After trying different generative A.I's for blog pictures, Pinterest pins and graphic design, I have found a very affordable alternative to my previous favourite Midjourney. This AI is perfect for bloggers, creatives and (small) business owners looking to make gorgeous visuals and speed up the marketing process on social media!
I've used Ideogram for six months, and now I'm ready to share my thoughts and tell you all about this generative AI and how I use it, in this Ideogram subscription review. I became an affiliate for this program recently after using it for months, so I'll share my thoughts on their affiliate program too!
A quick introduction
But first, let me quickly introduce myself! I'm Amada, I run a small clipart shop on Creative Fabrica which generates passive income, I blog once a month and I use Pinterest to market my shop and this website. AI helps me being able to do all of this, despite health struggles, cause what used to take a lot of time in the past is now done in just a few clicks! This helps me be able to upload content consistently. Here's my Ideogram review, and I'll tell you how I use it in my business.
*This post contains affiliate links
Screenshot from Ideograms public feed – made by Creators with the free plan. All paid subscribers creatons are on the other hand private, unless they choose to share a picture publicly.
Why I Switched to an Ideogram subscription
The pricing was a major reason for my switch from Midjourney. At $60 per month, Midjourney was simply too expensive for my use. At the time it also sucked at generating text. Ideogram not only provides a more budget-friendly option but also excels at creating images with embedded text—something that many AI tools struggle with.
This makes it ideal for creating marketing materials, custom illustrations, and more. Like all AI's, Ideogram can also make mistakes, but I find that even with different fonts, font sizes and text on different parts of the image, it does a great job 99 percent of the time. Ideogram AI offers several subscription tiers, I chose the mid tier at $20 per month, which saves me $40 per month. I'll tell you more about why I chose this tier later!
What I Use Ideogram For
I primarily use Ideogram to make realistic digital stickers for my Creative Fabrica shop, Pinterest pins, and custom images to illustrate my blog posts. Its user-friendly interface and efficient design process have significantly improved my creative workflow. I’ve been able to produce professional-looking visuals quickly and easily.
Pins generated with Ideogram from the public feed (not my creations)
Pinterest Pins That Pop
As mentioned, of Ideogram’s standout features is its exceptional text-handling capability, which makes it perfect for creating Pinterest pins. Pinterest currently supplies around 500 clicks a month for me, which I realize won't seem like a lot to some, but I don't have a large following on any platforms as I'm not really active on social media.
Posting frequently on Pinterest is also still pretty new to me. But most of these clicks come from pins Ideogram has created, and I think that's pretty awesome.
Text is crucial for effective Pinterest marketing, and Ideogram ensures that my pins are both visually appealing and communicative. This has made a noticeable difference in my social media engagement. My pins generated by Ideogram tend to gain a lot more traction than the ones I've made myself.
I want to emphasize the importance of focusing on posting really great AI pins, though. If Pinterest becomes saturated with AI made pins, people might stop using it. Pinterest is a place people go to get inspired, therefore I always strive to post really beautiful and colorful pins, not just bang out as many designs as possible just because it's easy and ready in seconds.
Photographs for Blog Posts
In addition to social media content, Ideogram AI is my go-to for generating custom images for blog posts. I used to use free stock photos, but since my website is a nieche site focusing on design, passive income and digital crafting, I often found it hard to find pictures that fit my content. When I use an image made by Ideogram I can also insert my affiliate link (more on that later) in basically any blog post, which potentially can lead to some extra cash.
The platform delivers high-quality visuals that add value to my content and make it more engaging for readers.
What else can I create with Ideogram?
The sky is the limit! Make any type of text graphic, social media posts, photgraphy with realistic looking people, digital stickers and clipart, backgrounds, front pages for ebooks or PDF's or even seamless patterns. Really, this AI has all features you can imagine, and you can easily search the feed to get inspiration once you've signed up. This way you can see which prompts people used to achieve certain styles and effects. It's very straight forward and easy to use. You choose a color palette, size of canvas and picture style and insert your prompt. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
The Affiliate Program – Ideograms Creators Club
Ideogram also offers an affiliate program, allowing users to earn rewards by sharing their experiences with the platform. It’s a great opportunity to help other creators discover this powerful tool while benefiting financially, without any extra cost to the buyer. You have to apply to become an affiliate and fill in an application form. They put empasis on working with creators who focus on platforms like Youtube, X, Instagram or TikTok or make informational content.
I wasn't sure if I'd get approved due to not being active on these platforms and not having a large following. I do however have experience as an affiliate marketer with good results, so I made sure to highlight that in the application. I took my time writing a good application and sharing some ideas I have on how to market their software and got approved. It took three to four weeks or so to be accepted, so if you've already applied and waiting, a long waiting time doesn't necessarily mean they won't accept you.
Since there isn't much publicly available information about their affiliate program, I don't want to disclose more than the facts that the affiliate commission has two digits, but you only get commissions for a limited time, not as long as the person you refer is a member, which is a bit of a bummer.
Illustration picture generated with Ideogram
Another downside is that you only get one affiliate link which sends non-members to the main page, which isn't a good sales page at all, as there is barely anything there. There are a few tiny links on the bottom where curious people can read more about the software, but I feel like they could make improvements on the site affiliate traffic is sent to to increase the chances of converting the traffic affiliates send their way.
Why I chose the midtier Ideogram Plus plan
The reason why I chose the Plus plan over the cheaper basic plan is that each generation costs minimum three credits. Like with any other AI, it takes a few tries and tweaks to get your picture exactly the way you want it. The 10 credits you get with the free plan is as good as useless if you ask me, plus it's so much fun using generative AI that you will want to experient and make new pictures while you wait for the ones you just made to finish.
The pro plan however has so many credits that I think most people won't really need that many. Half a year in, it only happened once that I ran out of my 1000 priority credits, even if I use Ideogram for many different things.
Here's the different subscription plans. Click here to go to Ideogram's homepage and read more
Free Plan: Limited to 10 slow credits per day, with all creations being public.
Basic Plan ($8/month): Offers 400 priority credits per month and 100 slow credits per day.
Plus Plan ($20/month): Provides 1,000 priority credits per month and unlimited slow credits. This plan allows for private creations and image deletion, which is essential for protecting unique designs intended for sale.
Pro Plan ($60/month): Includes 3,000 priority credits per month and unlimited slow credits, suitable for high-volume production.
Examples of backgrounds generated by Ideogram. Examples from the public feed.
For small business owners and bloggers like myself, the Plus Plan at $20 per month is a practical choice, balancing cost and features effectively. It ensures that your designs remain private, safeguarding your creative assets. 400 priority credits will likely be too little (but still a good place to start if you want to experiment with generative AI), while 3000 priority credits is really a lot.
Ideogram subscription review final thoughts
If you’re looking for an AI tool that delivers excellent results without breaking the bank, Ideogram is well worth considering. Its affordability, superior text integration, and ability to produce high-quality visuals make it a standout choice for small business owners. Whether you’re designing digital stickers, crafting Pinterest pins, or enhancing your blog with custom imagery, Ideogram delivers on all fronts. If you have any questions or feel like this post misses some information, comment below!
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