Did Midjourney Remove Free Trials? Price History

Last verified: March 22, 2026 | Based on 41 pricing snapshots from Archive.org

Midjourney launched in mid-2022 with a free trial that let anyone generate 25 AI images. That trial disappeared in July 2023. A year later, a $120/month Mega plan showed up for power users. But here is the surprising part: the $10 Basic plan has never gone up.

We pulled 41 Midjourney pricing snapshots from the Wayback Machine and mapped every change below. If you track pricing for other AI tools, see our Cursor pricing timeline and Midjourney vs DALL-E 3 comparison.

How Has Midjourney Pricing Changed Since Launch?

The table below shows each era of Midjourney pricing. The pattern is clear: base prices stayed flat while new premium tiers appeared at the top.

This stability is unusual in the AI tools market. For comparison, Canva raised its Pro plan from $12.99 to $15 per month in 2024. Adobe raised Creative Cloud prices twice in three years. OpenAI launched ChatGPT Plus at $20 and has kept it there but shifted features between tiers. Midjourney stands out by not touching any existing price point since day one.

What Did Midjourney Cost at Launch in 2022?

Midjourney opened its Discord-based beta in July 2022 with a simple offer. Join the server, type a prompt, and get 25 free images. No credit card needed. No signup form. Just Discord.

This approach was unusual for a paid tool. Most AI services launched behind a waitlist or paywall. Midjourney went the opposite way and let everyone try it instantly. The result was a viral loop: users generated images, shared them on Twitter and Reddit, and pulled in more users organically.

Launch pricing (2022):

• Free Trial: 25 image generations, no credit card, no time limit
• Basic ($10/mo): About 200 generations per month in relaxed mode
• Standard ($30/mo): About 900 generations per month with fast GPU access

According to The Verge, Midjourney hit one million users within months of launch without any paid marketing. The free trial was the entire growth strategy.

When Did Midjourney Remove the Free Trial?

Midjourney killed the free trial in July 2023. Our Archive.org snapshots confirm the free trial was present on June 28, 2023 and gone by July 5, 2023. The change was announced by founder David Holz in the official Midjourney Discord server.

At the same time, Midjourney added a third paid tier: the Pro plan at $60/month. This gave power users 30 hours of fast GPU time and a "Stealth" mode that hid their images from the public gallery.

Pricing after free trial removal (July 2023):

• Free Trial: Gone. $10/month minimum to use Midjourney.
• Basic ($10/mo): About 200 generations with limited queue time
• Standard ($30/mo): 15 hours fast GPU per month, unlimited relaxed mode
• Pro ($60/mo): 30 hours fast GPU per month, Stealth mode, unlimited relaxed

Why did Midjourney end free access?

David Holz gave four reasons in his Discord announcement. First, automated bots were creating thousands of throwaway accounts to farm free images. According to r/midjourney community posts, some users reported seeing the same bot-generated content on stock photo sites within days of creation.

Second, GPU costs were spiraling. Each image generation requires expensive NVIDIA A100 or H100 GPU time. Free users consumed compute resources without contributing any revenue. At scale, this made the free tier unsustainable.

Third, deepfake concerns added pressure. In early 2023, realistic AI images of public figures like Pope Francis in a puffer jacket went viral. BBC News reported the Pope image was made with Midjourney. Limiting access reduced anonymous misuse.

Fourth, the free trial had served its purpose. Midjourney already had millions of users and strong word-of-mouth. The growth engine was no longer needed.

The backlash was loud but short-lived. Reddit and Twitter filled with complaints for about two weeks. However, paid users reported better server speeds once free traffic dropped. Within a month, the controversy faded.

What Changed in Midjourney Pricing in 2024?

Two big changes hit in 2024. First, Midjourney added a fourth tier: the Mega plan at $120/month. Second, they introduced GPU time expiry. Both changes targeted professionals and shifted the product further upmarket.

2024 pricing structure:

• Basic ($10/mo): 3.3 hours fast GPU per month, about 200 generations
• Standard ($30/mo): 15 hours fast GPU, unlimited relaxed mode
• Pro ($60/mo): 30 hours fast GPU, Stealth mode, unlimited relaxed
• Mega ($120/mo): 60 hours fast GPU, maximum queue priority

What is GPU time expiry and why does it matter?

Starting in October 2024, unused fast GPU hours expire after 60 days. Before this change, hours rolled over forever. You could buy a Pro plan, skip a month, and still have 30 hours banked when you came back.

The expiry frustrated casual users who preferred bursty workflows. Freelance designers, for example, might generate 500 images in one week for a client project and then not touch Midjourney for a month. Under the old system, banked hours covered these spikes. Under the new system, those hours vanish after 60 days.

Agencies and studios, on the other hand, use Midjourney daily and never accumulate unused hours. For them, the Mega plan was welcome because it doubled the Pro plan's GPU time at twice the price. That is straightforward value.

Has Midjourney Raised Prices in 2025 or 2026?

No. As of March 2026, all four Midjourney plans cost exactly what they cost in mid-2024. The $10 Basic plan has stayed at $10 since launch day in 2022. That is nearly four years without a price increase on the entry tier. In the AI tools market, this stability is rare. Most competitors have adjusted pricing at least once during this period.

Current pricing (March 2026):

• Basic: $10/mo ($96/yr with 20% annual discount)
• Standard: $30/mo ($288/yr)
• Pro: $60/mo ($576/yr)
• Mega: $120/mo ($1,152/yr)

Instead of raising prices, Midjourney added value through model upgrades. The V6 model (late 2024) and subsequent V6.1 update brought near-photorealistic output quality. Users got better results at the same price. This "value inflation" strategy keeps subscribers happy while competitors like Canva and Supabase have adjusted their pricing over time.

What Were the Biggest Midjourney Pricing Decisions?

Midjourney has made four structural pricing changes since launch. None were traditional price hikes. Instead, they removed a free tier, added premium tiers, and introduced usage limits. Each change shifted who the product serves rather than extracting more money from existing users. This approach keeps churn low while growing average revenue per user through optional upgrades.

The pattern is clear. Midjourney never raised what existing users pay. They added options at the top and removed the free option at the bottom. If you were paying $10 in 2022, you still pay $10 today. Source: verified against 41 Archive.org pricing snapshots, 2022-2025.

How Does Midjourney Compare to Other AI Image Tools?

Midjourney is the only major AI image generator with no free tier. Every competitor offers some level of free access. Here is how pricing compares in 2026:

For a deeper look at the ChatGPT and DALL-E side, see our Midjourney vs DALL-E 3 pricing comparison. Despite no free tier, Midjourney consistently wins quality benchmarks for artistic output. According to a 2024 AI image generator comparison by WhyTryAI, Midjourney ranked first for aesthetic quality across multiple prompt categories. That quality gap is why millions of users continue to pay despite free alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions About Midjourney Pricing

Does Midjourney still offer a free trial in 2026?

No. Midjourney ended all free trials in July 2023. There is no free tier, no trial period, and no credit-based free option. The cheapest way to use Midjourney is the Basic plan at $10 per month. You can cancel at any time with no penalty, so some users treat the first month as a paid trial. Midjourney briefly tested a limited free trial again in late 2023 but pulled it within days, suggesting the abuse problem was not solved. As of March 2026, there is no indication free access will return.

What is the difference between fast mode and relaxed mode?

Fast mode uses your monthly GPU hour allowance to generate images in seconds. You get a fixed number of fast hours each month depending on your plan: 3.3 hours on Basic, 15 on Standard, 30 on Pro, and 60 on Mega. Once those hours run out, you switch to relaxed mode. Relaxed mode is free and unlimited but puts you in a queue behind paying fast-mode users. Wait times range from one minute during quiet periods to ten minutes or more at peak times. The Basic plan includes fast mode only. Standard, Pro, and Mega plans include both fast and unlimited relaxed mode.

Do unused Midjourney GPU hours carry over?

Not anymore. Since October 2024, unused fast GPU hours expire 60 days after they are credited to your account. Before this change, hours rolled over indefinitely. This means a Pro subscriber who skips a month loses 30 hours of fast GPU time worth $60. Relaxed mode is not affected since it has no hour limit. If you regularly use less than half your fast hours, consider downgrading to a cheaper plan and relying more on relaxed mode. Many casual users switched from Pro to Standard after this policy change to avoid wasting unused hours.

Is the $120 Mega plan worth it?

It depends on your volume. The Mega plan gives you 60 hours of fast GPU time per month compared to 30 hours on Pro. That means roughly double the high-priority generations. For a design agency producing 200 or more client images daily, the extra speed pays for itself in time saved. For individual creators generating fewer than 50 images a day, the Pro plan at $60 is usually enough.

Can I switch between Midjourney plans?

Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time from the Midjourney account page on midjourney.com. Upgrades take effect right away and you are billed the prorated difference for the rest of your billing cycle. For example, if you upgrade from Basic ($10) to Standard ($30) halfway through your month, you pay roughly $10 for the remaining half. Downgrades take effect when your current billing period ends. There is no fee or penalty for switching in either direction.

Does Midjourney offer annual billing discounts?

Yes. All four plans offer a 20% discount when you pay annually. The Basic plan drops from $10 to $8 per month ($96 per year). The Standard drops from $30 to $24 per month ($288 per year). Pro goes from $60 to $48 per month ($576 per year). And Mega drops from $120 to $96 per month ($1,152 per year). Annual billing locks in your rate for 12 months, which is worth considering given that Midjourney has not raised prices yet but could adjust tiers in the future.

What Should You Remember About Midjourney Pricing?

1. Free trials ended in July 2023. Midjourney removed them due to bot abuse, GPU costs, and deepfake concerns. There is no free option today.
2. Base prices have not increased. The $10 Basic and $30 Standard plans cost the same as they did at launch in 2022. Nearly four years at the same price.
3. Premium tiers were added, not forced. The Pro ($60) and Mega ($120) plans are optional upgrades for users who need more speed. No existing plan got more expensive.
4. GPU hours now expire. Since October 2024, unused fast hours vanish after 60 days. Plan your usage or switch to relaxed mode.
5. Quality justifies the cost. Midjourney has no free tier yet remains the most popular AI art tool. Users pay because output quality consistently leads the market.

How We Tracked Midjourney Pricing

This timeline is based on 41 Midjourney pricing snapshots captured from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine between 2022 and 2025. We extracted pricing data using our automated pipeline and cross-referenced with official Midjourney announcements.

Sources used:

• Archive.org snapshots of midjourney.com pricing pages (41 captures)
• Official announcements from David Holz in the Midjourney Discord server
• Community discussions on r/midjourney
• The Verge and BBC News reporting

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