AI Image Tools for Freelancers: Which Ones Are Worth It?

You need a picture for a blog post. Or a mock-up for a client. Or a quick social media graphic. AI image tools can help. But there are lots of them, and the plans are confusing.

This guide compares seven tools. We look at the free plan, the cheapest paid plan, what each one is good for, and what each vendor says about commercial use.

We used only the vendors’ official pricing pages, help centers and terms. We did not run our own tests or make our own images. When we say a tool “lists” a feature, we mean the vendor says so.

Prices checked on 1 November 2026. Prices are in US dollars, before tax, at the regular price. Plans change often, so check the official page before you pay.

The quick comparison

Swipe the table sideways to compare →

A “commercial-use note” is only what the vendor’s own page says. It is not legal advice. Rules on AI images and copyright are different in each country. If a client job matters, read the vendor’s terms in full, or ask a lawyer.

How to choose in two minutes

Ask yourself three questions.

1. Do I already pay for something? If you pay for ChatGPT Plus, a Google AI plan or an Adobe plan, you may already have image tools. Use those first.
2. How many images do I need? One or two a week is fine on most free plans. Dozens a day means a paid plan.
3. What kind of image? A poster with words on it is a different job from a moody concept painting. Pick the tool that lists the feature you need.

The tools, one by one

ChatGPT image creation

OpenAI’s pricing page lists image creation on every plan. On the Free plan it is limited. ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month and lists “more complex and accurate image creation”. Pro lists “unlimited and faster image creation”.

There is also a cheaper plan called Go, at $8 a month, which lists image generation too.

Good fit if: you already use ChatGPT for writing and want images in the same place.

Commercial use: OpenAI’s Terms of Use say that, between you and OpenAI, you own the output. The same terms say other users may get similar output.

Google Gemini

Google’s subscription page says the free Gemini app includes image generation and editing. Google AI Plus costs $4.99 a month and lists more access to image, video and music generation, plus 400 GB of storage. Google AI Pro costs $19.99 a month.

Google says these plans are for people aged 18 and over, and availability varies by country.

Good fit if: you want a cheap paid step up, or you already live in Gmail and Google Drive.

Commercial use: we did not find a clear statement on the pages we checked.

Midjourney

Midjourney is subscription only. Its help docs say all plans are subscriptions and list four tiers: Basic $10, Standard $30, Pro $60 and Mega $120 a month. Paying yearly gives a 20% discount, so Basic works out at $8 a month.

Basic includes about 3.3 hours of “fast” GPU time a month. Standard and above add unlimited image generations in the slower “Relax” mode. Stealth Mode, which keeps your images private, is only on Pro and Mega.

Good fit if: you want striking, artistic images and do not mind paying from day one.

Commercial use: the plans page lists “General Commercial Terms” on every plan. It also says a company making more than $1,000,000 a year in gross revenue must buy Pro or Mega.

Adobe Firefly

Adobe says Firefly has a free plan with free daily generations. Paid Firefly plans are called Standard, Pro, Pro Plus and Premium. Adobe’s credits FAQ says Firefly Standard includes 2,000 monthly credits for premium features and unlimited standard generations.

We could not see the price on Adobe’s plans page, so we do not give a number here.

Adobe describes its own Firefly models as “commercially safe”. It says they are trained on licensed Adobe Stock content and public domain content. Firefly also offers partner models from other companies, which may have different rules.

Good fit if: you already use Photoshop, Illustrator or Adobe Express.

Commercial use: Adobe’s FAQ says you can use Firefly outputs from non-beta features in commercial projects. Beta features are fine too unless the product says otherwise.

Canva

Canva Free is open to anyone. Canva Pro adds premium templates and AI-powered features, and Canva says you can start a free trial. Only one person can use a Pro account. Canva Business is the step up for teams.

We could not confirm Canva Pro’s US price on the official page, so we give no number.

Good fit if: you need a finished design, like a social post or a flyer, not just a raw image.

Commercial use: not stated on the pricing page.

Leonardo

Leonardo’s free plan gives 150 fast tokens a day, with public creations and “Auto” model access only. Essential costs $12 a month and gives 8,500 fast tokens a month, private creations and 80+ models. Premium is $30 and Ultimate is $60. Paying yearly saves up to 20%.

Premium and Ultimate add unlimited “relaxed” image generation on selected models.

Good fit if: you make a lot of images and want to pick between many models.

Commercial use: Leonardo’s FAQ says paid subscribers keep full ownership of their images. Free users get a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence for commercial use, but Leonardo also holds rights to those images.

Ideogram

Ideogram Plus costs $20 a month, or $15 a month billed yearly ($180). Pro costs $60 a month, or $42 a month billed yearly. Plus includes 2,400 priority credits a month and unlimited “slow” credits.

There is no free trial for paid plans. But Ideogram says eligible free accounts get weekly credits when you sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft. On free accounts, images are public by default.

Good fit if: your images need readable words, like a poster or a thumbnail.

Commercial use: Ideogram’s FAQ says it does not claim ownership of your images and you can use them for any purpose, including commercial use.

What we left out

Microsoft Designer. Microsoft is moving Designer features into Copilot and Microsoft 365. We could not confirm a current, clear plan for Designer on its own. Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99 a month) lists AI image creation inside Copilot. See our chatbot comparison for more on Copilot.

Watch out for these

• Credits are not images. Many tools charge “credits” or “tokens”. One image can use one credit or twenty, depending on the model and size.
• Public by default. On some free plans, your images are public. Do not use free plans for private client work.
• Partner models have their own rules. Firefly and Leonardo both offer models from other companies. Check which model you used.
• Prices change. Plans move fast. Check the official page on the day you pay.

FAQ

Can I use AI images in client work?

Several vendors say you can use their images commercially, as noted in our table. But each vendor has its own rules, and laws differ by country. Read the terms and talk to your client before you deliver AI images.

Which tool is cheapest?

Most tools here have a free tier. Of the paid plans we could confirm, Google AI Plus is the lowest at $4.99 a month. Midjourney Basic is $10 a month, or $8 a month if you pay yearly.

Do I need a separate image tool if I pay for ChatGPT Plus?

Maybe not. ChatGPT Plus already lists image creation. Try it on real jobs first. Add a separate tool only if it can’t do what you need.

Are my images private?

It depends. Midjourney keeps images private only on Pro and Mega. Ideogram and Leonardo make free-plan images public by default. Check each plan before you upload client material.

Did you test these tools?

No. We compared what each vendor lists on its own pages. We did not make images or measure quality.

Our pick by type of freelancer

• Writers and bloggers: start with the image tool in the chatbot you already use, like ChatGPT or Gemini. You may not need anything else.
• Social media managers: Canva for finished designs, plus Ideogram if you need text inside images.
• Designers: Adobe Firefly if you already use Adobe apps. Midjourney if you want an artistic style.
• High-volume creators: Leonardo Premium or Midjourney Standard, as both list unlimited relaxed image generation.
• Tight budget: stay on free plans. If you must pay, Google AI Plus at $4.99 is the lowest confirmed price here.

Want more picks for photos and video? See the best AI photo editors and the best AI video generators.

This guide has no affiliate links. We have not tested these tools ourselves; all facts come from the official pages listed below.

Sources

Checked on 1 November 2026:

• ChatGPT pricing: https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing
• OpenAI Codex pricing (lists the ChatGPT Go price): https://developers.openai.com/codex/pricing
• OpenAI Help Center, “What is ChatGPT Plus?”: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6950777-what-is-chatgpt-plus
• OpenAI Terms of Use: https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/
• Google Gemini subscriptions: https://gemini.google/subscriptions/
• Google AI plans: https://one.google.com/about/google-ai-plans/
• Midjourney, “Comparing Midjourney Plans”: https://docs.midjourney.com/hc/en-us/articles/27870484040333-Comparing-Midjourney-Plans
• Adobe Firefly: https://www.adobe.com/products/firefly.html
• Adobe Firefly plans: https://www.adobe.com/products/firefly/plans.html
• Adobe, “Generative credits FAQ”: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/apps/generative-ai/generative-credits-faq.html
• Canva pricing: https://www.canva.com/pricing/
• Leonardo pricing: https://leonardo.ai/pricing/
• Ideogram pricing: https://ideogram.ai/pricing
• Microsoft Copilot pricing for individuals: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/pricing/individuals