Start with the kind of work you need
AI image generators are not one product category, so the first useful question is what else you want the tool to do. Leonardo.Ai is listed for image generation only, which makes it the narrowest option in this group and a sensible choice when you just need still images for posts, listings or slides.
Kling AI, Pika and Runway each cover video and image generation, so a still image can become a short clip inside the same subscription. That pairing matters when you are planning a campaign and want motion versions of the same artwork.
Picsart adds design work alongside image and video, which helps when you also need banners and layout. Qwen is the odd one out: it lists a chatbot, writing help, image generation and video in one app, so if you already pay for an assistant you may be able to fold the image work into that bill.
Put starting prices on one scale
Every paid plan here has a floor, and those floors sit close enough together to be worth lining up. Paid plans start at $10 at Kling AI, $10 at Pika, $12 at Leonardo.Ai, $15 at Runway, $15 at Picsart and CNY 19 at Qwen.
Do not read those figures as a straight ranking, because they are not quoted in a single currency. Most are in US dollars, Qwen's is in Chinese yuan, and the spread across the group reads €2.48 to €13.15 in euros. Convert to your own currency before you compare anything.
A starting price also describes the smallest tier, not the tier you will probably live on. Confirm the billing period and the renewal price for the plan you have in mind before you sign up, because a monthly figure and an annual figure look identical in a price column and are not the same commitment.
Read the free plan limits properly
All of these tools have a free plan, so you can try each one before spending anything. What differs is the ceiling you hit on it.
Kling AI hands out a daily credit allowance on the free plan, Leonardo.Ai a daily token allowance, and Runway a single credit grant instead of a repeating one. Qwen limits free chat, image and video generation, so a long session will reach the cap. Read those as samples for judging the interface rather than as a working routine.
Picsart pairs its free plan with a free trial of 7 days, which gives you a second, longer window onto the paid tools. Use it to run the same prompt twice and see whether the output holds up.
Check who each tool is built for
Audience labels tell you how far a product has been designed to stretch. Pika, Picsart and Qwen are all listed for beginners and small businesses, the same pairing, so none of them assumes a large in-house design team or a long approval chain.
Runway is listed for beginners and small businesses and for enterprise as well, which makes it the one here with an explicit path for larger buyers. If you are a small business now but expect to need approvals and invoicing later, that is worth knowing before you commit.
Look at support and the company behind the tool
Support is quick to test. Kling AI lists email as its support channel, and Pika points to a help centre, so a short question about your planned use case is realistic on both before you pay anything.
The company behind a tool matters more when your images are part of paid work. Kling AI was founded in 2024, is based in CN and is operated by Kuaishou Technology. Picsart has been around longer, founded in 2011 and based in US, which tells you something about how settled its editing tools are.
Turn the shortlist into a decision
Begin with the AI image generators ranking to see the field, then read the individual write-ups with the questions above in hand: Qwen if you want chat and writing alongside images, Leonardo.Ai if you only need stills, Kling AI or Pika if video is the goal, Runway if you may grow into enterprise buying, and Picsart if design and layout come with the images.
Then pick two finalists, run the same prompt through both, and pay only for the one that fits your work. That is quicker than opening another pricing page, and it settles the questions a feature list leaves open.