5 free AI image generators in 2026: Gemini, Grok, Qwen, Ernie and Lechat tested

Linkeum

Discover the best free image generation tools and test them with a concrete case: creating an advertising banner for a sports equipment brand.

Creating professional visuals with no budget is no longer a fantasy in 2026. Five major image‑generation AIs now offer free versions accessible to everyone. Whether you are an entrepreneur, content creator or developer, these tools can turn your vision into high‑resolution images. In this article, we test Gemini, Grok, Qwen, ERNIE and LeChat on a concrete use case: creating an advertising banner for a fictional sports equipment brand called Linkeum. We will see which one excels in terms of quality, ease of use and editing capabilities via successive prompts.