Leonardo AI

Leonardo is an image and video generator that Canva bought in 2024. You type a description, pick a model or a preset style, and get images you can refine on a canvas. It has its own models (Lucid Origin, Lucid Realism, Phoenix and Motion for video) alongside partner models such as Nano Banana, GPT Image, Ideogram, Kling and Veo. You can also train a small model on 10 to 20 of your own images so everything comes out in your style or with your character.

Its strengths are the free daily allowance, the presets and Blueprints (ready-made workflows) that do the prompting for you, and the 'relaxed' mode on Premium and Ultimate that keeps generating on Leonardo's own models after your tokens run out. Canva Business also includes some Leonardo tokens.

Pick it over Midjourney when you want a free plan, style training or a production pipeline for assets like game art. Midjourney still has the better eye, and Nano Banana or ChatGPT Images are better at editing a real photo. Users also complain about strict safety filters failing harmless prompts and tokens lost on failed videos.

• Content creators
• Game developers
• Illustrators
• Marketers
• Canva users

Creators, small studios and marketers who want a free starting point and a way to keep a consistent style or character.

• Own and partner models

  Leonardo's Lucid and Phoenix image models and Motion video models, plus Nano Banana, GPT Image, Ideogram, Kling and Veo in the same app.

• Train your own style

  Upload 10 to 20 images and train a personal model that keeps your style, product or character consistent.

• Blueprints and presets

  Ready-made workflows and styles that produce a finished image or clip without writing a long prompt.

• Realtime Canvas

  Sketch roughly and watch it turn into a finished image as you draw, then edit parts of it.

• Relaxed mode

  On Premium and Ultimate, keep generating on Leonardo's own models after your tokens run out, at a slower pace.

• API

  Build Leonardo into your own app or automations, paying as you go.

• Free

  Free

  Trying it and occasional images.

  • 150 tokens a day
  • Images are public
  • Basic quality settings

• Essential

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

  Hobbyists making images most weeks.

  • 8,500 tokens a month with rollover
  • Private images
  • Train up to 10 models a month
  • Two generations at once
• Our pick

  Premium

  $30/mo, about $24/mo billed yearly

  Creators and marketers who generate a lot.

  • 25,000 tokens a month with rollover
  • Unlimited relaxed image generation on Leonardo's own models
  • Train up to 20 models a month
  • Three generations at once

• Ultimate

  $60/mo, about $48/mo billed yearly

  Heavy daily image and video work.

  • 60,000 tokens a month with rollover
  • Unlimited relaxed video on selected models
  • Six generations at once

• Team

  From $24/seat/mo

  Small teams sharing a token pool.

  • Shared token pool
  • Private team generations
  • Relaxed image and video generation

• API

  Pay as you go

  Developers and automations.

  • Credit that doesn't expire
  • Up to 10 generations at once
  • Custom plans for high volume

Prices in USD unless noted, checked 21 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.

Ways Leonardo AI can slot into your week.

1. 1

   A house illustration style

   Train a model on your existing artwork, then generate blog, social and deck illustrations that all match.

2. 2

   Game and app assets

   Produce characters, icons and backgrounds in one consistent style for a game or app prototype.

3. 3

   Bulk social images

   Use relaxed mode on Premium to run dozens of variations a day without watching a credit meter.

4. 4

   Short clips from stills

   Animate a finished image into a short video with Motion or a partner model.

Leonardo is a generator, not a design tool. Make images here and finish them in Canva, which owns Leonardo and bundles some tokens into Canva Business. The API lets Make, n8n or Claude Code call it, though users report video automations can be fiddly.

The closest alternatives to Leonardo AI in the library, best rated first.

• Nano Banana4.6/5· best for editing photos by describing the changeLeonardo AI vs Nano Banana
• Canva4.5/5· best for social media posts and storiesLeonardo AI vs Canva
• ChatGPT Images4.2/5· best for mockups and signage with real textLeonardo AI vs ChatGPT Images
• Figma4.1/5· best for website and app designLeonardo AI vs Figma

Nobody has reviewed Leonardo AI here yet. If you use it, your take helps everyone else choose.