→
Should I self-host Midjourney?
NOT REALLYkeep paying
InvokeAI + open models on your own GPU is a genuine creative stack — for people who own the GPU for other reasons. Renting one to avoid a $10/mo subscription is negative-sum, and Midjourney's model quality is the product anyway. Same GPU-economics pattern as Copilot.
The math (nothing hidden, including your time)
| Midjourney (Basic) | $10.00/mo |
| VPS share + storage | −$0.00/mo |
| Your maintenance: 30 min/mo at $20/h | −$10.00/mo |
| Net saving | $0.00/mo |
| Setup: 15 min measured (one-time) | $5.00 |
| Break-even | never |
| Markup Index (price ÷ real self-host cost) | 1.0× |
Price: source, checked 2026-08-07. Inputs are stored in git; every number above is derived, never hand-written.
What you lose
- Midjourney's models and the zero-setup pipeline
What you're paying Midjourney for
- text-to-image generation
- style control
- upscaling & variations
Ranked alternatives
Text-to-image on a card you own, with the checkpoint, the gallery and the electricity bill all in one building.
Verification
Protocol v1 · verified by zernonia on 2026-08-10 · setup measured at 15 min · AI assistant: claude-code (allowed & stated)
Full timed log
# Midjourney — verdict log - **Date:** 2026-08-10 - **Verdict:** NOT REALLY — keep paying - **Protocol:** v1 (2GB reference env, Docker preinstalled, AI assistant: claude-code) ## Why no compose file - This verdict is decided by economics/capability, not setup effort — the rubric doesn't require a timed install to conclude the subscription should stay (or that the replacement's cost lives elsewhere, e.g. GPUs, egress, or an installer script). ## The call InvokeAI + open models on your own GPU is a genuine creative stack — for people who own the GPU for other reasons. Renting one to avoid a $10/mo subscription is negative-sum, and Midjourney's model quality is the product anyway. Same GPU-economics pattern as Copilot.
Verdict history
- 2026-08-10: unscored → NOT_REALLY — Initial verdict: InvokeAI + open models on your own GPU is a genuine creative stack — for people who own the GPU for other reas.