I am a hobbyist photographer, and I value photorealism. It showcased results with accuracy almost every time. It can be a preferable tool for anyone who is expecting results that look as if they are taken from real life.

Contrarily, DALL-E achieved something that Midjourney got completely wrong, i.e., text. I preferred the image of Midjourney because I value realism. However, for people, who don’t mind a little animated tone, DALL-E can be a preferable tool.

In the end, I’d say that the argument that led to the comparison “DALL-E vs Midjourney” does make a lot of sense, as both of these can be used for completely different use cases. It is also important to note that each of these tools has undergone multiple updates and will be getting more advanced in the future. So, I guess the battle would never end. Till then, if you like our content, you can wait for the next battle between the two when these tools return stronger with new updates.