Best AI Apps for Both Images and Video on Mobile, Ranked
Google Flow is the best app for making both AI pictures and AI video on a phone, because its images cost nothing and its 50 daily credits go entirely
Editorial Team · 2026-10-06
Best AI Image Generators on Mobile, Ranked
By Editorial Team · published 2026-10-06 · updated 2026-10-06
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Six AI image apps in our catalogue score within 0.3 of each other, so the ranking is decided by the limits, not the pictures. One refills its free allowance every day, one writes legible lettering, one comes with Adobe's commercial footing, and one quietly publishes everything a free user makes. Leonardo wins: 150 tokens back every 24 hours and the strongest model menu, with one privacy catch you should know before your first prompt. Prices and allowances are as of October 2026.
How we picked
We compared the six image generators in our catalogue — Leonardo, Ideogram, Adobe Firefly, Adobe Express, Microsoft Designer and Kling AI — on what the free tier gives and how often it comes back, what the first paid plan costs, what the app is unusually good at, and what it does with the pictures you make.
The scores are close: four apps sit at 7.0, Designer at 6.9, Kling at 6.7. When quality is that even, the free tier, the privacy terms and the one thing each app does best decide which you should install.
1. Leonardo — a daily allowance and the widest model menu
Leonardo generates images and short videos from one prompt bar, with Nano Banana, GPT Image and Veo 3 in the same model picker. The free plan refills 150 tokens every 24 hours, which is the only daily reset among the six.
The catch is public by default: what a free user makes goes to Leonardo's public feed. Private Mode and image deletion need a paid plan, which starts at $15.99 a month on the US App Store, and unlimited generations begin at the Premium tier. If your prompts are personal — your face, your home, your work — pay or pick another app. Our score: 7.0, and the win comes from the daily refill plus the model choice.
2. Ideogram — the one that can spell
Ideogram turns prompts into posters, logos and portraits, and its edge is lettering: put the words in quotes and they come out readable, which most image models still get wrong.
Signing in with Google, Apple or Microsoft earns 30 credits a week; email-only accounts get none. Free images are public, PNG downloads need a paid plan, and Plus costs $28.99 a month in the App Store — the most expensive entry plan here. Our score: 7.0. For anything with words on it, start here.
3. Adobe Firefly — Adobe's models plus everyone else's
Adobe Firefly puts text-to-image, text-to-video, image-to-video, Generative Fill and sound effects in one phone workspace, with Google, OpenAI, Luma and Runway models next to Adobe's own.
It is free to install but not free to use: video, partner models and most extras spend a monthly credit balance, and that balance comes with a paid plan — Firefly's mobile plan includes 750 credits a month. The rate card is steep for video, where five seconds of 1080p on the Firefly video model costs 500 credits, but for still images 750 a month goes a long way. Our score: 7.0. It is the pick for people who want one paid Adobe plan to cover both their own models and the partners'.
4. Adobe Express — generation inside a design editor
Adobe Express, formerly Adobe Spark, is a template editor with Firefly generative AI built in. It is free for template designs, photo edits and videos up to 30 minutes; Premium is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year on the US App Store and adds Photoshop Express on mobile.
It is the right app when the generated image is one part of a flyer, a post or a slide. 4K export, Brand Kits and video background removal are paid, and projects live in Adobe's cloud, so editing needs a connection. Our score: 7.0.
5. Microsoft Designer — cards, stickers and wallpapers, free with an account
Microsoft Designer is prompt-first and aimed at everyday things: AI images, stickers, wallpapers, greeting cards, collages and invitations, plus generative erase and background removal for your own photos. It is free with a Microsoft account, which brings 5 GB of cloud storage, and Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99 a month raises the AI allowance.
Microsoft publishes no free-credit number, and Play reviewers describe a small monthly allowance. Our score: 6.9.
6. Kling AI — strong model, watermark on free results
Kling AI is better known for video, and its image side shares the same terms: a monthly batch of free credits, watermarked results, and a free queue that reviewers describe as often busy. Plans start at $10 a month in the iPhone app, and only subscribers may use results commercially. Our score: 6.7 — good images, the least generous free tier for stills.
Free tiers side by side
The free allowances are where these apps differ most, and they are not measured in the same units:
- Leonardo: 150 tokens, refilled every 24 hours.
- Ideogram: 30 credits a week, only for accounts signed in with Google, Apple or Microsoft.
- Kling AI: a monthly batch, with watermarked results.
- Microsoft Designer: a monthly allowance Microsoft does not publish; reviewers describe it as small.
- Adobe Express: template design and photo editing free, generative AI limited on the free plan.
- Adobe Firefly: generation spends a credit balance that comes with a paid plan.
A daily refill suits the way people actually learn these tools — a few tries, a break, a few more the next day. A weekly or monthly batch rewards planning a session and spending it in one go.
Who sees your pictures
This is the line most people never check. Leonardo and Ideogram both make free-tier images public; privacy is a paid feature on each. Adobe's apps and Microsoft Designer keep your work in your account. If a prompt includes anything personal, that difference matters more than any model.
What we left out and why
ChatGPT and Gemini both generate images inside chat; they are assistants first and sit in our AI chat ranking. Canva and Picsart generate too, but as features inside editors, and they are covered in our photo editing list.
Bottom line
Leonardo is the best AI image generator on a phone: 150 free tokens every day and the widest choice of models — as long as you accept that free images go to a public feed. Use Ideogram when the picture needs readable words, Firefly when you are ready to pay for one plan that covers Adobe's models and its partners', and Adobe Express or Microsoft Designer when the image is going straight into a card, flyer or post.
