Ideogram AI – Is the image generator a free AI alternative to Midjourney?

Text-to-image generators are no longer a novelty and generally perform reliably. However, even in 2023, they frequently encountered difficulties when generating text. Attempts to generate text directly often resulted in confusing and illegible output.

Last year, the Canadian company Ideogram introduced its innovative AI-powered image generation service. This service boasts a remarkable feature: the seamless integration of text into the AI ​​image process. Designers and typography enthusiasts can now Ideogram AI to create sophisticated, high-quality works with integrated text. Text is no longer a taboo element, but an indispensable part of the creative process.

A glance at Ideogram's website impressively underscores this innovation. While many leading AI image generators we tested deliver charming anime and fantasy-style images, Ideogram AI, in its current version 2.0, stunningly high-resolution images with outstanding integration of a wide variety of fonts.

This subtle but crucial differentiation opens up new design possibilities – be it in the creation of logos , humorous graphics or other visual applications that were often excluded for traditional AI platforms.

Of course, the market is constantly changing. Alternative solutions like Stable Diffusion 3 are already gaining ground. However, Ideogram currently maintains its leading role in the field of AI text integration .

Similar to Midjourney , you have the option to create four images using text prompts.

The first surprise you'll encounter on Ideogram's homepage is the remarkable simplicity of its design. Unlike many other AI image generators, the platform doesn't require you to click through content before registering or logging into an existing account. 

After registering, you will gain access to two extremely useful tools that make getting started easier. The first option is to click on the three-dot menu under any community image to edit its content, remix it, or use the associated prompt.

The second, more powerful option can also be found in the same menu: the "Describe" function. It provides you with a "magic" prompt , generated by the service, that filters out the best image quality from your original prompt.

The result is a significantly improved image that harnesses collective power along with advanced AI technology to achieve a compelling visual outcome. 

This example illustrates one of Ideogram's key advantages compared to some leading AI art and image generators of recent years. The platform aims to help users get the most out of their image generation credits. Even users of the free plan benefit from these features; however, upgrading to a paid plan is required to edit, upscale, or download images in full quality.

Creating a suitable prompt can be challenging for beginners. Therefore, it proves extremely helpful to be able to use the community images on the homepage as a source of inspiration . Creating a remix of a sample image also offers an excellent way to quickly and easily create something based on an existing user image. This might seem unfair at first glance; however, users with paid plans have the option to keep their images private and choose from various access settings.

Overall, creating appealing and attractive images with Ideogram is quick and effortless. Although the "magic" prompt feature isn't exclusive to Ideogram, it offers an excellent way to minimize frustration that can arise from inadequate prompts.

The new upscaling function proves to be an excellent tool for delivering professional image quality that can be used in commercial contexts such as advertising and marketing. While the resulting images may not quite reach the consistently high level of Midjourney, they come very close.

However, the platform has weaknesses in its editing capabilities. Features like outpainting and inpainting are missing; thus, editing is limited to cropping, zooming, color selection, and aspect ratio adjustments. Nevertheless, the most valuable editing feature is the ability to define text positions on a generated image and add the desired text using an updated prompt and remix function.

This proves extremely useful for precisely adding or adjusting text – particularly relevant when designing a logo or other brand elements. It would be desirable if the platform a more comprehensive range of image editing tools than other services.

Almost on par with Midjourney – with interesting new approaches

Last year, Matthias Bastian , co-founder and editor of THE DECODER , tested Ideogram and compared it to Midjourney. The quality of the AI-generated artwork Midjourney appeared more consistent, versatile, and offered more features beyond outpainting and inpainting .

On the other hand, Ideogram clear typographic advantages. An interesting feature is its web interface with community functions , which offers inspiration and enables a direct remix function for AI-generated images . However, the still- low resolution (1024 x 690 pixels in 16:9 format) is somewhat inconvenient and requires the use of a separate upscaler. 2K image quality is available with a paid upgrade.

In the free version, all generated images are public. Paid options have been available since this year and start at $8 per month for the basic plan , which includes 400 prompts per month. This plan also includes a user-friendly image editor, high-quality 2K image upscaling, and image downloads in impressive 100% quality.

Users of the Plus and Pro plan also benefit from the option of keeping their pictures privately and thus keeping access to their works from the public gallery. You also have the option of uploading your own works of art to revise. Another highlight for paying users is the option of creating seamless, repeating tiled patterns, which is particularly advantageous for design projects such as the design of textures or backgrounds.

Ideogram AI has achieved what Google could not: translating the search giant's outstanding AI research into the development of generative AI . Ideogram AI used initial funding of €16.5 million for this purpose. Investors included a16z and Indexventures .

The team behind Ideogram consists of former employees of Google Brain, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Toronto. They have worked on projects such as Google's Image AI Imagen and Imagen Video , as well as various other AI technologies.

Ideogram Use Cases

Ideogram AI is best suited for

• AI Visual Art / Generative Art
• Idea generation for digital artists and graphic designers
• Logo design
• Design inspiration
• Poster production / Poster design
• Advertising graphics
• Sticker Designs
• Labels and print layouts
• typography
• Social media layouts
• Illustrations

New Feature Releases

Dec 17, 2024: Batch Generation

On December 17th, Ideogram introduced an exciting new feature for Pro plan subscribers. The innovative batch generation function is an extremely helpful feature that allows users to upload a CSV or Excel file containing prompts and settings to efficiently create images in large quantities.

It is ideal for creative professionals, marketing specialists and digital designers who are looking for a powerful solution to implement their creative ideas quickly and effectively.

Furthermore, use AI chatbots like ChatGPT to automatically generate CSV files and quickly iterate on design ideas. The documentation page .

Your feedback is important to me. I invite you to try out the new feature and share your impressions. I also look forward to seeing any social media content or tutorial videos you create after the public launch. Thank you for your continued support.

December 20, 2024: Ideogram 2.1

Ideogram 2.1 will also be released this week.

Frequently asked questions answered briefly:

How do I use Ideogram AI? First steps

1. You need to sign in to Google
2. Then choose a username
3. Now write your command prompt
4. Click on "Generate".
5. Four different versions are available for download. You can complete the process or make changes to the prompt and repeat the process.

AI ​​Knowledge team for beginners and experts shows you how the AI ​​program works and how it can be used to generate images from text:

Where can I download the AI ​​image generator?

The image generator is available for free download in the app stores of Android/Google and Apple, for example.

With an average rating of 4.4 stars in the Google Play Store (> 8,700 reviews), the app performs exceptionally well with users and leaves most of its direct competitors behind.

The image AI is also available for direct online use at Chip.de. There, it ranks 31st out of 235 in the category: Photo & Graphics.

Is Ideogram AI free? Pricing

Yes, the current Ideogram AI version V2.0 is free . Currently, the limit is 10 credits per day or a maximum of 20 images per day. You must sign in with a Google account to register. Upgrading to a paid plan includes the following benefits:

• Private generation
• Unlimited image generation
• Priority image generation (1000 images/month or 4000 images/month). Paying users have priority in image generation.
• Download of the image in PNG format available (without loss of quality)
• 2K image quality
• Pre-made image prompts and other new features introduced in the future will be available to paid users.

Can Ideogram AI be used for commercial purposes? What are the terms of use?

No, you should read the terms of service of Ideogram.ai .

Although Ideogram AI's updated terms state, "We do not restrict your right to your output ," this does not mean you have unlimited freedom. It is advisable to read the terms of service in detail.

According to Ideogram AI's terms and conditions, you may only use the services for personal, non-commercial purposes, provided you adhere to these terms. This means you not use images for print-on-demand or commercial purposes . You are prohibited from modifying, distributing, or exploiting the content, or from using unauthorized software or practices that could harm or disrupt the service.

Furthermore, you must not abuse any proprietary rights and must not publish any harmful or illegal content.

Where can I find updates and community support?

Ideogram AI has a vibrant Discord community. You can the Ideogram AI Discord server here for further support and resources.

For future updates and information on the roadmap, you can follow Ideograms.ai's X account and stay informed.