MIDJOURNEY VS DALL-E VS IDEOGRAM

Three AI image generators. Three fundamentally different approaches. Midjourney pioneered the aesthetic-first philosophy — gorgeous outputs that often surprise you. DALL-E (via ChatGPT and API) bets on instruction-following precision and photorealism. Ideogram came from behind with something neither could do well: text rendering in images.

We put all three head-to-head through our three-judge system. Claude Opus, GPT-5.2, and Gemini 3 rated each tool independently across image quality, prompt adherence, style range, text rendering, speed, consistency, ease of use, and pricing value.

The results reveal that 'best' depends entirely on what you're making.

Midjourney wins the beauty contest. If you're creating art, illustrations, concept designs, or anything where visual impact matters more than literal accuracy, Midjourney produces the most consistently stunning results. Its style range is unmatched.

DALL-E wins the precision contest. It follows instructions more literally, handles complex multi-element prompts better, and produces the most photorealistic output. Its ChatGPT integration also makes it the most accessible option for casual users.

Ideogram wins the utility contest. Its text-in-image rendering — logos, signs, posters, memes, social graphics — is genuinely reliable where Midjourney and DALL-E still stumble. For designers who need type in their visuals, Ideogram is a must-try.

See the full score breakdown in our live three-way battle page, or explore all tools in the AI Tools for Designers stack.