Side-by-side comparison · Image, Logo & Design
ChatGPT Images vs Midjourney vs Topaz Labs
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone who already uses ChatGPT and wants quick, accurate images without learning another tool.
Pick it if: Marketers, founders and creators who want imagery that doesn't look like generic stock.
Pick it if: Photographers, video editors and marketers who need to rescue small, noisy or old images and footage for print or a big screen.
Overview
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Midjourney | Topaz Labs |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Make and edit images inside ChatGPT by describing what you want, words included. | Type a description and get striking, artful images that look nothing like stock photos. | Sharpen, denoise and upscale blurry photos and old video so they look like new. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | Free | See website | $19/mo or $199/yr |
| Free plan | Yes | No | No |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Midjourney | Topaz Labs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2Winner | 4.1 | 3.7 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 5.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Midjourney | Topaz Labs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | No | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes | 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 | No |
| Makes video | Yes | Yes | No |
| Writes code | Yes | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | No | – |
| Capabilities score | 16/ 17 | 5/ 17 | 8/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Midjourney | Topaz Labs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free A few images a day. | Basic See website Trying it out and light monthly use. | Topaz for Web, Image $19/mo or $199/yr Occasional photo upscaling in the browser. |
Go See website Light users who hit the free limits. | StandardOur pick See website Most marketers and creators. | Gigapixel $29/mo or $149/yr People who mainly need images enlarged. | |
PlusOur pick See website Most marketers and business owners. | Pro See website Agencies and anyone doing client work. | Topaz PhotoOur pick $39/mo or $199/yr Photographers fixing noise, blur and size. | |
Pro See website Heavy daily users. | Mega See website Heavy daily production. | Topaz Video $59/mo or $299/yr Video editors upscaling and restoring footage. | |
Business See website Teams who need shared workspaces and admin. | Topaz Studio $69/mo or $399/yr Anyone working on both photos and video. | ||
Topaz Studio Pro $799/yr Businesses over $1M revenue and studios. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Free is enough to find out if the quality suits you. Plus is the one to buy if you make images most days, because the limits stop getting in the way and you get the whole assistant too. Pro is only for people living in ChatGPT all day. | 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. | If you only fix photos, Topaz Photo on yearly billing is the sweet spot. Add video and Topaz Studio costs less than buying Photo and Video separately. The standard plans only cover businesses under $1M a year in revenue, so bigger companies need a Pro plan. |
Key features
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Midjourney | Topaz Labs |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Midjourney | Topaz Labs |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | ChatGPT Images | Midjourney | Topaz Labs |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, ChatGPT Images, Midjourney or Topaz Labs?
ChatGPT Images scores highest overall in our ratings (ChatGPT Images 4.2/5, Midjourney 4.1/5 and Topaz Labs 3.7/5). ChatGPT Images is best for mockups and signage with real text and editing an image by describing changes. Midjourney is best for hero images for websites and brand and campaign visuals. Topaz Labs is best for enlarging small photos for print or billboards and cleaning up grainy low-light and event photos.
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT Images, Midjourney or Topaz Labs?
ChatGPT Images: It's free to use. Midjourney: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote. Topaz Labs: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $19/mo or $199/yr.
Which is easier to use, ChatGPT Images, Midjourney or Topaz Labs?
ChatGPT Images rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who already uses ChatGPT and wants quick, accurate images without learning another tool.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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