Midjourney vs. DALL-E 3: Which Creates Better Images?

The world of AI image generation has changed completely in just the last few years. If you are a graphic designer, a blogger, or just someone who loves creating cool art, you have probably asked yourself one big question: Which tool is actually better, Midjourney or DALL-E 3?

In late 2025, this is not an easy question to answer. Both tools have grown into powerful creative engines. Midjourney has released its stunning Version 7 (v7), pushing the boundaries of what looks “real.” Meanwhile, OpenAI has upgraded DALL-E 3 with smarter understanding and better integration into ChatGPT.

This article will not just give you a simple “yes” or “no.” We are going to dive deep into every important category. We will look at image quality, ease of use, how well they handle text, and which one gives you the best value for your money. By the end of this guide, you will know exactly which AI artist belongs in your creative toolkit.

1. The Battle for Image Quality: Realism vs. Polish

When you type a prompt into an AI generator, the most important thing is the final result. Does it look good? Does it look like a real photo?

Midjourney: The Artistic King

If your goal is to make images that look like award-winning photography or high-end digital art, Midjourney is currently the winner. In 2025, the new v7 model has mastered “photorealism”. This means it understands lighting, shadows, and textures better than any other tool.

For example, if you ask for a “portrait of an old sailor in a storm,” Midjourney will give you an image where you can see the pores on his skin, the texture of his wet beard, and the moody lighting of the clouds. It feels gritty and emotional. It often creates images that are “prettier” than what you actually asked for because it has a strong default artistic style.

DALL-E 3: The Literal Illustrator

DALL-E 3 takes a different approach. It focuses on being clean, sharp, and accurate. Its images often look more like “stock photos” or polished digital illustrations. They are bright, colorful, and very smooth.

While DALL-E 3 can make realistic images, they sometimes have a “plastic” look. The skin might look too smooth, or the lighting might look a bit too perfect, like a commercial advertisement. However, if you need an image for a corporate presentation or a blog header that needs to look professional and safe, DALL-E 3 is excellent.

Verdict on Quality:

• Choose Midjourney if you want beauty, mood, texture, and artistic flair.
• Choose DALL-E 3 if you want clean, bright, and commercially safe images.

2. Prompt Adherence: Who Listens Better?

“Prompt Adherence” is a fancy way of asking: Does the AI actually do what I told it to do?

This is where the two tools are completely different.

DALL-E 3: The Good Listener

DALL-E 3 is built on top of ChatGPT. This gives it a massive advantage in understanding language. You can give it a very complex instruction like: “Draw a blue cat sitting on a red chair, holding a yellow umbrella, with a green robot dancing in the background.”

DALL-E 3 will almost always include every single item you asked for, in the correct color and the correct place. It is incredibly smart at following specific instructions. It rarely “forgets” things.

Midjourney: The Dreamer

Midjourney acts more like a stubborn artist. It listens to your main idea, but it might ignore the small details if it thinks the image will look better without them. If you give it the same complex prompt about the cat and the robot, it might create a beautiful image of a cat on a chair but forget the umbrella or make the robot look blurry.

However, Midjourney has added features like “Vary Region” and “Inpainting” to help fix these mistakes, but on the first try, it is less accurate than DALL-E 3.

Verdict on Adherence:

• Choose DALL-E 3 if you need specific objects, colors, or complex scenes with many elements.
• Choose Midjourney if you care more about the “vibe” and atmosphere than exact details.

3. The “Text” Problem: Can AI Write?

For a long time, AI was terrible at writing words inside images. If you asked for a sign that said “Welcome,” the AI would give you a sign that said “Wleocme” or weird alien symbols.

DALL-E 3: The Spelling Champion

In 2025, DALL-E 3 is the clear leader in text generation. You can trust it to create logos, book covers, and posters with correct spelling. If you ask for a neon sign that says “Coffee Shop Open Late,” it will almost certainly spell every word correctly. This makes it a powerful tool for social media managers who need ready-to-post content.

Midjourney: Getting Better, But Not Perfect

Midjourney has improved massively with its latest updates. It can now handle short words and phrases much better than before. However, it is still hit-or-miss. You might have to generate the image five or six times to get the spelling right. It is great for artistic typography, but you cannot rely on it 100% for long sentences.

Verdict on Text:

• Choose DALL-E 3 for logos, signs, posters, and anything requiring readable words.
• Choose Midjourney if text is just a small artistic detail and you don’t mind retrying a few times.

4. Ease of Use: Discord vs. ChatGPT

How easy is it to actually start making images? This is often the deciding factor for beginners.

DALL-E 3: Super Simple

Using DALL-E 3 is as easy as chatting with a friend. You open ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, type “Make me a picture of a dog,” and that is it. You don’t need to know any technical codes or settings. If you don’t like the result, you can just say, “Make the dog happier,” and it understands you. It is a conversational back-and-forth process.

Midjourney: The Technical Curve

Midjourney has historically lived inside an app called Discord. For many people, this is confusing. You have to join a server, type commands like /imagine, and use parameters like –ar 16:9 or –stylize 500.

While Midjourney has launched a dedicated website to make things easier, the tool is still more technical. It gives you more control, but you have to learn how to use that control. It is like flying a plane versus driving a car. The plane (Midjourney) goes higher and faster, but the car (DALL-E) is easier to drive.

Verdict on Ease of Use:

• Choose DALL-E 3 if you want to start creating immediately with zero learning curve.
• Choose Midjourney if you enjoy learning technical tools and want total control over your settings.

5. Advanced Features: For the Power Users

What if you want to do more than just generate a simple image? What if you want to edit, zoom, or change specific parts?

Midjourney’s Toolkit

Midjourney is packed with professional features that DALL-E 3 lacks:

• Zoom Out: You can take an image and “zoom out” to see more of the background.
• Pan: You can expand the image to the left, right, up, or down.
• Style Reference: You can upload a picture and tell Midjourney, “Copy the art style of this photo,” and it does it perfectly.
• Character Consistency: You can create a character and keep their face the same across different images. This is huge for comic book creators and storytellers.

DALL-E 3’s Toolkit

DALL-E 3 keeps it simple. Its main “advanced” feature is editing via chat. You can tell it to “remove the bird from the sky” or “change the car to a bike.” It uses a simple inpainting tool where you highlight an area and describe the change. It is effective, but it doesn’t give you the granular control that Midjourney does.

Verdict on Features:

• Choose Midjourney if you are a professional who needs to edit, expand, and refine images with precision.
• Choose DALL-E 3 if you just need quick edits without hassle.

6. Cost and Value: What Do You Get for Free?

Finally, let’s talk about your wallet.

DALL-E 3 Pricing

• Free Access: You can use DALL-E 3 for free through Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Image Creator). You get a limited number of “boosts” per day, but it is completely free to start.
• Paid Access: To use it inside ChatGPT, you need the “Plus” subscription, which is $20/month. This also gives you the smartest AI text model, GPT-4 (or GPT-5), so it is a “two-for-one” deal.

Midjourney Pricing

• No Free Tier: Midjourney essentially has no free trial anymore. You have to pay to play.
• Basic Plan: Starts at $10/month. This gives you a limited number of images (around 200).
• Standard Plan: Costs $30/month for unlimited “relax” generations.
• There is no bundled text AI; you are paying strictly for the image tool.

Verdict on Value:

• Choose DALL-E 3 if you are on a budget or want a free option.
• Choose Midjourney if you are willing to pay for the absolute best quality images.

Summary Table: The Quick Choice

Final Conclusion: Who Wins in 2025?

The “better” tool depends entirely on you.

If you are a marketing manager who needs to create a quick social media post with text on it, or a beginner who just wants to have fun, DALL-E 3 is the clear winner. It is free to try, understands you perfectly, and requires no technical skills.

However, if you are an artist, designer, or storyteller who cares deeply about lighting, texture, and mood, Midjourney is unrivaled. The learning curve is worth it. The images it creates in late 2025 are simply breathtaking and often indistinguishable from real photography.

My advice? Start with the free version of DALL-E 3. If you find yourself hitting a wall and wishing for more artistic control or “prettier” images, then invest the $10 to try Midjourney.