The best AI design tools in 2025
AI has changed design work more in the last two years than the previous decade. But not all AI design tools are equal — some are genuinely transformative, some are gimmicks. This guide covers only the ones that pass the "does it actually save time in production?" test.
AI image generation
Midjourney — Best for artistic image generation
Midjourney consistently produces the most aesthetically refined AI-generated images. Its distinctive quality has made it the tool of choice for art directors, concept artists, and brand teams generating mood boards and campaign imagery.
Pricing: From $10/month for 200 generations.
Adobe Firefly — Best for commercial production work
Adobe Firefly is trained on licensed content, making it the safest AI image tool for commercially published work. Its Generative Fill in Photoshop is one of the most practical AI features ever shipped.
Pricing: Included in Creative Cloud. Free tier at firefly.adobe.com.
DALL·E 3 — Most accessible
DALL·E 3, built into ChatGPT, is the most accessible AI image tool for non-specialists. If you're already using ChatGPT, it's built in at no extra cost on Plus.
AI video and audio
Descript — Best for editing spoken content
Descript is one of the most genuinely useful AI tools available. Editing video and audio by deleting words from a transcript eliminates 80% of the tedium from podcast and interview editing.
Pricing: Free tier available. Creator plan from $24/month.
Runway — Best for AI video generation
Runway's Gen-2 model produces the most convincing AI video currently available. Being used by professional filmmakers and ad agencies for short-form AI video content.
Pricing: Free tier (limited). Standard from $15/month.
InVideo — Best for marketing video creation
InVideo is the most practical AI video tool for marketers who need to create promotional content quickly without video editing expertise.
Pricing: Free tier available. Business from $20/month.
AI background and image editing
Remove.bg — Best for background removal
Remove.bg is the fastest and most accurate background removal tool available. It handles complex edges — hair, transparent objects, fine details — better than manual masking in most cases.
Luminar Neo — Best AI photo editor
Luminar Neo automates the most time-consuming parts of landscape and portrait photography editing. Sky Replacement, Relight Scene, and portrait enhancement tools produce results in seconds that would take 30 minutes in Photoshop.
AI presentation tools
Gamma — Best AI presentation tool
Gamma generates complete, polished presentations from a text prompt in minutes. For internal decks and quick client updates where speed matters, it's remarkable.
Pricing: Free tier available. Pro from $10/month.
Tools mentioned in this guide
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