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Short answer: Midjourney did open its web image generator to everyone in August 2024 and briefly offered approximately 25 free image generations. That was a temporary trial, not a permanent free plan. As of August 10, 2026, Midjourney’s official documentation says that free trials are unavailable on midjourney.com and Discord. Image generation on the website currently requires a paid subscription, starting at $10 per month.
You can still use Midjourney in a browser without operating Discord. The separate niji·journey mobile app is the only free trial Midjourney currently documents, and that trial is limited to iOS and Android.
What the “free Midjourney” headline actually meant
The headline was accurate as August 2024 news, but it is misleading if read as a current service-status announcement.
Midjourney made two related changes at the time:
- It opened its previously restricted web experience to everyone.
- It temporarily enabled a free trial for new users, with contemporary reports describing an allowance of approximately 25 free image generations.
Those were not the same thing. Opening the website meant that people no longer needed to be selected or experienced users to access the browser interface. The free generations were a separate, explicitly temporary promotion. Once the allowance ended, users had to subscribe.
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What happened in August 2024?
Midjourney’s move to the web happened in stages rather than in one single launch.
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2022 onward | Midjourney was primarily associated with creating images through Discord, although a web interface was developed later. |
| August 16, 2024 | Web creation expanded to users who had made at least 10 Midjourney images. This was an intermediate access requirement, not universal access. |
| August 21, 2024 | Midjourney announced that its web experience was open to everyone and that free trials had been temporarily enabled. |
| August 23, 2024 | Midjourney published its official “The web is open to all!” announcement. |
| Late August 2024 | Contemporary coverage described approximately 25 free image generations before a subscription was required. Reports soon indicated that the trial had ended. |
The official announcement said the trial was temporary. The approximately 25-image figure came from contemporaneous reporting and comments attributed to Midjourney founder David Holz, rather than from a permanent plan page. That is why it is more accurate to say “approximately 25 free generations during the August 2024 trial” than to present 25 images as an ongoing allowance.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe original announcement can be found in Midjourney’s official updates archive, while the company’s August 21 post is available on X. Contemporary reporting from Digital Trends and VentureBeat described the approximate trial allowance.
Is Midjourney free now?
No—not on its website or Discord. Midjourney’s current Free Trials documentation says that no free trial is currently available on midjourney.com or Discord.
That means:
- You can visit the website and may be able to browse public creations, view account areas, or access existing work without paying.
- Website access does not mean that your account has a free image-generation allowance.
- Creating new images currently requires an active Midjourney subscription.
- The old approximately 25-image offer should not be treated as a current quota.
Midjourney also has a system through which users can earn Fast GPU time by completing tasks. That is not a substitute for a free tier: Midjourney says users need an active subscription to receive and use awarded Fast time. Existing creations remain accessible after cancellation, but creating new images requires an active plan, according to Midjourney’s documentation on earned Fast time and turning off automatic renewals.
Can you use Midjourney without Discord?
Yes. New users can sign in to Midjourney’s website with either a Google account or a Discord account. You do not have to use the Midjourney bot in Discord to create images through the website.
The current browser workflow is designed around the Create page. You enter a description in the Imagine bar, submit it, and then work with the resulting images using variations, editing, downloads, and organizational tools.
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Important warning for returning Discord users
If you used Midjourney through Discord in the past, choose your sign-in method carefully. Midjourney warns that existing users should sign in with their Discord account first if they want to preserve access to their old Discord-generated history.
If an existing user signs in with Google and subscribes to what becomes a new account, the old Discord history may not appear there. Midjourney allows users to add a second sign-in method later through Account Settings, but linking can become complicated if both accounts already contain jobs or subscriptions. Its login and account-connection guide explains the account-history issue.
How to use Midjourney on the website today
Midjourney’s current web process is:
- Go to midjourney.com.
- Select Sign Up or Log In.
- Choose Google or Discord. Returning users should use the account that contains their existing Midjourney history.
- Open the Create page.
- If the account has no active plan, select a subscription. Midjourney’s subscription guide describes the payment process.
- Enter a description in the Imagine bar.
- Press Enter or select the send button.
- Open the generated image set to access variations, editing, downloads, reruns, and organization tools.
Midjourney’s current Getting Started guide says that a normal prompt produces a set of four images. The website also provides tools for browsing and managing work rather than only submitting prompts.
What the website includes
According to Midjourney’s current Website Overview and Creating on Web documentation, the main areas include:
- Explore: Browse community images and videos, search creations, inspect prompts and settings, and find similar work.
- Create: Submit prompts through the Imagine bar and monitor new generations.
- Image prompting: Upload or select images for supported uses such as image prompts, style references, and starting frames.
- Variations and editing: Make subtle or strong variations, use the editor, rerun prompts, and download results.
- Organization: Filter, sort, download, and place creations into folders.
- Settings: Adjust supported options such as aspect ratio, model or resolution settings, stylization, weirdness, variety, GPU mode, and privacy controls.
Interface labels and available controls can change. Midjourney’s documentation has also contained a version inconsistency: its updates page announced V8.2 on July 24, 2026, while the current version help page and help homepage still describe V8.1 as the default. Do not rely on an old article’s model or button instructions; check the live Create interface before giving version-specific advice. The relevant sources are Midjourney’s V8.2 announcement and its version documentation.
How much does Midjourney cost now?
Midjourney’s current listed plans start at $10 per month. Annual billing is listed as 20% cheaper than paying month to month.
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| Plan | Monthly price | Annual price | Included Fast GPU time | Relax image generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10/month | $96/year | 3.3 hours, or 200 minutes | No |
| Standard | $30/month | $288/year | 15 hours | Unlimited images |
| Pro | $60/month | $576/year | 30 hours | Unlimited images |
| Mega | $120/month | $1,152/year | 60 hours | Unlimited images |
These figures come from Midjourney’s plan comparison. Additional GPU time is listed at $4 per hour.
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“Unlimited images” does not mean unlimited Fast-mode generation. On Standard, Pro, and Mega, it refers to image generation in Relax mode, which may take longer and is subject to the service’s operating limits. Midjourney’s Terms of Service also reserve the right to rate-limit the service.
Stealth Mode—the feature intended for keeping creations out of Midjourney’s public-facing gallery—is available only with Pro and Mega. The cheapest Basic plan therefore does not provide the same privacy options as the higher tiers.
Privacy: Midjourney is public by default
One of the most important details missing from many “free Midjourney” articles is the default visibility of creations.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Midjourney is generally open by default. Your creations can potentially appear on the Explore page, where other users may discover them. Midjourney’s terms also say that public content is viewable and remixable by others.
Stealth Mode is available only on Pro and Mega plans. Even Stealth Mode has limits: it hides creations on midjourney.com, but it does not make an image private from people who already saw it in a shared Discord space.
For that reason, do not upload confidential or sensitive material merely because the interface is in a browser. Be particularly careful with:
- Confidential client references and commissioned work
- Unreleased product designs or marketing campaigns
- Private family photographs
- Personal data or images of people without appropriate permission
- Trade secrets and internal business documents
Review Midjourney’s privacy guidance before uploading anything that should not be publicly discoverable.
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Midjourney’s current commercial-use page says that users own the images and videos they create, including after canceling, subject to stated exceptions. That is a contractual platform position, not a guarantee that every generated image receives copyright protection under the law.
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Midjourney’s stated commercial-use conditions
- If you upscale another person’s image, the original creator owns that image and you need permission to use it.
- A company that grosses more than $1 million annually must use a Pro or Mega plan to use creations commercially.
- Ownership and usage rights remain subject to Midjourney’s current terms and any applicable law.
Read the full commercial-use guidance before using an output in advertising, products, client work, or other revenue-generating activity.
Platform rights are not the same as copyright
For U.S. users, the U.S. Copyright Office distinguishes between a platform’s contractual terms and copyrightability. The Copyright Office says that purely AI-generated material is not protected by copyright, while human-authored expression, creative selection or arrangement, and creative modifications may qualify for protection. It also says that prompts alone generally do not provide sufficient control under current technology.
So it would be inaccurate to promise that a free-trial user—or a paid subscriber—automatically receives enforceable copyright in every image. The applicable legal result can also vary by country. The relevant U.S. sources are the Copyright Office’s copyright and AI news release and its Part 2 report on copyrightability.
Midjourney’s content rules still apply
A trial, when available, has never meant unrestricted generation. Midjourney’s current Terms of Service require users to be at least 13 and to meet the minimum digital-consent age in their country.
The terms prohibit or restrict content involving adult material, gore, political campaigning or attempts to influence elections, fraud or deception, illegal activity, privacy violations, and misleading people about an asset’s nature or source. Users should read the current terms rather than assume that a free or paid account permits every type of experiment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What if you genuinely need free image generation?
If the main requirement is free access rather than Midjourney’s particular style, several alternatives may be more suitable. Their quotas, eligibility rules, privacy defaults, and commercial terms can change, so verify the provider’s current page before relying on one for important work.
- niji·journey: Midjourney’s own documentation lists a limited free trial for the separate niji·journey app on iOS and Android. It is an anime-focused service, not a free web tier for the main Midjourney product.
- Ideogram: Its pricing page lists an always-free plan. Free generation is limited, and images are public by default. Ideogram can be worth considering when text rendering in images is a priority.
- Google Gemini: Google announced free personalized image creation for eligible users in the United States in June 2026. Availability and limits depend on account eligibility and Google’s current product rules.
- Adobe Firefly: Adobe offers a free tier with generative-credit limits. It is a reasonable choice for people who prioritize Adobe integration and a commercially oriented creative workflow. See Adobe’s Firefly page and generative-credit FAQ.
- Local or open models: These may be more attractive if offline use, model control, or avoiding a recurring subscription matters more than ease of setup. They generally require more capable hardware and technical configuration than a hosted browser tool.
There is no single “best” alternative. Choose based on the criterion that matters: free access, photorealism, text rendering, privacy, commercial terms, editing tools, speed, or local control.
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Who should still pay for Midjourney?
Midjourney remains a reasonable choice if you specifically want its visual style and are comfortable paying at least $10 per month. It is also attractive if you want a browser-based workflow with image prompting, variations, editing, folders, personalization, and optional Discord access in one service.
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It is a poor fit if you need unlimited free generation, private images on the cheapest plan, local or offline operation, strong certainty that purely AI-generated outputs are copyright-protected, or a service that requires neither an account nor a subscription.
Bottom line
Midjourney’s website really did open to everyone in August 2024, and new users could temporarily generate approximately 25 free images. But the promotion ended and was never a permanent free plan.
As of August 10, 2026, Midjourney’s own documentation says there is no free trial on midjourney.com or Discord. You can use the website without Discord, but new image generation currently starts with a paid subscription at $10 per month. The only officially documented free trial is for the separate niji·journey mobile app.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many free images does Midjourney currently allow?
Midjourney’s current documentation does not list a free image allowance for midjourney.com or Discord. The approximately 25-image allowance applied to the temporary August 2024 trial and should not be treated as a current quota.
Do I need Discord to use Midjourney?
No. New users can sign in to the Midjourney website with Google and create through the browser. Returning users who want their old Discord history should sign in with Discord first, because using Google may create a separate account.
Can I browse Midjourney without paying?
Some public website areas, such as Explore and account or existing-creation views, may be accessible without a subscription. That does not provide free new image generation; Midjourney currently requires an active plan to create images.
Which Midjourney plan includes private creations?
Stealth Mode is available only on the Pro and Mega plans. Midjourney is otherwise public by default, and Stealth Mode does not make an image private from people who already saw it in a shared Discord space.
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Midjourney’s commercial-use guidance says users own the images and videos they create, subject to exceptions. Businesses grossing more than $1 million annually must use Pro or Mega, and permission is required when upscaling another person’s image. Those contractual rights do not guarantee copyright protection under the law.
The Bottom Line
Verdict: “Midjourney is free for everyone” was a fair description of a short August 2024 promotion, not of the current service. The website remains available as Midjourney’s browser interface, but as of August 10, 2026, its official documentation says that new image generation on the website and Discord requires a paid plan starting at $10 per month.
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