# Top AI Image Generation Tools to Use in 2026

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## Table of contents

- Why you should use AI image generation tools
- Tools to explore for AI image generation
- Factors to consider when choosing a AI Image generation software tool
- Conclusion

Creating visuals once required artistic skills and complex softwares. But now, AI image generation tools make it easy for anyone, be it a marketer or a student, to turn a simple text prompt into a visually stunning image.

  Whether you're designing ads, prototyping ideas or just having fun, this guide helps you understand what various **AI image generation tools** offer, where to use them and how to pick the right one for your needs.

## Why you should use AI image generation tools

AI image tools are becoming a powerful part of how we create visual content. These tools offer real value in multiple ways:

-   **Save time and money** by reducing the need to buy stock photos, use complex software, or hire a designer for basic visuals. AI tools let you [create images](https://picsart.com/ai-image-generator/) quickly and affordably.
    
-   **Empower non-designers** to create high-quality visuals with just a few prompts.
    
-   **Generate content** for [social media](https://www.mailmodo.com/guides/ai-social-media-tools/) posts, [email campaigns](https://www.mailmodo.com/guides/email-marketing-examples/), product mockups and more.
    
-   **Prototype ideas** quickly by visualizing concepts before investing in full-scale design or production.
    

## Tools to explore for AI image generation

Here’s a closer look at some of the top AI image generation tools, including what they’re best for, key features, how to access them and pricing.

### 1. Sora

Ideal for filmmakers, animators, and creators focused on visual storytelling, <a href="https://openai.com/sora" rel="nofollow">Sora</a> is OpenAI’s experimental generative AI tool that creates short, realistic video clips from text prompts.

Unlike static image generators, Sora simulates dynamic scenes with camera movement, object interactions, and lifelike environments, making it perfect for narrative concepting and early-stage visual development.

**Key features:**

-   Generates image sequences from detailed natural language prompts
    
-   Simulates realistic physics, lighting, and cinematic camera angles
    
-   Captures object behavior, interaction, and continuity
    

**Platform/Access:** Web-based

  

**Pricing:** Sora may be included in these ChatGPT plans:

  
| Package       | Price (billed monthly) |
|---------------|------------------------|
| ChatGPT Plus  | $20/month              |
| ChatGPT Pro   | $200/month             |


### 2. Adobe Firefly

<a href="https://www.adobe.com/sensei/generative-ai/firefly.html" rel="nofollow">Adobe Firefly</a> is built for creative professionals, including designers and brand teams, who want powerful AI features within a familiar Adobe workflow. It helps generate text effects, vector art, and photorealistic edits with simple prompts.

Its outputs are safe for commercial use, and it works smoothly with tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, ideal for marketing campaigns, product mockups, ad creatives, and branded content.

**Key Features:**

-   AI-powered Generative Fill to add, replace, or erase image elements
    
-   Text-to-image and text effects tailored for branded content
    
-   Style transfer and vector creation for flexible output formats
    
-   Commercially licensed outputs perfect for marketing use
    
-   Integrated with Adobe Creative Cloud apps for smoother workflows
    

**Platform/Access:** Web-based, included in Creative Cloud  
  

**Pricing:**


| Package            | Price               |
|--------------------|---------------------|
| Firefly Standard   | $9.99/month         |
| Firefly Pro        | $29.99/month        |
| Firefly Premium    | $199.99/month       |
| Creative Cloud Pro | $69.99/month (annual billing) |

### 3. Invideo

A powerful AI-powered image creation tool that turns simple text prompts into high-quality visuals instantly. With this tool, users can generate diverse image styles including photorealistic photos, illustrations, concept art, and more by simply describing what they want to see.

Unlike traditional design tools that require technical skills, the invideo’s [AI Image Generator](https://invideo.io/make/ai-image-generator/) makes creating professional images fast and accessible, perfect for marketing, branding, social media, and creative storytelling.

**Key features:**

 - Creates AI images from text prompts to bring ideas to life instantly 
 - Generates clean, readable text inside images (like labels or signs)  
   without distortions  
 - Offers diverse image styles such as photorealism, cinematic scenes,  
   and illustration.
 - Produces images in seconds for rapid creative output
 - Delivers realistic AI images with accurate faces and lifelike details
 -  Maintains strong context and relevance to detailed prompt
   instructions


**Platform/Access:** Web-based, accessible through the invideo platform.

**Pricing:**

| Plan | Price |
|--|--|
| Plus | $28/month |
| Max | $50/month |
| Generative | $100/month |
| Team | $899/month |


### 4. Midjourney

Great for concept designers, illustrators, and writers, <a href="https://www.midjourney.com/" rel="nofollow">Midjourney</a> produces high-quality, artistic images with a stylized flair.

It runs entirely through Discord, allowing users to generate and refine visuals using prompt commands. Its strong community support and frequent model updates make it a go-to platform for staying inspired and pushing creative boundaries.

**Key Features:**

-   Stylized outputs with painterly and surreal qualities
    
-   Prompt-based control over mood, lighting, and composition
    
-   Ability to remix, upscale, and vary generated images
    
-   Active Discord community for collaboration and feedback
    
-   Regular version updates with visual improvements
    

**Platform/Access:** Discord-based (via slash commands)  
  

**Pricing:**


| Package | Price (billed monthly) |
|---------|------------------------|
| Basic   | $10/month              |
| Standard| $30/month              |
| Pro     | $60/month              |
| Mega    | $120/month             |

  

### 5. Canva AI Tools

Perfect for social media managers, students, and [small business](https://www.mailmodo.com/guides/ai-tools-for-small-businesses/) owners, <a href="https://www.canva.com/ai-image-generator/" rel="nofollow">Canva’s AI tools</a> let you generate images directly within its easy drag-and-drop editor, no need to switch between tools or apps.

With features like Text-to-Image (via Magic Media) and Magic Media video, users can quickly generate visuals without any design background.

**Key Features:**

-   Text-to-mage tool for creating custom visuals from short prompts
    
-   Magic Media that automatically suggests visuals, layouts, and styles that match your content to speed up the design process
    
-   Easy integration with templates, brand kits, and social formats
    
-   Auto-resize, color palette suggestions, and instant repurposing
    

**Platform/Access:** Web and mobile apps  
  

**Pricing:** Canva AI is available with a Free account, but you only get a limited number of uses. To unlock more, you can upgrade to Canva Pro.

| Package | Price                   |
|---------|-------------------------|
| Free    | $0/year (one person)    |
| Pro     | $55/year (one person)   |
| Teams   | $50/year (per person)   |

### 6. Stable Diffusion

Best suited for developers, researchers, and privacy-conscious users, <a href="https://stablediffusionweb.com" rel="nofollow">Stable Diffusion</a> is an open-source model that gives you full control over the [image generation](https://www.mailmodo.com/guides/how-to-use-ai-image-generator/) process, including how and where it runs.

Users can host it locally, customize outputs, or integrate it into workflows via APIs, making it perfect for advanced experimentation and custom projects.


**Key Features:**

-   Supports inpainting, outpainting, and upscaling
    
-   Custom model training for unique art styles
    
-   Works with third-party UIs like AUTOMATIC1111 or DreamStudio
    

**Platform/Access:** Local setup or cloud access via DreamStudio

**Pricing:**

| Package | Price (billed monthly) |
|---------|------------------------|
| Free    | $0                     |
| Pro     | $10/month              |
| Max     | $20/month              |

### 7. Leonardo AI

Designed for game developers, digital artists, and storytellers, <a href="https://leonardo.ai/" rel="nofollow">Leonardo AI</a> offers powerful tools to generate characters, environments, and assets with consistency. It features fine-tuned models and a built-in prompt library, making it a go-to for creating cohesive visual projects from scratch.

**Key Features:**

-   Prompt history, version control, and asset management tools
    
-   Consistent quality across multiple generations
    
-   Project-based dashboard for tracking design progress
    
-   High-quality images that work well for both planning ideas and final production
    

**Platform/Access:** Web-based  
  

**Pricing:**

| Package    | Price               |
|------------|---------------------|
| Free       | $0                  |
| Apprentice | $12/month           |
| Artisan    | $30/month           |
| Maestro    | $60/month           |
| Teams      | From $24 per seat   |

### 8. Ideogram

Ideal for educators, meme creators, and poster designers, <a href="https://ideogram.ai/" rel="nofollow">Ideogram</a> specializes in image generation that includes styled typography. Beyond just visuals, it gives users precise control over how text appears within images, allowing for more expressive and design-forward creations.

  **Key Features:**

-   Generates stylized text integrated into visuals
    
-   Great for marketing messages, memes, and educational content
    
-   Simple edit workflow to fine-tune text art
    

**Platform/Access:** Web-based  
  

**Pricing:**


| Package | Price      |
|---------|------------|
| Free    | $0         |
| Basic   | $7/month   |
| Plus    | $16/month  |
| Pro     | $48/month  |

### 9. Recraft

Made for branding teams, logo designers, and marketers, <a href="https://www.recraft.ai/" rel="nofollow">Recraft</a> focuses on vector-based AI generation. It creates clean, editable illustrations and icons that are easy to customize. With brand-safe outputs and scalable designs, it’s well-suited for professional, commercial use.

  **Key Features:**

  

-   Generates vector illustrations compatible with brand guidelines
    
-   Outputs editable content (SVGs, PNGs) for easy tweaking
    
-   Commercial use allowed under licensing terms
    
-   UI designed for product design, ads, and visual identity work
    
-   Quick style customization and export options
    

  

**Platform/Access:** Web-based  
  

**Pricing:**


| Package  | Price      |
|----------|------------|
| Free     | $0         |
| Basic    | $10/month  |
| Advanced | $27/month  |
| Pro      | $48/month  |
| Teams    | Custom     |


### 10. Flux AI

Built for experimental designers, futurists, and 3D artists, <a href="https://flux1.ai" rel="nofollow">Flux AI</a> offers a multi-modal space where text, images, and interactivity come together. Currently in early access, it helps users prototype bold, immersive experiences beyond static visuals.


**Key Features:**

-   Supports multi-modal prompts (text, image, 3D inputs)
    
-   Designed for real-time and interactive visual generation
    
-   Emphasizes innovation in interface and storytelling methods
    
-   Encourages experimental workflows and creative outputs
    

**Platform/Access:** Early access only (invite or waitlist)  
  

**Pricing:**


| Package              | Price        |
|----------------------|--------------|
| Free                 | $0           |
| Monthly Standard     | $9.99/month  |
| Monthly Popular      | $19.99/month |
| Monthly Professional | $29.99/month |


  
### 11. Kittl AI  

[Kittl](http://kittl.com) combines AI image generation with professional-grade graphic design and vector editing tools. Unlike standalone AI image generators, Kittl allows users to generate visuals using AI and then refine them with precise typography, layout, and vector controls — all within a single browser-based editor. This makes it especially useful for branding, apparel design, logos, posters, and social media creatives where AI speed and manual customization are equally important.
 Kittl’s AI features support text-to-image generation, clipart creation, background removal, and vectorization, enabling creators to move from concept to production-ready designs without switching tools. Its strong focus on typography, templates, and scalable vector outputs sets it apart from purely art-focused AI platforms, making it ideal for commercial and marketing use cases.

**Key Features:**

-   AI-powered image and clipart generation from text prompts  
      
    
-   Advanced typography tools with professional font controls  
      
    
-   Vector editing and image-to-vector conversion  
      
    
-   Built-in templates, mockups, and brand-ready design assets  
      
    
-   Full manual customization after AI generation  
      
    

**Platform/Access:** Web-based

**Pricing:**

| Package | Price |
|--|--|
| Free | $0 |
| Pro | $10/month |
| Expert | $24/month |



## Factors to consider when choosing a AI Image generation software tool

Choosing the right AI image generation tool depends on your goals, budget and skill level. Here are the key things to keep in mind:

-   **Purpose:** Are you creating visuals for business, casual content, or personal projects?
    
-   **Quality:** Do you need high-resolution images or quick drafts for online use?
    
-   **Budget:** Some tools are free; others require monthly subscriptions.
    
-   **Ease of use:** Canva is beginner-friendly, while tools like Midjourney or Stable Diffusion need some learning.
    
-   **Customization:** Open-source tools offer more control but require technical skills.
    
-   **Licensing:** Make sure the tool allows commercial use if needed.
    

## Conclusion

AI image generation tools have made visual creation easier and more accessible, whether you're building a brand, designing a game, or just experimenting creatively. The best tool for you depends on your goals—whether you prioritize ease of use, customization, speed, or advanced features.

Keep your purpose clear, explore different options, and use these tools responsibly. With the right approach, AI can be a powerful part of your creative process.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Are AI-generated images copyright-free?


Not always. It depends on the platform's licensing policy. Some offer content safe for commercial use, while others have restrictions. Always check the terms of use.


### Can I edit AI-generated images?


Yes. Many platforms allow post-generation edits, either within the tool (like Adobe Firefly) or externally using design software.


### Can I use AI-generated images for commercial use?


Yes, but only with tools that offer commercial licensing. Platforms like Adobe Firefly and Recraft provide commercially safe outputs.


### Are AI-generated images always unique?


Not entirely. While the results are based on your prompt, similar prompts can yield similar results. Some tools allow for deeper customization to produce more distinctive outputs.


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---

**Author: Mashkoor Alam**

Mashkoor has always been passionate about writing. He used to write short stories on his blog before he started writing for SaaS companies years back. He aspires to have a book under his name.

