AI image generation is more than writing a prompt to the model and getting an image output.
AI models that are designed specifically for image generation let you generate readable text, work from references, polish images, upscale them, preserve characters, or combine several models in one workflow.
We have hundreds of AI image generators right now, and testing them to choose which is best can be stressful, so here are the best free tools after being tested by different users.
Best Free AI Image Generators for Creative Workflows
Krea AI
Krea offers amazing features in its free plan such as Krea 2, real-time models, limited LoRA training etc.
You get 100 compute units daily, and you can upscale your images up to 2K resolution.
What makes it better in use is not only the image model but also its workflow.
You can generate an image, refine it and upscale it without using other services, even in the basic plan.
It has a friendly user interface whereby you can try different visual directions pretty quickly.
While you can do so much with the free plan, there is still a lot missing in it. It does not include the full model library, commercial licence or advanced workflow features.
Leonardo AI
Would you like to have more control than what a basic chatbot generator offers? Leonardo might just be what you need as a creator.
It combines image generation with editing, style control and production-oriented tools.
You can design artworks, blog visuals, advertising creatives and others.
You also have much to do with its free plan and 150 tokens per day, more than most tools.
Ideogram
Ideogram works best for creators who need to put a lot of text on their creatives.
For example, if you work around posters, ad graphics, quotation graphics, infographics, thumbnails, and the like, Ideogram is ideal.
While you can use it for free, the free plan is limited, and only good for experimenting.
In the paid option, you can add private generation, run larger queues without getting slow like the free plan, and you can do batch generation.
Like any other AI tool, consistency, and prompt engineering can help improve results. This applies to Ideogram, it can output generic results if the prompt is poor, but it wins in accuracy amongst tools with similar pricing.
ChatGPT Images
OpenAI ChatGPT is undoubtedly the biggest AI model currently, but it’s rather a general-purpose AI model than an AI image generator.
It can handle all sorts of image generation. It’s easy to interact with, submit your image brief, upload samples or references, and get your concept in image form.
For free users, it’s limited to 3 image generations daily, so you can refine the same concept 2 more times to get your desired result.
ChatGPT Image is currently running on the 2.5 version which generates images faster, has higher resolution, sharper details, adds more precise editing, and the ability to start from templates or sketches.
Also, if the image fails to depict the concept, you don’t have to rewrite the prompt, or unlike before, trying to make adjustments can mess up the whole thing.
This version has improved on iteration. You can make corrections on certain characters without affecting others, which makes the work perfect, and saves time.
This improvement helps when you regularly work on product images, text-heavy graphics and others.
Recraft
Recraft is built for designers because it treats AI generation more like a design workflow than a basic image generator.
For content creators that deal with graphics, logos, branding assets and vector-oriented projects, Recraft is a good choice.
The latest model allows making your final image remain editable.
Also, it can produce native scalable vector graphics (SVG) images which can retain their quality when scaled compared to raster images.
If you’re using Recraft as a business, it’s advisable to go for the paid plan because your outputs in the free plan would have licensing restrictions. You can’t use it as a commercial material.
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