How to choose an AI image generator for text in images

Published 2026-10-08 · Updated 2026-10-08 · Sources checked 2026-10-08

This is a guide, not a ranking. TaskVerdict hasn't finished testing these tools yet, so we show no scores here. Tools named below are examples taken from official pages, not recommendations. Rankings can't be bought, and affiliate links never affect them (independence).

A lot of image-generator use is plain marketing work: a poster with a date and a price, a product label, a YouTube thumbnail, a social ad. The picture can be beautiful. If the headline says "JAZZ ON THE R00F" or the date is wrong, you can't use it.

This guide covers what matters when the text has to be right. It does not rank tools. We haven't finished testing yet, so every image tool on our site is marked NOT YET TESTED.

First lab results: Lab run #1 (2026-10-08) covers Cloudflare Workers AI image models on our exact-text and counting prompts. Consumer apps (Ideogram, Midjourney, Firefly, Recraft, …) are still NOT YET TESTED. The AI image generator for text ranking stays unranked until those app tests ship.

1. "Pretty close" is not good enough

For text work, there is only one useful question: is every character exactly right? A single swapped letter means another round of edits, or a reprint. When you try a tool:

Ask for a short headline, a longer line with a time and a symbol (for example "FRIDAY 21:00 · FREE ENTRY") and some small print.
Zoom to 100% and read it letter by letter. Check digits, punctuation, the "·" and "&" signs, and lowercase letters in small print.
Generate at least 3 times with the same prompt. A tool that gets it right 1 time in 3 will cost you time on every job.

2. Small text is the real test

Big headlines are easier. Labels, ingredient lists and fine print are where many generators make up letters. If your work includes packaging or infographics, test the smallest text you actually need.

3. Non-Latin scripts

If you need Hebrew, Arabic or other right-to-left text, test that separately. Direction, letter shapes and joined letters all matter, and a tool that handles English well may not handle these. Don't assume; generate and read.

4. Editing the text after generation

Even good tools miss sometimes. Check whether you can:

Fix one word without regenerating the whole image (in-painting / text edit).
Export as vector (SVG) when you need logos or labels that will be resized.
Bring your own font, or at least choose a typeface style.

5. Rights: can you use the image commercially?

This differs by vendor and by plan, and it is easy to miss. A few examples from official pages (checked 2026-10-08; terms change, so re-check before you publish):

Recraft's pricing FAQ says images made on the Free plan are "owned by Recraft" and "not licensed for commercial use", and that "Paid plans grant you full ownership and commercial rights" (recraft.ai/pricing).
Adobe's Firefly FAQ says: "For features without the beta label, you can use Firefly-generated outputs in your commercial projects" (Adobe Firefly FAQ).
Ideogram's pricing FAQ says: "We do not claim ownership of your generated images, and you're free to use them for any purpose, including commercial use" (ideogram.ai/pricing).
Midjourney's terms say companies with more than USD 1,000,000 in annual revenue "must be subscribed to a Pro or Mega plan to own Your Assets" (Midjourney Terms of Service).

Also check whether images on a free plan are public by default on that service. That matters for client work.

6. Free credits depend on how you sign up

Some free tiers depend on the account type. For example, Ideogram's sign-up documentation says free weekly credits go to accounts created with Google, Apple or Microsoft, and that email sign-ups don't get free credits (Ideogram docs, checked 2026-10-08).

How we test text in images

Our exact-text tests use fixed prompts:

a poster with a headline and a date/time line
a packaging label with small text
a counting scene

Each tool gets the same prompt 3 times, and we keep the first 3 results (no cherry-picking). Scoring:

Software (OCR) reads the text and compares it, character by character, with what we asked for.
Two people then check every image by eye, because OCR software makes mistakes too. A result only counts as "exact" if both people agree.
All images, prompts and file hashes are published with the result.

More in how we test AI tools and the full methodology.

AI image generator for text ranking (results planned for the second half of October 2026)
AI image generator for product photos
All image tools

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