We have run tests on multiple AI art generators to find the best ones for you! We rank them on different metrics such as price, performance, and usability, and run all art generators through a prompt test, to see which one performs the best, and to find their weak points.
We have focused on three main categories:
- Best free AI generator
- Best overall AI art generator
- Best AI art generator for business and professionals
Best free AI generator: Craiyon
- Ranking: 7/10
- Price: Free
- Performance: Medium – 1 minute wait time with 9 outcomes to each prompt
- Usability: Easy
What can Craiyon do and how do you use it?
Craiyon is an open-source alternative to DALL-E 2, the AI art generator from OpenAI. While Craiyon lacks the quality of DALL-E 2, it offers unlimited prompts that you can tweak until you achieve your desired image. Craiyon is created by researchers from Hugging Face and Google and was formerly known as DALL-E mini, although it has no affiliation to DALL-E 2. It is a completely free-to-use tool that generates nine different images based on your input in under two minutes. You don’t need to sign up or provide your email address to use the site. Overall, Craiyon is a free, simple and appealing AI generator that is extremely easy to use for anyone. We consider it the best free ai art generator.
Crayon has a simple interface, where you can input whatever text prompt you want it to generate. Based on your text prompt it outputs 9 pictures to that prompt. You can retry as many times as you like. The simple interface makes it extremely easy to use.
Prompt test
Craiyon performs well with our viking ship prompt, and generally all of its results are very passable. It does struggle with creating “high waves”. We also tested other prompts such as “viking ship on rough seas” but ran into similar issues. But since Craiyon is free, you can keep trying new prompts until you get an outcome that you like. We also tested other prompts such as “viking riding horse”, and one critique here is that Craiyon struggles with hands and feet, and also with distinguishing between the legs of the human and the body of the horse.
Craiyon highlighted features:
- Completely free
- Simple interface
- Unlimited prompts
- 9 outcomes to each prompt
- No registration or signup
- Android app is available
Best overall AI art generator: Nightcafé
- Ranking: 9.5/10
- Price: Paid (with a free trial option)
- Performance: Fast – generates results in seconds with multiple options to choose from
- Usability: Moderate – requires some familiarity with AI art generation
What can Nightcafé do and how do you use it?
Nightcafe AI is a powerful and versatile AI art generator that offers a wide range of customization options. While it comes with a price tag, there is a free trial available for those who want to test it out before committing. The tool generates multiple high-quality results in mere seconds, making it one of the fastest AI art generators available. One of the standout features of Nightcafe AI is the ability to customize your output by adjusting various parameters such as style, color, and line thickness. This level of customization allows you to fine-tune your output to match your desired aesthetic. The tool also offers a range of pre-made styles to choose from, which is helpful if you’re looking for inspiration.
While Nightcafe AI is generally user-friendly, it does require some familiarity with AI art generation. The customization options can be overwhelming for beginners, but the tool offers plenty of documentation and support to help you navigate the process. There is an advanced mode and the standard mode available. The standard mode is advised for beginners, and you should start by experimenting with just the style and text prompts, and then as you get more comfortable with the system, you can experiment with the other features and advanced mode. Nightcafé may seem less beginner friendly on the surface, but it is a rather gentle learning curve.
Prompt test
In our testing, Nightcafe AI performed exceptionally well with the “viking ship on high waves” prompt that we have been testing. Nightcafé ranked the best in terms of adapting the waves in to the picture, and also making aesthetically pleasing pictures. We experimented with multiple different styles, and settled on the matte style, but all styles gave very appealing outcomes. One component that it struggled slightly with was depicting a viking ship, the bottom right picture is clearly the only “viking” looking ship of the four.
We also tested prompts with humans and animals, and Nightcafé generally had significantly less problems with hands and feet compared to its competitors.
Nightcafé highlighted features:
- Free option
- Many available styles
- Custom styles
- Very fast performance
- 4 outcomes to each prompt
- Adjustable parameters
- Best outputs of all tested AI’s
Best AI art generator for business: Dall-E2
- Ranking: 8/10
- Price: Not publicly available
- Performance: High – Generates high-quality images based on complex prompts
- Usability: Medium – Requires technical knowledge to use API
What can Dall-E2 do and how do you use it?
DALL-E 2 is a groundbreaking AI art generator created by OpenAI that has taken the world by storm. With the ability to generate high-quality images from complex text prompts, DALL-E 2 has captured the imagination of artists and tech enthusiasts alike. While the price of using DALL-E 2 is not publicly available, the quality of the output more than justifies the cost. The performance of DALL-E 2 is nothing short of exceptional. It is capable of generating images that are indistinguishable from those created by human artists, and its ability to create images based on complex text prompts is unparalleled. Whether you’re looking to create a realistic portrait or an abstract work of art, DALL-E 2 is up to the task.
The usability of DALL-E 2 is somewhat limited, as it requires technical knowledge to use its API. However, for those who are familiar with programming and API integration, it offers a powerful tool for creating high-quality art. The ability to tweak the parameters of the image generation process allows for a high degree of control over the final output, making it an ideal tool for artists and designers who want to create custom images that match their specific needs.
Prompt test
Dall-E2 automatically resorts to a very cartoony style if no style is included in the prompt. Hence as seen underneath we used the matt painting style again. Dall-E2 does a very good job at depicting a viking ship in comparison to for example Nightcafé. Since you have no adjustable parameters here, everything is built in to the prompt, hence you sometimes have to try different prompts to get a good result.
Dall-E2 like Craiyon struggles heavily with arms and feet.
Dall-E2 highlighted features:
- High performance
- More professional
- Styles built into prompt
- 4 outcomes to each prompt
- Simple when installed