Maximize Value: Midjourney Pricing Guide in 5 Minutes - 2024

Write by Nathan Clark

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Update: 07/10/2023

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Wondering how to navigate the world of Midjourney pricing since the end of their free trial period? Curious about whether it's worth it to invest in a subscription plan? This concise guide will unveil the mysteries of Midjourney's pricing structure, helping you decide which plan best fits your needs. Let's dive into Midjourney's costs and see if it's the right choice for your creative journey!

Part 1: Midjourney Subscription Plans

Leveraging deep learning and AI, image generators mimic human creativity and imagination. Midjourney has quickly emerged as a notable platform amid this new wave of innovation. Offering various options to cater to different user needs, Midjourney has four subscription tiers:

• Basic Plan: A cost-effective option at $10 per month.

• Standard Plan: A more feature-packed choice at $30 per month.

• Pro Plan: Designed for heavy users at $60 per month.

• Mega Plan: A premium tier for the most demanding users at $120 per month.

Here are more details:

Part 2: Common Features Across All Plans

Access and Usage Rights

For all subscription plans, Midjourney gives you access to several common features, including:

• Midjourney Members Gallery.

• Use the official Discord.

• Generated images are free for most purposes, subject to general commercial use terms.

• Purchase additional GPU time.

• Work solo in direct messages.

• Rate images for free GPU time.

Purchase Extra GPU Time: $4/hr

One remarkable feature of Midjourney is the ability to purchase Extra GPU Time at $4 per hour.  With Midjourney, users leverage powerful Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to interpret and process each prompt. As part of the subscription, users buy time on these GPUs. Different subscription tiers offer varying monthly GPU time, used in Fast Mode to provide immediate GPU access.

On average, the Mijourney robot takes about a minute of GPU time to complete image generation. This time may vary based on other factors, including:

（Source: Midjourney)

You may run out of Fast GPU time before your monthly renewal. For this scenario, Midjourney offers additional Fast GPU hours, which you can purchase for $4 per hour from the user's Midjourney account page. Additional GPU hours will not expire as long as you maintain your subscription.

Work Solo In Your Direct Messages

If you use Midjourney in your channel, everyone can see your work because Discord is a public platform. To keep your work private, you can enjoy one-on-one interaction with the Midjourney bot in their Discord direct message.

Notes:

You should follow the content and moderation rules when creating images in direct messages, and these images will be visible in your Midjourney website gallery.

Rate Images to Earn Free GPU Time

Additionally, Midjourney offers an exciting opportunity to earn free GPU time. Subscribers can rate images, and the top 2000 daily raters get a bonus hour of Fast GPU time, valid for 30 days. The criteria for rating images is subjective, based on appearance, concept, or color. Your bonus hours can be tracked via your account page on the Midjourney website.

Part 3: Unique Features per Subscription Plan

Fast GPU Time

Basic Plan: 3.3 hr/month

Standard Plan: 15 hr/month

Pro Plan: 30 hr/month

Mega Pla: 60 hr/month

Every Midjourney subscription plan is allotted a specific Fast GPU Time each month. The Fast GPU time translates to how much direct compute time you get for generating images, measured in GPU minutes or GPU hours.  

The conversion is 1 GPU minute ≈ 1 /imagine command, 3 variants, 1 upgrade, or 0.7 max upgrade. Take the standard package as an example, which provides 690 /imagines uses, 230 variants, and 230 upgrades per month.

Relax GPU Time

Basic Plan: /

Standard Plan: Unlimited

Pro Plan: Unlimited

Mega Pla: Unlimited

Relax Mode is an option for those who don't mind a slower image generation rate. Your image generation request is queued in this mode, and processing commences as GPU becomes available. The time taken can range from 0 to 10 minutes per job, depending on your mode usage and GPU availability.

This mode does not consume your Fast GPU time, making it a good option for conserving your Fast Hours.  In contrast to Fast Mode, Relax Mode allows for unlimited image generations, although it does queue your requests based on system usage.

Stealth Mode

Basic Plan: /

Standard Plan: /

Pro Plan: ✅

Mega Plan: ✅

Midjourney is an open community by default so everyone can see each other's generated images. Therefore, the Stealth Mode is very suitable for people who do not want to share their work, to keep sensitive or confidential projects convenient.

Step to use it:

Use the /stealth command and /public to revert to the public mode in the channel's dialog.

Note:

Images you create in public channels are still visible to everyone, regardless of whether Stealth Mode is activated.

Maximum Concurrent Jobs

Each subscription plan has a specific limit on the maximum number of concurrent jobs you can have.  

Basic Plan: 3 Jobs, 10 Jobs waiting in the queue

Standard Plan: 3 Jobs, 10 Jobs waiting in the queue

Pro Plan: 12 Fast Jobs, 3 Relaxed Jobs, 10 Jobs in queue

Mega Plan: 12 Fast Jobs, 3 Relaxed Jobs, 10 Jobs in queue

This directly impacts your working efficiency, as the number of jobs you can run simultaneously will differ based on your plan. You can use the /info command to monitor your current queued and running jobs, subscription details, and more.

Part 4: Choosing the Right Midjourney Plan

Each plan from Midjourney serves different user needs and preferences. Here are recommendations for each plan:

Basic Plan:

Good for: First-timers trying Midjourney; casual users who just want a little image generation.

This plan provides approximately 200 minutes of GPU time for approximately 200 images. Also, image quality and non-square aspect ratio output may consume more time. Therefore, the standard plan may reach the usage limit very quickly.

Standard Plan:

Good for: most users.

Priced at $30 per month, it offers around 1000 actions under Fast Mode, and once these are exhausted, you can switch to Relax Mode for unlimited image generation. In Relax Mode, generations may take between 1 and 20 minutes, based on usage and your queue priority level. The Standard Plan perfectly balances price with a high number of actions and the unlimited potential of Relax Mode once your Fast GPU hours are consumed.

Pro Plan:

Good for: people who plan to use Midjourney extensively or must keep their image generations private.

The Pro Plan gives you access to Stealth Mode, which hides your images on the Midjourney gallery website. It provides 30 hours of Fast GPU time and unlimited Relax Mode time. However, remember that Relax Mode frequently lowers your priority level in the dynamic queue, leading to longer image generation times.  

Mega Plan:

Good for: users who find the Pro Plan insufficient.

It caters to heavy users by offering 60 hours of Fast GPU time and unlimited time in Relax Mode. It also includes Stealth Mode for privacy.

Note: Companies making over $1,000,000 USD in gross revenue annually are required to purchase the Mega Plan or Pro Plan, as stated in Midjourney's Terms of Service.

Part 5: Subscribing to Midjourney: A Step-by-Step Guide

Whether you're a new or existing Midjourney user, here's a comprehensive guide on how to subscribe to a plan:

Case 1 For Existing Midjourney Users

Follow the steps below:

1. Sign in to the Midjourney.

2. Go to any 'newbies' channel on the left sidebar.

   

3. Get the subscription link; you can get it in three ways:

   1) type “/subscribe” in the message box to generate a unique link.

   2) visit Midjourney.com/account

   3) select 'Manage Sub' from the sidebar when logged into the Midjourney website.

4. The unique link will direct you to the page with paid plans. Click on the 'Open subscriptions page' to access this.

   

   Note: Please remember this link is unique to your account and must not be shared.

5. Choose the subscription plan.

6. Make payment by providing your payment details and clicking on 'Subscribe.' Depending on your country, there may be an additional verification step. Then you will arrive at the confirmation page after successful payment.

7. Wait a moment for Midjourney to activate your subscription. Click “Close” if you find the confirmation ticks. Then it’s done, now you can use Midjourney.

Case 2: For Those Who Are Not Yet Midjourney Users:

1. Visit the Midjourney website at https://www.midjourney.com/, and click "Join the Beta" at the lower right corner of the page.

   

2. You will get the Discord page; click "Accept invite" to join the official Midjourney server.

   

3. Accept the terms of service. Find any channel titled "newbies" on the left of the page and send a message.

4. A disclaimer with a reminder will be popped-up and ask you to accept the TOS; click the "Accept ToS" button.

5. Following the steps described in Case 1.

Payment Methods and Managing Your Plan

Midjourney currently accepts payment methods supported by Stripe, which include:

• credit or debit cards from Mastercard, VISA, or American Express.

• Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Cash App Pay are available in some regions

PayPal, wire transfer, and similar methods are not supported.

Part 6 Managing Your Plan

After subscribing to Midjourney, you can also manage your subscription at any time by visiting Midjourney.com/account

Switching Plans

1. Upgrading Plan:

You have the freedom to upgrade your plan whenever you wish. During this process, you can decide if the upgrade should be effective immediately or at the end of your current billing cycle. If you choose an immediate effect, a price difference will be computed, considering the remaining resources from your current plan.

2. Unused Fast GPU Time:

If you upgrade your plan immediately, unused Fast GPU Time from your existing plan is credited to your account. This effectively reduces the price you have to pay for the upgraded plan. The credit amount depends on the remaining resources of your current plan.

3. Downgrading Plan:

If you want to switch to a lower-tier plan, the change will occur at the end of your billing cycle.

Cancellation

1. Cancelling Your Subscription:

Midjourney allows you to terminate your subscription at any time, and the termination will be effective at the end of the current billing circle. During this period, you can still enjoy the features of your subscription. Also, the images you generate will not be deleted by unsubscribing.

Refunds

1. Eligibility: Midjourney offers refunds to subscribers who have used less than 1% of their monthly GPU minutes, including time in Relax Mode.

2. Procedure: If you qualify for a refund, you will be notified with a pop-up dialogue box when you initiate the cancellation process.

Part 7: How to Save Money on Midjourney

Making the most out of your Midjourney subscription involves not only understanding how to use the platform but also knowing how to optimize your cost. Here are two effective ways to save money on Midjourney:

1. Opt for Yearly Subscriptions

If your usage of Midjourney is consistent over time, consider their annual plan. As of this writing, the yearly plan still offers a 20% discount compared to the monthly plan. For more details, please see the picture below:

To compare the pricing of Annual and Monthly Plans, you can switch between them on the subscription page at Midjourney.com/account.

2. Use Accurate Prompts:

Another way to save money on Midjourney is by using precise prompts to generate images. The more specific your prompts, the more likely you'll get the desired result on the first try, thereby saving costs.

To give you a perspective on pricing, the current cost per image lies between 3 to 5 cents. For high-quality images, which consume twice the fast hours, the price is between 6 to 10 cents per image. These prices are calculated assuming that one fast hour can produce 60 images.

Note:

This calculation does not consider the relaxation hours included with the Standard and Pro plans. If you factor in relaxation hours, the cost per image drastically decreases, sometimes to even fractions of a penny. 

Combining the above two is undoubtedly the most efficient method. You can maximize cost savings while experiencing Midjourney subscription features.

Part 8: Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are Generated Images Deleted When I Cancel My Subscription?

You can keep the generated images even if you cancel the subscription. If you want to re-subscribe to a plan, go to Midjourney's account page (https://www.midjourney.com/account/).

2. Is Midjourney Free to Use?

No. Midjourney is a paid service. While it did offer a free trial of 25 image generations when it launched in July 2022, this trial program was paused in April 2023. You must subscribe to a plan to use the service outside some brief promotional periods.

3. Can I Add More Fast GPU Minutes to My Plan?

Yes. The added fast GPU minutes/hours apply to all subscribers. These added hours will not expire as long as you continue your subscription.

4. Can I Gift a Midjourney Subscription?

Unfortunately, gifting a Midjourney subscription is not currently available. A potential workaround could be to gift someone a pre-paid credit card.

5. How Do I Check the Remaining Time on My Membership?

You can check your remaining time by typing "/info" in the Midjourney Discord server.

6. Is Midjourney Unlimited? 

Yes. As we've discussed before, all plans except the Basic plan offer Relax Mode, giving you unlimited image generation access. With it, you can queue multiple prompts for mid-processing when resources become available. However, if you're on the basic plan or want to avoid buying another subscription, there's no legal way to get unlimited free access. Be very careful if you see any site guaranteeing this. It's against the terms and conditions that Midjourney is trying to get around their system.

7. Is Midjourney a One-Time Payment?

No, Midjourney is not a one-time payment service. If you only plan to use Midjourney for a month or a year, you can make a one-time payment. However, there's no lifetime subscription available. You must renew your monthly or annual subscription, depending on your chosen plan. Remember to cancel if you don’t want to subscribe to Midjourney.

Wrapping Up Midjourney Pricing

In conclusion, Midjourney provides a unique and effective image-generation platform with various pricing plans to suit different needs and usage levels. From free trials to flexible monthly and discounted annual plans, Midjourney allows for a personalized experience. Its innovative "Fast Time" and "Relax Mode" options ensure that both casual and dedicated users can make the most of the service.

Whether you're a first-time user looking to join, or an existing user exploring upgrade options, this guide aims to clarify Midjourney's pricing and subscription procedures. Investing in a Midjourney plan is not just about gaining access to a tool but entering a world of limitless creativity and potential. Thanks for reading!