In the fast-paced world of digital marketing and design, having a reliable and efficient AI for image generation is a game-changer especially if you're a small to medium-sized company in Malaysia. Talking with an AI professional from the local AI prompting group Prompters Malaya, he recommended several AI platforms for Commercial Image Generation in 2024. These include OpenAI's ChatGPT (the latest is ChatGPT 4o), Microsoft's Copilot Pro, Midjourney (Basic/Standard), and Ideogram (Plus).
Each of these tools offers unique strengths and weaknesses, and choosing the right one for your commercial needs can be challenging. This article provides a detailed comparison of these AI solutions based on monthly pricing, ease of use, and suitability for commercial use. So, without further ado, please read on for the Best AI Tools for Commercial Image Generation in 2024.
AI tool Monthly Pricing Plans as of 2024
Pricing is a crucial factor when selecting an AI tool for commercial purposes. The cost can vary significantly depending on the features and capabilities offered. Please note that we are only mentioning the paid plans for each of these AI tools mainly because they are covered under most general legal terms for commercial usage. As such, we would not recommend using the free versions for commercial usage but more on that at the bottom.
Here's a breakdown of the pricing plans for each AI platform:
- OpenAI ChatGPT 4o: The Pro Plan costs $20 (~RM93.47) per month for a single user, allowing generated images and more to become commercially usable. However, since it is paid overseas you will need a credit card that can make payments overseas.
- Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft positions Copilot as a premium solution with a Standard Plan priced at RM98 per month per user. While it may be the highest-priced, it's the only one in this group of AI tools that supports local payments. But like the others, this plan also allows images generated with the platform to be used commercially.
- Midjourney: Midjourney offers the most competitive pricing with a Basic Plan at $10 (~RM46.73) per month. For more advanced features, the Pro Plan is available for $30 (~RM140.20) per month. Again, you would need a credit card capable of overseas payments.
- Ideogram: For more professional use, the Pro Plan is priced at $20 (~RM93.47) per month but you can get a 20% discount of sorts if you pay it annually at $16 per month x 12 months = $192 (~RM897.31). As with the other global AI tools, you would need an overseas payment-capable credit card to pay for this.
Difficulty of Usage - How difficult are they to use?
Ease of use is another critical consideration, especially for businesses that may not have extensive technical expertise. Here's how each platform fares:
OpenAI ChatGPT: OpenAI ChatGPT uses the Dall-E text-to-image model with the latest being Dall-E 3. Based on our own experience using it with Bing, it has a very user-friendly interface, accompanied by extensive documentation. While the learning curve is moderate, users need to understand prompts and API usage to maximize its potential.
This makes it suitable for users with some technical background but is still somewhat beginner-friendly. Image generation with ChatGPT usually comes out one at a time though, so you may have to do more iterations to get the one you really want. It's also fully capable of generating text and code, so it can do more than just make images.
While you may need to know how to prompt, ChatGPT is relatively easy to use, making it good for beginners and intermediate users
Microsoft Copilot: Fully integrated with Microsoft Office Suite, Copilot is intuitive for existing Microsoft users. The learning curve is quite low, so you can get by with just simple prompts. In addition, it also makes use of the Dall-E 3 model, so it's no slouch in terms of technical prowess. Like ChatGPT, it can also be used to generate articles and code.
The easier interface and more understanding engine make it more accessible even for those with minimal technical knowledge. This is why we would say that Copilot or Bing is the best AI tool for beginners. It's also good for businesses already using Microsoft products, and it has a mobile app that can generate up to 4 different images at a time.
User-friendly, fast and mobile, Microsoft's Copilot is great for beginners
Midjourney: Midjourney operates through a Discord-based interface, which can be confusing for new users. The learning curve is therefore relatively high, requiring users to familiarize themselves with Discord commands and settings. However, once mastered, it offers robust capabilities for creative outputs with a lot more control over your generated images.
Midjourney also offers some of the cleanest and the highest grade of generated images with higher resolutions. As such, due to this and the higher difficulty of usage, we'd say that Midjourney is for the experts or it may require you to pay an expert to join your company if you really want to make use of its full potential.
Midjourney often processes the best-looking and highest resolution images but needs expert-level skills to generate
Ideogram: Ideogram features a straightforward web-based interface that is easy to navigate. With a low learning curve, it requires minimal technical knowledge, making it accessible for users of all skill levels. Since it is browser-based, you can also use it on your mobile device provided it is set in Desktop mode.
Based on our own experiences, Ideogram is the best AI tool if you need to handle text like posters or book covers. However, it isn't as powerful or as detailed in terms of rendering as the other AI tools. As such, it's very good for beginners or those with little prompting knowledge or undemanding requirements.
Ideogram is web-based, easy-to-use but is much better for text
Commercial Use Support and FREE versions
All of the paid plans above from either OpenAI ChatGPT to Ideogram support commercial usage. However, each platform also has free limited-use versions. These free versions do not support commercial usage at all, but some prompters suggest that if you can prompt the image and then edit it more than 50%, you would have enough legal standing to own the IP (Intellectual Property) for that image.
This means that just placing a watermark or adding some text would not be enough to signify it being your own IP. You'd have to make significant changes to the color, design and other elements to reach more than 50%. And even then, there would still be some ambiguity in legal terms. You'd have to take it at your own risk if you intend to do so. As mentioned, if you're looking to use these AI tools for commercial purposes we'd recommend you use the paid plans. After all, you generally need to use money to make more money.
We used ChatGPT 4o to make this advertisement - yes, we don't understand why a goat would want to sell marinated lamb chops either
Conclusion - Versatility and ease of use for the win
Overall, choosing the right AI for commercial image generation depends on your specific needs and existing infrastructure. For those already embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem or are mostly Malaysian-only users, Microsoft Copilot offers seamless integration and ease of use along with versatile flexibility for other uses. OpenAI's ChatGPT is also just as versatile and beginner-friendly but will require you to make some overseas payments.
Ideogram is another beginner-friendly option and is the best if you're going to generate images with a lot of text in them. It's not perfect mind you, but better than the others, and the browser-based interface does mean you don't need a high-powered device to run it. If creative and unique images are your priority, then Midjourney is the one to get despite its steeper learning curve. But, it is definitely more for the expert users, so don't just get it for the lower price tag.
In the end, the best choice will hinge on your business's specific requirements, budget, and technical proficiency. Which AI tool are you considering? What exactly do you want to make with these AI tools? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave.com.
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