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Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design

Adobe Firefly vs Midjourney vs Recraft

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Adobe Firefly

3.8

From $9.99/mo

Best overall

Midjourney

4.1

Free to start

Recraft

3.8

From $12/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Adobe Firefly

3.8
Easiest to use

Pick it if: Agencies and businesses that need generated imagery they can use for clients with less legal worry.

Midjourney

4.1
Best overall

Pick it if: Marketers, founders and creators who want imagery that doesn't look like generic stock.

Recraft

3.8

Pick it if: Designers, marketers and founders who need brand assets they can keep editing.

Overview

AttributeAdobe FireflyMidjourneyRecraft
In one lineImage and video generator trained on licensed content, so it's safer for client work.Type a description and get striking, artful images that look nothing like stock photos.Generates logos, icons and illustrations as editable vector files you can keep working on.
Pricing modelFreemiumPaidFreemium
Starting price$9.99/moSee website$12/mo
Free plan Yes No Yes
Works with Claude Code No No Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeAdobe FireflyMidjourneyRecraft
Overall rating3.84.1Winner3.8
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
3.5
3.5
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.0
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
5.0
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
3.5
3.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.5
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeAdobe FireflyMidjourneyRecraft
Access & platform
Free plan Yes No Yes
Mobile app Yes No No
Desktop app Yes No No
Browser extension No No No
API access Yes No Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes No Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes No Yes
Connects to other apps Yes No Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes Yes
Makes images Yes Yes Yes
Makes video Yes Yes No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations No No No
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes Yes
Works in many languages Yes No No
Capabilities score13/ 175/ 179/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeAdobe FireflyMidjourneyRecraft
Plans

Free

Free

Trying it and the odd image.

Basic

See website

Trying it out and light monthly use.

Free

Free

Learning the tool on personal projects.

Firefly Standard

$9.99/mo

Occasional images and a little video.

StandardOur pick

See website

Most marketers and creators.

BasicOur pick

$12/mo, or $10/mo billed yearly

Founders and marketers making occasional brand assets.

Firefly ProOur pick

$19.99/mo

Marketers who generate most days.

Pro

See website

Agencies and anyone doing client work.

Pro

From $20/mo, or $16/mo billed yearly

Designers producing assets every week.

Firefly Pro Plus

$49.99/mo

Regular video and audio work.

Mega

See website

Heavy daily production.

Teams

From $22/seat/mo, or $18/seat/mo billed yearly

Design teams who share a house style.

Firefly Premium

$199.99/mo

Studios producing video at volume.

Firefly Pro for teams

$19.99/licence/mo, billed yearly

Agencies and teams who need admin and support.

Which plan to pickPro is the one for most marketers because it bundles Express Premium and web Photoshop, which many people would pay for anyway. Standard is fine for stills only. The two expensive plans are only worth it if video is a weekly job.Standard is the sweet spot because relax mode means you never run out. Go to Pro if you make images for clients, since Basic and Standard publish everything you make to the public gallery. Yearly billing takes a chunk off every plan.Basic is the sensible start for a business because it unlocks private images and commercial rights, and 1,000 credits goes a long way on stills. Pick Pro only if you are generating daily. Teams is for agencies where several people need the same brand style.

Key features

AttributeAdobe FireflyMidjourneyRecraft
Standout features
  • Commercially safe models
  • Partner models
  • Generative Fill and Expand
  • Text to video
  • Text to vector
  • Audio and translation
  • Image quality
  • Style and character references
  • Web editor
  • Personalisation
  • Video
  • Stealth mode
  • Vector output
  • Custom styles
  • Icon and illustration sets
  • Mockups
  • Image tools
  • API

Pros and cons

AttributeAdobe FireflyMidjourneyRecraft
Pros
  • Trained on licensed content, so safer for commercial and client work
  • Image, video, vector and audio in one subscription
  • Partner models give you other looks without leaving the app
  • Deep integration with Photoshop, Illustrator and Express
  • Pro bundles Express Premium and web Photoshop
  • Consistently the most attractive output of any generator
  • Style and character references keep a campaign looking like one set
  • Relax mode on Standard and above means unlimited generations
  • The editor handles extending and fixing parts of an image well
  • Real, editable vector files, which almost no other generator does well
  • Custom brand styles keep every asset consistent
  • Paid plans include clear commercial rights and private images
  • API makes it useful inside developer workflows
Cons
  • Adobe's own models trail Midjourney and ChatGPT Images on quality
  • The commercial-safety promise does not cover partner models
  • Credits are confusing and video burns through them fast
  • Plans and promotional pricing change often, so the price you see today may not hold
  • No free plan or trial
  • Text in images and exact layouts are unreliable
  • Your images are public unless you are on Pro or Mega
  • The learning curve is real if you want control rather than luck
  • No API or integrations with other tools
  • Free plan is unusable for business: images are public, owned by Recraft and not for commercial use
  • Busier interface than the simpler generators
  • Credits run down faster on vector output and image tools
  • Photoreal images are not its strength

Who each one is for

AttributeAdobe FireflyMidjourneyRecraft
Best for
  • Commercially safe stock replacements
  • Extending and retouching photos
  • Vector graphics from a prompt
  • Existing Adobe users
  • Hero images for websites
  • Brand and campaign visuals
  • Mood boards and concepts
  • Illustration styles
  • Logos and icon sets
  • Illustrations in a consistent style
  • Vector graphics for print
  • Brand-matched assets
You'll find it used by
  • Agencies
  • In-house creative teams
  • Photographers
  • Marketers
  • Marketers
  • Brand designers
  • Founders
  • Content creators
  • Designers
  • Brand teams
  • Founders
  • Developers

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.

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