Midjourney Pricing 2026: Plans, Costs & What You Actually Pay
A transparent breakdown of Midjourney's subscription plans, fast hours, relax mode, stealth mode, and the real costs of using the most popular AI image generator. No marketing fluff — just the numbers you need to decide.
💰 Quick Pricing Summary
Basic: $10/mo (3.3 fast hours, no relax mode). Standard: $30/mo (15 fast hours + unlimited relax mode). Pro: $60/mo (30 fast hours + unlimited relax mode + stealth option). Mega: $120/mo (60 fast hours + unlimited relax mode + stealth option).
Annual plans save 20%. Extra fast hours: $4/hour. Stealth mode: +$20/mo (Pro/Mega only). No free trial.
Not sure if Midjourney is right for you?
Compare Midjourney with other AI image generators before you commit. See side-by-side feature breakdowns, pricing differences, and which tool fits your workflow best.
Midjourney Subscription Plans Comparison
| Feature | Basic | Standard | Pro | Mega |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $10 | $30 | $60 | $120 |
| Annual Price | $96/yr ($8/mo) | $288/yr ($24/mo) | $576/yr ($48/mo) | $1,152/yr ($96/mo) |
| Fast GPU Hours | 3.3 hrs/mo (~200 images) | 15 hrs/mo (~900 images) | 30 hrs/mo (~1,800 images) | 60 hrs/mo (~3,600 images) |
| Relax Mode | ❌ No | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Unlimited |
| Stealth Mode | ❌ No | ❌ No | +$20/mo | +$20/mo |
| Concurrent Jobs | 3 | 3 | 12 fast, 3 relax | 12 fast, 3 relax |
| Commercial Use | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Extra Fast Hours | $4/hour (available on all plans) | |||
Pricing as of February 2026. Visit Midjourney's official pricing page for the most current information.
Understanding Each Plan
Basic Plan — $10/month
The entry-level plan for casual users or those just getting started with Midjourney.
What you get:
- 3.3 fast GPU hours per month (~200 images in fast mode)
- General commercial use rights
- Access to member gallery
- 3 concurrent fast jobs
What you don't get:
- No relax mode (you're limited to 3.3 fast hours only)
- No stealth mode option
Best for: Hobbyists, students, or users creating 5-10 images per day. Once your fast hours run out, you must purchase more ($4/hour) or wait until next month.
Standard Plan — $30/month
The most popular plan, offering the best balance of fast generation and unlimited relax mode.
What you get:
- 15 fast GPU hours per month (~900 images)
- Unlimited relax mode (slower generations, but no cap)
- General commercial use rights
- 3 concurrent fast jobs
What you don't get:
- No stealth mode option
- Lower concurrent job limit (3 vs 12 on Pro/Mega)
Best for: Regular users who can tolerate 2-10 minute wait times in relax mode. Perfect if you create 30-50 images daily and aren't in a rush.
Pro Plan — $60/month
The professional tier for creators who need fast generation, privacy options, and higher throughput.
What you get:
- 30 fast GPU hours per month (~1,800 images)
- Unlimited relax mode
- Stealth mode available (+$20/mo to make creations private)
- 12 concurrent fast jobs, 3 concurrent relax jobs
- General commercial use rights
Best for: Professional artists, designers, content creators, and agencies who need high-speed generation, want their work private, or are creating 60+ images daily.
Mega Plan — $120/month
The power-user plan for studios, teams, or individuals who generate images at scale.
What you get:
- 60 fast GPU hours per month (~3,600 images)
- Unlimited relax mode
- Stealth mode available (+$20/mo)
- 12 concurrent fast jobs, 3 concurrent relax jobs
- General commercial use rights
Best for: High-volume users, design studios, agencies, or production workflows that need 100+ images daily. If you're consistently buying extra fast hours on Pro, Mega is more cost-effective.
Fast Mode vs Relax Mode: What's the Difference?
⚡ Fast Mode
- Speed: 30-60 seconds per image
- GPU allocation: Dedicated GPU time
- Usage: Counted against your monthly fast hours
- Cost: Included in subscription; $4/hour when you run out
- When to use: Client work, time-sensitive projects, when you need results immediately
🐢 Relax Mode
- Speed: 2-10 minutes per image (varies by queue)
- GPU allocation: Shared GPU pool with other users
- Usage: Unlimited (Standard, Pro, Mega only)
- Cost: Free (included in Standard+)
- When to use: Personal projects, experimentation, bulk generation when speed isn't critical
Pro tip: Most Standard users rely heavily on relax mode for experimentation and only use fast mode for final versions or urgent work. This stretches your 15 fast hours much further.
Stealth Mode: Privacy Add-On
By default, all Midjourney images appear in the public gallery and community feed. Stealth mode makes your generations private.
Who can use it: Pro and Mega subscribers only (not available on Basic or Standard, even as an add-on)
Cost: +$20/month on top of your Pro or Mega subscription
What it does:
- Your image generations don't appear in the public gallery
- Other users can't see your prompts or images
- You can still share images manually if you choose
- Images created in Discord still appear in that Discord channel
Who needs it: Professional artists working on unreleased projects, agencies creating client work, anyone working on confidential or commercially sensitive imagery.
Example costs:
- Pro + Stealth = $60 + $20 = $80/month
- Mega + Stealth = $120 + $20 = $140/month
Hidden Costs & Extras
Extra Fast Hours: $4/hour
When you exhaust your monthly fast hours, you can purchase additional GPU time at $4/hour. This applies to all tiers. If you're consistently buying 5+ extra hours monthly, upgrading to the next tier is usually more cost-effective.
No Free Trial (Anymore)
Midjourney discontinued free trials in March 2023 after detecting widespread abuse. All new users must now subscribe to a paid plan. There is no way to test the service for free.
Discord Nitro (Optional)
Midjourney runs primarily through Discord. While Discord is free, some users opt for Discord Nitro ($9.99/mo) to upload larger reference images or use higher-quality screen sharing. This is optional and not required to use Midjourney.
Annual Billing (20% Savings)
All plans offer annual billing at a 20% discount. However, annual subscriptions are non-refundable. If you're new to Midjourney, start with monthly billing until you're confident you'll use it long-term.
Real-World Cost Examples
Scenario 1: Hobbyist (10 images/day)
Usage: 300 images/month, mostly experimenting
Recommended plan: Basic ($10/mo)
Why: 300 images fit comfortably in the 3.3 fast hours (~200 images). For extra generations, wait until next month or purchase 1-2 extra hours ($4-8). Total cost: $10-18/month.
Scenario 2: Content Creator (50 images/day)
Usage: 1,500 images/month, need variety
Recommended plan: Standard ($30/mo)
Why: Use fast mode for final picks (15 hours = ~900 images). Use unlimited relax mode for drafts and experimentation. Total cost: $30/month.
Scenario 3: Design Agency (100+ images/day, need privacy)
Usage: 3,000+ images/month, client confidentiality required
Recommended plan: Pro + Stealth ($80/mo)
Why: 30 fast hours covers high-priority work. Relax mode for exploration. Stealth mode keeps client projects private. Total cost: $80/month.
Scenario 4: Production Studio (200+ images/day)
Usage: 6,000+ images/month, high-volume workflows
Recommended plan: Mega + Stealth ($140/mo)
Why: 60 fast hours prevents constant extra-hour purchases. 12 concurrent jobs speed up batch generation. Stealth protects proprietary work. Total cost: $140/month.
Midjourney Pricing vs Competitors
| Service | Entry Plan | Mid-Tier Plan | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midjourney | $10/mo (3.3 fast hours) | $30/mo (15 fast hrs + unlimited relax) | ❌ No |
| DALL·E 3 | $20/mo (ChatGPT Plus) | $200/mo (ChatGPT Team) | Free tier (Bing, limited) |
| Stable Diffusion (web) | Free (self-host) | $10-30/mo (DreamStudio credits) | ✅ Free credits |
| Firefly (Adobe) | Free (25 credits/mo) | $4.99/mo (100 credits) | ✅ Free tier |
Looking for alternatives? Compare Midjourney to other AI image generators.
Which Midjourney Plan Should You Choose?
Choose Basic ($10/mo) if:
- You're just starting with AI image generation
- You create <10 images per day
- You don't mind waiting until next month when fast hours run out
- You're a hobbyist, student, or casual user
Choose Standard ($30/mo) if:
- You create 20-50+ images per day
- You can tolerate 2-10 minute wait times in relax mode
- You want unlimited generation capability without paying per hour
- You're a content creator, marketer, or freelancer building a portfolio
Choose Pro ($60/mo) if:
- You need privacy/stealth mode (+$20/mo extra)
- You create 60-100+ images daily and need them fast
- You run 12 concurrent jobs frequently (batch generation)
- You're a professional artist, designer, or working with clients
Choose Mega ($120/mo) if:
- You create 100-200+ images daily
- You were consistently buying 10+ extra fast hours on Pro
- You run a design studio, agency, or production workflow
- You need maximum throughput and never want to wait
Not sure? Start with Standard ($30/mo). It's the sweet spot for most users — enough fast hours for critical work, unlimited relax mode for experimentation. You can always upgrade or downgrade monthly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Midjourney cost per month?
Midjourney offers four subscription tiers: Basic at $10/month (3.3 fast hours), Standard at $30/month (15 fast hours), Pro at $60/month (30 fast hours), and Mega at $120/month (60 fast hours). Annual plans save 20%. All paid plans include unlimited relax mode (slower generation).
Is there a free trial for Midjourney?
Midjourney discontinued free trials in March 2023 due to abuse. All users now need a paid subscription to generate images. However, you can view community creations on midjourney.com without an account.
What is the difference between fast mode and relax mode?
Fast mode generates images in 30-60 seconds using dedicated GPU time. Relax mode is slower (2-10 minutes) because you share GPU resources with other users, but it's unlimited on all paid plans. Basic plan users cannot use relax mode.
Can I buy extra fast hours?
Yes. Once you exhaust your monthly fast hours, you can purchase additional fast GPU time at $4 per hour. This applies to all subscription tiers.
What is stealth mode and how much does it cost?
Stealth mode makes your image generations private (not visible in the public gallery). It's available on Pro and Mega plans for an additional $20/month. Basic and Standard users cannot access stealth mode, even as an add-on.
Do I own the images I create with Midjourney?
Yes, paid subscribers own the images they generate and can use them commercially. Free trial users (when available) have limited commercial rights. Always check the current Terms of Service for the most up-to-date licensing.
Can I cancel my Midjourney subscription anytime?
Yes. Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled anytime and you'll retain access until the end of your billing period. Annual subscriptions are non-refundable but won't auto-renew if you cancel.
Which Midjourney plan should I choose?
Choose Basic ($10/mo) if you're casual or just starting. Standard ($30/mo) is best for regular users who can tolerate relax mode delays. Pro ($60/mo) is ideal for professionals who need fast generation and stealth mode. Mega ($120/mo) is for power users generating 60+ hours monthly.
Related Resources
15 Midjourney Alternatives in 2026
Compare pricing, features, and capabilities of DALL·E, Stable Diffusion, Firefly, and other AI image generators.
Best AI Image Generators 2026
Ranked comparison of Midjourney, DALL·E 3, Stable Diffusion, Firefly, and 20+ other tools.
DALL·E 3 Alternatives
Explore alternatives to OpenAI's DALL·E 3, including pricing and feature breakdowns.
ChatGPT vs Gemini
Compare pricing, features, and capabilities of ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
Midjourney vs DALL·E
Head-to-head comparison: which AI image generator is better for your use case?
AI Tools Directory
Browse 200+ AI tools across categories: image generation, writing, coding, video, and more.
Ready to Start Creating?
Visit Midjourney's official website to sign up and start generating AI images today.
Get Started with Midjourney →No free trial. Subscriptions start at $10/month.