The 5 best AI image generators for commercial use

An AI-generated image for an ad, website, cover, or product listing is not just about quality. Before paying for a subscription, you need to understand three things: whether the service allows commercial use of the results, who owns the images, and what happens if a rights holder files a complaint about them. The answers depend on the service and plan, and they are buried in lengthy English-language documents.

This roundup is for those who create images for business: freelancers, marketers, website and store owners, and designers. We selected five generators whose terms provide for commercial use of the results and compared them based on what matters in practice: price, license, and suitable use cases.

What to check in the terms before buying

• Commercial license. Is it included in your plan or only in paid plans? Free plans are often limited.
• Revenue threshold. Some services have terms that depend on a company’s revenue: for example, Stable Diffusion is free for businesses with annual revenue of up to $1 million.
• Work visibility. On free plans, images may be public: on Playground, any user may be able to view and remix your work by default. This is unsuitable for client projects.
• Protection against claims. Some services promise legal protection (indemnity) for specific plans. This distinguishes “business-safe” models from the rest.
• Usage rules. Prohibited content, logos and depictions of real people, and trademarks.

Comparison

Midjourney: artistic quality for ads and illustrations

Midjourney is known for producing “artistic” images without lengthy prompt tuning. The service runs on midjourney.com, while Discord remains a second option. It supports text-to-image generation, style matching from references, character consistency, an editor (inpainting and outpainting), and short image-to-video generation.

There is no free plan: subscriptions start at $10 per month. Commercial use of the results is provided for paid plans, but Midjourney may require a more expensive plan for companies with high revenue, so check the exact terms in the Terms of Service.

Adobe Firefly: a “clean” license for business

Adobe Firefly was created for commercial use cases: Firefly’s proprietary models are trained on licensed materials, so the output can be used in advertising and products. The service works in a browser and in Adobe applications, most importantly inside Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and Adobe Express: generative fill, canvas extension, and text-to-vector graphics. In addition to its own models, partner models are available; their terms may differ, so check them separately.

The free offering includes 25 credits, while paid plans start at $9.99 per month. If you already work with Adobe Creative Cloud, Firefly integrates into your familiar workflow.

Stable Diffusion: custom models and full control

Stable Diffusion is an open model by Stability AI that can be run on your own computer. According to the official license page, the Community License is free for researchers, developers, small businesses, and creators with annual revenue of less than $1 million, and the results belong to you subject to applicable law and acceptable-use rules. Businesses with revenue above $1 million need an enterprise license.

This is the most flexible option: thousands of community models, LoRA, ControlNet, and local generation without a subscription. The license for an individual community model may differ from the Stability AI license, so check it on the model’s page. To get started: installing Stable Diffusion on a computer.

Playground: multiple models and a free starting point

Playground is a web service that you can start using for free and without a bank card. According to the website, it offers popular models, including Nano Banana Pro and GPT Image 2. Under the service terms, you retain the rights to the results, and their use is permitted for personal and business purposes.

There are two caveats: by default, your work may be public and available for remixing, and the service does not guarantee that the results are protected by copyright. Check the privacy settings for client projects.

Ideogram: images with text and logos

Ideogram is known for producing readable text in images: posters, covers, cards, and logos. It works in a browser and in an iPhone app; an API is available for embedding it into your own products. Its tools include Precise Edit (edits a selected area while leaving the remaining pixels unchanged), Remix, Reframe, background replacement and removal, upscaling, and apps for advertising layouts (Ad Resizer, Colorways, Object Remover).

Plans include a free option (credits are issued weekly, the queue is slow, and images are published in the public gallery by default), Plus from $20 per month with private generation, and Pro from $60 per month. According to the catalog description, the service does not claim rights to generated images and allows commercial use. For client projects, choose a plan with private generation and verify the current terms on the service’s website.

What has changed since 2023

Jasper, BlueWillow, and DreamStudio were previously included in this roundup. We removed them: Jasper shifted its focus to AI marketing agents and text rather than image generation, BlueWillow became part of LimeWire, and there is no confirmed information about DreamStudio’s current status. Adobe Firefly, Stable Diffusion, and Ideogram were added instead, while Playground remains.

How to choose

• You need the safest possible business license: Adobe Firefly.
• You need beauty and an artistic style: Midjourney.
• You need custom models and control, and you have a GPU: Stable Diffusion.
• You want to try it for free: Playground or Firefly’s free credits.
• You need text in the image: Ideogram.

For other photo tools, see the review of Clipdrop and the AI tools catalog.