Image tools change faster than anything else in AI. Model names, versions, and per-image prices below were accurate in July 2026 and will drift. Treat the "best at" column as durable and re-check prices on each tool's own site before you subscribe. The good news: the six-slot method in Lesson 3 works on every one of these.
Choose by the job in front of you
Forget "which tool is best." The honest answer is: best at what? Four jobs cover almost everything a brand needs, and each has a natural winner.
- Photorealistic product & lifestyle scenes — the magazine-shot look. Midjourney still owns the highest-end aesthetic.
- Graphics with readable text baked in — posters, ads, quote cards. ChatGPT's image model and Ideogram lead here; older diffusion tools still garble letters.
- Quick social images inside the tool you already design in — Canva's built-in AI, because the layout, fonts, and brand kit are right there.
- Editing or combining existing photos — swap a background, merge two shots, restyle a real product photo. Google's Gemini "Nano Banana" models are the standout.
The five that matter (July 2026)
| Tool | Best at | Roughly | Text in image? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (Images 2.0 / GPT Image 2) | All-rounder; conversational editing; near-perfect text | Limited on free; full access on ChatGPT Plus ~$20/mo | Best in class (~99% accuracy) |
| Midjourney | Highest-end photoreal & editorial aesthetic | Basic $10 · Standard $30 · Pro $60 · Mega $120/mo (≈20% off annual) | Decent, not its strength |
| Google Gemini "Nano Banana" | Editing/combining real photos; strong copy fidelity | Google AI Pro ~$20/mo (≈100 Pro images/day); cheap per-image via API | Very good |
| Ideogram | Typography & text-forward posters/banners | Free tier + paid plans | Typography leader (~90%) |
| Canva (Magic Media) | Fast social images inside your design tool | Included in Canva Free & Pro | Fine — and you can overlay real text |
Just tell me: where to start
If you want one recommendation and don't want to compare five subscriptions, here it is.
Start with ChatGPT's image generator. It's the best all-rounder for brand work in 2026: it renders clean text (which solves the Pinterest/graphic problem most tools fail), it edits conversationally so you can say "make the light warmer" in plain English, and OpenAI assigns you the rights to what you make. Many of you already pay for ChatGPT Plus (~$20/month) for writing — the images come with it. One subscription, most of the jobs.
When to add a second tool
- Add Canva the moment you're placing text over an image for a real graphic. Generate the background in ChatGPT, drop it into Canva, and set the headline with your real brand fonts. You almost certainly already have Canva — this is a workflow, not a new bill.
- Add Midjourney only when the highest-end photoreal look becomes your bottleneck — luxury product scenes, editorial brand photography. It's the aesthetic upgrade, not the starting point. Start on Basic ($10) and go up only if you hit the fast-hours limit.
- Reach for Gemini "Nano Banana" when the job is editing a real photo — your actual product on a new background, two images merged — rather than inventing a scene from scratch.
On paid plans, Midjourney, ChatGPT/OpenAI, and Google Gemini all let you use and sell what you make and don't claim ownership of it. Canva permits commercial use but "at your own risk," with no exclusivity. Free tiers are often personal-use-only or watermarked. This is separate from copyright — a thornier question we cover honestly in Lesson 6. Rule of thumb: if you're selling anything made with an image, be on a paid plan and read that tool's current terms.
Pick your starting tool (for most of you: ChatGPT). Open it, confirm you can generate an image, and check one thing on its pricing page — whether your current plan grants commercial-use rights. Write the answer somewhere you'll find it. You're now equipped for the real skill, which starts next: the six-slot prompt anatomy.