Top 10 Open Source Alternatives to Midjourney in 2025

As Midjourney continues to be a popular choice for AI-generated art, 2025 is seeing a rise in strong open-source alternatives. These tools offer unique features, diverse applications, and community-driven development that can cater to a variety of needs—from hobbyist art to professional creative projects. Here's a detailed look at the top 10 open-source alternatives to Midjourney in 2025.

Boost Your SEO by Getting Featured in Our Blogs and get a backlink.

We publish content about startups, education, tech, funding, etc. that ranks well not only in Google but also in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.

👉 Get featured now!

1. Stable Diffusion

Type: Open-Source
Description: A widely used and highly customizable AI image generator that offers complete control over the creative process. It leverages text prompts to create detailed images and is recognized for its versatility.
Data Points:
Customization: Extensive fine-tuning options.
Control: Can be run on personal hardware.
Features: Text rendering for detailed image generation.
Accessibility: Free to use and modify.
Community: Community-driven development.
Learn more about Stable Diffusion

2. Playground AI

Type: Freemium (Offers both free and paid plans)
Description: Provides a user-friendly experience with the ability to generate up to 50 free images daily, with commercial use allowed.
Data Points:
Ease of Use: User-friendly interface.
Models: Supports Stable Diffusion XL and 1.5 models.
Features: Filters, in-painting, upscaling, and face restoration.
Speed: Fast with multiple results.
Free Usage: 50 free images per day.
Explore Playground AI

Get your FREE Landing Page Analysis!

Insert your landing page link and get a super useful analysis and easy fixes to get more clicks!

👉 Get Your Analysis Here!

3. Leonardo.AI

Type: Freemium (Offers both free and paid plans)
Description: Lets users train their own AI model and generate variations from their training data, favored by game developers.
Data Points:
Custom Models: Trainable AI model.
Features: Enhancements, upscaling, and face details.
User Base: Popular among game developers.
Access: Early bird access with tokens for free users.
Learn more about Leonardo.AI

4. Craiyon (formerly DALL-E Mini)

Type: Free
Description: A simplified, web-based AI tool for quick image generation from short prompts, best for free use without limits.
Data Points:
Ease of Use: Very simple interface.
Cost: Completely free.
Speed: Quick image generation.
Limitations: Ads in the free version.
Discover Craiyon

5. DeepArt

Type: Free
Description: Transforms uploaded photos into artworks using style transfer technology, popular for converting images into classic or modern art styles.
Data Points:
Functionality: Style transfer technology.
User Base: Preferred by artists.
Use Case: Artistic transformations of photos.
Cost: Free access.
Try DeepArt

Validate your startup idea with the unique borrowed authority approach: we publish articles about your product in our blog and you get traffic and testers for your MVP

Prove Market Demand: See real organic traffic and waitlist conversions

Unlock High-Potential Keywords: Receive a curated list of top-performing keywords directly from Google Search Console data.

Estimate Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Gain financial foresight with an estimated CAC based on real keyword performance data.

🔗 Start validating your startup now

6. Runway ML

Type: Freemium (Offers both free and paid plans)
Description: Provides access to diverse pre-trained AI models for image generation and style transfer, known for AI model experimentation.
Data Points:
Functionality: Access to multiple AI models.
Use Case: AI model experimentation.
Video Generation: Partnered with Canva for video creation capabilities.
Explore Runway ML

7. NightCafe

Type: Freemium (Offers both free and paid plans)
Description: A versatile platform for experimenting with various AI art styles, offering a blend of social networking and daily challenges.
Data Points:
Models: Supports Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 3.
Features: Detailed prompts for controlled artistic outputs.
Community: Social networking with daily challenges.
Credits: Free daily credits.
Check out NightCafe

8. DiffusionArt

Type: Free
Description: An open-source AI library specializing in art and anime image creation, featuring pre-trained models recognizing unique styles.
Data Points:
Functionality: Specializes in art and anime images.
Accessibility: Easy to use.
Features: Explore various models with simultaneous runs.
Cost: Free with no image creation limits.
Discover DiffusionArt

9. Bing Image Creator

Type: Free
Description: A free image generator powered by DALL-E 3 for high-quality creative images, easily accessible via Bing.
Data Points:
Quality: High-quality image generation.
Technology: Powered by DALL-E 3.
Accessibility: Found on the Bing homepage.
Free Credits: 100 daily credits with incremental waits after 25 images.
Limitations: Limited customization and editing options.
Try Bing Image Creator

10. AI Ease

Type: Free
Description: Transforms text prompts into high-quality visual art, designed for ease of use and offering diverse artistic styles.
Data Points:
Ease of Use: Beginner-friendly.
Features: Fast image generation with minimal input.
Cost: Free with unlimited generation.
Limitations: Limited advanced customization.
Learn more about AI Ease

These alternatives offer a range of features and functionalities, making them viable contenders for anyone looking to explore AI image creation beyond Midjourney. Be sure to visit their respective websites to experiment and find the best fit for your creative needs.

Join ElonaHunt (like ProductHunt but for women) and explore the coolest women-focused startups out there!

Discover your next big inspiration and connect with like-minded female entrepreneurs!

👉 Join the Hunt Here

FAQ

1. What is a highly customizable open-source alternative to Midjourney?

Stable Diffusion is a widely used and highly customizable open-source AI image generator that gives users complete control over their creative process. Learn more about Stable Diffusion

2. Which open-source alternative offers up to 50 free images daily?

Playground AI provides a user-friendly experience with the ability to generate up to 50 free images per day.

3. What AI tool is preferred by game developers for creating models of items from existing work?

Leonardo.AI allows users to train their own AI model and create variations from their training data.

4. Is there a free AI tool that generates quick images from short text prompts without sign-up?

Craiyon (formerly DALL-E Mini) is a simple, web-based AI tool that generates quick images from short text prompts and does not require sign-up.

5. Which tool is popular among artists for converting images into various classic or modern art styles?

DeepArt transforms uploaded photos into artworks using style transfer technology.

6. Which tool offers both free and paid plans and includes video generation capabilities?

Runway ML offers access to various pre-trained AI models, including image generation and style transfer.

7. What AI platform combines art creation with social networking and daily challenges?

NightCafe is a platform that allows users to experiment with a variety of AI art styles and combines AI technology with social networking and daily challenges.

8. Which open-source AI library specializes in art and anime image creation?

DiffusionArt is an open-source AI library specializing in art and anime image creation and is easy to use without additional software.

9. Which free image generator is powered by DALL-E 3 and provides 100 free credits daily?

Bing Image Creator is a free image generator powered by DALL-E 3 and offers 100 free credits daily.

10. What is a beginner-friendly platform for transforming text prompts into high-quality visual art quickly?

AI Ease is extremely easy to use, offers a diverse range of artistic styles, and provides free unlimited generation of images. Discover AI Ease

References

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).

She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.

For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.

About the Publication

Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.

Mission and Purpose

Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.

Key Features

The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:

Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:

3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
100+ startup tools built
5,000+ pieces of articles and news written

Partnerships

Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.

Recognition

Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.