Leonardo AI Review (2025): My Honest Experience with This Game-Changing Creative Tool

When I first heard about Leonardo AI, I thought it was just another addition to the growing list of AI art generators. Midjourney, DALL·E, and Stable Diffusion were already making waves. But I’m a curious soul, especially when it comes to tools that claim to save time and boost creativity. So I gave Leonardo AI a try—and after weeks of experimenting, testing, and creating, I can say this tool is not just another name in the AI space. It’s a serious contender.

In this review, I’ll take you through everything you need to know about Leonardo AI. I’ll share my personal experience, what makes it different, what I loved (and didn’t love), and whether it’s worth your time and money. If you’re a digital creator, designer, YouTuber, or someone who just wants to generate eye-catching visuals effortlessly, this review is for you.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Leonardo AI?
2. Why I Decided to Try It
3. First Impressions: Interface & Onboarding
4. Key Features That Impressed Me
5. Image Quality & Output
6. Use Cases: How I Used It in My Work
7. Pros and Cons – No Sugarcoating
8. Comparison with Midjourney and DALL·E
9. Who Should Use Leonardo AI?
10. Pricing Plans: Free vs Paid
11. Final Verdict: Is Leonardo AI Worth It?
12. FAQs: What I Wish I Knew Before Trying

1. What Is Leonardo AI?

Leonardo AI is a creative image generation platform powered by machine learning and diffusion models. In simple words—it’s an AI tool that lets you generate stunning images, art, assets, and illustrations just by typing a prompt.

But unlike traditional art generators, Leonardo comes with a unique focus on asset generation for games, character design, branding, and product mockups. It also provides real-time editing tools, prompt refinements, model fine-tuning, and canvas-based workflows.

Think of it as a combination of Midjourney’s quality, Canva’s usability, and Photoshop’s control—all powered by AI.

2. Why I Decided to Try It

I run a content creation business and recently started a YouTube channel focused on storytelling and tech for kids. Designing visuals eats up a lot of my time, especially when I need something unique. Stock photos often feel too generic, and hiring a designer for every post isn’t practical.

So, when I heard creators raving about how Leonardo could create game assets, character styles, posters, and even book illustrations, I had to try it.

Plus, it has a free plan, so there was no risk.

3. First Impressions: Interface & Onboarding

I signed up using my Google account. The onboarding was smooth—within 5 minutes, I was already generating my first image.

The interface feels modern, responsive, and surprisingly beginner-friendly. There’s a dashboard where you can:

• Enter prompts
• Choose styles and models
• Select canvas sizes
• Adjust advanced settings like CFG scale and sampling steps

Unlike Midjourney (which runs inside Discord), Leonardo AI works fully on the web. This is a blessing for people like me who prefer a cleaner workflow without having to use commands or bots.

There’s even a gallery with public images, styles, and templates to explore and remix.

4. Key Features That Impressed Me

Here’s where Leonardo AI shines. These features made the biggest difference in my workflow:

a) Pre-trained Models

Leonardo offers a variety of fine-tuned models like:

• RPG 4.0 (for game assets)
• Leonardo Diffusion XL
• DreamShaper
• 3D Animation Style
  Each model gives a different output style. You can select one based on your need—something I found extremely useful when switching from realistic to anime-style visuals.

b) Canvas Editor

Imagine you create an image but want to tweak just one part. The Canvas tool lets you do that. You can erase, re-draw, and regenerate just specific areas. It’s like Photoshop meets AI.

c) AI Image Upscaler

Perfect for creators who want to print their images or use them in HD videos. The upscaling tool adds more detail and sharpness without losing quality.

d) Style Customization

Leonardo lets you create and save your own custom styles. I saved a few “storybook” styles for my YouTube thumbnails and reused them across multiple videos. This helped maintain visual consistency.

5. Image Quality & Output

Now for the most important part: how good are the images?

I’ve used almost all major AI tools, and I can confidently say that Leonardo’s outputs stand shoulder to shoulder with Midjourney, especially when it comes to:

• Lighting
• Depth
• Color harmony
• Texture quality

Whether I needed a watercolor painting of Krishna for a children’s story or a 3D render of a magical forest, Leonardo handled it with grace.

But what really impressed me was the hands and eyes. AI tools often struggle with those details—but Leonardo’s newer models have significantly improved in this area.

I also created several cartoon-style characters, some for my blog and others for printable coloring sheets. The results were not just usable—they were good enough to publish.

6. Use Cases: How I Used It in My Work

Here’s how Leonardo AI made a difference in my creative life:

a) YouTube Thumbnails

For my “Tiny Twinkle Tales” channel, I generated bright, storybook-like thumbnails. These stood out from regular cartoon stock images.

b) Children’s Book Illustrations

I created a short story with 10 pages, and every illustration was made in Leonardo. It took me under 2 hours—a task that would have taken a week otherwise.

c) Blog Featured Images

No more stock photos. Now I generate on-brand visuals that match my content tone exactly.

d) Product Mockups

For a side project, I used Leonardo to design packaging mockups and digital posters—something Canva just couldn’t do with the same level of realism.

7. Pros and Cons – No Sugarcoating

✅ Pros:

• Web-based: No Discord required.
• Free plan available: Generous with tokens.
• High-quality outputs: Great lighting, details, and composition.
• Customization: Pre-trained models, personal styles, Canvas tool.
• Versatile use cases: Thumbnails, game art, product design, posters.
• Community hub: See, remix, and learn from other creators.

❌ Cons:

• Token system: The free plan has limits; you may run out quickly.
• Sometimes slow: Especially during peak hours or when generating 8 images at once.
• Prompt sensitivity: A small tweak in the prompt can give very different results.
• No mobile app: Works best on a desktop/laptop for now.

8. Comparison with Midjourney and DALL·E

Here’s my real-world take:

If you love visuals that are uniquely yours and want more control over the creative process, Leonardo is the better choice.

If you just want stunning images with minimal effort, Midjourney might edge ahead in raw output—but only slightly.

9. Who Should Use Leonardo AI?

I would recommend Leonardo AI for:

• Content creators who want fast, custom visuals
• YouTubers designing thumbnails and storytelling graphics
• Game developers needing characters, icons, or assets
• Small business owners making posters or digital ads
• Bloggers looking to stand out visually
• Teachers or parents creating learning materials for kids

Even if you’re not a designer, Leonardo empowers you to feel like one.

10. Pricing Plans: Free vs Paid

Leonardo’s pricing is token-based. You get tokens every day (or month, depending on the plan). Each image generation consumes tokens depending on resolution and settings.

Free Plan:

• 150 tokens/day
• Access to most models
• Basic Canvas tools

Paid Plans:

Start from around ₹999/month (or $10) and include:

• More tokens (up to 8000+/month)
• Faster generation
• Priority access to new models
• Commercial usage rights

For most solo creators, the free plan is enough to test and build workflows. I moved to the Pro plan after a month, and it’s been worth every penny.

11. Final Verdict: Is Leonardo AI Worth It?

If you ask me, Leonardo AI is not just worth trying—it’s worth adopting into your creative toolkit.

It’s rare to find a platform that balances power and ease so well. Leonardo allows creators to go from idea to image in minutes, and it’s constantly improving.

Whether you’re building a brand, telling stories, launching products, or simply experimenting with AI art—Leonardo gives you the tools to do it faster, smarter, and with more creative freedom.

I’ve cut my design time by more than half. I’ve boosted the visual appeal of my content. And I’ve enjoyed the process of creating more than ever before.

That, to me, is the mark of a great tool.

12. FAQs: What I Wish I Knew Before Trying Leonardo AI

Q: Is Leonardo AI completely free?
A: It has a generous free plan, but advanced usage may require tokens or a paid plan.

Q: Can I sell the images I create?
A: On paid plans, yes—Leonardo grants commercial usage rights.

Q: Can I train my own AI model?
A: Not exactly, but you can create and save custom styles.

Q: Does it support inpainting or editing parts of the image?
A: Yes! The Canvas tool lets you redraw and refine areas.

Q: Is there a mobile app?
A: Not yet. Use it on a laptop or desktop for best experience.

Final Thoughts

Leonardo AI has earned a permanent place in my workflow—not just because it’s powerful, but because it respects your creativity. It doesn’t try to replace the artist. It tries to empower them.

And in 2025, that’s exactly what we need.

If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot. The free plan is more than enough to get a taste—and you might just find yourself creating something you never thought possible.