Best AI image generators in 2026: Nano Banana Pro, ChatGPT, Grok Imagine, Midjourney and Adobe Firefly

AI image generators now split into two kinds: ones built into assistants you may already use, such as Gemini, ChatGPT and Grok, and standalone tools built for artists and businesses, such as Midjourney and Adobe Firefly. This guide compares the leading options in 2026, what each is good at, and what they cost.

Best AI image generators at a glance

Nano Banana Pro (Gemini)

Nano Banana Pro is Google DeepMind’s image model, built on Gemini 3 Pro. Google says it produces accurate text in multiple languages, generates images at 2K and 4K resolution, and can keep up to 14 images consistent in one session while preserving the likeness of up to 5 people.

• Free tier: around 20 free images a day in the Gemini app, then it falls back to the standard Nano Banana model.
• Google AI Studio: developers get a much higher free quota, in the hundreds of images a day, for testing.
• Paid Gemini plans: Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra subscribers get higher quotas, and Ultra removes the visible watermark. See our guide to Google AI Plus vs Pro vs Ultra for what each plan includes.
• Watermarks: every image carries an invisible SynthID watermark. Free and Pro users also get a visible Gemini sparkle mark; Ultra subscribers and API/Studio outputs don’t.
• Where else it appears: Google Ads, and Workspace apps such as Slides and Vids.

ChatGPT Images

ChatGPT’s image tool is built into the assistant, so you can describe, generate and revise an image in the same conversation where you’re already working. Our tutorial on how to use ChatGPT Images 2.5 covers sketching references, editing and sharing prompts, and OpenAI hasn’t published exact image quotas per plan. It’s the natural choice if you already pay for ChatGPT and want images without switching apps; see ChatGPT Go vs Plus for what your plan includes.

Grok Imagine

SpaceXAI’s Grok Imagine generates both images and short videos, and rolled out image and voice references to all Grok tiers after starting with SuperGrok Heavy and Plus. Our guide to Grok Imagine covers what it can do and which plans include it. Compared with ChatGPT Images, it leans more into short-form video generation alongside stills.

Midjourney

Midjourney is subscription-only, with no free trial, and remains a favourite for a distinctive, painterly style rather than photorealism. Its four plans are priced by how many fast GPU hours you get a month:

Standard and above include unlimited generations in Relax Mode (slower, unlimited queue), and Pro and Mega add Stealth Mode, which keeps your images private.

Adobe Firefly

Adobe Firefly is Adobe’s image, video and audio generator, built into Photoshop, Express and its own app. It has a free plan with limited daily generations, and paid plans that include unlimited standard image generations with credits reserved for premium models and video:

Adobe trains Firefly on licensed and public-domain content and offers IP indemnification on paid plans, which is why it’s often the default choice for commercial and client work rather than a general chat assistant’s image tool.

Ideogram

Ideogram focuses on text inside images — logos, posters, packaging — where other generators often garble lettering. The free plan gives 10 slow credits a week, and paid plans start at Plus ($15 a month) and Pro ($20), both adding faster generation and more monthly credits, with a Team plan at $42.

Which AI image generator should you use?

• You want something free and already have a Google account: Nano Banana Pro in the Gemini app.
• You already pay for ChatGPT or Grok: use the image tool built in, rather than paying for a separate app.
• You want a distinctive artistic look: Midjourney.
• You need licensed images for commercial or client work: Adobe Firefly.
• You’re designing something with text in it, like a poster or logo: Ideogram.

For the assistants behind these tools, see the Gemini, ChatGPT and Grok profiles, and for a broader comparison of what each assistant does well, read ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini.