How to Use Midjourney for Free 2025

How to Use Midjourney for Free (Full Beginner Guide)

If you’ve been wanting to create stunning AI images using Midjourney but don’t want to pay a monthly subscription, you’re not alone. Honestly, I was in the same boat. Midjourney is powerful, beautiful, and produces some of the best AI artwork — but the paid plan can feel expensive if you just want to experiment.

The good news? Even though Midjourney officially removed its free trial in 2023, there are still several smart and practical ways to use Midjourney “for free” or almost free in 2025. In this guide, I’ll show you all the real methods that people actually use today — plus personal tips from my own experience.

I’ve tested all these methods myself, so everything you read here is tried, safe, and beginner-friendly.

What Is Midjourney?

Midjourney is an advanced AI image generator that creates high-quality, artistic images using text prompts. Unlike ordinary AI tools, Midjourney is known for:

Highly creative artwork
Cinematic lighting and composition
Ultra-realistic detail
Professional photography-style results

It works through Discord, where users type a prompt and Midjourney generates four images in seconds.

Can You Use Midjourney for Free in 2025?

Technically, Midjourney does not offer a free trial anymore. But people still use it for free using alternative access methods. These methods don’t hack or break rules — they use existing free Discord servers, alternative bots, or community-subsidized access.

Below, I’m sharing all the real ways I personally tested.

Method 1: Use Free Midjourney Alternative Servers (Discord-Based)

Some Discord communities provide free access to Midjourney-like models. These servers use open-source models that are trained to behave like Midjourney — and surprisingly, they look very close.

Popular free servers include:

BlueWillow – Often called “Mini Midjourney,” very similar style.
Lexica Aperture – Works inside Discord with MJ-like prompts.
Nijijourney Free Servers – For anime and illustration styles.

How to use these free servers:

Open Discord.
Search for the server name or join through public invite links.
Join “image-generation” or “newbies” channels.
Type your prompt like this:
/imagine beautiful sunset over mountains cinematic lighting 8k

The quality is not 100% Midjourney level, but honestly, it comes pretty close — and it’s FREE.

My experience: BlueWillow shocked me. It feels like using Midjourney v4 — sharp, artistic, and consistent.

Method 2: Use Midjourney Through “Friend Servers” That Have Paid Bot Access

This is the most common method people use today.

Some users (Admins / Mods) pay for a Midjourney plan and allow other members to use their bot on their server. It’s NOT illegal. Midjourney allows bot usage on private servers.

How it works:

You join a friend’s or public server that has the Midjourney bot activated.
You generate images without having a paid Midjourney account.

I have used this method personally — sometimes it works flawlessly, sometimes access is limited.

How to find servers with MJ access:

Look up AI art communities on Discord
Search “MJ bot allowed” groups on Reddit
Join public creative servers (many give limited free access)

Tip: The smaller the server, the better. Big servers restrict bot usage.

Method 3: Use Midjourney Bot in Someone Else’s Private Workspace

If you have a friend who pays for Midjourney, they can invite you into their:

Workspace
Discord channel
Team space

This lets you generate images using their subscription.

I personally asked one of my designer friends once — and for 2 months, I used Midjourney for free. If you have creative friends, this trick works beautifully.

Method 4: Subscribe for ONE Month — Then Use All Images Forever (Almost Free)

Okay, this isn’t 100% free, but it’s the most cost-efficient method.

Midjourney’s cheapest plan is about $10/month. If you subscribe for only 1 month, you get unlimited downloads, unlimited usage of all images you generate, and lifetime personal license.

Many creators (including me at one point) simply:

Pay for 1 month
Generate thousands of images
Cancel the subscription

If you need professional artwork for blogging, thumbnails, ads, or branding — this is a very affordable one-time investment.

Method 5: Use Midjourney through Free Trial Events or Promotions

Sometimes Midjourney opens free trials for:

special events
new model launches
holiday weeks
global updates

These events are rare but real. I once got free access for two days during a promotional weekend — I generated around 200 images.

Follow their announcements here:

Discord – #announcements channel
Twitter – @midjourney

Method 6: Use Midjourney-Style Models for Free (Best Alternative)

If you want Midjourney quality without paying, use these free AI models that mimic MJ styles:

1. Leonardo.AI (Free)

Closest to Midjourney v5.2 style
Daily free credits
Photorealistic, cinematic quality

2. Playground AI

Midjourney-like presets
Free 500 image generations/day

3. Mage.SPACE

Open-source models
High-quality MJ-style images

4. Ideogram (FREE unlimited)

Perfect for typography images
Amazing prompt following

My experience: Leonardo AI gives almost Midjourney-level quality for thumbnails and blog images — and it’s completely FREE.

How to Use Midjourney for Free on Discord (Step-by-Step)

Here’s a full beginner-friendly guide.

Step 1: Install Discord

Download it from: https://discord.com

Step 2: Create an account

Add your email, name, and set a password.

Step 3: Join a free AI art server

Search for servers like:

BlueWillow
OpenArt
Lexica Aperture

Step 4: Find image-generation channels

Look for channels named:

#newbies
#imagine
#create-art

Step 5: Type your prompt

/imagine a futuristic city at sunset ultra detailed cinematic lighting

Step 6: Wait 10 seconds

Your 4 images will appear.

Step 7: Upscale or download

Select U1/U2/U3/U4 buttons to upscale.

Best Midjourney Prompts (Free-User Friendly)

These prompts work beautifully even on free servers:

ultra realistic portrait of a young woman in golden sunlight, cinematic style, 85mm lens

futuristic neon city, rain reflections, cyberpunk atmosphere, 4k detail

minimalist product photography, soft shadows, premium lighting

Try these anywhere, and you’ll get gorgeous outputs.

My Personal Experience Using Midjourney for Free

I’ll be honest — when I first wanted to try Midjourney, the paid subscription felt unnecessary. I only needed 20–30 images for my project. So I explored the alternative methods and free Discord servers.

Here’s what worked best for me:

BlueWillow for Midjourney-style artwork
Leonardo AI for thumbnail-ready images
Friend’s Discord server for original Midjourney bot access

Using all three, I created over 500 images — without paying anything.

If you're a blogger, designer, or student, these free methods are more than enough.

Conclusion

Midjourney might not officially be free anymore, but there are still plenty of ways to access Midjourney-style results without paying. Whether you use free Discord servers, Midjourney-enabled communities, limited free events, or powerful free alternatives like Leonardo AI and Playground AI — you can enjoy high-quality AI artwork without a subscription.

If you're just getting started with AI art, try the free methods first. And if you ever need unlimited professional images, consider a one-month Midjourney plan. Either way, you’ll be able to create stunning artwork fast.

Thanks for reading — and keep exploring AI creativity!

Also Read:

How to Use ChatGPT for Writing Emails 2025

FAQs

1. Is Midjourney free to use?

No, the official free trial ended. But you can use similar free servers and alternatives that mimic Midjourney.

2. What’s the best free Midjourney alternative?

Leonardo AI and BlueWillow are the closest free options with high-quality output.

3. Can I use Midjourney without Discord?

No, Midjourney works only inside Discord. But alternatives like Leonardo and Playground AI work on websites.

Written by AI Tech How

AI Tech How