Comparison

Pixabay vs Luma Dream Machine

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pixabay

Access a vast library of free stock photos, clip art, vector graphics, and video clips. All content is licensed for commercial use without attribution. Easily search, view, download, and share high-quality visuals.

Highlights
  • Free photos, cliparts, and vector graphics
  • Thousands of free video clips
  • Fast search and user-friendly interface
  • One-click image viewer with zoom/pan
  • Direct download and share in all sizes
  • Connect with others via messages and comments
  • Like and favorite images
Features
Read full description

Find free photos, cliparts, vector graphics and thousands of free video clips. All images and footage on Pixabay are released under Creative Commons CC0: Free for commercial use, no attribution required. Pixabay is the most valuable free alternative to commercial stock photo sites. The Pixabay mobile app includes the following features: * Fast search and a user-friendly interface * Swipe through search results * One-click image viewer - optimized with zooming and panning for smaller screens * Directly download and share images in all sizes * Messages and comments allow you to connect with others * Images can be liked, favorited, and easily managed within the app Planned features for the next app version: * Direct image uploads from your device * Show tags and camera info for all images * Manage your own uploads We want to give you the best experience possible with this app. If you have suggestions, which are not mentioned in the new features list - or if you want to report an issue - please write us at info@pixabay.com or visit the Pixabay forum: https://pixabay.com/en/forum/topic-24/

About

Luma Dream Machine

Generate stunning images and videos with advanced AI models. This app allows you to create, edit, and explore visual ideas by simply describing them, even referencing existing images or your own style. It's designed for creators to bring their unique visions to life and share them with others.

Highlights
  • Create images and videos with AI
  • Edit visuals by describing changes
  • Reference existing styles and images
  • Generate consistent characters
  • Brainstorm and learn with creative queries
  • Share and remix creations
Features
Read full description

Ideate, visualize, create videos, and share your dreams with the world, using our most powerful image and video AI models. Available now on iOS. With Dream Machine in your hands, you will: - Create Beautiful Images and Videos, fast - There is a brand new image model in here that we have trained for those who design and create the world and stories around us — you! It’s very creative, quite intelligent and — for the first time ever — super personalizable! Put it to its paces and try everything that comes to mind! - No prompt engineering, just ask - Talk to Dream Machine like it is your new creative partner. 'Create', 'edit', and 'explore' infinite ideas. Use 'Modify' to edit images and videos by describing your changes. - Reference anything - You can bring your style, previous works, and ideas into Dream Machine through *Reference*. For the first time ever, you can also instruct with up to 4 images, and text and create unique new combinations of ideas! - Consistent characters - 'Reference' a person by giving just a single image of their face to Dream Machine. Now you can create infinitely varied images and videos of them in every setting and scene. - Learn and grow with creative queries - Never run out of ideas and build on your best ones using Creative Query or Brainstorm. - Share and Remix - Share your “behind the scenes” process, show the world your 'Boards' or 'Ideas'. Remix and ideate on boards shared with you and expand the universe of thought. Join tens of millions of users and try Dream Machine to show the world how you see it. Download Dream Machine today. Terms of service and privacy policy: https://lumalabs.ai/legal/tos https://lumalabs.ai/legal/privacy

Screenshots

Pixabay4 screens
Luma Dream Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixabay at none against Luma Dream Machine's 7. Pixabay also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 33%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Luma Dream Machine's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Luma Dream Machine sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Pixabay asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixabay holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Pixabay's written reviews are positive against 33% of Luma Dream Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixabay ships an update every 2 months, Luma Dream Machine every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Pixabay versus Luma Dream Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixabayLuma Dream Machine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.6K ratings) — better4.5 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews57.0% of reviews — better33.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6K1.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB72 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperCanva Germany GmbHLuma AI, Inc.

Customer experience

Pixabay

All ratings1,643 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews467 reviews
Positive57.0%
Neutral11.8%
Negative31.3%

Luma Dream Machine

All ratings1,777 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews333 reviews
Positive33.0%
Neutral6.9%
Negative60.1%

User reviews

Pixabay

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Amazing app
  • 🎨 Great source of high-quality images
  • 🙏 Grateful for the talented contributors
  • 📚 Excellent resource for artists and creators

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate, no back button
  • 🐛 App crashes and freezes
  • 🔑 Frequent log-out issues
  • 🔍 Search function not reliable

Luma Dream Machine

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Blazing fast generation
  • 🎨 Stunning visuals and designs
  • 💡 Innovative brainstorming feature
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🤖 Seamless integration of AI as a creative partner

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent and unpredictable results
  • ⏱️ Slow video rendering and processing times
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model, charges for failed generations
  • 🔄 Forced migration from web to app with reduced functionality
  • 🤖 Limited understanding of user prompts and preferences

Bugs and requests

Pixabay

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • No images found for basic search terms
  • Inability to download videos
  • Inconsistent app performance across devices
  • Login issues and frequent log-outs

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a back button to navigate easily
  • Improve search functionality and filters
  • Implement landscape mode support for iPad
  • Introduce a dark mode option

Luma Dream Machine

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Video generation not working as expected
  • Prompts not being understood correctly
  • Inconsistent behavior across web and app versions
  • Subscription and account management issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Vertical format option for social media content
  • Improved character creation and customization tools
  • Better integration with external tools and workflows
  • More transparency on queue times and generation credits
  • Ability to downgrade or pause subscription plans

In-app purchases

None

Pixabay

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Luma Dream Machine

Subscriptions6
  • Lite$9.991 Month
  • Plus$29.991 Month
  • Unlimited$94.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Lite$95.991 Year
  • Plus$289.991 Year
  • Unlimited$919.991 Year
One-time1
  • Dream Machine Credits$4.00

Questions

Is Pixabay free?
Pixabay is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Luma Dream Machine free?
Luma Dream Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixabay or Luma Dream Machine?
Pixabay is rated higher. Pixabay averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Luma Dream Machine averages 4.5 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Pixabay or Luma Dream Machine have ads?
Pixabay shows ads; Luma Dream Machine does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixabay or Luma Dream Machine?
Pixabay ships an update every 2 months, and Luma Dream Machine every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pixabay was updated on November 2, 2026 and Luma Dream Machine on November 4, 2026.

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