ComfyUI
imageby comfy-org
A free, open source visual tool for building AI image and video generation pipelines with a drag and drop node editor.
Key features
Free tier available, Comfy Cloud Creator at $29.99/mo
Artists and creators who want maximum control over their AI image generation process, not just a prompt box
Completely free to use with no limits, no watermarks, and no per image costs when running locally on your own hardware.
What it does
Visual Node Editor
Build AI generation workflows by dragging nodes onto a canvas and connecting them with wires. Each node handles one step: loading a model, encoding a prompt, sampling, decoding, upscaling, or saving. You can see the entire pipeline at a glance and modify any step independently.
Learn moreRun Locally on Your Hardware
ComfyUI runs entirely on your own computer. No internet required, no per image costs, and no content filters beyond what you choose. Works on NVIDIA GPUs (best support), AMD GPUs, and Apple Silicon Macs.
Learn moreComfy Cloud
Run your workflows in the cloud without needing your own GPU. Comfy Cloud provides on demand access to powerful GPUs (up to H100s) and lets you share workflows with collaborators.
Learn moreCustom Nodes Ecosystem
Thousands of community built extensions add new capabilities: ControlNet for pose control, IP Adapter for style transfer, AnimateDiff for video, face restoration, background removal, and much more. Install them with a few clicks through ComfyUI Manager.
Learn moreBroad Model Support
Supports all major open source model families: Stable Diffusion 1.5, SDXL, SD3, FLUX, Hunyuan, Wan2.1, and more. New models are typically supported within days of release thanks to the active community.
Learn moreImage Editing and Inpainting
Edit specific parts of an image by masking areas and regenerating them. Inpainting workflows let you fix faces, change backgrounds, add or remove objects, and refine details without regenerating the entire image.
Learn moreControlNet Integration
Use ControlNet to guide image generation with reference poses, depth maps, edge detection, and more. Maintain precise control over composition while letting the AI handle the details.
Learn moreVideo Generation
Generate short video clips using models like AnimateDiff, Stable Video Diffusion, Wan2.1, and Hunyuan Video. Build frame by frame pipelines that combine image generation with motion and interpolation.
Learn moreUpscaling and Enhancement
Built in upscaling nodes let you increase image resolution 2x or 4x using AI upscalers like RealESRGAN. Chain upscaling with face restoration and detail enhancement for production quality output.
Workflow Sharing
Save and share entire workflows as JSON files. Community members publish workflows on platforms like CivitAI, OpenArt, and the ComfyUI subreddit. Loading a shared workflow gives you the exact same pipeline with one click.
Pricing
Free (Self Hosted)
Download and run ComfyUI on your own computer. Full access to every feature with unlimited generations. Requires a GPU (NVIDIA recommended, 6GB+ VRAM for basic use, 12GB+ for larger models).
- Unlimited image and video generation
- All node types and features
- Full custom node ecosystem
- Desktop app or manual installation
- No content filters (beyond your own judgment)
- Community support via Discord and forums
Comfy Cloud Standard
Run ComfyUI workflows in the cloud. No local GPU needed. Good for occasional use or trying ComfyUI before investing in hardware.
- Cloud GPU access (standard tier)
- No local GPU required
- Standard queue priority
- Workflow sharing
Comfy Cloud Creator
More GPU credits and faster queues for regular creators. The best balance of price and generation capacity.
- More GPU credits
- Faster queue priority
- Workflow publishing
- Priority support
Comfy Cloud Pro
High volume plan for professionals. Access to premium GPUs (A100, H100) and highest priority in the queue.
- Maximum GPU credits
- Premium GPU access (A100, H100)
- Highest queue priority
- Team features
- Priority support
Enterprise
Custom plans for studios and organizations. Dedicated infrastructure, SLAs, and volume discounts.
- Dedicated GPU infrastructure
- Custom SLAs and support
- Volume pricing
- SSO and team management
- API access
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free to use with no limits, no watermarks, and no per image costs when running locally on your own hardware.
- Visual node editor makes complex multi step pipelines understandable and editable, rather than hiding everything behind a single prompt box.
- Supports virtually every open source AI model: Stable Diffusion, FLUX, SDXL, SD3, Hunyuan, and more, often within days of a new model release.
- Massive custom node ecosystem with thousands of community extensions. If you can imagine a feature, someone has probably built a node for it.
- Full privacy: everything runs locally on your machine. No images are sent to any server unless you choose to use Comfy Cloud.
- Active, passionate community. Thousands of shared workflows are available online, so you can learn by loading and studying other people's pipelines.
Cons
- Steep learning curve compared to prompt based tools like Midjourney or DALL-E. You need to understand concepts like samplers, schedulers, and model architectures to get the most out of it.
- Requires a decent GPU for local use. NVIDIA GPUs with 8GB+ VRAM work well, but older or weaker hardware will struggle with larger models.
- The interface can feel overwhelming for beginners. A canvas full of connected nodes looks complicated compared to a simple chat box.
- Custom node quality varies. Some community extensions are well maintained, others may break after updates or conflict with each other.
- No built in text rendering in images. Unlike ChatGPT or Nano Banana, ComfyUI relies on the underlying model's text capabilities, which are often poor for diffusion models.
How to get started
Download and install ComfyUI
The easiest way to get started is the ComfyUI Desktop app, available for Windows and Mac. It bundles everything you need, including Python and dependencies. Alternatively, install manually via Git clone for more control.
Download a model
You need at least one AI model (checkpoint) to generate images. FLUX.1 dev and Stable Diffusion XL are popular starting points. Download models from CivitAI or Hugging Face and place them in the ComfyUI models folder.
Run the default workflow
Open ComfyUI and you will see a default workflow already set up. Type a prompt into the text node, hit Queue Prompt, and watch your first image generate. This teaches you the basic flow: load model, encode prompt, sample, decode, save.
Explore community workflows
Browse shared workflows on CivitAI, OpenArt, or the r/comfyui subreddit. Load a workflow file and ComfyUI will recreate the entire pipeline for you. This is the fastest way to learn new techniques.
Try Comfy Cloud (optional)
If you do not have a powerful GPU, sign up for Comfy Cloud to run your workflows on remote GPUs. Your workflows stay the same; only the compute happens in the cloud.
Deep dive
Detailed guides with comparisons, tips, and visuals for each feature.
The Node Editor: How ComfyUI Works
How the visual node based interface works, why it gives you more control than prompt based tools, and how to build your first custom workflow.
Supported Models: FLUX, SDXL, SD3, and More
Which AI models ComfyUI supports, how to download and install them, and the practical differences between model families.
Custom Nodes: Extending ComfyUI
The community built extension ecosystem, how to install custom nodes, and the most popular extensions for image and video generation.
Comfy Cloud: Run Without a GPU
How Comfy Cloud works, pricing tiers, and when it makes sense to use cloud GPUs instead of running locally.
Local Setup: Hardware and Installation
What hardware you need, how to install ComfyUI on Windows, Mac, or Linux, and tips for optimizing performance.
Video Generation with ComfyUI
How to generate video clips in ComfyUI using AnimateDiff, Stable Video Diffusion, Wan2.1, and other motion models.
ComfyUI vs Midjourney vs DALL-E vs Automatic1111
How ComfyUI compares to other AI image generation tools in terms of control, quality, ease of use, pricing, and flexibility.
Links
Official
Documentation
Blog
Pricing
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Last updated: 2026-03-01