Image generation
dalle-mini
Try DALL·E mini, the model that made text-to-image go mainstream
★ 5.7k
August 2025
Apache-2.0
Image generation
What we checked ourselves
Not copied from the project's own blurb. These are things we opened and verified, with the date.
- 12 Sept 2026We opened the hosted demo and confirmed it was running.
Where this sits among the 211 tools we list in Image generation
- Works without using a terminal181 of 211
- No API key required196 of 211
- Commercial use confirmed as allowed74 of 211
- Sends your input to the provider33 that do not →
Only 46 of the 211 meet all of the conditions above.
Counted from our own checks: every tool we list is examined against the same criteria.
What it does
The hosted demo for DALL·E mini (now Craiyon), the model that first put text-to-image generation in front of a general audience. Output is noticeably rough by current standards - faces and text come out distorted - but it is light, fast and needs no account, which makes it a reasonable first taste of what these systems do. For usable pictures, newer models are a better choice. Prompts are sent to the host's servers.
Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.
Screenshots & visuals
Before you start
- Setup difficultySome setup needed
- Command lineNot required
- API keyNot required
- Sends data onlineYes
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
dalle-mini FAQ
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use dalle-mini?
- No install needed — it runs in the browser.
- Does dalle-mini work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use dalle-mini commercially?
- The licence is Apache-2.0, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.
How it compares
The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.
| Tool | Command line | API key | Sends data out | Phone | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dalle-mini (this page) | Not needed | Not needed | Yes | No | Yes |
| stable-cascade | Not needed | Not needed | Yes | No | No |
| ComfyUI | Not needed | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
| ai-comic-factory | Not needed | Not needed | Yes | No | Not verified |
"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.