Before leaving Firefly, check whether the model you want is already inside it. Firefly plans include partner models such as Google's Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro, OpenAI's GPT Image, FLUX and video models from Google, Kling and Runway, paid for with Firefly credits. Leaving makes sense when the gap is control Firefly does not offer: vector sets in one saved style, text placed by coordinates, unlimited generation on a top model rather than standard models, or a personal model you train outside a beta. What has to survive the move is usually Adobe's app handoff: unlimited Generative Fill on paid Firefly plans, layered files for Photoshop, and Content Credentials on Firefly output.
Recraft for styled vectors, Ideogram for placed text, Midjourney for unlimited V8.2, Leonardo for trained models
Reason for leaving | Alternative | Plan that covers this reason | What it adds for that reason |
|---|
Vector sets that share one style | Recraft | Basic, $12 a month ($10 annually), 1,000 credits | vectors in a saved style built from 1 to 10 reference images, custom color palettes, and a self-serve vector API at $0.08 per V4.1 vector |
Text must sit in exact positions | Ideogram | Plus, $20 ($15 annually), 2,400 credits | Ideogram 4.5 takes JSON prompts with bounding boxes for text placement |
Exploring a style over hundreds of images | Midjourney | Standard, $30 ($24 annually); Basic ($10) has no Relax | unlimited Relax generation on its default V8.2 model (waits of 0 to 30 minutes); Style Reference across a series |
A model trained on your own images | Leonardo AI | Essential, $12 ($10 yearly) | trains 10 personal models on Essential, 20 on Premium and 50 on Ultimate |
Firefly's own answers to two of these gaps are narrower: Text to Vector is unlimited on paid plans, but no saved vector style appears among Firefly's standard features, and Custom Models are in beta for individuals and cost 500 credits per training run.
- Recraft keeps a commercial license only on paid plans; its Free plan cannot be used commercially. Its paid plans also run Nano Banana, GPT Image and Flux, so the partner models most Firefly users reach for come along.
- Ideogram has no commercial-use restriction on any plan, but free images are public. Its API draws on the same credit balance as the app for personal accounts.
- Midjourney needs Pro ($60) or Mega for private generation or for a company with more than US$1,000,000 in yearly revenue, and it has no API.
- Leonardo AI keeps ownership of output made on its free plan, so commercial tests belong on a paid plan.
Ideogram downloads JPEG, PNG or WebP and Recraft delivers SVG or raster files, so layered finishing still happens in Photoshop if your team stays there.
If the problem is running out of credits rather than missing features, Adobe's monthly add-on plans (2,000 credits for $9.99) or a move from Standard to Pro may cost less than paying a second vendor. Leaving to save credits only works where the alternative stops metering: Midjourney's unlimited Relax from Standard ($30), Ideogram's slow queue on Plus once credits run out, or Leonardo's unlimited relaxed images on select models from Premium ($30); Recraft meters every generation. For enterprise buyers, Adobe also offers IP indemnity on select outputs through a qualifying entitlement (terms apply); ask any alternative for its equivalent in writing before moving regulated work.
