Midjourney vs Leonardo AI: Best Character Art Generator in 2025

Aabid Ansari
AI
August 29, 2025 12:49 PM

If your prospects are asking, "Which image generator should we use for character art?" you're not alone. I've been fielding that question a lot lately. As generative AI matured through 2023–2025, two tools kept rising to the top: Midjourney and Leonardo AI. Both can produce jaw-dropping characters, but they solve different problems and fit different sales stories.

This post is written for sales teams who need to explain the tradeoffs to customers, build demo flows, and recommend the right tool for the job. I’ll walk through practical differences, show when one tool beats the other, and share the pitch points and pitfalls I’ve seen in the field. No fluff; just what helps win deals and set realistic expectations.

Quick snapshot: where they shine

Midjourney: Fantastic for highly stylized, concept-driven characters and rapid ideation. Artists love the painterly textures and dramatic lighting. Great when you want creative, surprising directions fast.
Leonardo AI: Stronger at controlled, repeatable character generation think productized character suites, visual continuity across assets, and finer edits (pose, facial features, clothing). Better for production pipelines that need consistency.

Throughout this post I’ll use “Midjourney vs Leonardo AI” and “Midjourney AI” as conversational keywords so you can easily bring these comparisons into prospect decks and calls.

Why this matters to sales teams

We sell outcomes, not tools. When a client asks “Which is best?” they're really asking:

Can we get consistent characters across hundreds of frames?
Will the style match our brand or IP requirements?
How fast and cheap will iteration be?
Are there licensing or privacy headaches?

Answering those with confidence wins the deal. I’ve noticed that reps who can translate technical differences into business risks and ROI close faster. So let’s translate technical tradeoffs into sales-ready language.

Generation quality: style, realism, and creativity

Both engines produce high-quality character art, but the flavor differs.

Midjourney tends to push toward the dramatic and artistic. If your client wants stylized concept art moody lighting, painterly strokes, bold compositions Midjourney hits it quickly. It often surprises you with creative spins, which is perfect for brainstorming sessions or creative-first brand work.

Leonardo AI, on the other hand, often produces characters that feel more "controlled." It gives you tighter faces, cleaner clothes, and a steadier hand on anatomy and consistency. That makes it better for use cases where characters need to be reproduced accurately across multiple assets think game NPCs, serialized comics, or marketing avatars.

In my experience, the simplest rule of thumb works: choose Midjourney for expressive variety; choose Leonardo for repeatable accuracy.

Control & consistency: who wins when you need the same character across assets?

If consistency is the priority same face, same outfit, identical proportions across multiple images Leonardo AI usually pulls ahead. It offers tools that make repeatable character generation more reliable, including better reference management, stronger inpainting/mask tools, and workflows for locking pose/face/wardrobe.

Midjourney has improved repeatability (seed control, image prompting), but it's still more stochastic. You can get consistent results with Midjourney, but it takes more engineering: saved reference images, tightly constrained prompts, and a lot of iteration. For one-off hero art, that's fine. For a 100-card deck or 20-frame animation, it's extra work.

Sales angle: if a buyer needs a turnkey pipeline to produce hundreds of consistent character assets, recommend Leonardo. If they're buying ideation or flagship visuals, recommend Midjourney.

User experience & workflow: Discord vs web studio

Here's a practical difference that often decides which tool a client picks: interface and workflow.

Midjourney primarily operates through Discord (though web UX options have been added). That means fast, chat-driven prompts, rapid community feedback, and a lot of discoverability. But if your client is used to web apps or non-technical stakeholders, Discord can be a barrier.
Leonardo AI is web-centric, with a studio-like interface. Users get an organized workspace, drag-and-drop reference images, built-in versioning, and dedicated editing tools. It’s easier to onboard non-technical teammates and to fold into design review cycles.

I've noticed sales reps often forget to ask, "What does your team actually want to use?" That one question saves awkward onboarding calls later. If the buyer's designers live in Figma and Slack, Leonardo's web studio and integrations are an easier lift. If the buyer's art team loves Discord and creative chaos, Midjourney feels like home.

Prompt engineering and templates

Both tools respond to prompts, but the strategies differ.

Midjourney prompts are often short, art-directed, and include stylistic shorthand (artist names, art movements, lighting adjectives). You get fast, sometimes wildly creative outputs. The community is full of prompt "recipes" that you can borrow for quick wins.

Leonardo AI encourages structured prompts plus reference images. It gives you better control over edits and iterative changes. If you want to "fix the nose, keep the lighting, swap the jacket," Leonardo’s inpainting and control features are more granular.

Sales tip: include two sample prompts when you demo one for Midjourney (quick ideation) and one for Leonardo (refined production). Showing both modes helps buyers visualize the workflow rather than get stuck on a single generator’s aesthetic.

Prompt engineering

Speed, cost, and subscriptions

Speed and pricing matter in procurement conversations. Clients want predictable unit economics for large volumes of art.

Midjourney typically uses subscription tiers. That can be attractive if the team values unlimited generation and rapid exploration. Pricing models change, so always confirm current tiers. Leonardo often offers credit-based or tiered usage that can be more cost-efficient for production workloads, especially where you pay per high-res export or advanced edit.

I've found this rule helpful when talking to buyers: estimate cost per final approved image, not per generation. A cheaper per-generation rate means nothing if you need ten iterations per approved asset.

Licensing, IP, and legal considerations

This is where a lot of deals stall. Licensing terms and how each company uses user data are legal conversation starters you should not dodge.

Both platforms have evolved their commercial use policies. As of 2025, both offer commercial licenses, but the specifics (royalties, ownership, models trained on submitted images) can differ. Always check the latest terms.
Clients concerned about IP-heavy characters (e.g., branded mascots or copyrighted references) need contracts or enterprise-level agreements that clarify ownership and training data usage.
Large enterprises often want on-prem or private cloud solutions, or a contract that guarantees no model training on their assets. Leonardo and Midjourney have enterprise offerings, but the negotiation points differ.

In my experience, bringing these topics up early during discovery prevents surprises. Ask: does the client want exclusive ownership? Are they okay with derivative training? Those questions narrow options fast.

Integration & pipeline fit

Selling to product teams means thinking beyond the image: how does the generator slot into the pipeline?

Midjourney integrates well with chat-driven workflows and has bot-based automation for bulk generation. It's less API-native historically, but integrations exist.
Leonardo tends to be more API- and studio-ready, making it easier to automate batches, hook into CI pipelines, or add to a content ops system. Its built-in asset management helps teams track versions and handoffs.

Tip for demos: show a one-click export into Figma or a named folder in a DAM. Buyers want to see how images move from generation to production without manual copy/paste steps.

Model safety and content moderation

Both platforms implement safety filters and content moderation to comply with policies and reduce misuse. From a sales perspective, this matters because your client might need to comply with age, trademark, or brand safety rules.

Ask your buyer about their moderation needs. If the client needs fine-grained controls (restricting styles, filtering language, or blocking certain visual content), verify the platform's moderation toolset before committing. It's an easy way to prevent scope creep later.

Common mistakes and pitfalls I've seen

We all trip over the same things when we adopt creative AI. Calling these out can save you and your customer time.

Overpromising on "instant" production: Generating a concept is fast; producing a production-ready character set often requires iteration and human touch.
Ignoring licensing details: Clients assume they "own" everything. Not true in all cases read and negotiate the terms.
Forgetting version control: Without asset versioning, teams lose track of which image was approved. Leonardo's studio helps here; for Midjourney, plan a naming and storage standard.
Relying only on defaults: Default prompts and settings won't give you project's persona. You need rules for color palettes, silhouette, and proportion to stay on brand.
Not testing at scale: A tool that looks great for 5 images may break under 500. Run a small pilot at scale early.

Bringing these up during your pitch builds trust. It shows you know the landscape and can guide the prospect through real-world adoption not just a shiny demo.

Technical features that matter for character art

Below are practical features you should check in your evaluation checklist. Compare these side-by-side when you prep for buyer conversations.

Reference image support: Can the engine use multiple references (face, pose, outfit)? How tightly does it honor them?
Inpainting and mask-based edits: How easy is it to tweak a single element (change hair color, alter an expression)?
Seed control and determinism: Can you reproduce a result exactly using a seed or ID?
Batch generation and templating: Can you generate 50 variants systematically (e.g., 10 poses × 5 outfits)?
Upscaling and export fidelity: How clean are the high-res exports? Is upscaling built in or outsourced?
API & automation: Does the platform offer programmatic access for pipelines and performance testing?

For character work, prioritizing reference support and inpainting will save you the most time. Leonardo leans strong here; Midjourney has tricks and community tools that help, but the process is more artisanal.

Also Read:

How I frame Midjourney vs Leonardo AI to different buyer personas

Every buyer cares about different things. Here's how I tailor the pitch.

Creative director: Emphasize Midjourney's rapid ideation and artistic flair. Show mood boards and “out of the box” variations.
Product manager: Focus on Leonardo's repeatability and API for integration. Talk metrics like throughput, cost per approved asset, and SLA for image generation.
Head of marketing: Match the brand voice to generator output. Show how both tools can be used: Midjourney for hero campaigns, Leonardo for modular assets and scaled personalization.
Legal/Procurement: Lead with licensing terms, data use, and enterprise contract options. Offer a pilot clause to validate IP concerns before enterprise-wide rollouts.

Sales teams should prepare two decks: one focused on rapid creative wins (Midjourney) and one focused on production and scale (Leonardo). Flip to the deck that matches the buyer persona and win more faster.

Practical demo script for a 15-minute call

Here’s a compact demo flow that I use to cover the essentials without overwhelming buyers.

1–2 minutes: Quick discovery who will use the tool and what outcomes they need (ideation vs production).
3 minutes: Show Midjourney quick ideation throw a short prompt, show variations, emphasize speed and creative breadth.
4 minutes: Switch to Leonardo use a reference image, do a targeted inpaint to change outfit or expression, and show consistent copies across poses.
3 minutes: Talk costs, licensing, and integration at a high level. Ask if they need an enterprise contract.
2 minutes: Next steps and pilot options propose a week-long pilot with 20 characters to demonstrate cost per final asset.

Short, focused, and outcome-driven. It keeps the buyer engaged and gives you a logical next step for closing.

Sample prompt templates (sales-friendly)

Drop these into demos. They show buyers you’re not just waving technology around you know how to use it.

Midjourney (ideation):

“futuristic pirate captain, cinematic lighting, moody color palette, detailed coat, strong silhouette sharp face, 3/4 view concept art, painterly, high contrast”

Leonardo (production-ready):

“Use the attached reference face A and outfit B. Keep face features intact, change hair to shoulder-length auburn, pose: standing three-quarter, lighting: soft rim light. Output: 4 variations with consistent face and outfit.”

These are starting points. Encourage buyers to save and version prompts as "company prompt recipes" to keep brand consistency.

Choosing the “Best Character” generator: a decision checklist

Use this quick checklist when you need to recommend a single platform to a buyer. Score each item 1–5 for both Midjourney and Leonardo, then pick the higher score based on the buyer’s priorities.

Art style flexibility
Reproducibility of character
Ease of onboarding non-designers
Cost predictability at scale
Licensing & IP control
Integration into existing tools
Ability to do fine-grained edits (inpainting/masks)

In many real-world cases, teams end up using both: Midjourney for initial creative exploration and Leonardo to lock down final assets and produce production-ready variants. That hybrid approach is a safe recommendation when the buyer has mixed needs.

Real buyer scenarios and recommended choices

Let’s get concrete. Below are quick scenarios you’ll encounter in the field and the recommendation I give.

Startup making a character-driven mobile game: Need repeatable sprites and consistent faces across hundreds of cards. Recommendation: Leonardo AI for its consistency and editing toolset.
Agency creating a bold brand hero for a campaign: Need stunning concept art ASAP. Recommendation: Midjourney for striking, unexpected visuals during ideation.
E-commerce retailer personalizing avatars for customers: Need scaled, controlled variations with clean exports. Recommendation: Leonardo for API and automation.
Streamer wanting unique on-brand overlays and character art: Rapid, stylized images with personality. Recommendation: Midjourney, then import into Leonardo for cleanup if needed.

Notice the pattern? Use Midjourney when creativity and visual surprise are the priorities. Use Leonardo when repeatability, control, and integration matter most.

How to structure a pilot to prove value

A short pilot is the fastest way to get buy-in. Here’s a 2-week pilot blueprint that works with both tools.

Week 0 (prep): Define success metrics cost per approved image, time-to-approval, and consistency score.
Week 1: Run ideation sprint with Midjourney. Produce 30 concepts. Select top 6.
Week 2: Use Leonardo to produce production-ready variants of those 6, with strict reference controls and exports. Track iteration counts until approval.
End: Present the cost comparison and recommended pipeline (use both or choose one) with final assets.

Keeping the pilot scoped and metric-driven removes ambiguity and helps procurement make a data-based decision.

Final recommendations for sales teams

Here are the shorthand lines I use during pitches. Memorize them they help buyers self-identify their needs quickly.

“Pick Midjourney if you want artistic exploration and fast creative breadth.”
“Pick Leonardo if you need repeatable, production-ready characters and smoother handoffs.”
“Use both if you need a scalable pipeline: Midjourney for ideas, Leonardo for production.”

Don't forget the legal and onboarding questions. Those are often the true deal-breakers. Ask them early and address them with pilot-based risk mitigation.

Closing thoughts staying practical in 2025

Tools evolve quickly. New model releases, licensing changes, and enterprise features show up every few months. My advice: stay current, but sell the underlying capabilities, not the version number.

If you can describe how a tool affects cost, time-to-market, and creative control, you’ll have a much stronger pitch than one that says “it’s the best” without context.

I've closed more deals by being honest about tradeoffs than by promising a silver bullet. Buyers appreciate that. They want a guide who can translate tech into results that's your job as a seller.

Helpful Links & Next Steps

Want a ready-to-run pilot plan or a short demo script tailored to a prospect? Reach out and I’ll share templates that have closed deals for us. Good luck on your next pitch and remember: the right tool backs the right business outcome, not the other way around.