PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.
We’ve tested the top AI image generation apps to help you find the one that produces the best results for the lowest price.
Writer, Software
OUR EXPERT
Covering consumer tech for more than a decade, Ruben’s primary focus is on AI, with a keen but critical eye for chatbots and the latest LLMs.
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
Table of Contents
AI image generation is now f…
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.
We’ve tested the top AI image generation apps to help you find the one that produces the best results for the lowest price.
Writer, Software
OUR EXPERT
Covering consumer tech for more than a decade, Ruben’s primary focus is on AI, with a keen but critical eye for chatbots and the latest LLMs.
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
Table of Contents
AI image generation is now fully mainstream, but that doesn’t mean you will get perfect results every time you try. Even the best services we’ve tested occasionally produce images with a litany of errors and significant distortion. We’ve reviewed AI image generators since their inception and subjected each to a series of diverse tests in our evaluations, ensuring that our findings are well-informed. Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT are our current favorites thanks to the accuracy and detail of their images, but each of the services below is worth exploring. Also, be sure to scroll past the list for answers to all your pressing questions about generating AI images.
Our Top Tested Picks
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
(Credit: OpenAI)
Best for Free Users
ChatGPT
4.0 Excellent
-
More relevant responses than competitors
-
Excellent sourcing of up-to-date information
-
Impressive deep research and writing skills
-
Best-in-class image generation and recognition
-
Genuinely useful file processing
-
Expensive
-
Occasionally incorrect responses
Although ChatGPT has lost its title as the best AI image generator overall, it still impresses with sharp images that rarely have major issues. It also generally does a good job with complex prompts, such as technical diagrams, compared with the competition. For editing, you can use Adobe apps inside ChatGPT to make changes to your photos. You also gain access to ChatGPT’s latest image generation technology for free, albeit with limitations.
Adobe fans: You can leverage Adobe Express and Photoshop for AI image editing within ChatGPT to make localized changes to brightness, contrast, saturation, and more via prompts and sliders. That integration is helpful if you like how Adobe’s tools work.
Free users: If you want to generate AI images for free, ChatGPT merely restricts the number of generations you can create and the speed at which you can do so, rather than forcing you to use a less advanced model.
Free Version
AI Model GPT-5 and GPT-5 Thinking
Cites Sources
Ability to Browse Web
Can Resume Prior Conversations
Image Generator
GET IT NOW
(Credit: Google)
-
Best-in-class value, and generous free plan
-
Competent performance in everything from web search to video generation
-
Helpful, robust integrations with Google apps
-
Paid version includes 2TB of Google One storage
-
Standout image editing and generation
-
Occasionally incorrect responses
-
Invasive data collection policies
Gemini’s Nano Banana Pro image generation model is best-in-class, offering excellent fidelity across the board. Whether you want to combine multiple images, generate text, or even tell a cohesive story through comic panels, Gemini excels in areas in which others often struggle. We like that you can use Nano Banana Pro for free, albeit with limits. And once you exhaust your allotment, you can still use the original (and still quite capable) Nano Banana.
Image editors: If you’re looking for an easy way to edit images with AI, Gemini is your best option, thanks to the quality and realism of its edits. It’s simple to prompt it to do what you want.
Pixel-peepers: Most AI image generators restrict you to relatively low-resolution outputs, but Gemini can output high-resolution AI images in 2K or even 4K. Just note that it may still introduce a hint of blurriness to the final result.
Free Version
AI Model 2.0 Flash and 2.5 Pro
Cites Sources
Ability to Browse Web
Can Resume Prior Conversations
Image Generator
GET IT NOW
(Credit: xAI)
Best for NSFW Images
Grok
3.5 Good
-
Unique features, such as virtual companions and X searches
-
Good at complex reasoning, file processing, and web searches
-
NSFW content, if that’s your thing
-
Expensive
-
Lackluster image and video generation
-
Limited research and sourcing abilities
-
Occasionally incorrect responses
Grok is unique among the AI image generators we tested in that it allows you to create content with explicit elements, including nudity. Although you might want to avoid doing so for ethical reasons, Grok allows you to generate explicit content of real people, too. This functionality aligns well with Grok’s so-called uncensored approach to AI technology, as well as its other innovative features, such as its NSFW anime character companions.
NSFW creators: If you want to generate NSFW AI images easily and without any fuss, Grok is the way to go. It can also turn your generations into videos.
**X users: **Grok could be a good fit if you often use X, since it can search for content on that platform in response to your queries.
Free Version
AI Model Grok 3 and Grok 4
Cites Sources
Ability to Browse Web
Can Resume Prior Conversations
Image Generator
GET IT NOW
(Credit: Adobe)
-
Good selection of preset styles and effects
-
Can match the style or structure of uploaded images
-
Gives you a choice of aspect ratios
-
Your content doesn’t train Adobe’s AI
-
Images can look distorted or not match the request
-
Video creations top out at five seconds in length
-
No negative prompt option to exclude objects from images
-
Requires subscription to remove watermark
Adobe Firefly offers more than just Adobe’s AI technology. Yes, you can generate images with Firefly’s in-house models, but you can also use those from ChatGPT, Gemini, and a variety of others. Firefly’s models allow you to customize your generations in numerous ways, including aspect ratio, composition, effects, style, and more, which is a unique feature among AI image services. The premium version of Firefly also costs just $10 per month, whereas many other options start at $20 per month.
**AI newbies: **Not sure which AI image generation model will be most to your liking? Firefly helps you explore a wide variety of choices.
**Visionaries: **If you have a specific vision in mind, Firefly provides a plethora of intuitive ways to adjust the specific aspects of images you generate. For such specific requests, however, it is best to stick with Adobe’s in-house model.
GET IT NOW
(Credit: Microsoft)
-
Conversational voice interaction with a Think Deeper research option
-
Powerful desktop, mobile, and web apps
-
Generates code, knowledge answers, images, and text
-
Summarizes up-to-date web information
-
Includes links to sources
-
A lot of functionality is free
-
Some responses are slow
-
Underwhelming computer control via the Windows app
Copilot can generate images just like ChatGPT or Gemini, but you can also leverage it from within Microsoft’s Paint app on Windows 11. Aside from generating images based on prompts, it’s also possible to remove backgrounds and other objects using AI. These features are free, as is Copilot in general, but you need to pay for a Microsoft 365 plan to increase your usage limits
Windows users: Paint is exclusive to Windows PCs, so macOS and mobile users need to look elsewhere for similar functionality. Copilot also features several Windows-exclusive capabilities, including Click to Do and Recall.
Free Version
AI Model GPT-4
Cites Sources
Ability to Browse Web
Can Resume Prior Conversations
Image Generator
GET IT NOW
(Credit: Shutterstock)
Although you might know it best for its stock photo catalog, Shutterstock’s AI image generator stands out by offering a large variety of AI image generation models. You can use Shutterstock’s proprietary model or those from Amazon, ChatGPT, Gemini, and more. Alternatively, you can let Shutterstock automatically decide which one is the best for the task at hand. Each Shutterstock generation gives you four images to choose from, which massively cuts down on how many generations you need to do for each prompt you submit. Moreover, you get to create 100 generations (400 unique images) for just $16 per month.
Model-agnostic creators: If you don’t have a favorite image generation model, Shutterstock makes it simple to sample a wide variety of them. By generating multiple images per request, you can gain a good sense of how well each one meets your needs.
**Nostalgists: **Among Shutterstock’s models are classic ones that may not be easily accessible elsewhere, such as OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 or Gemini’s older Imagen 3 and Imagen 4 models, among others.
GET IT NOW
Get Our Best Stories!
All the Latest Tech, Tested by Our Experts
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Buying Guide: The Best AI Image Generators for 2026
How Do We Test and Pick AI Image Generators?
Evaluating how each AI image generator handles our test prompts is the primary method we use to determine which services make this list. We consider only full-service AI image generation services, meaning those that can be accessed or downloaded directly on the web. It’s possible, of course, to generate AI images locally on your computer, but these solutions require quite a bit of setup time and processing power.
Our testing is tailored to each service’s unique features, but our evaluations generally encompass a few key categories: basic scenes, complex actions, and text. We vary our prompts between rounds of testing since AI images can include so many different elements and mimic various styles, but below are the basic frameworks:
Basic scenes: We request a relatively simple depiction of the interior of a home, featuring a diverse array of objects. This test lets us evaluate a product’s ability to generate photorealistic images.
**Complex action: **We prompt the services to create a comic with multiple panels that tell a coherent story throughout, culminating in a twist by the final panel.
**Text: **We task the image generators to produce a diagram that shows how to set something up (much like in an instruction manual), along with labels for the various items and steps involved.
As for image editing, we focus on a service’s ability to localize edits to a particular area, rather than generating an entirely new image based on the image and prompt. Not all AI image generators specialize in AI image editing, though, so don’t expect a service with high marks on one to necessarily do as well with the other.
Which AI Image Generators Didn’t Make the Cut?
Popular AI image generators, such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, are not included on this list. They perform about as well as the ones that are, but lack all the extra features of the latter.
Since many (if not most) AI image generators allow you to try them out for free, however, you should take advantage of the opportunity. You might even prefer the style of a model not on this list. The ones we highlight here are just the most competent and feature-rich services we tried.
How Well Does AI Image Generation Work?
AI image generation can be very impressive, but you likely need to run multiple generations, pay for a higher-tier service, and tweak your prompts to achieve the best output quality. After all, minor changes and optimizations can lead to drastic differences. That said, AI image generation tech continues to improve rapidly, so we expect the process to become increasingly affordable and simple.
Is AI Image Generation Free?
In many cases, you can create AI images for free. However, you should expect restrictions on the number of images you can generate and limited access to the most advanced models. For example, you can use Gemini’s Nano Banana Pro model for free until you hit a cap, after which Google downgrades you to the original Nano Banana model.
How Can You Tell If an Image Is Real?
The short answer is that you can’t always tell. The longer answer is that a variety of signs can indicate that an image is likely to be fake. However, as AI images become more realistic, these signs might not be so obvious.
Recommended by Our Editors
Can You Generate AI Images of Yourself or Other Real People?
Yes, but different services place various restrictions on this functionality. For example, Copilot refuses to generate images of real people, but Grok is happy to do so. Just don’t be the person who makes fake images to harass people or spread misinformation; nobody likes that person.
Can You Make NSFW AI Images?
You absolutely can, and on this list, Grok is your best bet for that, considering most services don’t allow it. Still, you are likely better off finding a dedicated service that specializes in NSFW AI image generation. Many such services exist and can be easily found with a quick search.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
About Our Expert
Ruben Circelli
Writer, Software
Experience
I’ve been writing about consumer technology and video games for over a decade at a variety of publications, including Destructoid, GamesRadar+, Lifewire, PCGamesN, Trusted Reviews, and What Hi-Fi?, among many others. At PCMag, I review AI and productivity software—everything from chatbots to to-do list apps. In my free time, I’m likely cooking something, playing a game, or tinkering with my computer.
Latest By Ruben Circelli