AI image tools have exploded in popularity, and 2025 is seeing fierce competition. Google, OpenAI, ByteDance, and other players are all racing to capture creators’ attention.
In this article, we look at four notable tools: ChatGPT’s new image feature, Google Gemini’s Nano Banana, ByteDance’s Seedream 4.0, and Midjourney, explaining what they do, what users love, and what they complain about. We’ll compare their strengths, weaknesses, and costs, with recent data and expert insights to guide different kinds of users.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Image Generation (GPT-4o)
OpenAI built a powerful image generator into GPT-4o, letting users create and edit pictures in chat. Launched in early 2025, it can make everything from infographics and logos to artistic renderings. The feature went viral, and Sam Altman noted ChatGPT images briefly “melted” OpenAI’s GPUs under the load. Within a week of launch, ChatGPT said it had 500 million weekly active users overall.
Loved for accuracy and style, ChatGPT’s image model is praised for its accuracy. It can render text accurately on signs, handle complex layouts, and follow step-by-step instructions better than most rivals. For instance, it will faithfully reproduce detailed descriptions like a character’s pose, background objects, or precise words on a sign.
It also lets you iteratively tweak an image. You can upload a photo and ask it to modify just one element, and it usually does a good job. Users say that it seamlessly blends artistic styles; it easily mimics famous painters or animation studios, and listens to feedback to refine the result. In short, ChatGPT images are generally very accurate and versatile for text, design, and style.
Drawbacks
The downside to this remarkable tool is its limits and slowness. It generates only one image per prompt (unlike Midjourney’s usual four-at-a-time), and it’s much slower than diffusion-based generators.
Slow response time can be a frustration. One reviewer noted that using GPT-4o isn’t a big deal for a few casual images, but it can’t compete with Midjourney or Seedream on raw speed . More critically, free users now face tight caps. In March 2025, Sam Altman announced that free accounts would be limited to 3 images per day (originally 2 per day).
Paid ChatGPT Plus users get more flexibility, but even they still generate only one image per prompt. The cost can feel steep if you only need the image tool, as one tech writer bluntly put it: “$20/month is pricey if you don’t want the rest of ChatGPT with it” .
Another complaint is availability and censorship. ChatGPT images include metadata and watermarks identifying them as AI-generated, and OpenAI filters content (for example, it doesn’t allow extremist content). Some artists worried about copyrights have also criticized that OpenAI’s training data includes copyrighted art, which has caused some legal debates.
Key stats
OpenAI reports ChatGPT has roughly 500 million weekly active users. The new image tool, which was launched in March 2025, immediately pushed ChatGPT to #1 in App Store downloads (temporarily surpassing Google Gemini) thanks to its novelty, but the imposed cap is far below Gemini’s free offering.
Google Gemini’s “Nano Banana”
Google’s Gemini AI (formerly PaLM) took the spotlight with its image editor nicknamed “Nano Banana” (Gemini 2.5 Flash). This tool specializes in turning regular photos into highly detailed 3D-style images and doing quick edits.
Launched Aug 26, 2025, Nano Banana helped push Google’s Gemini app to the top of the free App Store charts . In the first two weeks, Google reported 23 million new Gemini users and over 500 million image edits made using Nano Banana.
Users praise Nano Banana’s speed, consistency, and polish. It produces photorealistic, “social media-ready” images in seconds. It excels at rendering objects with smooth surfaces, realistic lighting, and textures (for example, clothes, skin, and shiny plastics), and it does this much faster than most rivals.
One analyst notes that Gemini’s “Nano Banana” mode balances speed and realism so well that its outputs often need little to no post-editing. Crucially, Nano Banana is good at subject consistency: if you upload the same person’s photo multiple times, the tool reliably keeps the face and body looking like the same character across edits.
This solves a common problem in AI editing where successive generations look like different people. Google also added “SynthID” invisible watermarks for trust, so you can prove the image was AI-made.
On the cost side, Nano Banana is generous for free users. Gemini originally let free accounts generate about 100 images per day, far more than ChatGPT’s 3-day limit.
Even now, Google has shifted to a “basic access” tier, but it still promises significantly more free generations than competitors. Paid Gemini Pro/Ultra subscribers used to have up to 1,000 images per day, though Google now simply calls this “the highest access” tier without a fixed cap.
Drawbacks
Despite its hype, Nano Banana has flaws that frustrate many users. Several artists report that the system is prone to errors: it often glitches or even crashes instead of completing an edit. In fact, one veteran graphic designer found that roughly half the time, Nano Banana would simply “return the same original image unchanged” despite claiming it made an edit .
Those half-done edits force users to retry or tweak their prompts. In practical terms, it means Nano Banana sometimes fails to apply changes at all, a bug which experts say Google needs to fix before it becomes truly reliable.
Secondly, Google’s model was trained primarily for one clear subject on a neutral background, so Nano Banana struggles with complex scenes. It does great with a single person or object in the shot, but if the photo has multiple people, busy backgrounds, or the subject isn’t centered, the output quality “breaks down”.
A common issue is facial features: while Nano Banana makes a decent image of a person, it often distorts fine details like eyes or mouths . In short, its strength is smooth, single-object 3D renders, but its weakness is everything else. A Times of India review notes it’s “not flawless…It struggles with fine facial features”.
Key stats
With Nano Banana, Gemini surged to 23 million users and 500 million edits in two weeks. Nano Banana outputs up to 512×512 or higher resolutions, and Gemini can upscale further. Free users can still make far more images per day than free ChatGPT or Midjourney trials.
ByteDance’s Seedream 4.0
ByteDance (owner of TikTok) has quietly entered the scene with Seedream 4.0, a high-end text-to-image model. Released September 2025, Seedream 4.0 focuses on raw performance and precision. The company says it can generate a 2K-resolution image in roughly 1.8 seconds, and outputs up to 4K if needed.
Unlike most free web tools, Seedream is API-only and aimed at developers and businesses (no desktop app). It allows up to 6 reference images at once, double the usual 3 that many models take, and can generate a whole batch of images reliably. In practice, this makes it useful for things like storyboards or product catalogs where you need a consistent style across many shots.
Seedream 4.0’s editing precision is impressive. It’s loved for speed and control, and it offers inpainting (filling in or modifying parts of an image) with excellent context: lighting, textures, and style remain consistent even after multiple edits. Minor adjustments are accurate and don’t ruin the surrounding area.
Experts note that by version 4, common AI flaws like melted faces or extra fingers are largely gone. Many testers find the images “so realistic it’s almost impossible to tell they’re fake”. In benchmarks, Seedream even slightly outranks Nano Banana on user-rated image quality.
Drawbacks
The biggest downsides to Seedream are practical. It is closed-source and only available via ByteDance’s API. You cannot download the model or run it locally. There is no free tier or trial to experiment with; you have to sign up for their platform or a third-party host (like fal.ai) and pay.
Current pricing is about $30 for 1,000 images , which isn’t cheap compared to free tools. Because it’s API-based, Seedream also requires reliable internet access and integration. Finally, it has no video or animation support yet, and you can’t easily tweak the model itself.
In short, Seedream 4.0 is extremely capable, but its locked-down, paid nature means it’s geared toward teams and professionals who need speed and consistency, not casual creators.
Midjourney
Midjourney has been a leader in AI art since its debut in 2022. It runs as a Discord bot (plus a new web interface) and is famous for producing highly artistic, stylized images. Midjourney shines at imaginative compositions, dreamlike surrealism, and finely textured photorealism.
Many artists love it for the richness and consistency of its outputs; one review called Midjourney’s image quality “superior,” with a wide range of styles and customization . It can handle complex prompts well and returns four variant images per prompt by default, letting users pick the best or iterate further. Over time, Midjourney has added tools like an upscaler and extra style controls.
The Midjourney community is large (over 21 million Discord users by 2024 ) and enthusiastic. Users appreciate Midjourney’s openness to experiment; for example, you can adjust detail levels, change aspect ratios, or even ask for specific art movements.
Midjourney also makes it easy to post-process an image multiple ways through its Discord queue. Many say it’s the go-to for “cinematic” or “painterly” images. It’s also free of subject-matter censorship (aside from Discord’s own rules), so you can push creative boundaries more than on corporate platforms.
A comparative review sums it up: “Midjourney brings outstanding image quality and customization options”.
Drawbacks
Midjourney requires a paid subscription; there is no free tier. The cheapest plan starts at $10/month (or $8/ 8/month billed yearly) for a small number of images. For more output or commercial rights, plans go up to $120/month.
This can deter hobbyists or small creators. Beginners also find Midjourney’s text-based interface tricky: achieving the best results often requires crafting very detailed prompts or learning its special commands.
In fact, one review cautions that Midjourney’s power “heavily relies on your ability to craft detailed prompts,” and it “might be difficult” for novices. Midjourney also lacks indemnification: businesses using it have no legal protection if a generated image inadvertently infringes copyright.
On performance, Midjourney is generally fast (average wait times around 2 seconds) and runs on massive infrastructure. It completed ~300 million tasks by late 2023. It’s also backed by a strong subscription model. Midjourney’s revenue jumped from $50 million in its first year to $300+ million by 2024. Its fan base (mostly young tech-savvy users) keeps a lively forum and hundreds of active Discord channels for tips.
Which Tool for You?
Each of these AI generators has its niche. Nano Banana (Gemini) is great if you want fast, free edits on your phone. It’s quick and forgiving, especially for turning photos into 3D-style avatars. But be aware that it still trips up on faces or complex scenes  and can stubbornly fail to apply some edits.
ChatGPT (GPT-4o) is the pick if you need precision and text handling. For example, generating diagrams, infographics, or exact layouts. It’s slower and costlier and has only a few free generations per day , but its outputs are often highly detailed and true to the prompt .
Seedream 4.0 suits teams who need top-tier speed and fidelity at scale. Think fast ad generation or consistent product shots. It’s impressive technically (super high resolution and multi-reference editing), but it’s only for paying customers with technical know-how (no free use, no GUI).
Finally, Midjourney remains a favorite for artistic variety. If you prioritize creative style and have some budget, its subscription grants a playground of styles, plus four images per prompt. It’s harder to master the commands and requires a Discord account, but its quality is consistently praised.
Recommendations
For casual or budget-focused users, Nano Banana and ChatGPT’s free tiers offer the most cost-effective start. If your company needs integration with other tools or enterprise support, ChatGPT (part of a broader OpenAI ecosystem) or Gemini Pro plans might be better. For artists and storytellers who want the most creative control, Midjourney or even other open models like Stable Diffusion are worth exploring despite their subscription costs.
In the end, no single AI image tool “wins” across the board; each has trade-offs. Weigh the factors (speed, quality, price, ease of use) against your project needs. Whichever you choose, these four tools represent the cutting edge of 2025’s AI art wave.
It’s an exciting time to experiment with machine-made images.
| Tool | Core capability | Access (UI/API) | Typical strengths | Common drawbacks | Best for | Notable notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (GPT-4o image gen) | Still-image generation + targeted edits inside chat | Chat (web/mobile); Image API | Excellent instruction following (text on signs, layouts); iterative refinements; broad style control | One image per prompt; slower than many diffusion tools; usage caps on free tier | Diagrams, infographics, logos, precise layout/text tasks | Includes provenance/watermarking; content safety filters apply |
| Google Gemini “Nano Banana” | Fast photo edits & 3D-style transformations | Mobile/consumer app; web | Very quick; polished, “social-ready” results; good subject consistency across edits | Can fail/return partial edits; struggles with complex scenes/multiple faces/fine features | Quick single-subject edits, avatars, social posts | Uses SynthID watermarking; free tier typically generous (quotas change) |
| ByteDance Seedream 4.0 | High-fidelity text-to-image; strong inpainting & multi-reference | API-only (developer/teams) | Speed + high resolution; consistent batch output; precise local edits that preserve lighting/texture | Closed model; no consumer app; paid only; setup/integration needed | Teams needing fast, consistent, large-scale output (ads, catalogs, storyboards) | Supports multiple reference images; no native video/animation yet |
| Midjourney | Artistic/stylized image generation with rich variations | Discord bot + web UI | Lush aesthetics; handles complex prompts; 4 variants per prompt; active community | Subscription required; learning curve for prompt craft/commands | Cinematic/painterly art, concepting, stylized visuals | Strong upscalers/variations; widely used by artists and designers |
