ILUS AI vs Midjourney (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ILUS AI grades higher than Midjourney: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ILUS AI grades higher on the free plan. Midjourney grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ILUS AI
AI illustration generator with consistent, trainable styles
Midjourney
Image and short-video generator run on monthly GPU time
Which one is for you
Pick ILUS AI if
- Fits if you need a set of illustrations that all match for a site or deck
- Works for people who'd rather buy credits once than keep a subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want privacy on a trial, since images from free credits aren't kept private
- Tight if you want your own style: fine-tuning costs 150 of the 500 credits in the one pack
- Watch out: SVG export is only for Flat, Ink Drawing, Doodle and custom styles
- Watch out: the pricing section shows a single pack, so there's no bigger plan to move up to
Pick Midjourney if
- Fits if you want stylized images and will put time into steering the prompt
- Works for heavy users on Standard, where slower Relax-mode image jobs are unlimited
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there's no free plan or trial
- Not for you if your images must stay private, since Stealth Mode needs Pro at $48 a month; Basic and Standard images go in the public gallery
- Tight if you're on Basic: about 200 fast minutes, no Relax mode, and unused time doesn't roll over
- Watch out: companies earning over $1 million a year must be on Pro or Mega to use images commercially
- Watch out: plan details come from a third-party summary, as Midjourney's own pages turned our reader away, and there's no phone app or API
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAILUS AIFair | 2.0GPAMidjourneyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BOne $25 pack gets 500 credits that don't expire, well under a year of the $11.88 middle subscription. But it's a pack that runs out, and fine-tuning takes 150 credits. | BBasic is $8 a month on yearly billing ($10 monthly), inside this category's cheaper quarter of $9.99. It buys about 200 minutes of fast GPU time and no slower Relax mode. The price is from a third-party summary, as Midjourney's own pages turned our reader away. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree trial credits, no card needed, but the amount isn't stated and those images aren't kept private. | FNo free plan and no trial on record, so the least you can pay is $8 a month. And Basic's fast minutes don't roll over if you have a quiet month. |
| Features | CConsistent styles, fine-tuning, PNG export and editing tools. SVG export covers only Flat, Ink Drawing, Doodle and custom styles. | BV8 text-to-image, an edit model that fills, swaps and extends with up to four reference images, image-to-video with loops and end frames, and style profiles and moodboards. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in making images. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You pick or train a style, then generate. | CNo app-store rating on record. It runs on the website or as a Discord bot, and it's sold in GPU hours rather than images, so it takes a while to know what a month buys. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with a Figma plugin and an API. No desktop or phone app. | CThe midjourney.com website and a Discord bot, and that's it. No phone or desktop app of its own, and no API in the listing. |
| Best for | illustrations in one consistent style | stylized images and short clips from a prompt |
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: ILUS AI and Midjourney. How we grade
Where they differ
- Midjourney also covers video generation.
At a glance
| ILUS AI | Midjourney | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $25 for 500 credits, one-time | $8 per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial credits, no credit card required; the amount is not stated. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Ilus AI | Midjourney |
| Price read from | ilus.ai | eesel.ai (not the vendor's own page) |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ILUS AI
- Images made with free trial credits are not kept private; paid generations are.
- SVG export applies only to Flat, Ink Drawing, Doodle and custom styles.
- The pricing section lists one 500-credit pack at $25; no other packs were shown.
- Fine-tuning a style costs 150 credits, a large share of a 500-credit pack.
Midjourney
- Midjourney's own pricing and help pages turned away our reader, so plan details come from a third-party summary edited June 5, 2026.
- Basic has no Relax mode, so every job draws on its monthly fast time, and unused fast hours do not roll over.
- Private generation (Stealth Mode) starts at Pro; on Basic and Standard, images appear in the public gallery.
- Companies with more than $1 million in yearly gross revenue must be on Pro or Mega to use images commercially.
Key features
ILUS AI
- Consistent styles
- Ink drawing, doodle and flat styles keep a set of illustrations looking alike across a project.
- Fine-tuning
- Upload 10 to 20 example images to train a custom illustration style or a consistent character; training costs 150 credits.
- SVG and PNG export
- PNG export is free and SVG costs 4 credits; Flat, Ink Drawing, Doodle and custom styles can export SVG.
- Editing tools
- An eraser, background remover, upscaler and image edit tool cost 1 or 2 credits per use.
- Figma plugin and API
- A Figma plugin and an API are linked from the site.
Midjourney
- Text-to-image with V8 models
- V8.1 became the default model in June 2026 and V8.2 followed in July, with an HD setting that renders at a higher resolution.
- Image editing
- The V8.2 edit model changes images from written instructions, fills or replaces chosen areas, extends the canvas and takes up to four reference images.
- Image-to-video
- Any image, including an uploaded one, can be animated into short clips that can be extended, looped or given a set end frame.
- Personalization and moodboards
- Rating images builds a personal style profile, and moodboards or style references steer new images toward a chosen look.
- Conversational mode
- A text and voice mode on the website takes requests in plain language and can use the reference images and settings already in place.
- Organize page
- Past jobs can be searched, filtered and sorted into folders on the website.
Plans
ILUS AI
Credit pack$25
one-time, for 500 credits
500 credits that do not expire: private images, editing, PNG and SVG export, fine-tuning and a CC0 license.
Midjourney
Basic$8
per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
About 3.3 hours (200 minutes) of fast GPU time a month and no Relax mode; SD video only.
Standard$24
per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
15 fast GPU hours a month plus unlimited image jobs in the slower Relax mode.
Pro$48
per month, billed annually ($60 billed monthly)
30 fast GPU hours, Stealth Mode for private images, unlimited SD video in Relax mode and 12 fast jobs at once.
Mega$96
per month, billed annually ($120 billed monthly)
60 fast GPU hours a month, with everything in Pro and more video jobs at once.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ILUS AI or Midjourney?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ILUS AI starts at $25 for 500 credits, one-time, and Midjourney starts at $8 per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ILUS AI or Midjourney?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither ILUS AI nor Midjourney has a free plan. ILUS AI has a free trial.
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.