Midjourney, DALL-E and Adobe Firefly used to be a tidy trio of AI image generators. In November 2026 the picture is messier, and the title of this article needs a correction before anything else: OpenAI’s developer documentation now lists DALL-E 3 as shut down and removed from the API, and recommends a newer model called GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst instead.
That changes the comparison. Instead of three standalone products, you are choosing between a dedicated image service (Midjourney), OpenAI’s current image models, and Adobe’s Firefly, which now offers partner models from other companies, including OpenAI, alongside Adobe’s own. This article explains what to compare and what the official pages say.
How we researched this: we did not run hands-on tests for this article. It is based on the vendor’s own documentation and public sources, checked on 11 November 2026. Features and prices change, so confirm details on the vendor’s site before you buy.
Key takeaways
- DALL-E 3 is labelled “Shut down” in OpenAI’s developer docs, which recommend GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst for current image generation and editing.
- Midjourney sells four paid plans built around Fast GPU time, with Relax mode on Standard and above, and lists general commercial terms on all plans.
- Adobe Firefly runs on a credit system: standard features cost 1 credit, premium features cost more, and partner models count as premium.
- Firefly’s help pages list partner models from Google, OpenAI, Black Forest Labs and others, and say you are responsible for deciding whether a model suits your project.
- We could not confirm Midjourney’s rights and privacy terms or Firefly’s individual plan prices on official pages, so check these before commercial use.
Why compare these, and what changed
People compare image generators on picture quality, and pictures are easy to judge by eye. The difficulty is that quality is subjective and changes with every model release. The parts that stay comparable are the working model: how you pay, how fast you can generate, what rights come with the output, and how the tool fits the software you already use.
Two changes in the documentation matter here. First, DALL-E 3 is gone from OpenAI’s API. The DALL-E 3 model page says it has been deprecated and removed, and recommends GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst. The page gives no shutdown date, and it still shows a rate-limit table for DALL-E 3, which conflicts with the removal notice, so treat the page with some caution. Second, Firefly is no longer only Adobe’s own model: its help pages list partner models from several companies.
If you are still deciding what you need images for, start with how to choose an AI tool. If you are new to prompting, our beginner’s guide to AI image prompts will help you test fairly.
Quick overview table
| Item | Midjourney | OpenAI image models | Adobe Firefly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status of DALL-E | Not applicable | DALL-E 3 shut down and removed from the API; GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst recommended | Lists GPT Image models as partner options; the pages we read did not list DALL-E |
| How you pay | Monthly or yearly subscription with Fast GPU hours | Not confirmed here; we could not read a current official image pricing page | Subscription with a monthly allocation of generative credits |
| Entry paid price | Basic, $10 per month or $8 per month billed yearly | Not confirmed | Individual plan prices not confirmed on pages we read |
| Video | Included on paid plans, with SD video on Basic and HD on Standard and above | Not confirmed | Video generation from text or images listed in Firefly |
| Other companies’ models | Not stated on the page we read | Not applicable | Yes, partner models from Google, OpenAI, Black Forest Labs, Luma, Runway and others |
Prices are in US dollars as shown on the vendor page. Checked on 11 November 2026. Confirm on the vendor page before you buy.
Criteria that matter
- How you will use the images. Social posts, client work, product mock-ups or print?
- Where you will make them. A standalone service, a chat assistant, or inside design software.
- How usage is limited. Fast hours, credits, or per-image API fees.
- Rights and risk. What the terms say about commercial use, and what the vendor says about training data.
- Editing needs. Do you want to generate only, or also edit existing images?
- Team needs. Shared assets, admin controls and billing.
Midjourney: plans and speed
Midjourney’s pricing page lists four paid plans, with yearly billing saving 20 percent.
| Plan | Yearly (per month) | Monthly | Fast GPU hours | Other documented differences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $8 | $10 | None listed | About 200 image jobs per month, 1 simultaneous Fast video job, SD video only |
| Standard | $24 | $30 | 15 hours | SD and HD video, 3 simultaneous Fast image jobs, unlimited Relax image generations |
| Pro | $48 | $60 | 30 hours | 12 simultaneous Fast image jobs, unlimited Relax image and SD video, Stealth mode |
| Mega | $96 | $120 | 60 hours | 12 simultaneous Fast video jobs, Stealth mode |
The page also says all plans include general commercial terms, optional Fast-hour top-ups and an Editor for uploaded images.
Fast, Relax and Turbo
Midjourney’s help article on GPU speed explains the model. Fast mode uses your monthly Fast time, which resets at each renewal and does not carry over; most prompts cost about one minute, with upscales and unusual aspect ratios costing more. Relax mode uses unlimited Relax time on Standard, Pro and Mega, with waits of 0 to 10 minutes depending on recent Relax use, and does not support some options. Turbo mode uses Fast time at double the usual cost and is described as experimental, so its availability and cost may change.
A Midjourney update about its V8 Alpha says Relax mode is available to Standard, Pro and Mega subscribers and mentions a new V8 model in training. The post shows no date, so we cannot place it in time, and we do not rely on it for current model status.
What we could not read
We could not open Midjourney’s plan comparison help page or its terms of service. We therefore cannot tell you what the terms say about commercial use by larger companies, or how public your generations are by default. Read those before commercial use. Stealth mode appears on Pro and Mega, which suggests privacy options are tied to plan, but check the exact wording yourself.
OpenAI image models
OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 model page labels the model “Shut down” and “Deprecated image generation model” and says: “We recommend GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst for current image generation and editing.” No dates are given. Adobe’s partner-model page lists several OpenAI image models, including GPT Image 1.5, GPT Image 2, GPT Image 2.5 Flare, GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst, GPT Image 2.6 Flare and GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst, so those names exist, but we could not read OpenAI’s own current image pricing or ChatGPT image limits.
What we can say from OpenAI’s pages is limited. In January 2026, OpenAI said ChatGPT Go gives 10 times the messages, file uploads and image creation of the free tier. That is a plan-level allowance, not a per-image price. If you plan to use OpenAI image models, read the ChatGPT plan page and the API pricing page, and test a small batch. Our article on comparing ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini covers how the chat plans handle limits.
Also note a privacy point from OpenAI’s help centre: individual services such as ChatGPT and DALL-E are used for training by default unless you opt out, while Team, Enterprise and the API Platform are not used for training. That page still names DALL-E, so it may not be fully up to date.
Adobe Firefly: credits and partner models
Adobe’s help overview describes Firefly as an AI creative studio. It lists text-to-image, video generation, a browser-based video editor, Firefly Boards for mood boards, editing with text prompts, node-based workflows, an AI Assistant, audio and video translation, and sound-effect generation. It says paid plans include access to all AI models and that free users get complimentary generations on a curated set of models.
How credits work
Adobe’s generative credits FAQ says credits are the single currency for generative features across Creative Cloud apps and are deducted up front, with failed generations usually refunded within minutes (longer for video, up to 24 hours). It lists most standard features as costing 1 credit per generation, and premium features costing more: examples given are 10 credits for Firefly Image 5 and Generate Sound Effects, and 100 credits per second for 1080p video. Partner models are treated as premium and draw from the same balance.
| Plan (per Adobe’s FAQ, partial list) | Monthly credits |
|---|---|
| Creative Cloud Pro | 4,000 premium credits plus unlimited standard generations |
| Creative Cloud Standard | 25 |
| Creative Cloud Single App (subscribed on or after 17 June 2025) | 25 |
| Adobe Express Premium | 250 |
| Firefly for teams: Pro, Pro Plus, Premium | 4,000, 10,000 and 50,000 |
Adobe says unused credits do not roll over on paid plans, and free plan credits expire one month after allocation. The FAQ table is truncated in the source we read, so it is a partial list. We did not find individual Firefly plan prices on the pages we read.
Partner models
Adobe’s partner-model page lists models from Google, OpenAI, Black Forest Labs, Luma AI, Runway, Topaz Labs and ElevenLabs, noting that availability varies by country or region. The page we read does not describe differences in commercial safety or IP between these models. It says: “You are responsible for determining whether a model is appropriate for your project.” The Firefly overview mentions “commercially safe AI” in connection with Firefly for teams, but makes no broader claim for the whole product. If rights risk matters, ask Adobe which models fall under which terms.
Pricing models side by side
| Model | What you buy | What limits you | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midjourney | A plan with Fast GPU hours and Relax access | Fast time per month, simultaneous jobs, and Relax queue time | Unused Fast time does not carry over; extra Fast time can be bought |
| OpenAI | Chat plan allowances or API usage | Plan limits or per-call fees | Model names change; confirm the current image model and price |
| Firefly | A plan with monthly generative credits | Credits, which vary by feature and model | Premium features and partner models cost more; credits do not roll over |
The practical tip is to price a real month. Estimate how many final images, how many drafts per image, and how many video seconds you need, then convert to Fast hours or credits. Our guide on reading an AI tool’s pricing page shows how to catch limits that do not appear in the headline price.
Rights, commercial use and privacy
For anything you will publish or sell, this section matters more than the picture style. From the pages we could read:
- Midjourney: the pricing page says all plans include general commercial terms. We could not read the full terms, so we cannot describe any size-of-business conditions or default visibility of images.
- OpenAI: consumer services are used for training by default with an opt-out; business plans and the API are not used for training, per OpenAI’s help article. We did not read the image output terms.
- Adobe: commercially safe AI is mentioned for Firefly for teams. Partner models are treated as premium, and Adobe tells users they are responsible for judging suitability.
Whatever you choose, keep records of the prompts and tool versions used for client work, and read the current terms. This is general information, not legal advice. If you need to flag AI-made images to your audience, see how to spot AI-generated text and images. For vendor questions, use how to evaluate AI tool vendors on privacy.
Who each suits
Midjourney may suit you if
- You want a dedicated image and video service with a clear plan ladder.
- You prefer unlimited Relax generations on Standard and above and can accept waits.
- You do not need images created inside design software.
OpenAI image models may suit you if
- You already use ChatGPT and want image creation in the same place.
- You are a developer who wants image generation through an API.
- You will check the current model name and pricing before building on it, given DALL-E 3’s removal.
Adobe Firefly may suit you if
- You already work in Adobe apps and want one credit balance across them.
- You want access to several companies’ models in one place.
- You are comfortable managing credits and the premium cost of some models.
Look elsewhere if
You need a fixed per-image price, fully predictable costs, or contractual rights language for regulated work. Ask vendors for written terms, or consider options not covered here.
How to run your own test
We have not generated images with these tools for this article, so run your own test using how to test an AI tool before you pay for it as a guide.
- Write five briefs from real work: a product shot, a social graphic, a portrait, a text-heavy poster and an edit of an existing image.
- Use the same wording in each tool, then adapt only where a tool requires a different format.
- Count attempts needed to reach an image you would use.
- Record cost units: Fast minutes in Midjourney, credits in Firefly, plan allowance or fees for OpenAI.
- Check text and detail closely, because small errors are common in generated images.
- Read the terms for the plan you tested before using any output commercially.
See comparing AI tools side by side fairly for how to keep the comparison unbiased.
Decision checklist
- Do I know which image model the tool will use today, and how often that changes?
- Can I estimate monthly cost in Fast hours or credits?
- Have I read the commercial-use terms for my plan?
- Do I need privacy features such as Stealth mode, and are they on my plan?
- Do I need editing, video or team features?
- Have I checked what happens to unused time or credits?
Frequently asked questions
Is DALL-E still available?
OpenAI’s developer page says DALL-E 3 has been deprecated and removed from the API, and recommends GPT-Image-2.5 Sunburst. The page gives no dates, so check OpenAI directly for the current status in ChatGPT.
Which is best for commercial work?
We cannot say. Midjourney lists general commercial terms on all plans, and Adobe mentions commercially safe AI for teams, but we could not read full terms for either. Read them for your plan.
Does Firefly only use Adobe’s own models?
No. Adobe’s help pages list partner models from several companies, and say paid plans include access to all AI models.
Does Midjourney have a free plan?
The pricing page we read lists only four paid plans, so we could not confirm a free tier. Check the page.
What happens to unused credits or Fast time?
Midjourney says unused Fast time does not carry over. Adobe says unused credits on paid plans do not roll over and reset to the plan allocation.
Can I use more than one?
Yes. Some people use one for ideas and another for finishing. Remember each has its own cost and terms.
Conclusion
The old three-way contest has become a choice between a dedicated service, OpenAI’s current image models and a credit-based studio with partner models. Compare how you pay, how you are limited, what rights you get and where you work, then test with your own briefs.
For the wider process, read how to choose an AI tool, and use our fair-comparison guide when you run your test.
Sources
- Midjourney Pricing and Plans, accessed 11 November 2026
- GPU Speed (Fast, Relax, Turbo), Midjourney Docs, accessed 11 November 2026
- Relax mode for V8 Alpha, Midjourney Updates (undated), accessed 11 November 2026
- DALL-E 3 Model, OpenAI Developers, accessed 11 November 2026
- Introducing ChatGPT Go, OpenAI, 16 January 2026, accessed 11 November 2026
- How your data is used to improve model performance, OpenAI Help Center, accessed 11 November 2026
- Adobe Firefly overview, Adobe Help, accessed 11 November 2026
- Generative credits FAQ, Adobe Help, accessed 11 November 2026
- Partner models in Adobe products, Adobe Help, accessed 11 November 2026
