Ideogram vs Lexica (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ideogram grades higher than Lexica: 2.8 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ideogram grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. Lexica grades higher on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ideogram
Image generator for designs with text, plus editing and video apps
Which one is for you
Pick Ideogram if
- Fits if your images need words in them, like a logo, poster or ad
- Works for small teams who want credits per person on one bill, with a 2-user minimum
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want free images kept private, as free-plan work is always public and needs a Google, Apple or Microsoft sign-in
- Tight if you lean on partner models, edits, upscales and video, which always cost credits, even with the slower unlimited queue
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $20 for Plus against $15 yearly, and custom model training needs Pro at $42
- Watch out: plan credits don't roll over, and extra credits at one cent each expire after 365 days
- Not for you if you're on Android or want a desktop app, and credits can't be bought in the iPhone app
Pick Lexica if
- Fits if you browse the archive for prompts to reuse
- Works for individuals who want one model on a low yearly price
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, because generation needs a subscription
- Not for you if your images are private, as Starter and Pro images are public and only Max keeps them private
- Watch out: each prompt uses 4 image credits
- Watch out: the commercial licence depends on team size, from individuals on Starter to 5 or more on Max
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAIdeogramGood | 1.8GPALexicaWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPlus is $15 a month on yearly billing ($20 monthly) for 2,400 credits and private images, just past this category's dearer quarter of $14.50. When credits run out, Ideogram's own models keep working in a slower queue. | BStarter is $8 a month billed yearly, at the edge of the category's cheapest quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | C30 credits a week, but only if you sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft, and everything you make is public. The Video app needs a paid plan or bought credits. | FThe page says images can only be generated by subscribing. |
| Features | BSeveral in-house models, masking and inpainting, transparent backgrounds for stickers and icons, custom style models trained on 15 to 100 of your images, a video app and an API. That covers the whole job, with text in images as its focus. | CThe prompt archive, the Aperture model, fast and slow generations and uploads. One model only. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 2,700 App Store ratings, the top band. You type a prompt that includes the words you want on the image. | CA web generator with fast and slow queues and credits per prompt. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and iPhone, with one API for the image and video models and an MCP server for Claude. No Android or desktop app, and credits can't be bought in the iPhone app. | CWeb only, with no integrations or apps listed. |
| Best for | images with readable words in them | an image generator with a searchable prompt archive |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ideogram and Lexica. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ideogram starts at $15 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Lexica starts at $8 a month and scores 2.0.
Ideogram scores higher, and starts $7 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, 1 scores higher than Ideogram for less, and 10 score higher than Lexica for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Ideogram also covers video generation.
At a glance
| Ideogram | Lexica | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $15 per month for 2,400 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) | $8 per month, billed annually |
| Free plan | 30 credits a week for accounts that sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft. Everything made on the free plan is public, and the Video app needs a paid plan or bought credits. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Ideogram AI Inc | Lexica |
| Price read from | docs.ideogram.ai | lexica.art |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ideogram
- Free credits go only to accounts signed in with Google, Apple or Microsoft, and free-plan images are always public.
- Monthly plan credits do not roll over. Extra credits cost one US cent each and expire 365 days after purchase.
- Partner models, reference images, edits, upscales and video always cost credits, even on plans with a slower unlimited queue.
- Credits cannot be bought inside the iOS app, and custom model training works on desktop only.
Lexica
- There is no free plan: the page says images can only be generated by subscribing.
- Images made on Starter and Pro are public and appear in Lexica search; only Max keeps them private.
- The commercial license depends on team size: Starter for individuals, Pro for 2 to 5 people, Max for 5 or more.
- Each prompt submission uses 4 image credits; the pricing page shows the yearly-billed price and offers a switch to monthly billing.
Key features
Ideogram
- Several image models
- Ideogram 4.5 edits and combines up to five reference images, 4.0 handles very wide formats, and 3.0 keeps style presets, palettes and negative prompts.
- Editing and inpainting
- Mask an area to change it, extend a scene, remove objects or backgrounds, and upscale results.
- Transparent backgrounds
- Dedicated models produce images with no background for stickers, print-on-demand designs, icons and clip art.
- Custom models
- Train a style model on 15 to 100 of your own images. Training needs Pro or Team and a standard run costs 4,000 credits.
- Video app
- Makes short clips from a prompt, from start and end frames, or from uploaded images, video and audio, using models such as Seedance.
- API and MCP server
- One API covers the image and video models, and an MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude use Ideogram.
Lexica
- Searchable image archive
- The site is built around a search engine of generated images and the prompts behind them, which can be used as a starting point for new prompts.
- Aperture model
- Most images on the site were made with Lexica's own Aperture model; a selection from Stable Diffusion 1.5 is also kept and carries a CC0 license.
- Fast and slow generations
- Every plan includes a monthly count of fast generations. Pro and Max add slow-queue generations once the fast ones are used, with a daily cap.
- Image uploads and aspect ratios
- All plans list image uploads and custom aspect ratios, along with early access to new models.
- Extra generations on demand
- Fast generations can be bought for $0.05 each. They do not expire but can only be used while a plan is active.
Plans
Ideogram
Free$0
30 credits a week, all Ideogram image models, and public images only.
Plus$15
per month for 2,400 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Private generation and quality export; after credits run out, Ideogram models keep working in a slower queue.
Pro$42
per month for 7,500 credits, billed annually ($60 billed monthly)
Adds batch generation, a larger queue and custom model training.
Team$20
per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
3,600 credits per member each month, with central billing and admin. Minimum 2 users.
EnterpriseCustom
Terms, credits and features set by agreement, including a prepaid shared credit balance for organizations.
Lexica
Starter$8
per month, billed annually
1,000 fast generations a month, 2 concurrent fast jobs, personal commercial license for an individual creator. Images are public.
Pro$24
per month, billed annually
3,000 fast generations a month plus slow generations with a daily cap, 3 concurrent jobs, commercial license for teams of 2 to 5. Images are public.
Max$48
per month, billed annually
7,000 fast generations a month plus capped slow generations, commercial license for teams of 5 or more, and private images.
Ways to pay less
Ideogram
- Annual discount
Pay less with yearly billing
Yearly billing brings Plus from $20 to $15 a month, Pro from $60 to $42 and Team from $30 to $20 per user.
Lexica
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
The pricing page labels yearly plans with a 20% saving against monthly billing; the monthly-billed prices are shown behind a toggle.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ideogram or Lexica?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lexica is cheaper to start with: $8 a month, against $15 a month for Ideogram. Ideogram starts at $15 per month for 2,400 credits, billed annually ($20 billed monthly), and Lexica starts at $8 per month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Ideogram or Lexica?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Ideogram has a free plan. Lexica does not.
Which platforms do Ideogram and Lexica run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Ideogram lists an iOS app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.