Top AI Art Generators (Free and Paid – With Image Examples)

AI is everywhere right now and for a good reason. It’s started to become key in automating mundane tasks as well as providing a creative boost when needed. We’ve seen how effective AI can be when using AI-powered writing tools. Now, let’s see how it stacks up in the art world. Here are some of the very best generative AI art tools right now.

TL;DR: AI art generators are the hottest new AI tool on the market right now. Use a simple line of text or one of your own images and transform it into amazing art in seconds. 

Here are the best AI art generators (free and paid) you can start using today.

Top AI Art Generators in 2024

So, what is the best AI art generator, you ask? While the AI art generators work in much the same way, they all provide different tools and features that make them unique. 

I’ve tested a bunch of them and found eight AI art generators to stand head and shoulders above the rest. If you’re looking to try one, the following tools will give you great results.

Just to see how the different tools behave when generating art, I tested them all with the same two phrases.

The first phrase is quite specific, and the second is deliberately vague:

• A pug dressed as a Victoria nobleman in the style of Salvador Dali.
• A dream of a flowery meadow with a sleeping girl and unicorn.

Let’s get into it.

1. Jasper Art

Jasper.ai is the undisputed king of AI writing tools, so it should come as no surprise that its AI art generator also comes out on top. Its writing and art tools work in combination, so you can create amazing AI content and now have the unique art to go with it.

Its AI art generator is very new and has only just come out of beta mode. While there is no free version of the software, you can purchase a month’s use for $20. However, the website states this price is likely to change very soon.

Interestingly, Jasper Art uses the DALL-E2 machine learning model to generate art. DALL-E2 is listed further down the list as a product in its own right.

Jasper Art Features

• Right now, you can pay $39 for unlimited use (but this could soon change).
• After inputting your prompt of 400 characters or less, Jasper will generate four images in seconds.
• All images are royalty-free and can be used for commercial projects.
• You can access the AI art generator and AI content writing tool from the same interface and pay for a single subscription that includes AI writing and art generation.
• Choose from a wide range of art styles (cartoon, line art, 3D render, etc.).
• Choose from a large array of mediums (charcoal, oil paints, canvas, etc.).
• Select the mood of your art (boring, calm, exciting, etc.).
• Active and thriving Facebook community where you can share art and ideas.
• Rapid response support and assistance.
• 7-day free trial.

The user image examples are top-notch and can bring you absolutely stunning results.

2. Midjourney

Midjourney is unique because the entire system operates within Discord (an instant message chat app). Once you’ve clicked to join on the Midjourney website, you’ll be sent to Discord and invited to open an account and then join one of the Newbie channels.

If you’re new to Discord, this can be slightly confusing at first, but the instructions on the Midjourney website are quite clear, and I was able to get up and running within 20-minutes.

Once you’re in, it’s ultra-simple to generate art. All you do is type “/imagine,” and a prompt box will appear. Type in your phrase, and you’ll get four images with some options to upscale. That’s it! For those who want a no-frills type of art generator, this is it.

You get a generous 25 free requests before you have to pay, which is plenty of opportunity to test the AI out. Once you’re ready to subscribe, there are three plans to choose from.

Credits are given in the form of gpu minutes. One request (generating four images) takes roughly one gpu minute. You’ll use more minutes if you choose to upscale your images.

• Basic plan: $10/month (access to 200 gpu minutes per month)
• Standard plan: $30/month (access to 15 gpu hours per month)
• Corporate plan: $600/year (access to 120 gpu hours per year)

Midjourney Features

• 25 free requests before having to subscribe and pay. Midjourney is the best free AI art generator in 2024.
• Paid plans are very affordable with the Basic Plan, costing only $10/month.
• Gives you four images per search request.
• Options to upscale or change the variation are included.
• You can request that your images are sent to your Discord direct message inbox for safekeeping.
• Once you’re up and running, the system is very easy and simple to use.
• An excellent no-frills AI art generator.
• No explicit content is permitted, thus making this generator suitable for children.
• Comes with the Discord community to chat and share your art with.
• Because the system is on Discord, all images are publicly accessible. The only way to avoid this is to upgrade to the Corporate Plan, where they will be private.

Here are the results of Midjourney’s efforts following my two prompts. Both came out exceptionally well and appeared to have followed my descriptions to the letter.

I personally like how the dream images do appear to be very dream-like.

3. DALL-E 2

DALL-E 2 uses GPT-3, one of the most advanced machine learning algorithms available. It also uses CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training) which gives the AI the ability to bring you accurate results.

Many AI art generators have been known to generate strange and unreal results but not DALL-E2. Its users report that out of all the generators available, this one brings the most realistic results. 

To get going on the platform, you must first open an account. You must provide your phone number, which I found slightly unusual. However, I’m pleased to report I’ve not received any phone call from them.

After activating your account, you get a whopping 50 free credits during your first month, and 15 free credits will refill every month after that. So, if you use DALL-E2 sparingly, you’ll never have to pay for it.

You pay for DALL-E 2 by purchasing additional credits. It’s currently a set amount of $15 for 115 credits. One credit = four images per prompt.

DALL-E 2 Features

• Free 50 credits to get started plus a further 15 free credits each month.
• $15 per 115 extra credits.
• Open your account and get up and running within minutes.
• Very easy to use. Input your prompt or upload your own photo to generate art.
• You get four images per prompt.
• A dedicated Discord server to discuss and share your art.
• If you’re stuck for ideas, there’s a “surprise me” button to generate something random.
• Uses GPT-3 and CLIP advanced AI algorithms to produce realistic results.
• A paintbrush feature allows for adding additional details like highlights and shadows.
• Take it one step further and use the paintbrush tool to create multi-layered images.

The results for my two prompts differ quite wildly. On the one hand, the pugs are highly detailed and could almost be sold as art prints. 

However, the dream images are highly odd and somewhat freaky. It would seem that while DALL-E 2 can produce amazing results, you need a detailed and specific prompt to get decent images.

DALL-E 3

OpenAI has released the third version of its DALL-E platform, which uses AI to convert text prompts into images. DALL-E 3 is built on ChatGPT, which allows users to create prompts and includes more safety options. The latest version understands context much better than its predecessors, and it has been trained to decline to generate images in the style of living artists.

Right now, DALL-E 3 is only available to ChatGPT plus and enterprise users, with API access rolling out shortly.

DALL-E 3 is set to revolutionize the world of text-to-image generation, and it is designed to understand text prompts with remarkable precision, capturing nuance and detail like never before.

4. StabilityAI DreamStudio

DreamStudio uses the Stable Diffusion learning model to come up with images based on your prompts, and the results are top-notch. Some people are even whispering that this generator is better than DALL-E 2.

To get started, all you need to do is log in with Google account credentials. You don’t need to mess about creating an account which I like.

The interface is basic, but you do have sliders that allow you to up or downscale the quality, choose the width and height and select how many images you want to be generated. Other sliders allow you to control how much freedom the AI has and how detailed the image should be.

So, this one is the cheapest out of all the AI art generators. You pay $10 for a set of credits. These credits are used per image generation, and if you use the tool on the basic settings, each image will only cost you one cent. Upscaling and larger images cost more.

When you sign up, you are given $2 worth for free, which equates to up to 200 images.

StabilityAI DreamStudio Features

• Get started immediately using only your Google credentials.
• $2 free credit (up to 200 images).
• $10 per set of credits (up to 1,000 images).
• Clean and simple interface with sliders to adjust image size, quality, and amount.
• The CFG scale slider tells the AI how precisely to follow your prompt. Turn it up to get more uniform results, and turn it down to give the AI more creative freedom.
• The steps slider tells the AI how many steps it should take to create your image. The more steps you choose, the more complex and detailed the image will be. 
• Prompt guide to walk you through the process and get accurate results.
• Keep your art images stored in your history folder and access them at any time.

I only generated one image of each of my prompts, but the results are excellent.

The pug is clear and detailed and while the dream image is cartoonish, it’s the most accurate interpretation so far.

5. NightCafe

If you have only ever heard of one AI art generator, it’s likely to have been Nightcafe. Its winning feature is that you have a selection of algorithms to choose from when generating your art. 

Besides DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion, you can also opt for CLIP-guided diffusion or VQGAN + CLIP. You can also turn your own images into art by uploading them. 

Once you have chosen which algorithm to use, you can decide between art styles and resolution quality. It sounds like a lot, but it’s very easy to get to grips with and perfect for beginners to use.

No account is required, and you can start creating instantly. You are provided with five credits for free. One credit equates to one image, but if you want it to generate multiple images using the same prompt, you get a discounted rate.

There is a range of credit bundles you can buy. The cheapest is 40 credits for $7.99 and goes right up to $469.99 for 10,000. The more credits you buy, the less each image costs.

NightCafe Features

• Get started without having to create an account.
• Five credits are provided for free.
• Buy extra credit bundles starting from $7.99.
• You can perform certain tasks like creating and publishing images to earn extra free credits.
• Choose between four different algorithms to generate your art.
• Upload your own images to generate art from.
• Choose between a number of art styles such as photo, epic, pop art, and CGI.
• A number of advanced features allow you to control image quality, size, and aspect ratio.
• Download all your images at once using the bulk download feature.
• Create art videos as well as images.
• Take on daily challenges to boost your creativity.
• Purchase prints of your artwork
• Join the active Discord community to chat about all things Nightcafe.

I used the Stable Diffusion and Nightcafe art style to generate my images. The pugs are more dynamic compared with past results, although one of them is missing a head!

The dream images turned out to be the most attractive of the entire lot and had a very whimsical quality about them.

6. Wombo Art

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to create unique NFTs (non-fungible tokens), then Wombo is the AI art generator for you. You may even have already heard of Wombo, thanks to its wildly popular lip-syncing app.

Wombo is different because it’s available as an app allowing you to create images on the go and just about anywhere you please. And, with portability comes simplicity. The app is ultra-easy to use and can generate art from the most basic prompts.

Simply input your prompt, then choose from a huge range of art styles – one of which is amusingly named “bad trip” – and hit “Create.” Then, it’ll generate an image in double-quick time.

If you’re using it to create NFTs, you can connect Wombo to your crypto wallet.

Best of all? Wombo is absolutely free! You don’t even need an account to create art, but you’ll need one if you plan to save your artwork on the app.

Wombo Art Features

• Completely free to use.
• Can be used on a desktop or via the app.
• Upload your own images and turn them into art.
• Use basic prompts to generate appealing images.
• Choose from a huge variety of art styles to customize your designs.
• Connect your crypto wallet for NFT generation.
• Use existing NFT images to remix them and create new ones.
• Purchase physical prints of your images directly from the app.

The app managed to create two decent images based on my prompts. I chose the cartoonist style for these, and the results are pretty accurate.

I would say these are the least detailed compared with other results, but that could be due to the chosen art style rather than the app’s capabilities.

7. Deep Dream Generator

Deep Dream has been trained using a neural network with millions of images and can produce some really stunning results. If your preference is to upload an image to transform into art rather than using prompts, Deep Dream is the best tool on the market to do so. 

While you can use the Text to Dream” feature and input a text prompt to generate an image, the Deep Style and Deep Dream options are what you want for existing images.

Deep Style allows you to upload an image and then choose an art style before generating your new art image. It’s very straightforward and gives you the ability to generate tonnes of different pieces of art from a single image or photo.

Deep Dream enhances existing images and transforms them into dream-like images. You can opt to “go deeper” and discover new dimensions of the AI’s consciousness. It’s a pretty cool feature.

To begin using Deep Dream, you will need to set up an account, but the process takes less than five minutes. You are then given 35 tokens for free. Each image uses around five tokens.

There are three plans to choose from:

• Advanced: $19/month (120 energy tokens)
• Professional: $39/month (250 energy tokens)
• Ultra: $99/month (750 energy tokens)

The cool thing about Deep Dream’s pricing plans is that they “recharge” over time. 

With the Advanced plan, you’ll gain 12 energy tokens per hour, the Professional plan is 18, and the Ultra plan is 60. The tokens will continue to recharge until they reach the maximum amount for your chosen plan.

Deep Dream Features

• 35 energy tokens are given for free when you create an account.
• Each image uses around five tokens.
• Plans start from $19/month and continuously recharge your token count, so you never run out of credit.
• Choose from Text to Dream prompt generation or upload an image and select Deep Style or Deep Dream to transform it.
• When using Text to Dream, you can input many different modifiers such as artist style, quality, effects, and photography effects to guide the AI.
• Choose from a range of image quality parameters and sizes.
• When using Deep Style, select from a wide range of art styles to transform your uploaded image.
• Use Deep Dream to conjure up a dream-like image. Go deeper to discover what the AI is capable of.
• Arrange all your artwork into folders.
• Select to make your artworks public or keep them private.

Following my prompts, here’s what Deep Dream came up with. I didn’t select any modifiers or art styles for these two, and I think the AI interpreted my prompts well.

The pug has lots of fine detail and could pass as a real painting, while the dream image looks like a book illustration.

8. StarryAI

Starry AI is another art generator used primarily to create NFTs, and like Wombo, it is available as an app. Once you have created your images, you have free control over what you do with them. This means they can be fully used for commercial projects.

The platform has three different AIs to choose from. Altair is used to create dreamy and abstract images, Orion is used for realistic images, and Argo is best for artistic styles and rendering product images. 

You can create your images using text prompts or a photo upload, or a combination of the two.

Starry AI allows you to log in using your Google credentials. Once you’re on the platform, you are given five free credits. Each image costs one credit. 

You also get five credits for free every day so long as you remember to log in and claim them. This means you can use the platform entirely for free.

Multiple pricing plans are also available and range from $15.99 for 40 credits up to $149.99 for 1,000 credits.

Starry AI Features

• Five free credits when you start, plus five free credits are given per day.
• You can use the platform for free.
• Pricing plans start from $15.99.
• You have full commercial rights for all the images you generate.
• Depending on what type of outcome you want, there are three different AIs to choose between.
• Choose to use a text prompt or upload an image.
• Choose from a wide choice of art styles to enhance your image.
• Change the canvas size to suit your requirements.
• Increase the number of iterations the AI goes through to create your image. The more you select, the more detail you’ll get.
• Acts as an effective NFT generator.
• Select to generate one image or multiple images.

I have to say, Starry AI was the only art generator that managed to truly incorporate the style of Salvador Dali into the pug design. 

The dream images are a little vaguer, and it’s hard to understand what’s going on in them. I chose Altair AI for these images though, so an abstract result was to be expected.

What Is AI Art?

AI art refers to any type of artwork that has been created by artificial intelligence rather than humans. This can be an image, video, sound, or even something printed using a 3D printer.

The AI uses complex machine learning and algorithms to determine what the user wants it to do. The more specific the user is with their prompts, the more accurate the results will be.

What Are AI Art Generators?

AI art generators allow you to use artificial intelligence to create original and unique images. 

AI art generators help turn your imagination into unique Ai-generated images and amazing art in seconds. Sometimes with hilariously strange results, often with stunning results. Artificial intelligence has become so sophisticated it was even used to enter and win first prize in a fine art competition.

This, of course, sparked much controversy. And, while the jury is still out on whether or not AI-generated art can really be called “art,” it still provides a useful and incredibly fun way to create images in mere moments.

No more paying for or using boring stock images. You can simply use a prompt to tell the generator what you want, and you’ll be instantly provided with something unique.

The AI art is generally generated from an existing image/photo or from a text (called a prompt).

There may be other parameters that you can select, including art styles, moods, or art mediums.

Once you have inputted your requirements, the AI will create unique, personalized art that can be used for posters, memes, NFTs, etc. Your creativity is the only limit.

Popular Questions Answered

How We Review AI Writing Tools: Our Methodology

Navigating the world of AI writing tools, we take a hands-on approach. Our reviews dig into their ease of use, practicality, and security, offering you a down-to-earth perspective. We’re here to help you find the AI writing assistant that fits your daily writing routine.

We start by testing how well the tool generates original content. Can it transform a basic idea into a full-fledged article or a compelling ad copy? We’re particularly interested in its creativity, originality, and how well it understands and executes specific user prompts.

Next, we examine how the tool handles brand messaging. It’s crucial that the tool can maintain a consistent brand voice and adhere to a company’s specific language preferences, whether it’s for marketing material, official reports, or internal communications.

We then explore the tool’s snippet feature. This is all about efficiency – how quickly can a user access pre-written content like company descriptions or legal disclaimers? We check if these snippets are easy to customize and integrate seamlessly into the workflow.

A key part of our review is examining how the tool aligns with your style guide. Does it enforce specific writing rules? How effective is it in identifying and correcting errors? We’re looking for a tool that not only catches mistakes but also aligns the content with the brand’s unique style.

Here, we assess how well the AI tool integrates with other APIs and software. Is it easy to use in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or even in email clients? We also test the user’s ability to control the tool’s suggestions, allowing flexibility depending on the writing context.

Lastly, we focus on security. We scrutinize the tool’s data privacy policies, its compliance with standards like GDPR, and overall transparency in data usage. This is to ensure that user data and content are handled with utmost security and confidentiality.

Learn more about our review methodology here.