DALL-E is OpenAI’s generative model trained to generate images from textual prompts.
It has unique capabilities, such as rendering text, generating an anthropomorphized version of objects and animals, blending unrelated ideas in a reasonable way, and transforming existing images.
Launched in January 2021, DALL-E uses GPT-3 to understand written prompts’ natural language and generate images.
DALL-E has various use cases, including creating images to be used in games or books, education, marketing and advertising, product design, fashion design, and art.
Other versions include DALL-E 2 and DALL-E 3. DALL-E 2 was introduced in July 2021 and uses the CLIP model to generate more accurate images.
On the other hand, DALL-E 3 was released in October 2023 and uses the GPT-4 model to create highly detailed and specific prompts.
DALL-E isn’t the only AI image generator though. Other free alternatives include Leonardo AI, NightCafe Creator, StarryAI, Fotor, Gencraft, Artguru, and more.
The best among these is Leonardo AI because its free plan offers many (150) free credits renewed daily, it has a lot of models and styles, it works fast, and supports image-to-motion.
Why Explore DALL-E Alternatives?
Even though DALL-E comes up with good results, you might want to explore alternative tools due to one of these reasons.
First, it has limited access. You can only access DALL-E 3 via ChatGPT Plus and other Enterprise subscriptions. So you can’t access it without going premium. The high cost of use makes it unsuitable for casual users.
While DALL-E 3 generates more photorealistic and detailed images, it still doesn’t excel in other areas, such as video creation, artistic styles, or 3D models.
For advanced functionalities, such as inpainting, you need a deep understanding of DALL-E’s features and interface, creating a learning curve that most free alternatives don’t require.
With that in mind, let’s explore the best DALL-E free alternatives that will take your text-to-image generation needs to the next level.
Best DALL-E Free Alternatives
1. NightCafé Creator
NightCafé Creator is one of the best DALL-E free alternatives that is easy to use. The first thing you see when you visit the website is a place to type your text prompt, select style, and click the create button.
You will be directed to the signup page where you can sign up with Google, Facebook, or email. Next, you should select the accept terms checkbox and click continue.
You can also select the checkbox to receive their marketing content via email. Checking this box adds three credits to your account, which means more image creations!
After signing up, you will receive five credits in your account. Once you are logged in, it’s time to enter a prompt and select a suitable style: NightCafe, Artistic Portrait, Anime v2, Striking, and more. NightCafé has more styles than DALL-E.
You can also select the number of images you want generated, which can be one, four, nine, or 16. The other settings include selecting the runtime and aspect ratio.
After generating your images, there are options to duplicate, enhance (upscale), evolve, download, or submit to challenge.
To go pro, you are required to purchase 100 credits at only $5.99 per month.
2. StarryAI
StarryAI lets you generate high-quality AI images from a text description. You can generate artwork from a variety of artistic styles. You can also create realistic images, illustrations, and images with your own style.
To start creating, you need to sign in with your Google or Apple account. You will access the free plan, which lets you enter a prompt.
There’s an option to describe what you don’t want to see in the image, and then select the style.
StarryAI lets you generate an image based on an existing one. To achieve that, click on the plus symbol near the Start Image option and upload the image.
The default aspect ratio under the free plan is portrait (4:5). You can also select the runtime and start creating images.
StarryAI lets you decide on the number of images (columns) you would like to create, with four being the default value.
StarryAI’s web application has a more user-friendly interface than DALL-E. They also have mobile apps for Android and iOS users.
A free plan comes with five credits. If you choose to go pro, you can select from the Starter plan: $11.99/mo, Unlimited Pro: $37.99/mo, and Unlimited Pro Max: $79.99/mo.
3. Leonardo AI
Leonardo AI lets you generate production-quality visuals with unmatched speed, quality, and style consistency.
The tool fuses power and simplicity to cater to users of all levels. It uses fine-tuned models, such as Leonardo Diffusion XL, AlbedoBase XL, Leonardo Vision XL, DreamShaper v7, 3D animation style, and more.
To start using Leonardo AI, tap Create an Account and sign up with your Apple, Google, or Microsoft account. You can also sign up by email.
After logging in, it’s time to unleash your creativity. Your next step is to click Image Generation, type a prompt and select a model or an element, and add a negative prompt (if necessary).
The free version lets you select the number of images (from one to eight), image dimensions, and other controls, such as enabling the PhotoReal feature for highly detailed images.
Once you are happy with the settings, click Generate and Leonardo AI will create your images within seconds. You can then upscale.
After creating an image, you can download, upscale, remove the background, edit in canvas, delete, or use the image as guidance to create another one. Furthermore, you can directly turn the created image into a short MP4 video – a feature DALL-E has yet to introduce.
The free plan has 150 credits renewed every 24 hours. The paid subscription starts from $12 per month.
4. Fotor
Fotor is an image generator and photo editor that can transform your imagination into stunning AI art within seconds. You can use it to create various AI images for portraits, characters, and products at your fingertips.
You simply need to type a simple text prompt and the AI generator will do the rest.
You can select an image style and aspect ratio and let AI turn your imagination into incredible AI images, such as AI drawings, AI paintings, NFT artworks, and illustrations. You can download the image directly or make some edits to improve it.
In addition to creating images from text, Fotor also lets you generate images from other images. You can generate anywhere from one to six images.
A free account has eight credits and each generated image takes one credit.
Fotor has a free plan and two pro plans: Fotor Pro and Fotor Pro+ which cost $3.33/mo and $7.49/mo respectively (billed annually). Each of the pro plans has a three-day free trial. DALL-E doesn’t offer free trials.
5. Hotpot.ai
Hoptpot.ai has various generative AI image tools for creating masterpieces. You can generate art, upscale photos, remove objects, restore damaged pictures, enhance the face, remove backgrounds, and much more.
After generating images, you can use any of these tools to modify the images, making them better.
Besides, you can create AI avatars, corporate headshots, and an AI art gallery.
Hotpot.ai’s art generator works like DALL-E. It lets you type a text prompt, select a style, a seed image, a negative prompt, the number of images, and aspect ratio.
I followed this procedure and generated an image even without creating an account.
The free plan lets you generate one image with an aspect ratio of 1:1.
To upgrade, you must buy credits, and the pricing depends on the product and settings, with advanced settings costing more.
6. Gencraft
Gencraft is an AI video and photo generation engine.
It has several capabilities, including turning ideas into a video, generating images from text, turning images into videos (animation), training an AI model, and more.
Among all these features, only the text-to-image functionality is free. It requires adding a text prompt and selecting a style.
Gencraft’s default model is Image 2.0, but you can select any other, including Clay Art, Image 2.0 Advanced, Holiday Sweaters, Cute Animals, Realistic Details, Roses, Fire and Ice, and more.
To enhance your image further, you can use the advanced settings, which contain the aspect ratio and the negative prompt option.
When you sign up, you can type 10 prompts for free. Images created under the free account can be downloaded in HD or 4K quality, both higher than DALL-E 3’s output.
The two pro plans include the Starter plan at $3.99/week and the Pro plan at $9.99/week.
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8. Artguru
Are you looking for a DALL-3 alternative that you can use without signing up? You can try Artguru. I was able to generate and download hyperrealistic images without even creating an account.
But downloading images in HD requires signing up (with your Google account). The free plan comes with three credits per day.
The quality of images generated on Artguru is superior to the output of most image generators.
In addition to its text-to-image capabilities, Artguru has a long feature list, longer than DALL-E.
It includes Face Swap, AI Avatar, AI Headshot, Background Remover, Photo to AI Art, Photo Enhancer, and Free AI Chat to name a few.
If you want some inspiration before generating images, you can check out the Explore section to view images from other creators. You can then modify the prompts to create similar images.
You can also go to the Trending section to see the trendiest creations and their respective prompts.
My Creations category contains all the images you created with Artguru, and My Likes showcases your creations that other users liked.
If you would like to interact with like-minded AI enthusiasts, Artguru has a Discord server for that.
There are two pricing plans: a Monthly Plan that costs $9.99 per month and an Annual Plan costing $3.33 per month or $39.99 yearly.
9. DeepAI
DeepAI is a unique but powerful free alternative to DALL-E. It features a collection of tools for AI image generation and creativity boosting for anyone, from artists and product managers to professional marketers.
The text-to-image feature is feature-rich. After providing a text description for the image you want, you should select a model (Standard or HD) and select a style from over 100 styles. DALL-E doesn’t have such a massive variety of image styles.
To select the image orientation (aspect ratio not provided), you should click on any of the five image shapes provided. Two are horizontally shaped, two are vertically shaped, and one is squared.
You can use this feature without even creating an account on DeepAI.
The images that DeepAI generates are of high-quality, but not photorealistic. However, you can use them for commercial purposes.
To access more features, such as an ad-free interface, API access, private image generation, and more, you can choose from the pay-as-you-go plan starting at just $5 or a monthly subscription of $4.99.
9. Visme
Visme is an all-in-one visual content creation tool that everyone can use, from students and educators to digital marketers.
You can use Visme to create social media graphics, presentations, infographics, and animated videos within one simple interface.
Visme’s integrated AI image generator allows you to generate images from descriptions and keywords. The other powerful feature is a massive collection of templates and assets like photos, icons, and illustrations.
It also supports data visualization, interactive content creation, and real-time collaboration.
More importantly, Visme has capabilities you won’t find in DALL-E, including video creation, brand management, and marketing tools, such as email newsletters, social media graphics, and landing pages.
Visme’s free plan has limited features. You will need to upgrade to access all features. The Starter plan costs $12.25/mo and the Pro plan costs $24.75/mo, billed annually. If you are a team, contact the sales department to start using the Visme for Teams plan.
Also Read: Best Deepfake Apps
10. Synthesia
Synthesia is slightly different from most tools on our list because it focuses on text-to-video generation. With over 120 languages, voice tones, and accents, you can use Synthesia to reach out to a broad audience with your message.
This tool gives you access to over 150 ethnically diverse avatars. Plus, you can include micro gestures to an avatar, such as raised eyebrows and head nods.
With Synthesia, generating a voiceover is a breeze. You only need to type in some text and convert it into a quality voiceover within minutes.
Here’s the best part: Synthesia lets you clone your voice and pair it with a custom AI avatar.
Under the media and integrations section, there are myriad other features, including a screen recorder, media library, AI script assistant, upload font, upload soundtrack, import PowerPoints, and more.
Simply put, Synthesia does what DALL-E can’t.
Synthesia’s use cases include learning and development, sales training, marketing, customer service, information technology, and teams that create a large amount of videos.
You can create an AI video for free and have it sent to your email. To access full features, you can subscribe to Synthesia’s Starter plan at $22/mo, Creator plan at $67/mo, or a customized Enterprise plan.
Also Read: Best Examples of Deepfake In Politics
Conclusion
From my analysis, Leonardo AI is the best DALL-E free alternative. Its slick interface makes it easy to use. Leonardo AI’s free plan has 150 credits that renew every 24 hours.
The tool takes a shorter time to generate images and is consistent in terms of quality. It has more advanced features and each image generated is small-sized.
Besides, Leonardo AI supports image-to-motion, a video creation feature.
