Alternatives to DALL-E
OpenAI's image model inside ChatGPT
DALL-E ranks #8 of 9 in AI image generation, with an Alt Score of 55. It is proprietary and available on Web, iOS and Android. 8 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Anyone who needs an image from a text description without design skills or stock photos — writers, marketers, educators, and developers building image-generation into their own apps.
Original images generated from a written prompt, in a range of styles from photorealistic to illustrated. You can edit existing images with a new prompt or mask specific regions to change, and combine or riff on concepts that don't exist as real photos. It also renders text within images and can use reference images to guide results.
You describe the image you want in natural language, either by asking ChatGPT directly or by calling OpenAI's Image API, and the model generates (or edits) an image to match; you can then refine it further with follow-up prompts.
Why people leave DALL-E
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the AI image generation checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| AI image generation checklist | DALL-E | ComfyUI | InvokeAI | Ideogram | Stable Diffusion | Flux |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Runs locally | ||||||
| Open-weights models | ||||||
| Text rendering quality | ||||||
| Image editing (inpainting) | ||||||
| ControlNet / pose guidance | ||||||
| Commercial use license | ||||||
| API access | ||||||
| Free tier limits | ||||||
| Upscaling | ||||||
| Style consistency (LoRA, references) |
Every fact and feature listed for DALL-E is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Proprietary verified 2026-07-11
Customer obtains only a limited right to use the Services, and no ownership rights are transferred to Customer or its End Users under this Agreement.
https://openai.com/policies/service-terms/ -
Starts at $0.011/image (low quality, 1024x1024, gpt-image-1 API) verified 2026-07-11
Low | $0.011 | $0.016 | $0.016
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-1 -
Pricing model Usage-based verified 2026-07-11
Low | $0.011 | $0.016 | $0.016
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-1 -
Platforms Web, iOS, Android verified 2026-07-11
This official app is free, syncs your history across devices, and brings you the latest from OpenAI, including the new image generator.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chatgpt/id6448311069 -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
our previous image generation model
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-image-1.5 -
Runs locally No verified 2026-07-11
You can access image generation capabilities through two APIs: Image API... Responses API
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation -
Open-weights models No verified 2026-07-11
Customer obtains only a limited right to use the Services, and no ownership rights are transferred to Customer or its End Users under this Agreement.
https://openai.com/policies/service-terms/ -
Text rendering quality Partial verified 2026-07-11
Although significantly improved, the model can still struggle with precise text placement and clarity.
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation -
Image editing (inpainting) Yes verified 2026-07-11
Edit parts of an image by uploading an image and mask that identifies the areas to replace
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation -
Commercial use license Yes verified 2026-07-11
As between you and OpenAI, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, you (a) retain your ownership rights in Input and (b) own the Output.
https://openai.com/policies/row-terms-of-use/ -
API access Yes verified 2026-07-11
You can access image generation capabilities through two APIs: Image API... Responses API
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation -
Free tier limits Yes verified 2026-07-11
Advanced functionality, including data analysis, file uploads, and image creation, can have stricter limits than paid plans.
https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9275245-chatgpt-free-tier-faq -
Style consistency (LoRA, references) Partial verified 2026-07-11
While capable of producing consistent imagery, the model may occasionally struggle to maintain visual consistency for recurring characters or brand elements across multiple generations.
https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/image-generation
FAQ
Yes. InvokeAI, Ideogram and Adobe Firefly have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
ComfyUI, InvokeAI and Stable Diffusion — every license claim links its source.