Midjourney vs. Bing Image Creator - Which One is Better for You?
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Written by Ivana Kotorchevikj We Tested
Midjourney led the way into the commercialization of AI image-generation tools. It showed us that the impossible is possible with AI; we are now able to create art only with the power of our words.
However, Midjourney is not the only AI art tool on the internet. Many other tech giants jumped on the AI train and released their own AI tools - one of which is Bing Image Creator.
Both AI text-to-image tools offer exclusive and state-of-the-art features for creating AI art. However, Midjourney and Bing Image Creator are very different platforms with unique capabilities.
In this article, we are going to compare the two AI image generators and place their features, user experiences, user-friendliness, community, customer support, and other aspects side by side.
Midjourney vs. Bing Image Creator - What are they?
Both Bing Image Creator and Midjourney are text-to-image tools built on artificial intelligence.
They enable you to input a text prompt describing your desired image, use natural language processing (NLP) to understand your prompt, and tap into deep learning, computer vision, and reinforcement learning (different types of AI areas) to produce the image you described.
What is Midjourney?
Midjourney is a generative artificial intelligence platform built by the Francisco-based independent research lab Midjourney, Inc.
Midjourney generates images based on text prompts. It’s built on a text-to-image AI model similar to but much more advanced than OpenAI’s DALL-E and Stable Diffusion.
Apart from images, Midjourney can also create product design, website or landing page design, interior design, architectural design, abstract art, self-portraits, logos, and other visual materials.
What is Bing Image Creator?
As the name suggests, Bing Image Creator is an AI image generator available in the Bing search engine. It’s currently being rolled out as part of the new Bing AI - the first AI-powered search engine experience.
Bing Image Creator also generates AI images based on text prompts. It’s built on an advanced version of the DALL-E model in collaboration with OpenAI.
Comparison table
Feature | Midjourney | Bing Image Creator |
Platform | Discord-based platform with specific commands needed that may be challenging for some users | Web-based platform built into Bing Preview and BIng Chat. |
Features | Super creative and vibrant, dreamy-like, fantasy and fantasy-style images, photorealistic images | Mainstream and clear images and designs, cartoon-like or realistic images with minor imperfections |
Upload your own image to inspire generated images | No option to upload your own image | |
User-friendliness | More advanced Discord-based platform, it requires learning extensive commands and entering descriptive prompts | Simple web-based platform that is intuitive for most internet users, no need for commands. Detailed prompts are preferred for more accurate images |
Privacy | Images created in the Basic and Standard plan are not private and are visible in the newbie channels to other users. Stealth Mode is available only in Pro Plan | Images created are visible to you only |
Pricing | Three different subscription plans: Basic ($10/month), Standard ($30/month) and Pro ($60/month0 | Free to use. Images are generated with boosts or credits (25 at first, but they increase to 100). You can still create images if you spend all boosts, but it takes longer. Boosts can be refilled with Microsoft Rewards points |
Customer support and community | Discord channels for support and discussion channels where users can share experiences and tips | Apart from the FAQ help page where users can find answers to most common questions, users can search Microsoft’s tech community or ask a question to get answers from the community in Microsoft's tech community. But there’s no direct contact with a Bing Image Creator representative |
Features
Although both Midjourney and Bing Image Creator are AI image generators, they have very different capabilities and offer different user experiences.
Midjourney features
Users can create images with Midjourney on their Discord, unlike other AI image tools that allow you to generate images on their platform.
This adds an extra layer to the Midjourney experience, in which users need to be familiar with Discord and how Midjourney works.
You can create images in some of the newbie channels in the Midjourney Discord server or invite the Midjourney bot to your server and use it directly in your DMs.
Images generated in Midjourney are public in the Discord server unless you have subscribed to the Pro plan that gives you access to stealth mode. As you may have guessed, Midjourney is a paid tool with three subscription plans we will discuss below.
Midjourney also features the option to upload your own image and write a relevant prompt to give it guidance on the image you want to generate.
One important Midjourney feature is that it creates fantasy and dream-like images as if they’ve come out of a fairy tale book. This distinct style is what sets Midjourney apart from other AI tools.
Bing Image Creator features
Bing Image Creator is currently available in Bing Preview at the bing.com/create site, but is also being rolled out in the Bing Chat experience.
How you create your prompts depends on whether you use Image Creator in Bing Preview or Bing Chat.
Unlike Midjourney, Bing Image Creator doesn’t have the option to upload an image to inspire the images generated. However, it offers a ‘Surprise me’ option that suggests a random prompt. This is a convenient feature if you don’t have any idea how to start writing your prompt.
Bing Image Creator’s platform is really simple to use and intuitive. The learning curve is much smaller than learning how to use and navigate Midjourney and Discord at the same time.
As far as the Bing Image Creator-generated images go, they are accurate and do represent the text prompt. However, there are noticeable imperfections in the images that cannot be disregarded.
Verdict
Although Midjourney and Bing Image Creator are both AI image generators, they differ greatly in their capabilities and user experience.
Midjourney is a powerful AI tool with advanced image creation features that allow you to generate not only images but any kind of visuals and designs, including architectural and landing pages. However, you must also learn how to work with Discord to use Midjourney. It can come in handy when you need more advanced designs and sci-fi images.
On the other hand, Bing Image Creator’s platform is a lot easier and more intuitive to use, but the images it generates are more mainstream and come with some minor imperfections if you can surpass that.
Prompts
You have to use specific Midjourney commands when creating images to interact with the Midjourney bot. The most important one is the ‘imagine/’ command which allows you to generate images. However, there is a long list of Midjourney commands you can use to mix several images together, change settings, get user info, and do other tasks.
If you write your prompt directly in Bing Image Creator, you only need to enter the text prompt describing the image you want to generate.
However, if you use it in Bing Chat, you must start your prompt with a command word and then your text prompt. For example, ‘create an image’ or ‘generate an image.’ If you only start with an image description, Bing Chat will only provide image results based on your description.
To put the words into context, I used the following prompt both in Midjourney and Bing Image Creator:
“A puppy with a balloon.”
These are the image I got in Midjourney:
And this is what I got in Bing Image Creator:
Verdict
At first sight, both image sets show a bunch of puppies with balloons. The first apparent difference is that Midjourney images are more photorealistic than the Bing Image Creator images, which look like real photos of puppies. Both sets of images are impressive.
Generated images are getting increasingly real, and we are talking about nuances now. However, upon a closer look, you can notice some minor imperfections on the puppies’ fur and noses in the Bing Image Creator images. At the same time, the details on the Midjourney images are super clear and more refined.
The imperfections and body distortions are most pronounced in images featuring humans, which might even look disturbing. Take a look at the image result from Midjourney and Bing Image Creator, respectively, for the prompt
“A hyperrealistic portrait of a woman sitting on the beach next to a picnic basket.”
Midjourney image:
Bing Image Creator image:
Considering how far the AI image generation tools have come, these details need to be perfected.
Explore the comparison between Diffusion Art vs. Dreamlike Art.
Plans and pricing
Midjourney and Bing Image Creator have completely different pricing plans, considering they are different products.
Midjourney plans and pricing
Midjourney is an independent AI platform with subscription plans. Previously, they offered a free trial with 25 requests, but they canceled it due to misuse and huge demand.
Feature | Free trial | Basic Plan | Standard Plan | Pro Plan |
Monthly price | / | $10 | $30 | $60 |
Annual price | / | $96 ($8 / month) | $288 ($24 / month) | $576 ($48 / month) |
Bing Image Creator plans and pricing
Bing Image Creator is free to use as it’s part of the new Bing AI search engine. When you first log into the Image Creator with your Microsoft account, you get 25 boosts, or credits, you use to create images. One boost is worth one request. Later on, the boosts increase to 100 per day.
But you can still create an image even when you run out of boosts; it will only take a bit longer. You can refill your boosts in exchange for Microsoft Rewards points.
Community and customer support
Midjourney community and customer support
Midjourney has a support channel on their Discord server where users can ask questions and get answers from moderators.
There are also discussion and prompt chat channels where users can discuss various topics and share tips.
Bing Image Creator community and customer support
Bing Image Creator doesn’t offer extensive support. They have a help page you can browse to find your answers. If you can’t find an answer to your question, visit Microsoft’s tech community to browse the discussions, or ask a question yourself if you can’t find a similar topic posted in the community.
Customer reviews and ratings
Midjourney reviews and rating
Reviews about Midjourney vary among people. Reviews on Product Hunt are from people mainly satisfied with the platform and its image generation capabilities, while reviews on TrustPilot are generally from people disappointed with the AI tools, complaining about their billing service and the difficulty of canceling your subscription.
Midjourney has provided guidance on how to cancel your subscription and a contact email address to report billing issues in their support channel on Discord.
Bing Image Creator reviews and ratings
Positive Reviews about Bing Image Creator are mainly focused on their ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and free use.
At the same time, negative reviews highlight imperfections and body morph issues, particularly with images representing humans.
Verdict
Considering that Midjourney is more widely used, it has far more reviews than Bing Image Creator. People are mostly amazed by Midjourney’s fascinating AI image generation capabilities, and for every reason. On the other hand, they can work a bit on their billing services issues.
Meanwhile, Bing Image Creator is less used and boasts mixed reviews. People mostly like it because it’s free to use, and the platform is user-friendly. However, they complain about the flaws in the images, especially in body parts.
The bottom line is that if you need high-quality, fairy-tale, sci-fi images and are willing to pay some buck for them, Midjourney is your choice. The creativity and quality of the images are incomparable.
But if you don't need anything over the top and just want to generate decent images of everyday objects or situations for free in a super easy-to-use platform, and don’t mind the occasional flaw, Bing Image Creator is the way to go.
Read also: StarryAI vs. Midjourney - their features, performances and which one is better for you.
Conclusion
Both Midjourney and Bing Image Creator are AI-powered text-to-image tools, offering distinct features, capabilities, and user experiences. Midjourney generates high-quality, fantasy-like images and can be used for various design purposes, but it requires familiarity with Discord and a subscription fee. Bing Image Creator is more user-friendly and free to use, but the images it generates may have minor imperfections.
If you are seeking advanced designs and sci-fi images, Midjourney is the better choice, though you will need to navigate its Discord-based interface and subscription plans. For those who prefer a simpler, more intuitive platform and are content with mainstream images, Bing Image Creator is the ideal option. Ultimately, the choice between the two AI image generators depends on the user's requirements and preferences.
