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Introduction
In this guide, I’ll introduce you to six freemium AI generators, helping you figure out which is the best free AI image generator in 2025. I’ll also introduce you to two platforms where you can pay per image without a subscription. And I’ll share my top AI generator recommendations from two years of AI art and filmmaking experience.
Starting with text-to-image prompting can feel overwhelming, especially with so many online AI image generator platforms available, this blog post is here to help.
Table of Content:
Is there a completely free AI image generator?
Yes, some AI image generators are completely free, but usually only for a limited promotional period. Over time, most of these platforms transition into freemium models, where users receive a limited number of free credits daily, allowing them to create a few images without paying. This is a fantastic way to explore AI-generated images without committing to costly subscriptions.
Currently, PicLumen: Click here for more information is one of the few platforms that is completely free to use. However, it’s likely they will eventually introduce subscription plans as they scale. Creating AI-generated images requires expensive hardware with powerful GPUs, making it essential for companies to generate income to continue offering and improving their services.
The Best Free and Paid AI Image Generators in 2025
In this section, we’ll explore sevenfreemium AI generators, detailing how many images you can create with their free credits and what their subscription plans offer. We’ll also cover two pay-as-you-go AI generators, where you can pay per image without committing to a subscription. Finally, we’ll examine two major players in the AI image generation space that only offer subscription-based options without free credits.
This will help you decide which is the best free AI image generator in 2025 to start exploring text-to-image prompting. It also provides advice on other AI generator platforms that are highly suitable for beginners. Not all freemium AI generators deliver the quality needed to create truly amazing AI images, and this guide will help you find the best options to get started.
7 Freemium AI Image Generators
Microsoft Bing Image Creator: Click here for more information
With Bing’s Image Creator, you can generate AI images for free. Each day, you get 15 new “boosts,” which expedite the image creation process. After using these boosts, you can continue creating images; however, the generation time may be longer until you get new boosts the following day.
If you require more rapid image generation, Microsoft offers a Copilot Pro subscription for $20 per month. This plan provides up to 100 priority image generations per day, allowing for faster and more efficient image creation.
Here’s My View:
With its daily free credits, Microsoft Bing Image Creator is a great option for starting to explore text-to-image prompting. If you’re wondering which is the best free AI image generator in 2025, this platform is a decent starting point. However, that’s where it stops for me. While the UI (user interface) is straightforward and easy to use, it feels a bit limited. It’s perfect for testing out text-to-image prompting but, in my opinion, not ideal for more serious projects.
Ideogram: Click here for more information
With Ideogram’s free plan, you can generate up to 40 images per day, utilizing 10 daily credits. Each credit allows you to create multiple images per prompt.
For increased image generation and additional features, Ideogram offers subscription plans:
- Basic Plan: $8 per month for up to 1,600 images monthly.
- Plus Plan: $20 per month for up to 4,000 images monthly.
- Pro Plan: $60 per month for up to 14,000 images monthly.
Here’s My View:
Ideogram is a great AI image generator that rivals models like Flux AI and MidJourney. It is particularly good at making it easy to create high-quality visuals with text. The UI (user interface) is clear and user-friendly, making the process of creating AI images enjoyable. With its daily free credits, it’s a perfect starting point for beginners to explore text-to-image prompting and get familiar with the platform.
Leonardo AI: Click here for more information
Leonardo.Ai automatically enrolls you in its free plan upon signing up. Under this plan, you receive 150 tokens every 14 hours, allowing you to create approximately six batches of four images per prompt. The free plan does not let you customize the number of images per batch—this option, along with additional features like large resolution settings and private mode, is only available through their subscription plans.
Leonardo AI Subscription Plans:
- Apprentice Plan: $12 per month for 8,500 fast tokens monthly.
- Artisan Unlimited Plan: $30 per month for 25,000 fast tokens monthly and unlimited relaxed image generations at 0 tokens.
- Maestro Unlimited Plan: $60 per month for 60,000 fast tokens monthly and unlimited relaxed image generations at 0 tokens.
Here’s My View:
Leonardo AI is an outstanding AI image generator that has been around since the beginning. It’s a great option for beginners looking to explore text-to-image prompting, as it offers 150 free tokens to test the platform. With the ability to use Flux AI models and the new Flow State feature—allowing you to create images based on input styles, shot types, colors, and more—Leonardo AI is not only an excellent starting point for beginners but also a strong choice for future projects.
PicLumen: Click here for more information
At the moment PicLumen AI is a free AI image generator that allows users to create unlimited images without any subscription fees or credit systems. Upon signing up, you gain access to all features, including AI art generation, background removal, image upscaling, and more. But I am sure that they will start charging soon—I mean, they gotta earn something, and creating images using hardware is very expensive!
Here’s My View:
PicLumen AI is an AI image generator with a lot of potential. With the integration of Flux AI, it delivers high-quality images. The UI (user interface) looks promising and is similar to programs like Leonardo AI. However, at the moment, it feels a bit inconsistent to me. I’ve seen YouTube videos where others showcase a slick UI, but when I run it, I only get a simple box to input text-to-image prompts. I’m curious to see how this platform evolves, but as of writing this blog post, I’m not actively using it since I can’t access the same UI that others seem to have.
Freepik: Click here for more information
When you sign up for a free account on Freepik, you receive 20 free credits for their AI image generator, allowing you to create up to 20 AI-generated images.
Freepik Subscription Plans:
- Essential Plan: $8 per month for 7,000 AI credits per month.
- Premium Plan: $16 per month for 18,000 AI credits per month.
- Premium+ Plan: $36 per month for 45,000 AI credits per month.
Here’s My View:
I think Freepik AI is an excellent AI image generator and a great starting point for beginners, as it provides free credits to try out the platform. It’s a strong contender for those exploring which is the best free AI image generator in 2025. What I also appreciate is that it allows you to use Flux AI models, which, in my opinion, deliver some of the best quality available alongside MidJourney. The UI (user interface) is well-designed, making it easy to navigate and create images.
Recraft AI: Click here for more information
On top of creating AI images, Recraft AI allows users to generate and edit digital visuals like vector art and 3D images. Free accounts get 50 daily credits, allowing you to create up to 25 AI-generated images.
Recraft Subscription Plans:
- Basic Plan: $12 per month for 1,000 monthly credits.
- Advanced Plan: $33 per month for 4,000 monthly credits.
- Pro Plan: $60 per month for 8,400 monthly credits.
Here’s My View:
I am very impressed by Recraft AI and its ability to generate and edit digital visuals, like the way you treat vector art, with the option to export them. Working with these files allows you to select specific parts of your created image, just like with an SVG file, making logo or illustration creation much easier. Additionally, its AI-generated realistic and film-like images are quite impressive as well.
Krea AI: Click here for more information
Krea AI provides access to all the top AI models for image and video creation. What truly sets it apart are features that other platforms lack, such as the Krea Chat tool, powered by DeepSeek, which integrates all of Krea’s functions into a chat interface.
Free accounts receive daily user credits, allowing you to generate approximately 10 images per day.
Krea AI Subscription Plans:
- Basic Plan: $10 per month for 700 monthly images.
- Advanced Plan: $35 per month for 3600monthly images.
- Pro Plan: $60 per month for 10.000 for monthly images.
Here’s My View:
I really love Krea AI and its innovative approach to AI image generation. It provides access to all the top AI models for both image and video creation, but what truly sets it apart are features that other platforms lack.
The Krea Chat tool, powered by DeepSeek, seamlessly integrates all of Krea’s functions into an interactive chat interface, making the creative process more intuitive. Another standout feature is the Real-Life Editor, which allows you to add and position 3D models—making it possible to generate complex images that would otherwise be difficult to prompt.
What I really like about Krea is that it supports the Flux model, making it one of the best online tools for realistic image creation, AI filmmaking, and AI advertising. In my opinion, they have developed some of the most powerful tools for creating and controlling AI-generated visuals.
2 Pay-as-you-go Online Platforms
Flux AI on Replicate: Click here for more information
Replicate offers a range of Flux AI models, developed by Black Forest Labs, each with specific pricing per image generation. Pricing is based on the computational resources used during image generation, with costs varying according to the model’s complexity and the hardware utilized.
Replicate Pricing Plans:
- FLUX.1 [pro]: $0.055 per image.
- FLUX.1 [dev]: $0.030 per image.
- FLUX.1 [schnell]: $0.003 per image.
Here’s My View:
I really like their pay-as-you-go model and have even used Replicate AI in some of my tutorials because it’s easy to use and supports any Flux AI model, delivering the quality I need. For private projects or more complex tutorials, I prefer using ComfyUI locally on my computer or on RunDiffusion, which lets you use ComfyUI in the cloud. This is the next pay-as-you-go AI generator we’ll discuss.
Flux AI on RunDiffusion: Click here for more information
(Disclaimer: The RunDiffusion link is an affiliate. If you make a purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
As mentioned earlier, I often use ComfyUI in combination with Flux AI. I enjoy working with ComfyUI because it provides great control and flexibility, allowing you to create your own workflows or use workflows created by others. While I wouldn’t recommend it directly to beginners, if you’re looking for more control but have a “potato” computer with a low-VRAM graphics card, you can still use ComfyUI in the cloud through RunDiffusion.
RunDiffusion offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, starting at $0.50 per hour for server time, with a 30-minute free trial for new users.
For more advanced features, they offer the Creator’s Club subscription at $35.99 per month, which provides additional benefits such as 100GB of private storage and premium support.
If you’re interested in setting up ComfyUI locally on your computer or learning how to use it with RunDiffusion, make sure to watch this video, where I also go in-depth on creating realistic, film-like quality images using Flux AI.
Here’s My View:
I really enjoy working with RunDiffusion because it offers excellent control and allows me to use a wide range of models, particularly Flux AI models, which you’ve probably noticed I’m a big fan of. With their pay-as-you-go model, it’s a fantastic option for creating AI images, especially if you’ve decided to dive deeper into text-to-image prompting. However, if you’re just starting out and want to see if it’s something for you, I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, I’d suggest starting with a platform like Replicate AI, especially if you’re interested in exploring Flux AI models.
2 Big Players with Only Subscription-Based AI Generation
MidJourney: Click here for more information
End of summer 2024, MidJourney briefly offered free credits to test the platform, but at the moment there are no free credits available, and the only way to test MidJourney is to get a subscription.
MidJourney Subscription Plans:
- Basic Plan: $10 per month, providing 200 image generations.
- Standard Plan: $30 per month, offering 15 hours of Fast GPU time and unlimited Relax GPU time generations.
- Pro Plan: $60 per month, including 30 hours of Fast GPU time and unlimited Relax GPU time generations.
- Mega Plan: $120 per month, with 60 hours of Fast GPU time and unlimited Relax GPU time generations.
Here’s My View:
For me, MidJourney is one of the best AI image generators available. It excels at creating and recognizing AI art styles and produces impressive realistic and film-like images. With features like inpainting, outpainting, style transfer, consistent characters, and more, it’s the best and easiest all-in-one platform in my opinion. However, I find it offers less control compared to using Flux AI and Stable Diffusion in ComfyUI. I’ll dive deeper into this in the section on my personal recommendations later in this blog post.
DALL·E 3: Click here for more information
DALL·E 3 is available inside ChatGPT for ChatGPT Plus subscribers ($20/month) in GPT-4 mode. This integration is unique because you can collaborate with ChatGPT, an advanced language model, to refine and perfect your image ideas. You can describe what you need, and ChatGPT will assist in crafting prompts, offering suggestions, and generating high-quality images for you.
Here’s My View:
Having the ability to chat with GPT and give it instructions for your images is great and can be helpful in some situations. However, I think the quality isn’t as good as what you get with MidJourney, Flux AI, or Stable Diffusion models, which is a big downside. The user interface for creating images is also not as easy to use compared to the other programs I mentioned. But if you already have a ChatGPT subscription and want to start with text-to-image prompting, it’s a great option to try since it’s free with your subscription.
Which AI Image Generator Is the Best?
With AI image generators evolving so quickly and new ones constantly emerging, it’s difficult to definitively say which is the best free AI image generator in 2025. The answer largely depends on your specific needs.
For creating AI art or realistic images, platforms like MidJourney, Flux AI, and Stable Diffusion are fantastic options. However, if you need tools for designing logos, illustrations, or graphic designs, Recraft AI might be a better choice, as it supports vector art and SVG exports.
Ease of use and cost are also important considerations. Some platforms are beginner-friendly, while others, like Flux AI with ComfyUI, cater to more advanced users with greater customization options. Costs range widely, from free credits to pay-as-you-go and subscription-based models.
If you haven’t already, make sure to read through this entire blog post to explore these factors in detail. And for my personal recommendations, don’t miss the next section.
My Personal Recommendations on the Best AI Generators
This section is divided into two parts:
- The Best Free AI Image Generator for Beginners
- The Best AI Generators for Advanced Users
The Best Free AI Image Generator for Beginners
This is a recap of my thoughts on the seven freemium AI image generators covered in this blog post. For more details, refer to the individual reviews.
All seven platforms give you the chance to explore whether creating AI images is right for you. If you’re asking yourself, which is the best free AI image generator in 2025?, My top recommendations for beginners are Ideogram, Leonardo AI, Freepik, Krea AI, and Recraft AI because they deliver high-quality images, have intuitive UIs, and are also suitable for advanced users. This way, you’ll get familiar with tools you might continue using for serious projects in the future.
I also recommend trying all four platforms to experiment with text-to-image prompting and gain experience—all without spending any money.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t particularly recommend Microsoft Bing. While it’s good for testing out text-to-image prompting, it feels limited and, in my opinion, isn’t ideal for more serious projects.
As for PicLumen AI, it has great potential with Flux AI integration for high-quality images. However, not every user (myself included) seems to be able to access the full app with all its functions. I could only use the basic UI, which places it in the same category as Microsoft Bing for now. That said, when you do get access to the full app with all its functions, I believe PicLumen can be a great platform to use.
The Best AI Generators for Advanced Users
Before answering this question, I want to clarify that the following section reflects my personal preferences and the specific needs I have when working on AI art or AI filmmaking projects. While I use many of the top and most popular AI generators, I haven’t tried every platform—there are simply too many text-to-image AI tools available to explore them all.
I have three favorite platforms that I consider the best AI image generators for advanced users. They’re not ranked as first, second, or third because each excels in different areas and suits specific needs and situations. Depending on your requirements and future workflows, you can decide which platform is the best fit for your projects.
MidJourney
In my opinion, MidJourney is one of the best AI image generators available, especially if you’re looking for an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform. It covers almost everything you need for AI image generation. If you plan to stick to online AI image generators and aren’t considering investing in a high-end computer, MidJourney is an excellent choice for AI art and AI filmmaking projects.
However, if you’re thinking about buying an advanced computer in the future to run programs locally, I’d recommend considering ComfyUI on RunDiffusion. While it’s a bit more challenging to get started with ComfyUI, it offers significantly more control than MidJourney.
Using Flux AI (Locally or on Online Platforms)
For me, Flux AI is one of the best AI image models available, standing on par with MidJourney in terms of quality. Unlike MidJourney, Flux AI isn’t tied to a single platform. Many online AI generators offer the option to use the Flux AI model. Some of the ones we’ve already discussed, like Krea AI, Leonardo AI, Freepik, and Replicate AI, are excellent choices for serious AI image projects.
Another great advantage of Flux AI is that it can also be run locally on your computer. In the next section, I’ll dive deeper into this.
Using Flux AI on RunDiffusion
Open-source software like Stable Diffusion offers incredible control, letting you design your own ComfyUI workflows or use workflows shared by others. There are also many video workflows available for ComfyUI, and most of the viral Instagram and TikTok AI videos are created with it.
That said, it does take more effort to get started. You’ll need to download models, set up workflows, and fine-tune various settings. That’s where RunDiffusion comes in handy—they take on some of that load with pre-installed models and nodes, simplifying the process.
You can also work with ComfyUI locally, it’s completely free, aside from the investment in a high-performance computer. If you want to learn more about this, then check out this blog post with video where I go into detail about using Flux AI with ComfyUI.
Recraft AI
While Flux AI and MidJourney are my go-to platforms for AI art and filmmaking projects, Recraft AI is my top choice for creating logos, graphics, or illustrations. Recraft AI allows you to generate and edit digital visuals similar to working with vector art, with the added ability to export them as SVG files. This feature makes designing logos and illustrations much simpler and more efficient.
Conclusion
There are countless AI generators available, far too many for me to test them all. It’s also important to remember that the best platform for you depends entirely on your preferences, specific needs, and the direction you want to take your future AI art and filmmaking projects.
I hope this blog post helps guide your creative journey, allowing you to start creating AI images for free and then explore the platform that best suits your style and goals. If you’ve been wondering, which is the best free AI image generator in 2025?, starting with the freemium options I’ve discussed here is a sensible and effective way to begin.
Once you decide to take things more seriously, I recommend choosing one or more platforms to get familiar with and fully explore their potential. There’s no problem in using multiple programs; for example, I regularly use both MidJourney and Flux AI for my AI art and filmmaking projects.