RetiredLifecycle
The official DALL·E GPT in ChatGPT
Took effect August 30, 2026
OpenAI retired the official DALL·E GPT in ChatGPT on this date and points people to ChatGPT Images. It states that user-created GPTs with image generation enabled are not affected.
Source ↗DALL·E models in the OpenAI API
Took effect May 12, 2026
OpenAI removed the dall-e-2 and dall-e-3 model snapshots from its API on this date. The notice covers the API; it does not state anything about which consumer surfaces still generate images.
Source ↗
DALL·E 3
A retired OpenAI image model
by OpenAI
Overview
DALL·E 3 is a retired OpenAI image model, kept here for reference. It was the generator inside ChatGPT: it produced images from text prompts, and OpenAI described it at the time as following detailed prompts closely - that is the vendor's description from 2023, not a measurement of ours.
Short text could also appear inside the images it produced. It is no longer an option: OpenAI removed the dall-e-2 and dall-e-3 model snapshots from its API on 12 May 2026, and retired the official DALL·E GPT in ChatGPT on 30 August 2026, pointing people to ChatGPT Images instead.
Everything below describes the model as it was; no official way to use DALL·E 3 was listed by OpenAI when we last checked, and we have not verified third-party services that claim to offer the old snapshots.
Editor's take
Not a current choice. OpenAI directs image work to ChatGPT Images and lists no official DALL·E 3 channel. The page stays because the model still appears in comparisons and older guides, and a status notice with the dates is more use to a reader than a dead end.
Our reading of who this suits, based on the sources above. Opinion, offered to help you decide - not a lab result.
Direct comparisons
Key Features
- •Text-to-image generation from prompts inside ChatGPT
- •Prompt following, as OpenAI described at the time, with short text able to appear inside images
- •Built-in content safety and policy filters
- •Multiple aspect ratios and styles
- •Iterative editing through conversation
- •Retired: removed from the API on 12 May 2026
Pros
- ✓Generated images from text prompts inside ChatGPT
- ✓Short text could appear inside the generated images
- ✓Reachable without touching parameters or an API key
Cons
- ✕Removed from the OpenAI API on 12 May 2026
- ✕The official DALL·E GPT was retired on 30 August 2026
- ✕No official channel for it was listed when we last checked
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still use DALL·E 3?
Not through a channel OpenAI lists. The dall-e-2 and dall-e-3 snapshots were removed from its API on 12 May 2026, and the official DALL·E GPT was retired on 30 August 2026. We have not verified third-party services offering the old snapshots, and would not count those as official availability.
What replaced DALL·E 3?
ChatGPT Images is what OpenAI tells people to use for creating and editing images. It is a different product line, so this page should not be read as a description of it.
Why is this page still here?
The model is still cited in comparisons and older guides. Deleting the page would leave those readers at a dead end, so it stays with its history and its status.
Does DALL·E 3 still generate images in ChatGPT?
OpenAI retired the official DALL·E GPT on 30 August 2026 and points to ChatGPT Images. We have not verified whether any legacy DALL·E model remains reachable anywhere, so we do not claim either way.
How did DALL·E 3 compare with Midjourney?
What survives is a difference in availability rather than in style: DALL·E 3 is a retired OpenAI image model that generated images and short text inside them, described by OpenAI at the time as following literal prompts closely, while Midjourney still sells subscriptions for image and video generation through its own site and Discord and, by its own guidelines, offers no API to regular subscribers. We did not benchmark image quality, so this page does not rank the two.
Task guides for this product
Key facts and where they come from
- PriceNot established
- Current purchasable pricing is not established for this retired entry. The registered records describe closed or retired surfaces; no historical price is presented as a current offer.Source: OpenAI API - DALL·E 3 model page · OpenAI Help Center - ChatGPT release notes
- AvailabilityDocumented
- "DALL·E 3 has been deprecated and removed from the API." Its snapshot is listed as deprecated.Source: OpenAI API - DALL·E 3 model page
- Commercial useDocumented
- Historical DALL·E 3 launch statement: OpenAI allowed users to use, reprint, sell and merchandise their DALL·E 3 images without its permission. This records that historical product statement; it does not establish a currently available DALL·E 3 generation service or waive applicable third-party rights.Source: OpenAI - DALL·E 3 announcement (vendor claims at launch)
- Training on your dataNot established
- Historical training use of the account’s inputs/outputs and applicable opt-out conditions were not established by this retired entry’s registered source statements; no current usable service is inferred.
- API billingDocumented
- "DALL·E 3 has been deprecated and removed from the API." Its snapshot is listed as deprecated.Source: OpenAI API - DALL·E 3 model page
- Export formatsNot established
- Historical specific downloadable output file formats and applicable surface/plan boundaries were not established by this retired entry’s registered source statements; no current usable service is inferred.
- Usage limitsNot established
- Historical numeric task allowances and applicable reset/carryover rules were not established by this retired entry’s registered source statements; no current usable service is inferred.
Official sources
The vendor pages we read for the claims on this page, what each one states, and the day we read it.
- OpenAI - DALL·E 3 announcement (vendor claims at launch) ↗
Historical DALL·E 3 launch statement: OpenAI allowed users to use, reprint, sell and merchandise their DALL·E 3 images without its permission. This records that historical product statement; it does not establish a currently available DALL·E 3 generation service or waive applicable third-party rights. Historical registered scope read on 2026-09-23, not rechecked in full on 2026-10-15: The launch page is where the prompt-following statement on this site comes from: OpenAI described DALL·E 3 as following detailed prompts more closely. That is the vendor's own claim from 2023, recorded with its source rather than as a measurement, and it describes the model as it was then. We did not find a comparison there about text rendered inside images being better than earlier systems, so this site no longer repeats one.
Read on October 15, 2026
- OpenAI API - DALL·E 3 model page ↗
"DALL·E 3 has been deprecated and removed from the API." Its snapshot is listed as deprecated.
Read on September 23, 2026
- OpenAI Help Center - ChatGPT release notes ↗
July 31, 2026: "On August 30, 2026, we're retiring the official DALL·E GPT in ChatGPT... To continue creating or editing images, use ChatGPT Images."
Read on September 23, 2026
Saved in this browser only; not synced across devices.
Public signals
Read on 2026-09-20 from the sources linked below.
- Wikipedia interest
- 7350 views per monthArticle: DALL-E (2026-07..2026-08)View source
This entry has no "visit website" link, because what it would open is not on offer. Kept for reference.
- The official DALL·E GPT in ChatGPT — Discontinued August 30, 2026
- DALL·E models in the OpenAI API — Discontinued May 12, 2026
Basic Info
- Historical pricing
- Freemium
- Category
- Image Generation
- Launch Date
- October 2023
- Maker
- OpenAI
- Last verified
- September 23, 2026
- Content updated
- October 15, 2026
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What to use instead
Entries in the same category that are still available, with what each one costs and when it launched. We have not tested them.
What to use instead
| Product | Maker | Pricing | Launched | Shared tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLUX | Black Forest Labs | Freemium | 2024-08 | Image |
| Ideogram | Ideogram | Freemium | 2023-08-22 | Image |
| Adobe Firefly | Adobe | Freemium | 2023-03 | Image |
| Leonardo AI | Leonardo AI | Freemium | 2022-12 | Image |
| Midjourney | Midjourney | Paid | 2022-07-12 | Image |
| Krea | Krea | Freemium | Launch date not verified | Image |
Compare with other tools in Image Generation
| Product | Maker | Pricing | Launched | Shared tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLUX | Black Forest Labs | Freemium | 2024-08 | Image |
| Ideogram | Ideogram | Freemium | 2023-08-22 | Image |
| Adobe Firefly | Adobe | Freemium | 2023-03 | Image |
| Leonardo AI | Leonardo AI | Freemium | 2022-12 | Image |
| Midjourney | Midjourney | Paid | 2022-07-12 | Image |
| Krea | Krea | Freemium | Launch date not verified | Image |