Choosing an AI image generator
Five axes image models differ on, why "best free" is usually the wrong question, and a test that beats any ranking.
Match the model to the picture. Photorealism, text rendering and edit fidelity are genuinely different strengths, and most working setups use a cheap model to draft and an expensive one to finish.
The five axes
| Axis | Why it varies | Matters for |
|---|---|---|
| Photorealism | Skin, fabric and natural light separate models | Product, portraits, lifestyle |
| Text rendering | Most approximate letterforms; a few render them | Posters, packaging, ads |
| Edit fidelity | Whether a change leaves the rest alone | Iterative and brand work |
| Prompt adherence | Following a brief versus looking pretty | Anything with a spec |
| Speed and cost | Larger models cost multiples | Drafting and batch work |
Run your own test
Write one prompt representing your real work — not a fantasy landscape — and run it unchanged across every model you can reach. Then judge: did it follow the brief, is the light coherent, how is detail at full size, and what did it cost. Keep a winner per job type rather than overall.
The trap in "best free"
Generation has a hard per-image cost, so any unlimited free service is funded another way — advertising, data retention, or rights over what you upload and generate. Before committing work to a free tool, check what it claims over your outputs and how long it keeps your inputs. That is the actual price, and it is sometimes higher than a subscription.
Practical prompting is covered on the reference site: text to image, and image to image for when something specific must appear.
Common questions
Which is best for photorealism?
It changes with each release, which is why a ten-minute test on your own prompt beats any published ranking.
Should I use one model for everything?
Most people end up with two — something cheap for exploring, something expensive for the final render.