1.1Create your account & choose your plan
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Two doors, same images: Discord (/imagine command to the bot) or the web app (input, gallery, settings) — start with the web, which is simpler.
- Indicative plans, check first: “fast” hours (fast, priority), “relax” mode (unlimited but queued), stealth mode (non-public) — names and quotas change often, check the official site.
- Public by default: images AND prompts visible in the community gallery — never put sensitive client information in a prompt without stealth mode.
Running mini-case — Sonia, freelance graphic designer in Algiers
Sonia, a freelance graphic designer in Algiers, lands her first illustration order for a café in Hydra. She creates her Midjourney account from the web app, compares the current plans (fast hours, relax access, stealth mode) and takes the lowest plan to learn. She generates her first mood board, finds it in her gallery, then notes where to track her fast-hour usage. For the still-confidential part of the project (client name, new logo), she types nothing sensitive in her prompts: she generates neutral content in public and keeps the sensitive part for later.
This same case runs through the course, the diagram, the script and the 48h challenge — and continues in 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4.
1. Discord or web app: two doors to the same engine
Midjourney is a subscription service: there is no permanent free offer. Historically, everything went through Discord: you join the server, type /imagine followed by the prompt as a message to the bot, and the grid of 4 arrives in the conversation. It feels confusing at first but is fast from the keyboard once learned.
The official web app is now the recommended route for beginners: input box, visual settings, gallery of your creations, editing tools (upscale, variations). Sonia generates her first image there without memorising a single command — she focuses on what matters: learning to prompt.
2. Choose your plan without going wrong (indicative data)
Plans differ mainly in “fast” hours (priority, fast generations), access to “relax” mode (unlimited but queued, higher plans), stealth mode (non-public images) and some commercial-use terms. Names, quotas and terms change fast: always compare the current offer on the official site before subscribing.
The reasoning that saves money: start with the lowest plan to learn — prompting skill matters more than volume at first. And remember the confidentiality point: by default on standard plans, your images are public in the gallery, prompt included. Sonia only moves up when her fast hours block her or a contract requires stealth.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — Confidentiality
One point discovered too late — like Sonia on the Hydra café project.
By default: images AND prompts visible in the community gallery.
Confidential project → plan with stealth mode.
Strong, lasting confidentiality → local Stable Diffusion (4.2).Reading: the prompt is visible too — never put a client name or strategic information in it without stealth.
Lesson: generate neutral content in public, reserve sensitive work for stealth or local.
Section vocabulary
- Discord
- Messaging platform where Midjourney first ran: you talk to a bot with the /imagine command.
Simple example: Sonia types /imagine then her prompt in a channel or in a private message to the bot.
What it is not: the web app, more visual and recommended for beginners.
Reflex: remember /imagine + U1-U4 (upscale) + V1-V4 (variations) + re-roll.
- Midjourney web app
- Official online interface (input, gallery, settings, editing) more accessible than Discord for beginners.
Simple example: Sonia's first mood board, generated and found back in her gallery.
What it is not: software to install on your computer.
Reflex: start with the web, move to Discord later if needed.
- Fast mode
- Priority, fast generation, counted in hours included in the subscription.
Simple example: The fast hours Sonia uses up with each priority grid of 4.
What it is not: relax mode, unlimited but queued.
Reflex: watch your usage before moving up a plan.
- Stealth mode
- Option on higher plans: your generations are not publicly visible.
Simple example: The plan Sonia will take if her client contract requires confidentiality.
What it is not: the default setting, which is public on standard plans.
Reflex: confidential project = check stealth in the current offer.
In practice — Hands-on — Open your account and find your way around
- Go to the official Midjourney site and create your account (sign up via Discord or Google depending on the current offer).
- Compare the CURRENT plans: included fast hours, relax-mode access, stealth mode, commercial-use terms.
- Subscribe to the lowest plan to learn, and find where to see your fast-hour usage.
- Generate your first image from the web app, then find it back in your gallery.
Ready-to-say script — open your account without exposing a client (30s)
“I create my account on the official site, I compare the current plans — fast hours, relax, stealth — I take the lowest to learn. I generate my first image from the web app, I find it back in my gallery. And since everything is public by default, I put no client name in my prompts.”
Say while showing the gallery; stress checking the current offer.
Copy-paste template — first test generation
/imagine a cozy small coffee shop terrace in Algiers at golden hour, watercolor illustration, warm light --ar 16:9Mood board in Algiers
Like Sonia for the Hydra café: 3 neutral prompts (terrace, interior, cup) generated on the web, gallery found back, nothing sensitive in the text.
Discord test
Send the same /imagine as a private message to the bot: grid of 4 received, U1-U4 and V1-V4 buttons spotted, re-roll tested once.
Usage tracking
Find the fast-hour counter after 5 generations: note the real cost of an exploration session before talking about moving up.
Confidential client
Brief under NDA: generic prompts with no exact name or place, or switch to a plan with stealth — never put strategy in a public prompt.
✓ Best practices
- Start with the web app (simpler than Discord) to focus on the prompt.
- Take the lowest plan to learn: skill matters more than volume.
- For a confidential project: stealth mode or local Stable Diffusion, and neutral prompts.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Believing a permanent free offer exists: Midjourney is subscription-based.
- Forgetting that images and prompts are public by default on standard plans.
- Taking a large plan before knowing how to prompt: volume without skill = waste.
Key takeaways
- Midjourney is paid (no permanent free offer); usable via Discord or, more simply, via the web app.
- Plans differ mainly in “fast” hours, access to “relax” mode (unlimited but slow) and stealth mode.
- Start with the lowest plan: prompting skill matters more than volume at first.
- By default on standard plans, your images are PUBLIC in the community gallery — beware of confidential projects.
48h Challenge — apply tomorrow
Create your account, compare the current plans on the official site, take the lowest, generate 3 neutral images with the template above and find them back in your gallery. Note your fast usage.
- I have a working account and I generate from the web app.
- I know what my plan includes (fast, relax, stealth — current offer checked).
- I put no sensitive information in a public-by-default prompt.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really have to go through Discord? It looks complicated.
No, it is no longer needed: the official web app does everything (input, settings, gallery, editing) with nothing to install — it is recommended for beginners. Discord remains useful for keyboard speed (/imagine, U1-U4 for upscale, V1-V4 for variations, re-roll) and for watching the community's prompts.
Are my images visible to others? Can I work confidentially?
By default on standard plans, yes: public images in the gallery, prompt included. Three answers: a plan with stealth mode (the only reliable solution if confidentiality is contractual), neutral prompts with no sensitive information, or local Stable Diffusion (section 4.2) where nothing leaves your machine.
By default on standard Midjourney plans, your images are…