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Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Looking for a good comparison of Midjourney vs. DALL-E 2?

Midjourney and DALL-E are commonly cited in the same context as excellent examples of what AI software is capable of in this day and age.

In this guide, we’ll show you a detailed side-by-side comparison of Midjourney vs DALL-E 2, showcasing images created with the exact same prompts.

Let’s dive right in.

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Key Differences Between Midjourney & DALL-E 2

Infographic explaining the key differences between Midjourney and DALL-E 2

2022 has been the year of AI software, ranging from AI-generated text and sales copy to AI-generated artwork.

AI models have been around for years but it wasn’t until now that they truly made their mark on the public’s perception.

It seems that with each passing year, the progress they make just becomes greater and greater.

In the AI art space, two competing products clearly made quite the impression: Midjourney and OpenAI’s DALL-E 2.

And while both of them produce astonishing results, many people are wondering which one is the best.

As with many other things in life, it largely depends on what your objectives and preferences are.

Here’s a quick comparison of the key benefits of Midjourney vs DALL-E 2.

Midjourney:

  • Very effective for digital artwork
  • Produces very artistic results
  • Images lean towards fantasy-style
  • Maximum resolution of 1664×1664
  • Open and collaborative community
  • Subscription-based pricing
  • Runs as a Bot inside a Discord server

DALL-E 2:

  • Capable of creating photo-realistic images
  • Lack of artistic imagination
  • Ability to add or remove elements from existing images
  • Maximum resolution of 1024×1024
  • Usage-based pricing using credits
  • Browser-based web application

In our personal tests, we’ve found that we tend to prefer Midjourney.

Midjourney excels in terms of how its AI is able to generate incredibly creative ideas all by itself.

The average quality of the images also seems to be considerably better.

Although DALL-E 2 is definitely much better at generating images that resemble real-life photography, the results are considerably less polished.

But rather than just tell you what they look like, let’s show you some images based on the exact same prompts.

Key Points (tl;dr)
  • While Midjourney has clearly established itself as the most popular option right now, choosing the best AI art software largely depends on your specific needs.
  • DALL-E 2 is much better at creating photo-realistic images and is able to add and remove objects from existing images.
  • Midjourney has a much more artistic element to it and is particularly good at generating incredibly creative digital artwork.

Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Same Prompt, Different Results

As you’ll see, the results vary quite a bit and fundamental differences between Midjourney vs. DALL-E 2 become quite apparent in these images.

1. Devil with Horns

Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Devil with Horns
Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Devil with Horns

In our first prompt, we’ve chosen to use something rather descriptive.

“Devil with Horns” is a clearly defined object with some properties that any AI art generator should easily recognize.

While the images generated by DALL-E 2 are more “precise”, it’s also quite evident that the images generated by Midjourney are far more visually appealing.

2. Bunny Rabbit

Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Bunny Rabbit
Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Bunny Rabbit

In our second prompt, we’ve selected an object that actually exists in real life.

As you can see, DALL-E 2 has a tendency to nearly always opt for a photo-realistic image wherever it can.

While it’s obviously amazing how real the images look, we find Midjourney’s interpretation a lot prettier.

3. Pretty Girl with a Red Umbrella in her Hand

Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Pretty Girl with a Red Umbrella in der Hand
Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Pretty Girl with a Red Umbrella in der Hand

In our next example, we’ve used a lot more detail and described a full scene.

This leaves less room for interpretation and once again, DALL-E 2 chooses to give us 4 different photos of girls with a red umbrella.

Midjourney’s images definitely have some issues with the anatomy of the girl character, but DALL-E 2 also has a tendency to mess up human faces every now and then.

If you’re looking for precise, DALL-E 2 would win this round, but if you’re looking for artwork, the point would still go to Midjourney.

4. African Man in the Style of Van Gogh

Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: African Man in the Style of van Gogh
Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: African Man in the Style of van Gogh

One of the areas where Midjourney truly excels is the emulation of the style of famous artists.

DALL-E 2 is also capable of replicating the art styles of other artists, and in this particular case, we actually prefer the DALL-E version.

Comparing Midjourney vs DALL-E 2 for this prompt is mostly a matter of taste.

5. Mysterious Samurai Warrior in Front of Pagoda

midjourney vs dall e 2 comparison example5 infographic
Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Mysterious Samurai Warrior in Front of Pagoda

One of the things that bother us about DALL-E 2 is that it requires more detailed instructions in order to produce convincing results.

It’s probably just as capable as Midjourney but unless you tell it exactly what sort of style you are looking for, the results will often disappoint.

Midjourney, on the other hand, does an excellent job of filling the void with creative inspiration.

6. Cape Town, South Africa

Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Cape Town, South Africa
Midjourney vs DALL-E 2: Cape Town, South Africa

Our final Midjourney vs DALL-E 2 comparison is an excellent example of how Midjourney is much more suitable for artwork.

While it seems logical to display photos of Cape Town in this particular prompt, Midjourney’s artistic interpretation is so much better, despite its inaccuracies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Before we close off this guide, let’s quickly address some of the most common questions related to Midjourney vs DALL-E 2 comparisons.

  • Is Midjourney better than DALL-E 2?

    Midjourney tends to produce more artistic results that lean towards fantasy and digital artwork, while DALL-E 2 will opt for photo-realistic interpretations unless it is given other instructions. It largely depends on what you prefer or what you want to use the AI art generator for. Purely from a creative point of view, Midjourney is much better at producing images that can be used as inspiration.

  • Is Midjourney AI the best?

    Midjourney is currently by far the most popular AI art generator and has been dominating the Google Trends charts ever since its public release. Despite its popularity, it does have its limitations.

Conclusion

Whenever a set of new tools hits the market, we humans have a natural tendency to search for the very best option on the market.

We look for simple comparisons of two or more tools that reduce the complexity of figuring out which option best suits our needs.

That’s why we figured it would be if we simply compare Midjourney vs DALL-E 2 side-by-side using some images.

Here at Tokenized, we want to help you learn as much as possible about the AI software industry. We help you navigate the world of tech and the digitalization of our society at large, including the tokenization of assets and services.

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