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Head-to-head · AI Image Generators

Midjourney vs AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Midjourney #4 in AI Image Generators 9.2/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Midjourney
AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI #7 in AI Image Generators 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit AUTOMATIC1111

Midjourney leads on 0 checks, AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI on 2, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreMidjourney · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI
  • Most featuresAUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI · 4 of 4

Midjourney scores higher on our rubric for ai image generators: 9.2 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #7.

AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI offers free plan; Midjourney doesn't. AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI offers api access; Midjourney doesn't.

Midjourney is the better fit for creators working from prompts and image references. AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI is the better fit for free local Stable Diffusion experimentation.

  • Midjourney fits best

    Creators working from prompts and image references

  • AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI fits best

    Free local Stable Diffusion experimentation

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Side by side

Feature Midjourney 9.2/10 Visit ↗ AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.9
Ranking #4 in AI Image Generators #7 in AI Image Generators
Best for Creators working from prompts and image references Free local Stable Diffusion experimentation
Pricing model Paid Free
Starting price — Free plan
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Email, Tickets, Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 1 integrations 7 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Midjourney 3/4 · AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI 4/4
Text-to-image ✓ ✓
Reference images ✓ ✓
Image editing ✓ ✓
API access — ✓ (best)
Specs
Monthly credits Not checked yet Not checked yet
Commercial use Included Not checked yet
Output formats PNG PNG, JPEG
Our review
Pros
  • Combines text prompts with multiple image and style references
  • Web Editor supports inpainting, outpainting, variations, pan, and zoom
  • Standard and higher plans include unlimited Relax Mode generations
  • Text-to-image, image-to-image, inpainting, and outpainting workflows
  • Batch processing, model controls, prompt tools, and upscaling
  • HTTP API plus integrations for restoration and super-resolution
Cons
  • There is no free plan or free trial
  • Workflows are limited to the web interface and Discord bot
  • Fast GPU time is capped by plan, and commercial use has restrictions
  • Requires self-hosted installation on a supported operating system
  • Model licenses may differ from the software's AGPL-3.0 license
  • Broad controls can demand more configuration than a narrow image tool
Our verdict

Midjourney turns text prompts and image references into images, with tools to vary, edit, upscale, and organize results. It suits creators who want prompt-led image generation with control over visual references and follow-up edits. The…

Read the review →

AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI is an open-source, self-hosted browser interface for generating and transforming images with Stable Diffusion models. It suits creators, developers, and technical teams who want local control over…

Read the review →
  1. MidjourneyAI Image Generators 9.2Paid
  2. AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUIAI Image Generators 8.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Midjourney — where it wins

    • Combines text prompts with multiple image and style references
    • Web Editor supports inpainting, outpainting, variations, pan, and zoom
    • Standard and higher plans include unlimited Relax Mode generations

    Where it doesn't

    • There is no free plan or free trial
    • Workflows are limited to the web interface and Discord bot
    • Fast GPU time is capped by plan, and commercial use has restrictions

  • AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI — where it wins

    • Text-to-image, image-to-image, inpainting, and outpainting workflows
    • Batch processing, model controls, prompt tools, and upscaling
    • HTTP API plus integrations for restoration and super-resolution

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires self-hosted installation on a supported operating system
    • Model licenses may differ from the software's AGPL-3.0 license
    • Broad controls can demand more configuration than a narrow image tool

More comparisons

All AI image generators comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update