Adobe's commercially-safe generative AI (Firefly) plus Express design app, integrated with Creative Cloud.
Midjourney vs Topaz Labs
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Midjourney is best for highly aesthetic, artistic images and concept art, while Topaz Labs is best for professional-grade upscaling, denoising and sharpening of photos and video. Only Midjourney offers text-to-image and image-to-video. Only Topaz Labs offers background removal. Neither has a permanent free plan.
Which should you choose?
Choose Midjourney if…
- You need highly aesthetic, artistic images and concept art
- Text-to-image matters to you
- Image-to-video matters to you
- You're one of: artists and illustrators, art directors and concept designers, creators wanting distinctive visuals
Choose Topaz Labs if…
- You need professional-grade upscaling, denoising and sharpening of photos and video
- Background removal matters to you
- You're one of: professional photographers, video editors and restorers, print and archival specialists
- Detail recovery is among the most accurate available
At a glance
| Midjourney | Topaz Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Highly aesthetic, artistic images and concept art | Professional-grade upscaling, denoising and sharpening of photos and video |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Starting price | From $10/mo | From $12/mo |
| Learning curve | Medium | Medium |
| Platforms | Web, Discord | Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, API |
| Ideal for | Artists and illustrators, Art directors and concept designers, Creators wanting distinctive visuals | Professional photographers, Video editors and restorers, Print and archival specialists |
Feature comparison
| Midjourney | Topaz Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-image | Yes | No |
| AI editing / inpainting | Yes | Limited |
| Background removal | No | Yes |
| Upscaling / enhancement | Yes | Yes |
| Image-to-video | Yes | No |
| Commercial use allowed | Paid plans | Yes |
| Design templates | No | No |
| API | No | Enterprise |
| Mobile app | — | iPhone only |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Midjourney | Topaz Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | No | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | No | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | — | — |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | — | — |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | — | Yes |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | No | Enterprise plan |
| Deployment | Cloud | Desktop, cloud, on-prem |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Midjourney
Midjourney is a subscription text-to-image generator known for stylised, high-quality output, used through its web app and Discord. The V8 model family adds 2K output, better prompt adherence and an Edit Model for instruction-based editing, inpainting and outpainting, alongside style references, moodboards and image-to-video clips extendable to about 21 seconds. It is popular with artists, designers, art directors and hobbyists.
Key features- Text-to-image with V8 models and HD output
- Edit Model for instruction-based editing, inpainting and outpainting
- Style references, moodboards and personalization profiles
- Image-to-video with extendable clips
- Upscaling and variations
- Web app and Discord bot
Topaz Labs
Topaz Labs makes AI enhancement software, including Gigapixel (upscaling), Topaz Photo (denoise, sharpen, restore), Topaz Video (upscaling, frame interpolation) and the Bloom creative upscaler, available as desktop apps, a web app and an iPhone app. Much of the processing runs locally on your own GPU, with cloud options for heavy jobs. Photographers, video editors and restoration specialists use it; Adobe announced an agreement to acquire the company in June 2026.
Key features- Gigapixel upscaling up to 16x
- Denoise, sharpen, unblur and face recovery
- Video upscaling, frame interpolation and SDR-to-HDR
- Bloom generative upscaler for AI images
- Background removal and photo restoration
- Plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Premiere Pro
Pricing
Midjourney
No free plan; Basic $10/mo ($8/mo annual); Standard $30, Pro $60, Mega $120
Topaz Labs
No free plan; Topaz for Web - Image from $12/mo; Gigapixel $19/mo (annual commitment); Topaz Studio from $45/mo
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Midjourney
Strengths- Output quality and aesthetics are among the best available
- Strong style controls and consistency tools
- Active community and public gallery for inspiration
- Video generation included in subscriptions
- No free plan
- No public API
- Images are public unless you pay for Stealth mode on higher plans
- No templates, text layout or design tools for finished graphics
Not ideal for: Businesses needing an API, private-by-default output on a budget, or accurate text in images should consider Ideogram, Leonardo or Adobe Firefly.
Topaz Labs
Strengths- Detail recovery is among the most accurate available
- Desktop apps can process locally without uploading files
- Covers both photo and video enhancement
- Integrates with Adobe apps
- No free plan, only trials
- Local processing needs a capable GPU and can be slow on older machines
- Subscription changes (from perpetual licences) frustrated long-time users
- Not a text-to-image generator or design tool
Not ideal for: Casual users who only need occasional web upscaling or who want to generate images from prompts will find it expensive and overbuilt.
Integrations
Midjourney
Topaz Labs
FAQ
What is the main difference between Midjourney and Topaz Labs?
Midjourney is built for highly aesthetic, artistic images and concept art; Topaz Labs is built for professional-grade upscaling, denoising and sharpening of photos and video. Key differences: Midjourney offers text-to-image and image-to-video; Topaz Labs offers background removal.
Is Midjourney or Topaz Labs cheaper?
Midjourney starts from $10/mo and Topaz Labs starts from $12/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Midjourney is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Midjourney and Topaz Labs have free plans?
Neither has a permanent free plan.
Which is easier to use, Midjourney or Topaz Labs?
Both have a medium learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Midjourney and Topaz Labs?
Other image & design tools worth comparing include Adobe Firefly / Adobe Express, Photoroom and Magnific.
Alternatives
