Midjourney web experience is now open to everyone

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Announcement & access model

  • Midjourney’s web interface is now open with temporary free trials; some users find onboarding much easier than the old Discord-only flow.
  • Others say the “web experience” is still confusing or nonfunctional (e.g., disabled prompt box, unclear subscription flow).
  • Access still requires Google or Discord sign-in, contradicting some users’ expectation of “open to everyone.”

Discord-first strategy & UX

  • Several commenters see the Discord era as clever: free UX, hosting/CDN for images, built-in community, and “live” user support by watching public channels.
  • Public channels acted as continuous product demos and tutorials; some argue going web-first would have been a mistake.
  • Others found Discord itself a deal-breaker or too chaotic to navigate.

Authentication & privacy concerns

  • Major thread on dislike of mandatory Google/Discord OAuth and phone-number requirements.
  • Critics worry about centralization of identity, cross-service policy lockouts, and privacy of prompts and account data.
  • Defenders argue OAuth reduces support burden, password reuse, and friction for most users; email/password is portrayed as operationally costly.
  • Suggestions raised: passkeys, independent password managers, web3-style keys, but adoption and business models are seen as unclear.

Content restrictions and censorship

  • Multiple reports that Midjourney blocks or flags prompts about political leaders (e.g., Xi Jinping) and even mild PG‑13 concepts like bathing suits.
  • Some note heavy filtering around nudity and certain “bold” language; others question whether this is more restrictive than large competitors.
  • Debate over broader trend: newer models (Midjourney, SD post‑1.5, Ideogram 2.0) seen as more censored and sometimes worse at anatomy.

Comparisons with Flux, DALL‑E, SD, Ideogram

  • Many say they’ve shifted to Flux, praising its openness, prompt adherence, and realism; SD community reportedly moving that way.
  • DALL‑E 3 is credited with superior prompt adherence but criticized for a tacky, “bootleg” aesthetic.
  • Ideogram 2.0 is viewed by some as a downgrade from 1.0, especially for anatomy.
  • Several links and tips discuss running Flux locally or via various hosted services.

Capabilities, use cases & impressions

  • Users praise Midjourney’s quality, especially for fantasy art; one D&D example required far fewer prompt tweaks than other tools.
  • Others complain about failure on specific sci‑fi concepts (e.g., O’Neill cylinders, rotating habitats), though some show improved results with careful prompting.
  • Prompt adherence is a recurring benchmark; some argue that detailed descriptions of unfamiliar or hybrid concepts are the real test, not simple tokens like “spork.”

Enterprise / business considerations

  • Midjourney’s lack of organizational account management and multi-user controls makes it hard to adopt for company workshops or corporate use.
  • Some observers are impressed that the company has grown with minimal funding and infrastructure by leveraging Discord and cloud storage.

Technical issues & misc. reactions

  • Reports of sign-in errors (Google disallowed_useragent), storage/JavaScript issues in iOS Safari, and an Android device freezing on the splash screen.
  • Debate about rate-limited free trials and cost of unrestricted access; some wish for pay-per-use instead of subscriptions.
  • Philosophical split: some see these tools as democratizing “artistic skill,” others argue creativity was always accessible and AI is just rearranging pixels.