Midjourney vs Flux for Photorealistic Images in 2026

The Photorealism Battle

Midjourney v6 and Flux (by Black Forest Labs) are the top AI image generators for photorealistic output. Midjourney has dominated AI art for years, but Flux has emerged as a serious challenger, especially for photorealism. Here’s how they compare for generating realistic-looking images.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Midjourney v6	Flux Pro	Winner
Photorealism	Excellent	Excellent (slightly better)	Flux
Artistic style	Industry-leading variety	Good but less varied	Midjourney
Text in images	Improved but inconsistent	Better text rendering	Flux
Anatomy/hands	Much improved in v6	Very accurate	Flux
Prompt following	Good, artistic interpretation	Very precise	Flux
Resolution	Up to 2048×2048	Up to 2048×2048	Tie
Speed	Fast (30-60 seconds)	Fast (15-45 seconds)	Flux
Open source option	No	Flux.1 Schnell (open)	Flux
Interface	Discord	Web API / platforms	Flux
Price	$10/mo (Basic)	Pay-per-image (API)	Varies

Photorealism Quality

Flux edges ahead in raw photorealism. Its images more consistently pass as real photographs, with better skin textures, lighting physics, and material rendering. Midjourney v6 produces stunning photorealistic images but occasionally adds an artistic “sheen” that reveals its AI origin.

Prompt Adherence

Flux follows prompts more literally. If you ask for “a woman in a red dress standing next to a blue car,” Flux delivers exactly that. Midjourney may take artistic liberties — adjusting composition, lighting, or color balance for aesthetic purposes. For product photography and commercial work where precision matters, Flux is more reliable.

Anatomy and Hands

Both have dramatically improved on the notorious “AI hands” problem. Flux is slightly more consistent with hand anatomy, facial features, and body proportions. Midjourney v6 is vastly improved over earlier versions but occasionally produces minor anatomical artifacts.

Artistic Versatility

Midjourney remains the king of artistic style variety. It can emulate virtually any art style — watercolor, oil painting, cyberpunk, anime, art nouveau, minimalist, and everything between. Flux is primarily optimized for photorealism and handles stylistic variations less gracefully.

Access and Pricing

Midjourney requires a Discord subscription ($10-60/month depending on tier). Flux is available through various platforms (Replicate, fal.ai) on a per-image basis, and Flux.1 Schnell is open-source for local use. For high-volume photorealistic generation, running Flux locally is the most cost-effective option.

Our Recommendation

Choose Flux for photorealistic images where accuracy and precision matter: product mockups, stock photography, marketing materials, and realistic portraits.

Choose Midjourney for artistic versatility, creative projects, and when you want the AI to enhance your vision with artistic interpretation.