Looking to create your next AI masterpiece? Or do you simply want to discover fantastic assets to use in your next creative project? Finding the best AI tool for graphic design will help you take your ideas to the next level, and many of the latest and best AI image generators are not only easy to use but often free to try out as well.
Here, creative people can find our edit of the best AI image generators of 2025, from Midjourney to ImageGen, as well as tips for using AI design apps like Adobe Firefly or an image generator from photo to integrate imagery into your own designs.
Tap into the top 2025 AI design trends with these AI tools for graphic design, photography, and advanced image editing, and see your projects come to life!
The best AI image generators in 2025
| Best for social media content, trending styles, and the leading models available! | |
| Chat GPT (GPT-4o) | Best for photorealism and conversational editing. |
| Adobe Firefly | Best for photography and project integration. |
| Midjourney | Best for artistic, atmospheric imagery. |
| DALL·E 3 | Best for cartoons and nuanced prompts. |
| Flux 1.1 Pro Ultra | Best for high-definition portraits. |
| Recraft | Best for graphic designs and vector images. |
| Stable Diffusion | Best for uninterrupted creativity. |
| Reve | Best for fast generation and high detail. |
| Ideogram | Best for clear text and commercial imagery. |
What is an AI image generator?
First, back to basics—maybe you’ve used an AI image generator before and are curious about what else is out there, or perhaps you’re fresh to the AI app scene. Either way, AI image generators are fast becoming an essential tool in a creative’s kit to visualize ideas and experiment with different styles and layouts. And with the advances in the technology, it’s now possible to use AI art generators to create unique work as part of a creative project.
In a nutshell, AI image generators transform your AI art prompts into a visual image. The more refined and specific your text prompt, the more likely it is that the resulting image will be in line with what you imagined.
How do AI image generators work?
They’re trained on vast amounts of visual data, allowing the generator to build associations between styles, subjects, and patterns. The more advanced image generators will be able to pick up on AI image trends and design trends more widely, creating more relevant and contemporary results. The best AI design apps are capable of generating images that are almost indistinguishable from real-life pictures—although there are a range of tell-tale signs you can use to identify AI-generated images.
And yup… human hands are still a sore point for almost all the image generators we tried. So we’ll keep you posted on that one!
What are the best AI design apps?
It’s important to know that the best AI design apps enable your creativity, rather than replacing it. They take your ideas and turn them into reality, allowing you to refine your AI image results further to achieve particular angles, styles, colors, and trends.
The most advanced AI design tools might allow you to integrate AI images into your own work, creating a seamless design that blends the best of both worlds. So depending on what you’re looking for—whether mapping out a creative idea or looking for something more sophisticated—these are the best AI design apps by project. Scroll down for the full list of our recommendations to discover even more great AI tools for design, and take a deep dive into the features they offer.
Which AI tool is best for graphic design?
The best AI tool for graphic design? If you’re looking to map out design concepts for a brief, a quick and intuitive app like ImageGen is a great starting point for beginners, and it includes an AI prompt enhancement feature that makes your text even more effective.
For creating logos, typography, and icons, online AI app Ideogram allows graphic designers to pull multiple elements together into a cohesive layout for posters, flyers, or banners.
Recraft places an emphasis on AI images that have an editorial, polished feel, making it a great fit for advertising work or branded campaigns.
Which AI tool is best for… just having fun?
To make a quick start with creating AI images, and have plenty of fun in the process, you could try a simple image generator tool like Google’s Gemini, which gives experimental (and often downright weird) results with just a few words.
Or take Meta AI for a spin, which has been designed with beginners in mind. In the app, tap Ask Meta AI and type in what you’d like to generate, starting with Imagine. Place yourself into different scenarios (however bizarre) and share the results on social media. Just don’t expect anything too advanced!
Which AI tool is best for photography?
Adobe Firefly is one of the best AI tools for advanced image editing, allowing you to create and refine sophisticated prompts, work with the latest generative AI technology, and integrate your imagery into existing photographs. Experiment with different angles, backgrounds, and lighting prompts to get the most from your AI-generated photos. Flexible and natural results: it’s a win-win.
Which AI tool is best for advanced creative work?
It really depends on the type of project you’re working on, but there are a growing number of AI design apps that cater to advanced graphic design, product design, photography, and brand work. Midjourney is great for experimenting with artistic styles and subtle effects in your images, while content creators and filmmakers will love the advanced capabilities of AI video generation in Runway.
For more control over creative results, DALL·E 3 generates really impressive and accurate results. The app is built around ChatGPT but is fine-tuned to image generation, making your requests more atmospheric, nuanced, and specific.
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How to create a movie poster using AI with Envato ImageGen and ImageEdit
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Midjourney vs. Stable Diffusion: AI Image Generators
For more recommended AI design apps, read on to discover our overview of some of the best AI image generators for graphic design and other creative projects in 2025.
The best AI image generators of 2025: 10 apps to use now
Looking for the best AI for graphic design projects? Or something a little more cheap and cheerful? These are our top picks for 2025, with recommended use and price details.
1. Envato ImageGen
At a glance:
- Quick and intuitive to use.
- Always adding the latest cutting edge tech (the best models—like Imagen 4!)
- Tap into trends and make images more precise with built-in AI prompt enhancement.
- Continue editing and fine tuning images with ImageEdit.
- Turn static images into videos with VideoGen.
If you’re looking for the balance of an intuitive, user-friendly interface with the potential to maximize the creative reach of your AI images, ImageGen is well worth a look. It’s easy for beginners to dive in thanks to the ability to enhance your prompts using AI, but this image generator also allows you to get really experimental with aesthetic styles and fun trends. So whether you’re looking for cutesy illustrations or photorealistic portraits, your image results are sure to be experimental, bold, and fun.
Envato’s AI tools also have the added benefit of image editing via their ImageEdit tools. You can customise your images even further to get the creation for your project.
You can also find a full suite of complementary creative AI tools to pair with ImageGen, so you can generate videos from static images or refine images further with background removal, erasure, and upscaling.
Best for: Achieving trending image styles, social media content creation, enhanced AI prompts.
Price: ImageGen is included as part of an Individual or Team plan at Envato, which also gives you complete access to Envato’s library of creative assets, plus all its AI tools that includes image editing, video generation, music generation, and voice generation. You can even try ImageGen for free with five image generations. (AI tools are not included with Enterprise plans.)
2. ChatGPT
At a glance:
- Great for photorealistic images.
- Understands sophisticated, precise prompts.
- Edit images with the app conversation-style.
ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities have always been one of the strongest on the market, but with GPT-4o, developed by OpenAI, users can create images that not only look amazing but are also imbued with more meaning and relevance.
Create images with sophisticated typography and meaningful text (no more blurry, nonsensical type bunged into your image for no good reason!), as well as ultra-convincing photorealistic effects. OpenAI dubs it the app for “useful image generation,” and we have to agree—the accuracy and precision of prompts, as well as the conversational style of interacting with the app, make refining your image results easy and intuitive. So you can go from icon to game character to creating a whole visual world in very little time.
Best for: Photorealism, sophisticated prompts, conversational refinement.
Price: Free for all users, with a limit of three images per day. Plus ($20 per month) or Pro ($200 per month) users can generate unlimited images.
3. Adobe Firefly
At a glance:
- Perfect for photographers looking to enhance their own photos.
- Best for integrating into your own project workflow.
- Benefit from cool features like Generative Fill.
Adobe’s AI powerhouse app has been created with designers in mind. Create images, video, audio, and vector graphics, collaborate with fellow creatives using Firefly Boards, and generate videos from static images.
Creative studios love Firefly for its advanced image-editing features and seamless user experience, making it feel like a part of your creative team rather than a standalone AI design app.
Best for: Advanced photo editing, cool additional features like Generative Fill, integration of imagery into existing projects.
Price: You can start using Firefly for free, with limited generative credits. Upgrade to Firefly Standard ($9.99 per month) or Firefly Pro ($29.99 per month) for unlimited image generation and features.
4. Midjourney
At a glance:
- Create highly artistic images.
- High level of realism.
- Adjust images easily with editing features.
Offering an enticing balance of exceptional ease of use and aesthetically pleasing results, Midjourney is beloved by fans for its ability to create dreamlike landscapes and immersive images that look like something straight out of a fantasy movie, with only a few text prompts.
To use it, you’ll need to sign up for an account with Discord, which is a social messaging platform popular with online gamers. After you’ve done that, you can use the app simply by typing /imagine in the Discord chat and creating your AI text prompt from there. One advantage of Midjourney is that it offers cool features to adjust your generated image, so you can create different variations, zoom out, or fill parts of the image with contextual imagery.
Best for: Artistic results, atmospheric images, realism.
Price: Start generating 25 images for free. After that, a Basic plan starts from $10 per month (or $8 if paid annually).
5. DALL-E 3
At a glance:
- Perfect for creating fun, cartoon-style, and surrealist imagery.
- Less suited to photorealism.
- Understands nuanced text prompts for greater precision.
As long as you’re not looking for realistic photography (which isn’t its strong point), DALL·E 3, hosted by OpenArt AI, is a good all-round image generator that excels at producing quirky and experimental images. Cartoon and 3D styles can come out really well, but the definition and quality of images can also vary widely.
Improving on its earlier iteration, DALL·E 2, DALL·E 3 is able to better understand complex text descriptions and create more specific images as a result.
A big plus of the generator is its accessibility and price point. Anyone with a ChatGPT account can access DALL·E 3, or you can use it for free through Bing’s Image Creator, making it a good-value option.
Best for: Cartoons and comics, nuanced and accurate prompts, atmospheric imagery.
Price: Available through ChatGPT Plus for $20 a month, or use for free via Bing Image Creator.
6. Flux 1.1 Pro Ultra
At a glance:
- Generate “look twice” highly photorealistic images.
- Export images in high detail and high definition.
- Requires patience and experimentation for best results.
Promising photorealism to rival real-life photography, Flux 1.1 Pro Ultra by Black Forest Labs is causing quite a stir in creative circles, and for good reason. Image results are highly detailed, with exceptional lighting and accurate text rendering.
The interface is designed with developers in mind rather than designers, so it’s not the most user-friendly AI design app. It also struggles with consistency and prompt refinement, so you have to be patient to get the best results.
Best for: Ultra-photorealistic images, human portraits, high-definition 4K images.
Price: Try Flux 1.1. Pro for free as part of a trial, or create more at $0.06 per image.
7. Recraft
At a glance:
- Great for graphic designers, product designers, and branding.
- Generate polished, commercial imagery.
- Combine typography and mockup imagery seamlessly.
The best AI tool for graphic design specifically might just be Recraft, which has a user-friendly interface for creating vector art, illustrations, and 3D graphics. Color control features allow you to keep your palette consistent across multiple images, making designs easily transferrable to branding projects or logo designs. You can also save your creations in a range of handy image formats, including SVG, JPG, and PNG.
We particularly love the attention to detail in Recraft, which means you can subtly adjust small elements of a design, such as typography, color, or background, and it’s super easy to integrate a design into a range of mockups, making it a useful AI design app for ideation and client pitch work.
Best for: Graphic design, vector graphics, product mockups.
Price: Try the app for free, or upgrade to a Basic plan for $12 a month (or $10 paid annually).
8. Stable Diffusion
At a glance:
- Uncensored content gives complete creative flexibility.
- Mimics the creative process most accurately out of all the apps we tested.
- Free for most individuals, for commercial and personal use.
User-friendly and cost-effective, Stable Diffusion is an open-source AI image generator developed by Stability AI. Unrestricted and uncensored content gives users more freedom and artistic reach than other AI image generators, granting access to a broader library of content.
A vast library of extensions also allows creatives to fine-tune their image results with ease. If you’re looking for an AI design app that feels closest to an actual artistic process, Stable Diffusion is possibly the most creative tool on the market right now.
Best for: Uninterrupted creativity, flexible editing, artistic results.
Price: Free for most users, with larger organizations required to purchase a licence.
9. Reve
At a glance:
- Ultra-speedy image generation.
- High-quality, detailed results.
- Experiment with a wide range of styles.
Fast, free, and super easy to use, Reve is a new kid on the AI block (having been released in March 2025), but it’s fast becoming a favorite amongst creatives looking for an all-in-one AI image generator that won’t break the bank.
One of the cool features of Reve is the range of aesthetic styles you can play with, such as watercolor, fantasy, and photorealistic. With a little experimentation, you can create highly detailed, immersive images in just a few seconds, and it almost always responds to AI text prompts with efficiency and precision. Well worth a look, we think!
Best for: Fast image generation, high-quality and detailed imagery, precise text prompts.
Price: Free for all users.
10. Ideogram
At a glance:
- Renders text accurately from prompts.
- Generate commercial-style imagery.
- The best of both worlds with graphic and photo integration.
On the market since 2023, Ideogram is a strong contender for the best AI image generator for graphic design and gaming imagery, and it’s particularly notable for its ability to integrate text as part of imagery without distortion or ‘gobbledygook’.
Ideogram uses Magic Prompt, which transforms a basic text prompt into a more complex and specific description, giving you improved art results. We think it’s a great all-round AI design app for graphic designers, artists, and brand designers, letting you create commercial-style imagery that looks polished and professional.
Best for: Clear text on images, branded graphics, commercial imagery.
Price: Start for free, or begin at $7 a month paid annually for more credits and faster generation speeds.
The best AI image generator for your next project is…?
In an increasingly crowded AI app market, it can be tricky to work out which AI image generator is the right choice for you. Hopefully our selection will help you land on the best AI design app for your next creative project. The advantage of having multiple options to choose from is that many AI developers are starting to cater specifically to certain creative tasks and industries.
So, whether you’re a product designer looking to mock up your next range or a graphic designer seeking a quick mood board of ideas for a client, there are now highly effective AI image generators that are tailored to these purposes. Find the AI app to fit your niche, and let your ideas flow. You’ll be creating amazing AI art in no time!
The next step in your AI journey? You’ll need to discover the best AI art prompts to generate jaw-dropping imagery, or why not learn how to create an AI movie poster to test your AI creative skills? And while you’re here, you can dive straight into creating AI photography, illustrations, and artwork in a few clicks with ImageGen.
