Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on free AI image generators

As a marketer and an AI enthusiast, I'm always looking for tools that make creativity faster, easier, and more impactful. From ChatGPT to Gemini, I've explored countless AI tools, but using AI image generators felt like a different kind of alchemy.

I never thought a string of words could conjure visual magic -- until a few years ago, I watched a simple prompt transform into a breathtaking landscape in seconds. Since then, I've been obsessed.

Over the years, I've tested dozens of AI image generators, from the OG versions of DALL-E and MidJourney to the latest ones by Canva and Adobe. I've used them to create visuals for social media posts, blog articles, a storybook for my niece, and even quirky messages for friends and family.

Some were wildly impressive, others less so -- but each brought something unique to the table. Now, I'm excited to share the list of the best free AI image generators available. To ensure a fair comparison, I evaluated them again with a standardized test and cross-referenced my hands-on experience with G2 user reviews.

In this guide, I'll break down their strengths, limitations, and real-world usability for creators like you. Whether you're a blogger, designer, marketer, or small business owner, this list will help you stretch your creative muscles without stretching your wallet.

There are 100+ AI image generators in the market today. Not all of them are created equal, nor could I evaluate all of them. So, I established clear criteria to evaluate them fairly. I scoured G2's AI image generators category page, the grid reports, and the product pages to create an initial list of contenders. To be included in the list, software must:

I focused on web-based platforms that offered free options like trial or credits and offered reasonable image quality. This helped narrow my list to a mix of popular tools and hidden gems.

Once I had my shortlist, the real work began. I created the following standard set of prompts to evaluate the AI image generator's versatility and performance:

For added perspective, I also examined how well my experience aligned with user reviews and ratings on G2. This combination of firsthand testing and user feedback gave me a well-rounded understanding of what each tool brings to the table and where it might fall short. And here are the tools that made the cut.

* This data was pulled from G2 in 2024. The product list is ranked alphabetically. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.

My list includes a mix of dedicated AI image generators and platforms that offer AI image generation as part of a larger creative suite.

Through all this testing, I've found that the best AI image generators strike a balance -- they're intuitive, deliver high-quality results, and offer flexibility for different creative needs. While they are not perfect, specifically when it comes to text and human images, and often come with limits on free credits or trial usage, they still provide impressive tools for creators to experiment and produce stunning visuals.

I could access Adobe Firefly with an Adobe account, which comes with 25 credits per month to generate images. Trained on Adobe's own Stock images, Firefly gives out four images for each prompt.

What I really liked about it was its options to customize my AI-generated images -- starting from aspect ratio, composition, style, effects, color, lighting, and photo angle. I could even add my own images for reference and upscale the generated image to a higher quality. And Firefly doesn't use your images to train its model.

I also loved that I could instantly edit the image, add text, or create posts from it all in the same place. Firefly even suggested ways to make the image more detailed while I typed my prompts.

The tool performs well with abstract, illustrative, and stock photos (it was even localized to my country). However, the stock photo did look heavily edited, and the tool struggles with text images, with words often coming out jumbled or unreadable.

Another downside for free users is the image downloads with the Adobe Firefly logo in bold. While this is to ensure ethical AI use, it can be off-putting for those seeking unbranded visuals.

Image downloaded from Adobe Firefly free version with the logo

Canva's AI image generator felt like an extension of the Canva I already know and love since I use it regularly for my blog and social media post designs.

It is accessible with a Canva account. I loved the variety of AI image generator tools Canva offered -- its own Magic Media and Dream Lab (powered by the Leonardo.ai model), along with other popular models like DALL-E by OpenAI and Imagen by Google in one place. Free users get only limited credits to use these models compared to Canva Pro or the other paid plan subscribers.

I used Dream Labs for my testing, and Canva nailed generating abstract images, creative freestyle photos, and illustrative images. And in each of my tested prompts, I had at least two images I could directly use with no edits.

AI-generated images using Canva's Dream Lab

That said, it has its quirks. Human hands are a weak spot, often leading to the infamous "five-finger problem." Also, you can't fine-tune with follow-up prompts. You can either give a new prompt or edit it with other Canva tools.

AI-generated image using Canva with five fingers

When I first opened DeftGPT, the ChatGPT-like interface immediately felt familiar and approachable.

It offers image generation using versions of open-source models like Flux, Stable Diffusion, and Dall-E. So, I could easily switch between these when results weren't up to the mark.

The results were a little inconsistent. The tool did well with abstract and freestyle prompts, generating vibrant and visually compelling fantasy and imaginative scenes. However, I observed weak performance with text integration within images and stock photos.

AI-generated images using DeftGPT

DeftGPT provides 10 daily credits. With this hard limit, it's most suited for fun, experimenting, or casual projects, especially for users looking to explore a variety of AI models under one platform.

While it may not deliver professional-grade visuals consistently, it's a great starting point for those curious about AI image generation.

Freepik, which I've often turned to for its massive collection of stock photos, and vectors, now offers a free AI image generator that's easy to access with a Freepik account. And I gave it a spin.

The app includes several image creation modes -- Mystic, Flux, and Classic -- each catering to different levels of detail and complexity. What I really liked was that similar to Adobe, Freepik lets me add a reference image, and the tool generates prompts to create visuals that align closely with my reference.

Across all tested genres -- stock photos, abstract visuals, and fantasy illustrations -- I found Freepik's outputs to be consistently impressive. I was mildly surprised when it had no errors in 3 out of 4 images with text. It was easy to edit the generated image or even create some product mockup images with just a few clicks on Freepik itself.

With a daily limit of 20 AI image generation, Freepik is perfect for casual creators, small projects, or experimenting with ideas.

AI-generated images using Freepik

I found Fotor Photo Editor's image generator very easy to access. It offers 8 free credits upon signing up. I really liked that Fotor incentivizes users with additional credits for tasks like signing in daily, referring friends, or sharing AI-generated images with the Fotor community. I used this to get some extra credits when testing. So, even if you run out of credits, you can earn more by completing these simple tasks.

While testing, I found Fotor failing to adhere to the given prompt and really slow to generate images at times. However, its user-friendly interface and integration with editing tools make it a convenient option for quick and casual projects.

I could also download the images without any watermark. However, commercial use requires a paid subscription.

The easiest way I've discovered to access the Dall-E 3 model without paying for ChatGPT Plus or any other platform is by using Microsoft Designer. The tool is completely free for personal use with a personal Microsoft account.

I found the app doing moderately well with illustrative and freestyle fantasy prompts. However, the stock photos looked heavily edited and lacked realism, while the text in the image was also a miss. The tool is slow and faces performance issues at times. However, I liked its "Enhance prompt" feature that turned my vague, unclear inputs into a detailed prompt, helping users generate more specific and cohesive results.

Pareto is one of my recent favorites because it brings together all the large language models available for chat, image and video generation, transcription, and even coding in one place.

The user interface is neat and clean. I absolutely loved the fact that I could access different versions of almost all popular AI image-generating models, such as Google's Imagen, Stable Diffusion, Flux, Recraft, Ideogram, Dall-E, and its own model Tess AI, through its AI CoPilot for images.

I tried Pareto's own Tess AI model, and while the results were decent, they lacked the level of detail and polish I've seen from platforms like Canva or Adobe Firefly. Prompt adherence was hit-or-miss, especially for stock photos and text-based images, and it struggled noticeably with generating realistic humans.

AI-generated images using Pareto

However, one of the platform's standout features is the ability to seamlessly switch to better-performing models like Stable Diffusion or Imagen, which helped me achieve the results I wanted without leaving the platform, albeit with some credit limits. That said, the tool occasionally slowed down, which could be frustrating during heavier workflows.

Pareto doesn't offer a free plan, but there's a 7-day free trial to test the platform with a money-back guarantee.

While my tests showed all AI image generators struggling with text in images, Recraft hit it out of the park. Its ability to flawlessly render text within images without any jumbled or misshapen words genuinely impressed me. I also loved its fresh illustrative style - a nice break from the same-looking designs I kept seeing in other tools.

I also loved how easily I could fine-tune the images, change the aspect ratio or color tones, and convert them to vector images.

Finetuning AI images on Recraft

That said, the tool has its downsides. Stock photos with human figures, while realistic at first glance, reveal errors under close scrutiny. The slow processing speed might also test your patience if you're creating multiple images quickly. Additionally, all free plan images are public by default, which could be a dealbreaker for users needing privacy or exclusivity for their visuals.

Recraft offers 50 daily free credits.

Simplified was a new discovery for me while testing AI image generators, and it immediately appealed to the marketer in me. The platform is designed to cover all content creation needs, offering AI tools for writing, image generation, graphic design, video editing, social media management, and more -- all in one place.

Simplified's AI image generator performed well on most of my prompts, though it stumbled with text-based images. Images downloaded with the free version include the Simplified logo in the corner, which might not work for professional use. I also found it a bit difficult to understand how all the tools work together in the beginning.

AI-generated images using Simplified

Like Adobe Firefly, Simplified allows you to choose the style and photo angle for your images. It also includes a "negative prompt" feature, which lets you specify what you don't want in the image, which very few image generators currently have.

The free version provides three credits to generate images, which is very restrictive. However, there's also a free trial that gives you a real sense of what the tool can do before committing. If you are a marketer, social media enthusiast, or a small business owner looking for an all-in-one AI solution, you can definitely give Simpliefied a try.

Like Pareto and DeftGPT, I noticed that 1min.AI also combines all popular generative models on one platform. I liked that the platform has a fully customizable platform for art generation, text generation, chatbot, audio and video, and project management automation.

On testing, 1min.ai's AI image generator delivers mixed results. It excels in abstract and freestyle visuals, producing dynamic, visually rich, and creative outputs, while its illustrative prompts, like the watercolor-style farmer's market and the fantasy castle image, were vibrant and well-executed.

However, I found it faltering with realistic stock photos, especially with human figures, as you can see below.

It looks like 1min.ai has one of the most liberal credit systems among free AI image generators at first glance, with 250,000 joining credits and an incentive system similar to Fotor's. However, each image generation takes at least 9,000 credits, and there is just one output image per prompt. I easily exhausted a lot of credits testing the tool. Also, I was also confused when trying to understand how the credit system works in the beginning, resulting in a waste of credits. That said, it's best suited for basic creative projects and casual use.

Does it seem like you have too much to research before investing in an AI image generator? This comparison table makes it easier for your decision-making team.

The best free AI image generators typically offer free image credits and various art styles suitable for beginners and creative teams. Common features include text-to-image generation, background removal, image editing, upscaling, and repairing. Some tools also allow customization of styles and easy export options, making them versatile for diverse creative needs.

Some of the best AI image generators include Adobe Firefly, Canva, DeftGPT, Freepik, Fotor, Microsoft Designer, Pareto, Recraft, Simplified, and 1min.AI. Each tool offers unique features, such as advanced customization, seamless integration, or high-quality outputs. Many of these platforms also provide free versions or trials, allowing users to explore their capabilities without commitment.

Yes, several AI image generators offer free plans or trials. Popular free options include Microsoft Designer, Adobe Firefly, Canva, Freepik, Recraft, and ChatGPT. These tools often provide free credits or features with limited usage, making them suitable for personal projects or small-scale creative needs.

AI image generators use machine learning models, often based on neural networks like GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks) or diffusion models. They are trained on vast datasets of images and text descriptions, enabling them to generate visuals based on user-provided prompts. Simply input a description, and the AI processes the text to create a corresponding image, often offering customization options like style, color, or composition.

Yes, legal concerns can arise when using AI image generators because they are trained on original artworks and publicly available web data. To avoid copyright infringement, use generated images ethically by making significant modifications or creating variations rather than using the generated images as-is. Always review the terms of use for the specific AI tool.

AI image generators can integrate with other AI tools or enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools through custom API calls. They can pair with AI writing assistants, graphic design software, desktop publishing software, and drawing software.

AI image generators follow standard general regulatory and compliance practices that ensure your data privacy is uncompromised. Most of these AI image-generation software providers have registered products in line with local, state, and federal regulations to make your experience hassle-free.

AI image generators are such a fun way to unleash creativity for me. Each tool I've tested has its own unique flair, strengths, and weaknesses, and honestly, the "best" one really depends on what you're looking for.

If you love experimenting with advanced customization, Adobe Firefly and Canva are hard to beat. For those curious about exploring multiple AI models in one place, Pareto or DeftGPT might be the perfect fit.

Of course, no tool is perfect. As you read, I've run into watermarks, limited credits, and a few frustratingly slow experiences. But I'm still amazed at how these tools allow us to create professional-quality visuals for free or at least without an upfront cost. Now it's your turn -- go ahead, experiment, find what works best for you, and bring your creative ideas to life.