Cross-platformWorkflow & organisation
Can You Use AI Images and Video Commercially? Platform by Platform
Usually yes, on a paid plan, but the rules differ by platform and sometimes by plan. As of November 2026: OpenAI, Google and Runway say you own or keep your output. Midjourney lets subscribers use their work commercially, but companies earning over $1 million a year need Pro or Mega. Kling's free Basic plan and Pika's free plan are not for commercial use. Luma includes commercial use from its Plus plan. Read the terms for the plan you were on when you made the asset. This is not legal advice.
"Can I use this for a client?" is the question every working creative asks about AI output. The answer is in each platform's terms and pricing pages, and they don't all say the same thing. This guide sets out what each vendor's own terms say as of November 2026, quoting nothing we haven't read on the vendor's site. It is not legal advice. Terms change, and they don't settle questions such as whether AI output can be protected by copyright where you live, so for anything high-stakes ask a lawyer.
Platform by platform
| Platform | Who owns the output | Commercial use | Watermarks and labels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midjourney | You own the assets you create, "to the fullest extent possible under applicable law" | All paid plans have the same general commercial terms. A company (or an employee of one) with more than $1,000,000 a year in revenue must be on Pro or Mega to own its assets | No visible mark. Images carry a hidden ID tag that midjourney.com/verify can check. Work is public by default; Stealth Mode is Pro and Mega only |
| ChatGPT / OpenAI | You own the output, and OpenAI assigns you its rights in it | The ownership terms don't depend on your plan. They note output may not be unique, and other users may get similar results | Images carry C2PA Content Credentials and Google's SynthID watermark |
| Google (Gemini, Flow) | Google's terms say it "won't claim ownership" of content you generate | Google's general terms don't tie this to a plan. Read the terms for the specific product you use | Flow videos carry an invisible SynthID watermark |
| Runway | You keep ownership and all your rights in what you upload and generate | Yes, with "no non-commercial restrictions". Runway lists ads, monetised YouTube, Reels, TikTok and festival entries | All Free-plan videos carry a Runway watermark; Standard and above don't |
| Kling | The terms say you own your content and Kling doesn't claim ownership | Basic (free): "not for commercial use". Paid plans: "for commercial use". The terms also require written permission for commercial use and a Kling label on output (see below) | Watermark removal is listed as a paid-plan feature |
| Pika | Not covered on the pricing page | Free: no. Starter, Creator and Fancy: yes | Pika's pricing page lists no watermark on any plan, including Free |
| Luma | Not covered on the pricing page | Commercial use is included from Plus, the cheapest plan listed | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Adobe Firefly | Not covered in the FAQ we read | Features without a beta label: yes. Beta features: yes, unless the product says otherwise | Firefly adds Content Credentials (see our Firefly guide) |
Three details people miss
Midjourney: rights survive cancelling, the revenue rule doesn't go away
Midjourney's terms say ownership of what you made "persists even if" you later downgrade or cancel. The $1 million revenue rule applies to the company: a freelancer working for a large brand should read it carefully and, if in doubt, generate client work on Pro or Mega. Midjourney's plan page puts it simply: if you have subscribed at any point, you can use your images and videos "in just about any way you want", within the terms.
Kling: the plan page and the terms need reading together
Kling's plan pages say paid-plan content "is for commercial use" and Basic content is not. Kling's Terms of Service (dated 21 April 2026) add two things. Section 4.6 says that "without our written permission" you may not use output for commercial purposes. Section 4.5 says that, without written permission, you should label output with Kling's brand or state that it was generated by Kling AI. The terms don't spell out whether a paid plan counts as that permission. If Kling output is going into paid advertising, read both documents for your plan, and ask Kling support if it matters.
Free plans are where restrictions live
The usual pattern is that free output is for trying things out. Kling Basic and Pika Free are explicitly not for commercial use, and Runway Free adds a watermark. Make anything a client will pay for on the plan that allows it, at the moment you make it. Upgrading later doesn't obviously change the terms an earlier asset was made under, and the vendors we checked don't say it does.
Ownership is not the same as being safe to use
Even when a platform gives you every right it has, the output can still infringe someone else's rights: a recognisable logo, a celebrity's face, a copyrighted character or an artist's distinctive work. Midjourney's terms say your ownership is subject to "the rights of any third-parties", and OpenAI's terms say the assignment doesn't cover other users' output. Adobe trains its commercial Firefly model on Adobe Stock, openly licensed and public-domain content, which is why some brands prefer it for low-risk work.
Disclosure is a separate obligation again. Invisible watermarks (SynthID, C2PA Content Credentials, Midjourney's ID tag) mean platforms such as Instagram and YouTube may label your post as AI-made whatever your licence says.
A practical checklist before delivering AI work
- Check the plan you were on when you generated it, not the one you are on today.
- Check the company-size rules (Midjourney's $1 million line) for whoever the work is for.
- Look for beta labels on the feature you used, especially in Adobe Firefly.
- Remove watermarks by paying, not by editing: regenerate on a plan without them.
- Screen for third-party rights: logos, faces, characters, trademarks.
- Keep a record of the tool, model, date and prompt for each delivered asset, in case a client or platform asks.
- Read the contract with your client. Many now ask you to disclose AI use or warrant originality.
For Adobe's approach in more detail, see Firefly commercial use and Content Credentials.
Keeping the record
Point 6 is the one most people can't answer six months later. Dreamdrive, a free Chrome extension, saves each image and video automatically as you make it, with its prompt, model and settings, and keeps them by client project. When a client asks which tool made an asset and when, the answer is in your library rather than in your memory.
Related: what AI video costs per clip.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Midjourney images commercially?
Does Kling's free plan allow commercial use?
Who owns images made with ChatGPT?
Can I remove an AI watermark to use the video commercially?
Related guides
Cross-platformBest AI Video Tools in 2026: Picked by Job
The AI video tools worth knowing at the end of 2026, grouped by what each does best: all-round quality, sound, consistency, camera moves, editing, effects and open weights.
4 min readCross-platformEagle Alternatives for Organising AI-Generated Images
Eagle is a strong image organiser, but it was not built for AI prompts. Here are the alternatives for organising AI images, from free open-source tools to an organiser that captures prompts automatically.
3 min readCross-platformHow to Share an AI Image Together With Its Prompt
Most ways of sharing an AI image lose the prompt. Here is what each platform keeps, and how to send an image with its prompt intact to a client, a teammate or social media.
2 min read