COMPARISON · Last verified: September 2026
Adobe Firefly vs Leonardo AI
Two freemium AI image and video generators, compared on verified pricing, models, custom training and commercial terms.
🏆 Quick Verdict
Tie: Adobe Firefly 4.6/5, Leonardo AI 4.6/5
Both have free plans; paid from $9.99/mo (Firefly) or $12/mo, $10/mo billed yearly (Leonardo)
⭐ Strongest At
Every tool has one thing it does better than its competitors. Here is each one's honest edge:
Adobe's own models, which Adobe says are trained on licensed Adobe Stock and public domain content and safe for commercial use, with credits that also work in Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom and Express.
Creator control: 10 to 50 personal AI models on paid plans, Realtime Canvas for live sketch-to-image, and its own Phoenix and Lucid Origin models.
📊 Quick Specs
Adobe Firefly vs Leonardo AI: official demos
Watch each tool in action: official demos for Adobe Firefly and Leonardo AI, side by side.
Adobe Firefly
Leonardo AI
Official videos via YouTube (Adobe Firefly; LeonardoAi), embedded for reference. ToolChase does not host or claim these videos.
What is Adobe Firefly?
Adobe Firefly is Adobe's generative AI app and model family, which Adobe describes as an AI-powered creative space for creating and editing images, video, audio and vector graphics from text prompts. It runs on the web, as iOS and Android apps and inside Adobe's other tools: credits from a Firefly plan work across Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom and Adobe Express. Adobe's own models, such as Firefly Image 5 and the Firefly Video Model, are trained on licensed Adobe Stock content and public domain content whose copyright has expired, and Adobe says it does not train on users' personal or generated content. Firefly also hosts partner models, including Gemini 3.1 with Nano Banana 2, GPT Image 1.5 and FLUX.2 [pro] for images, Runway, Kling AI, Luma AI and Topaz Astra for video, and ElevenLabs for audio. Outputs include Content Credentials. Beyond Generative Fill and Generative Expand, it covers video, speech, sound effects, music, video translation and Firefly Boards, a shared canvas for mood boards. Firefly Custom Models, in public beta, trains a model on 10 to 30 of your own images.
What is Leonardo AI?
Leonardo AI (Leonardo.Ai) is an image and video platform that calls itself the creator-first generative AI platform. Canva announced its acquisition of Leonardo on July 30, 2024, saying Leonardo would continue to operate independently, and in August 2026 Leonardo still described itself as part of Canva. Its in-house image models include Phoenix, which Leonardo says can render coherent text and offers on every plan including Free, and Lucid Origin, built for Full HD output with clean text and layouts. It also runs models from other developers, grouped as Omni models (FLUX.2 Pro, GPT Image-1.5, Nano Banana Pro and Seedream 4.5 among them), and video models including Veo 3, Kling Video 3.0 and Motion 2.0. Paid plans include 10, 20 or 50 personal AI models, and Elements (LoRA models) train on a style, object or character from as few as 10 images. Other tools include Realtime Canvas, which turns sketches into images in near real time, a Canvas Editor, a Pro Upscaler, image-to-3D and Edit in Canva. It runs on the web and as iOS and Android apps.
Key differences at a glance
Both are freemium, multi-model and trainable, so the differences are rights, workflow and billing:
- -- Rights and indemnity: both allow commercial use of outputs, and Leonardo gives paid users full ownership of private generations; Adobe offers IP indemnification to eligible enterprise customers for select Firefly outputs, while Leonardo's Master Services Agreement excludes claims arising from use of outputs from its indemnity.
- -- Where you work: Firefly credits also work in Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom and Express; Leonardo is its own web and mobile app, with Edit in Canva.
- -- Custom styles: Leonardo includes 10, 20 or 50 personal AI models on paid plans; Firefly Custom Models is a public beta that costs 500 credits to train and 20 credits per image.
- -- Metering: paid Firefly plans include unlimited standard features such as Generative Fill and spend credits on video, audio and partner models; Leonardo spends tokens on almost everything, with unlimited relaxed generation for select models on Premium and Ultimate.
- -- Model lineup: FLUX.2, GPT Image 1.5 and Nano Banana models appear in both apps, so the split is in the in-house models: Firefly Image 5 and the Firefly Video Model versus Leonardo's Phoenix and Lucid Origin image models and its Motion 2.0 video model.
- -- Score: both rate 4.6/5 in our reviews, a tie.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Here is how Adobe Firefly and Leonardo AI compare on the capabilities that affect daily use:
Pricing comparison
Adobe Firefly's free plan gives a limited number of free daily generations across image, video and audio on a curated set of models, refreshed every day. Individual plans are billed monthly: Standard at $9.99/month (2,000 generative credits), Pro at $19.99/month (4,000), Pro Plus at $49.99/month (10,000) and Premium at $199.99/month (50,000, plus unlimited use of the Firefly Video Model in Generate Video). Adobe says there is only one type of generative credit: standard features such as Generative Fill are unlimited on paid plans, while video, audio and partner models use credits. Credits reset monthly and do not roll over. In September 2026 Adobe also advertised a limited-time first-year offer, including 30% off Pro Plus and Premium marked as ending October 21; the prices above are the regular ones.
Leonardo AI's Free plan gives 150 fast tokens a day, with public creations; unused daily tokens do not carry over. Paid plans are priced per month excluding tax, billed monthly or yearly: Essential at $12/month ($10 on yearly billing) with 8,500 fast tokens, Premium at $30/month ($24 yearly) with 25,000, and Ultimate at $60/month ($48 yearly) with 60,000. Each adds private creations, top-up tokens and personal AI models (10, 20 or 50); Premium adds unlimited relaxed image generation on select models, and Ultimate adds relaxed video. Unused paid tokens roll into a bank of up to three months' worth, and the API is a separate pay-as-you-go product.
What the entry plan buys: Firefly Standard's $9.99 gets 2,000 credits, up to 20 five-second videos and unlimited standard image features; Leonardo Essential's $12 gets 8,500 fast tokens, private creations and 10 personal AI models. Worked example: a freelancer paying for a year spends $119.88 on Firefly Standard (12 x $9.99, billed monthly), $144 on Leonardo Essential billed monthly, or $120 on yearly billing. A three-person studio pays $59.97 a month for three Firefly Pro for teams licenses (4,000 credits each) or $72 a month for Leonardo Teams Starter (three seats, 75,000 shared tokens).
Pros & Cons
Adobe Firefly
- Adobe's own models are trained on licensed Adobe Stock and public domain content
- One credit pool across the Firefly apps, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom and Express
- Unlimited standard features such as Generate Image, Generative Fill and Generative Expand on every paid plan
- Image, video and audio in one app, with partner models from Google, OpenAI, Runway, Kling AI, Luma AI and ElevenLabs
- Content Credentials on outputs; IP indemnification for eligible enterprise customers
- The free tier is a limited daily number that Adobe says is subject to change
- Credits do not roll over, and video, audio, partner models and Firefly Image 5 all use them
- Custom Models is still a public beta, at 500 credits per training
- Adobe leaves it to you to judge whether partner-model outputs suit a project
- Premium costs $199.99 a month billed monthly
Leonardo AI
- Free plan with 150 fast tokens a day, the Phoenix model and commercial use
- 10, 20 or 50 personal AI models on paid plans
- Phoenix and Lucid Origin plus models such as FLUX.2 Pro, Nano Banana Pro, Seedream 4.5, Veo 3 and Kling Video 3.0
- Realtime Canvas, Canvas Editor, Pro Upscaler and image-to-3D in one app
- Unused paid tokens bank up to three months' worth, and yearly billing takes up to 20% off
- Free creations are public, and other users can copy and remix them
- Token costs vary by model, settings, image size and image count
- Free daily tokens expire, and watermark-free video needs a paid plan
- The API is billed separately from the web plans
- Leonardo does not currently support downloading a custom model you trained
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Adobe Firefly if you:
- → Work in Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom or Express and want one credit pool across them
- → Want Adobe's own models, which Adobe trains on licensed Adobe Stock and public domain content
- → Need IP indemnification for outputs as an eligible Adobe enterprise customer
- → Want Photoshop on web and mobile and Adobe Express Premium bundled (Firefly Pro and up)
- → Want unlimited Generative Fill and other standard image features from $9.99 a month
Choose Leonardo AI if you:
- → Want 10, 20 or 50 personal AI models on your plan rather than a custom-model feature still in public beta
- → Want Leonardo's in-house models, such as Phoenix (on every plan, including Free) and Lucid Origin
- → Like sketching with live results in Realtime Canvas
- → Want a self-serve, pay-as-you-go API you can buy credits for in the web app
- → Finish designs in Canva (Edit in Canva sends images there)
Bottom Line
Adobe Firefly and Leonardo AI tie at 4.6/5 in our reviews, both start free and cost about $120 a year at the entry tier, so the choice comes down to where you work. Firefly suits designers inside Adobe's apps who want Adobe's own models, credits that work across Creative Cloud and, for eligible enterprises, output indemnification. Leonardo suits creators who want personal AI models in their plan, Leonardo's Phoenix and Lucid Origin models and Realtime Canvas.
Frequently asked questions
Adobe Firefly vs Leonardo AI, which one should I pick?
Pick Adobe Firefly if you work in Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom or Express, want Adobe's own models trained on licensed Adobe Stock and public domain content, or need IP indemnification for outputs as an eligible enterprise customer. Pick Leonardo AI if you want personal AI models included in your plan, Leonardo's own Phoenix and Lucid Origin models, or live sketching in Realtime Canvas. Both score 4.6/5 in our reviews, a tie.
Is Adobe Firefly or Leonardo AI cheaper?
At the entry level they cost about the same: Firefly Standard is $9.99 a month billed monthly ($119.88 a year), and Leonardo Essential is $12 a month billed monthly or $10 a month on yearly billing ($120 a year). At the top, Leonardo Ultimate is $60 a month ($48 on yearly billing) and Firefly Premium is $199.99 a month billed monthly.
Does Adobe Firefly or Leonardo AI have a free plan?
Yes, both do. Firefly gives a limited number of free daily generations across image, video and audio on a curated set of models, refreshed every day; Adobe says the numbers are subject to change. Leonardo's Free plan gives 150 fast tokens a day, includes the Phoenix model and allows commercial use, but free creations are public and unused daily tokens do not carry over.
Can Adobe Firefly train a custom model like Leonardo AI?
Yes. Adobe Firefly Custom Models is in public beta for Creative Cloud customers on paid individual plans and on Creative Cloud Pro and Pro Plus for teams, where available. You train an illustration style, photographic style or character model on 10 to 30 images for 500 credits, and each image it generates costs 20 credits. Leonardo includes 10, 20 or 50 personal AI models on its paid plans.
Which is safer for commercial use?
Adobe says outputs from its own Firefly models are safe for commercial use and offers IP indemnification to eligible enterprise customers for select outputs, but says you are responsible for judging partner-model outputs. Leonardo allows commercial use on every plan, including Free; private generations on paid plans stay fully yours, while public images can be remixed by other users and used by Leonardo. Leonardo's Master Services Agreement for business customers excludes claims arising from use of outputs from its indemnity.
Is Leonardo AI owned by Canva?
Yes. Canva announced its acquisition of Leonardo.Ai on July 30, 2024, and said Leonardo would continue to operate independently. Leonardo still sells its own plans, and its Edit in Canva feature sends generated images to your Canva account. Leonardo says Edit in Canva is available to all individual users but is not currently available to Teams users.
Do I need Creative Cloud or Photoshop to use Adobe Firefly?
No. Firefly has its own web app and iOS and Android apps, free daily generations with no plan, and standalone plans from $9.99 a month. Pro and higher plans add Adobe Express Premium and Photoshop on web and mobile, and Firefly credits also work in Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Lightroom and Express. Creative Cloud Pro, at $69.99 a month on an annual plan billed monthly, bundles 4,000 Firefly credits.