Leonardo AI vs Midjourney: What Private Generation Costs
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Leonardo AI is the cheaper route to private image generation. Its Essential plan includes the privacy control for $12 per month. Midjourney reserves Stealth Mode for Pro and Mega, so the same outcome starts at $60 per month, or $48 per month when billed annually. This is a research-only comparison of the vendors’ published plan rules; we did not generate images or test the privacy controls inside either product.
The Short Answer
- Leonardo.Ai — Leonardo AI is the lower-cost privacy choice: its $12 monthly Essential plan includes private generations, with no annual commitment required.
- Midjourney — Midjourney gates Stealth Mode to Pro and Mega, so privacy costs $60 monthly or $48 per month when the full year is paid upfront.
What this comparison measures
We compared the cheapest plan that lets a user keep a new generation out of the vendor’s public discovery surfaces. That is narrower than comparing image quality, model choice, or token allowances. It also measures access to the privacy control, not whether every paid generation becomes private automatically.
For Leonardo AI, the evidence is the vendor’s current pricing table, which marks the Free plan’s creations as Public and includes Private Generations on all three paid personal plans. Leonardo’s privacy help article explains that paid members must turn Private Mode on to keep a new generation private.
For Midjourney, the vendor’s plan comparison puts Stealth Mode on Pro and Mega only. Its Stealth Mode documentation also warns that work created in public Discord channels remains visible even when Stealth Mode is active.
Private Generation for $12 Monthly
1. Leonardo.Ai — Private Generation for $12 Monthly
Leonardo AI reaches the privacy outcome on its first paid tier. Essential costs $12 per month, and the pricing table gives it the same Private Generations checkmark shown for the $30 Premium and $60 Ultimate plans. There is no need to climb to a higher tier just to unlock the visibility control.
The qualification matters: paid access makes Private Mode available, but the user still chooses whether it is on. Leonardo’s official help center says generations made with the toggle off are public and visible to other members. The lower price buys the control, not a reason to stop checking the setting before each confidential prompt.
From $12/mo. Free plan: 150 fast tokens/day, 150 token bank, public creations, 1 personal collection.
- Essential — $12/mo
- Premium — $30/mo
- Ultimate — $60/mo
Free-tier privacy Public by default — Leonardo's own pricing table lists free-plan "Creations access" as Public; every paid tier lists it as Private. Leonardo's own help center confirms free-plan images can be used commercially, but they remain publicly viewable and remixable by other users, and Leonardo retains broad rights to reuse publicly shared content — full private ownership requires a paid plan.
Pros
- Commercial use is technically permitted on the free plan
Skip it if
- Free-plan images are public by Leonardo's own pricing table — other users can view and remix them, and you don't get exclusive private ownership until you pay
Stealth Mode Starts at $60 Monthly
2. Midjourney — Stealth Mode Starts at $60 Monthly
Midjourney has a lower entry price but a higher privacy gate. Basic starts at $10 monthly and Standard costs $30 monthly, yet neither includes Stealth Mode. The first qualifying tier is Pro at $60 monthly or $48 per month on annual billing. That makes Midjourney’s month-to-month privacy price five times Leonardo AI’s $12 price.
Stealth Mode also has a workflow condition. Midjourney’s own documentation says public Discord channels remain public even while the setting is active. A private result requires Stealth Mode plus the web Create page, a direct message, or a private Discord server. The plan upgrade alone is not the whole privacy procedure.
From $8/mo (annual). No free plan.
- Basic — $10/mo, or $8/mo billed annually
- Standard — $30/mo, or $24/mo billed annually
- Pro — $60/mo, or $48/mo billed annually
- Mega — $120/mo, or $96/mo billed annually
Free-tier privacy No free tier to evaluate — No free plan at any price. Every paid tier, including the cheapest ($10/mo Basic), carries the same General Commercial Terms — but Stealth Mode (private generations) is a Pro/Mega-only feature, so Basic and Standard generations are public by default.
Pros
- Commercial usage rights are identical across all four tiers — you don't need the most expensive plan to use images commercially, only if your company makes over $1M/year in gross revenue
Skip it if
- No free tier at all to try before paying
- Private generation (Stealth Mode) requires the Pro plan ($60/mo) or higher — Basic and Standard users' generations are public
The decision in one line
Choose Leonardo AI if this decision is strictly about the lowest published monthly cost for a private-generation control. Choose Midjourney only if you already prefer its product for reasons outside this comparison and are willing to pay for Pro or Mega to add Stealth Mode. Neither conclusion is an image-quality verdict; no output quality was tested here.
For the broader market comparison, see what private AI image generation costs across four tools. The companion free-tier privacy comparison separates commercial-use permission from whether other users can see and remix a generation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Leonardo AI or Midjourney cheaper for private image generation?
Leonardo AI is cheaper on the plans these vendors publish. Its Essential plan includes private generations for $12 per month. Midjourney requires Pro at $60 per month, or $48 per month when billed annually. On month-to-month billing, Midjourney costs five times as much for access to its privacy setting.
Does every paid Leonardo AI plan include private generation?
Yes. Leonardo AI's current pricing table marks Private Generations as included on Essential, Premium, and Ultimate, while the Free plan remains public. Essential is the cheapest paid option at $12 per month. You still need to turn Private Mode on before generating if you want a creation kept private.
Does Midjourney Basic include Stealth Mode?
No. Midjourney's current plan table includes Stealth Mode only on Pro and Mega. Basic costs $10 monthly and Standard costs $30 monthly, but neither includes the privacy control. Pro is the first qualifying tier at $60 monthly or $48 per month on annual billing.
Does Stealth Mode make every Midjourney generation private?
Not in every workflow. Midjourney says creations made in public Discord channels remain visible even when Stealth Mode is active. For total privacy, its documentation says to use the web Create page, Discord direct messages, or a private Discord server while Stealth Mode is on.
How We Keep This Updated
We re-check each tool's pricing, source documentation, and any firsthand test records used on this page. Every change is logged here. Our full procedure is on the methodology page, and if anything above is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will re-check it.
- 2026-08-24 — First published. Prices and private-generation rules re-checked against both vendors' official pricing and privacy documentation.