Are Midjourney images free to use?
If you're a paid subscriber, yes, Midjourney's Terms of Service let you use and even sell the images you create, including commercially. But 'free to use' has limits: companies earning over $1,000,000/year must be on Pro or Mega, images from other users aren't yours to take, and purely AI-generated images may lack copyright protection.
Why — the first-principles explanation
'Free to use' mixes two ideas: permission and ownership. Permission is a contract term. When you pay for Midjourney, its Terms of Service grant you the right to use and commercialize the images you generate. So for your own creations, you have broad freedom.
But that permission is yours, tied to your account. By default, images generated on non-Stealth plans appear in a public gallery where others can view them, and other people's creations are not free for you to grab and reuse. Ownership follows the person who made the image under a paid plan, with the $1,000,000 revenue rule requiring larger companies to use Pro or Mega.
Finally, permission is not the same as copyright. Midjourney letting you use an image doesn't guarantee you legal exclusivity, since purely AI-generated images may not be registrable in the U.S. So your own Midjourney images are effectively free for you to use commercially on a paid plan, but they're not free-for-all public domain, and you can't lift someone else's.
An example that makes it click
Think of a community pottery studio. Pay your membership and every pot you throw is yours to keep and sell, that's your 'free to use.' But you can't walk off with the pots on someone else's shelf, and the studio can't promise your design is legally one-of-a-kind. Your work is free for you; it isn't free for everyone.
How to do it
- Subscribe to a paid plan to gain use and commercial rights to your creations.
- If you or your company earns over $1,000,000/year, use Pro or Mega.
- Use Stealth Mode (Pro/Mega) to keep your images out of the public gallery.
- Do not reuse other users' images from the gallery as if they were yours.
- Avoid prompting real brands, characters, or people to reduce legal risk.
Key facts
- Paid subscribers may use and commercialize the images they generate.
- Companies or employees earning over $1,000,000/year must be on Pro or Mega to own assets.
- Non-Stealth generations appear in a public gallery; Stealth Mode keeps them private.
- Other users' gallery images are not free for you to reuse.
- Purely AI-generated images may not qualify for U.S. copyright protection.
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Are Midjourney images free to use? If you're a paid subscriber, mostly yes, for your own creations. Midjourney's Terms of Service let you use and even sell the images you generate. But 'free to use' has some fine print. That freedom is tied to your account and your images, not everyone's. On regular plans your images show up in a public gallery, but other people's images there aren't free for you to grab. If you or your company makes over a million dollars a year, you need the Pro or Mega plan. And permission isn't the same as copyright, purely AI-made images may not be legally protected, so you can't necessarily stop copycats. Bottom line: your Midjourney images are free for you to use and sell on a paid plan, but they're not public domain and you can't take someone else's.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Are Midjourney images public domain?
No. They're licensed to the paid creator under Midjourney's terms. They're not free for anyone to take, and reusing other users' images isn't allowed.
Can I use images made during the old free trial?
Historically, free-trial images carried a non-commercial license. There's no free trial now, and commercial rights require a paid subscription.
Can I take an image from the Midjourney gallery?
No. Other users' creations belong to them. Generate your own images under your paid account to gain usage rights.
Do I own copyright to my images?
You own the asset under Midjourney's terms, but purely AI-generated images may not be copyrightable in the U.S., limiting legal exclusivity.