Leonardo.ai

Editor's Review

Leonardo.ai — now operating under Canva (acquired 2024) — has the most usable free tier in image AI: 150 Fast tokens per day, every day. Paid tiers: Essential $12/month (8,500 tokens, bank cap 25,500); Premium $30/month (25,000 tokens, cap 75,000, relaxed unlimited images on select models); Ultimate $60/month (60,000 tokens, cap 180,000, relaxed images + video). Annual is ~20% off; Team Starter $72/month. The standout mechanic: the token bank allows rollover up to the cap — the only major credit system that doesn't punish you for a light month. The 2026 structure centers on that bank: one token balance funds image, video, upscaling, and custom model training (LoRA training included on paid tiers). Private generations start at Essential. The motion/video feature exists but is rough — physically incorrect motion and artifacts; treat it as a bonus, not a selling point. Honest limits: token costs vary by model and quality, so you can't cleanly convert "tokens → images"; free outputs are public; and the interface carries complexity overhead (model selector, token calculator) versus Midjourney's simplicity. Who should pay? Game studios and asset pipelines: consistent characters, custom model training, and 25,000 tokens plus relaxed mode at Premium's $30/month is enormous volume. Versus Midjourney ($30/month Standard): Midjourney wins raw output quality and ease; Leonardo wins volume and the toolkit. Pick Leonardo for production pipelines, Midjourney for polish. At the same $30, it's volume versus beauty — know which one you're buying.