Generating images on your own graphics card, or GPU, keeps your prompts and pictures on your computer, costs nothing per image, and lets you use community models and LoRAs, small add-on files that teach a model a style or a character. SwarmUI, InvokeAI, ComfyUI and Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge - Neo are apps you open to do that. Forge Neo continues the original Forge, the speed-focused version of AUTOMATIC1111’s web UI. They load the model, give you a screen for prompts and settings, and run each generation on your GPU.
Start with how you’d like to work. Some people want a form where they type a prompt, pick a model and press Generate; others want a canvas to paint and mask on, or a node graph, a diagram where each box is one step such as loading a model or saving an image. Your graphics card then narrows the list, since AMD, Intel Arc and Mac support differ a lot between these apps. A family PC that several people will use narrows it again.
| SwarmUI | InvokeAI | ComfyUI | Forge Neo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main screen | Settings form, plus a node graph tab | Canvas with layers, plus a node editor | Node graph, plus simple forms | Settings form |
| How you install it | Script on Windows and Linux, Terminal commands on a Mac | Launcher app for Windows, macOS and Linux | Desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux | git, Python and a launch script |
| Graphics cards in the docs | NVIDIA, AMD, Apple Silicon | NVIDIA, AMD on Linux only, Apple Silicon, Intel Arc | NVIDIA, AMD, Apple Silicon, Intel Arc | NVIDIA; AMD through a third-party guide |
| Also generates | Video and audio | Video, experimental | Video, audio and 3D | Video |
| License | MIT | Apache 2.0 | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
We compared the four from their own documentation and READMEs in November 2026. The top three finish close together, and which of them suits you mostly comes down to your graphics card and whether you’d rather work in a form, on a canvas or in a graph.
Scores
1–5 per criterion · select a score for its reasoning and sources| # | Product | Image model families | Graphics cards supported | Setup effort | Editing tools | Custom workflows | Add-ons | Getting models | What leaves your computer | Video and audio | Several users | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SwarmUI | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4.2 |
| 2 | InvokeAI | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4.0 |
| 3 | ComfyUI | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3.8 |
| 4 | Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge - Neo | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2.6 |
How each criterion is scored
Image model families
How many image model families the project's own documentation lists as supported for generating images. Each numbered generation counts once (Flux.1 and Flux.2 are two), and variants of one generation (Dev and Schnell, Turbo and Base, Large and Medium, an Edit version) count with it. Video and audio models don't count here.
- 5 Fifteen or more families
- 4 Ten to fourteen families
- 3 Six to nine families
- 2 Three to five families
- 1 One or two families
Graphics cards supported
Which graphics processor (GPU) families the project documents for generating images: NVIDIA, AMD, Apple Silicon and Intel Arc, plus a documented way to run on the processor (CPU) alone. A family counts when the project's own documentation gives install steps for it or links to a guide for it, even if the project limits support on some systems.
- 5 NVIDIA, AMD, Apple Silicon and Intel Arc, plus a documented processor-only mode
- 4 NVIDIA, AMD, Apple Silicon and Intel Arc
- 3 NVIDIA, AMD and Apple Silicon
- 2 NVIDIA plus one other family
- 1 One GPU family only
Setup effort
What you have to do on the easiest install path the project documents for at least one operating system, and whether the app then installs its own updates.
- 5 A graphical installer or desktop app sets everything up and installs updates from inside the app
- 4 A graphical installer or desktop app sets everything up
- 3 A downloaded script or portable package installs everything, without copying the code by hand
- 2 You install prerequisites such as git or Python and copy the code, then a launch script installs the rest
- 1 You install Python and the dependencies yourself with terminal commands
Editing tools
How many of five editing tools are built in and documented: inpainting (regenerating a masked part of an image), outpainting (extending an image past its edges), a canvas with layers, regional prompts or references (guidance that applies to one area only), and upscaling.
- 5 All five
- 4 Four of the five
- 3 Three of the five
- 2 Two of the five
- 1 None or one of the five
Custom workflows
Whether you can build your own generation pipeline instead of using a fixed screen of settings, save and share it, and run it later from a simple form instead of the graph.
- 5 As 4, plus running a saved workflow from a simple form or the main screen without the graph
- 4 A node editor whose workflows you save, load and share as files
- 3 A node editor (a graph of connected steps) for building pipelines
- 2 Saved presets of settings, with no pipeline builder
- 1 Only the built-in settings screen
Add-ons
How you add community extensions or custom nodes, and whether you can find, install and update them from inside the app.
- 5 As 4, plus updating installed add-ons from inside the app
- 4 Inside the app, you browse a list of add-ons and install one with a click
- 3 Add-ons install from inside the app from a link you paste
- 2 Add-ons are added by copying or cloning them into a folder
- 1 No add-on system documented
Getting models
How model files get onto your computer: by hand, from a fixed list the app offers, or from any link you give it, such as a Hugging Face or Civitai page. A documented download feature counts whether it is in the app's screens or its documented API.
- 5 As 4, plus searching Hugging Face or Civitai from inside the app
- 4 Both a list of starter models and downloads from any link or repository name
- 3 The app downloads any model from a link or repository name you give it
- 2 The app downloads only models from its own list, such as starter models or the ones a template needs
- 1 You download model files yourself and put them in the right folders
What leaves your computer
Whether the install the project recommends to most people sends usage data or images anywhere by default, whether it has optional online features (cloud models, usage statistics), and whether the project documents what goes online and how to stop it. Downloading models and updates you ask for doesn't count as sending data.
- 5 Generates locally, sends no usage data, and the project documents what does go online and how to turn it off
- 4 Generates locally, and the documentation describes no online features
- 3 Generates locally, with optional online features that stay off until you turn them on
- 2 Generates locally, but the recommended install sends usage data by default
- 1 Prompts or images go to an online service by default
Video and audio
Whether the same app also generates video, audio or 3D models from the models it runs locally, counted from the project's documentation. Features that only call a paid online service don't count.
- 5 Video, audio and 3D
- 4 Video plus audio or 3D
- 3 Video from two or more model families
- 2 Video from one model family
- 1 Still images only
Several users
Whether several people can use one installation, for example family members on a home network: a password for the whole app, separate accounts with their own images, and roles that limit what each account can do. When the documentation describes no sign-in at all, the score is 1 with the basis not-documented.
- 5 As 4, plus roles you can edit or create, such as limiting which models a role can use
- 4 Separate accounts plus an administrator role that manages the other users
- 3 Separate user accounts, each with its own images
- 2 One password or login protects the whole app
- 1 No sign-in or user accounts documented
SwarmUI is a web app that runs on your own computer, built around a Generate tab of prompts and sliders. We’d recommend it to most beginners on a Windows or Linux PC with an NVIDIA card who want to type a prompt and press Generate, because that form keeps the node graph out of sight until you need it.
Setup is a script, not an installer. On Windows 11 the install-windows.bat file fetches everything it needs. On Windows 10 you may first need git, the tool for downloading code from GitHub, and .NET, the Microsoft platform SwarmUI runs on, and a Mac takes a series of Terminal commands. The project still describes itself as almost ready for a full release.
If you want a form or a canvas, the choice is between SwarmUI and InvokeAI. What SwarmUI gives you for that setup is range: its Model Support page lists more than 20 image model families against InvokeAI’s 13, and it also runs video models such as Wan and LTX-2 and audio models such as ACE-Step. For a beginner, that means a new model you read about is more likely to be on its list already. Take InvokeAI instead if the setup above puts you off, or if you’ll spend your time fixing and repainting parts of pictures, which its layered canvas handles better.
Against ComfyUI, model support is no reason to choose it. The two share an engine, and ComfyUI’s README calls its own list representative, meaning it doesn’t name every model it runs. What sets SwarmUI apart is the form-first screen and the sharing features: each person gets their own images and presets, and you can create roles that limit which model folders someone sees. Its privacy page also says SwarmUI has no tracking. When the form isn’t enough, the Comfy Workflow tab opens the full graph.
What it does
- Generate tab with a prompt syntax for regions, such as
<region:...> - Comfy Workflow tab with the full ComfyUI node graph
- Image editor for inpainting, which regenerates an area you mask, and for extending an image
- Starter models at setup, plus a Model Downloader for links
- Video and audio models alongside image models
Pros
- Simple Generate tab, with the node graph there when you need it
- A privacy page that documents what goes online and how to turn off updates
Cons
- AMD support comes with warnings that some features won't work
- No Intel Arc setup in the docs
- Only a few extensions exist so far, by its own docs
InvokeAI is an image app built around a canvas: you generate a picture, then paint, mask and layer on it until it’s right. We’d recommend it to anyone who edits images more than they generate from scratch, and to Mac and Intel Arc owners who want an app that installs like any other.
The canvas is the reason to choose it. You get raster layers to paint on, control layers that steer the picture from another image, inpaint masks for regenerating a marked area, and regional reference images that guide one part of the picture. Outpainting, which extends an image past its edges, and upscaling sit alongside. SwarmUI covers inpainting and regions through its editor and prompt syntax, but InvokeAI is the only one of the four whose docs describe a canvas with layers.
Along with ComfyUI, it’s the easiest to set up. The Invoke Launcher is a normal installer for Windows, macOS and Linux that installs Invoke and its updates. Models install from a link or a Hugging Face repository name, the short owner and model ID shown on the model’s Hugging Face page. For a shared PC, Multi-User mode gives each person a login and their own images, with administrators who manage the rest.
What you give up is model range, and video is an experimental Wan 2.2 feature. Custom nodes, the add-on workflow steps other people publish, install in the app’s Custom Node Manager from a Git link you paste, with no list to browse.
What it does
- Canvas with raster, control and inpaint mask layers
- Node workflow editor, with forms for running workflows from the canvas
- Model Manager with starter models, links and Hugging Face installs
- Optional cloud models such as OpenAI's GPT Image, billed to your own account with that provider
- Multi-User mode with administrator and regular accounts
Pros
- A layered canvas, which none of the other three documents
- Launcher app for Windows, macOS and Linux that installs updates
- Documents NVIDIA, Apple Silicon and Intel Arc graphics
Cons
- Fewer model families than SwarmUI or ComfyUI
- Video generation is experimental and limited to Wan 2.2
- No list of custom nodes to browse inside the app
Who should skip:Windows users with an AMD graphics card, since InvokeAI supports AMD on Linux only.
ComfyUI shows you its engine directly: every generation is a node graph you can rearrange. We’d recommend it to people who build their own pipelines from community custom nodes, because ComfyUI-Manager finds, installs and updates them from inside the app, and to anyone who wants 3D models alongside images, video and audio.
Its docs include two setups worth knowing about: step-by-step AMD instructions for Windows 11, which SwarmUI’s AMD page doesn’t give, and a Windows portable build that runs on the processor alone. The Comfy Desktop app installs on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates itself. The README says large models run on a card with 4GB of video memory, or VRAM, by streaming the model’s weights in pieces.
If you’re choosing between ComfyUI and SwarmUI, the engine is shared, so the question is the screen around it. ComfyUI puts the graph first. Its App Mode can turn a finished workflow into a simple form, but SwarmUI starts from a form and adds user accounts, while ComfyUI has the easier installer and the 3D models.
Many users find the graph slow to learn at first. Starting from a template, one of the ready-to-run workflows the project maintains, is the gentlest way in.
What it does
- Node graph for image, video, audio and 3D workflows
- App Mode, which runs a workflow from a simple form
- ComfyUI-Manager for finding, installing and updating custom nodes
- Nodes for inpainting, outpainting, masks and upscaling
- Optional paid partner nodes for closed models, which the
--offlineflag turns off
Pros
- Desktop app on all three desktop systems, with automatic updates
- Documents NVIDIA, AMD, Intel and Apple Silicon graphics, plus a processor-only build
- Lists 3D models, which the other three don't document
- Saves workflows as files and recovers them from generated images
Cons
- Comfy Desktop sends anonymous usage data unless you untick it at setup
- No user accounts documented for sharing one install
- No canvas with layers described; editing happens through nodes and masks
- No documented way to download a model from a link you paste
Who should skip:Households where several people need their own accounts on one install, since the docs describe none.
Forge Neo picks up where the original Forge stopped, after Forge’s developer became too busy to keep it going. We’d recommend it to people who already know that settings-panel interface and its extensions, and want newer models such as Flux.2 Klein, Qwen-Image and Z-Image in it.
Its strength is that interface’s extensions. The Extensions tab lists available extensions to install, and Forge Neo checks the installed ones for updates. The README also says issues about third-party extensions will be ignored, so problems with an extension go to its own author.
Everything else asks more of you than the other three. You install git and Python yourself, copy the code with git, and a launch script installs the rest on first start. Models are downloaded by hand into the right folders. NVIDIA is the focus, AMD setups follow a third-party guide, and the README says AMD issues will be ignored. There’s no node editor and no canvas with layers.
What it does
- Settings-panel interface from AUTOMATIC1111's web UI
- Extensions tab with a list of available extensions
- Presets that save the model, modules and settings
- 12 image model families, plus Wan 2.2 video
- Reads model folders from an existing AUTOMATIC1111 or ComfyUI install
Pros
- Familiar to anyone who used AUTOMATIC1111's web UI or the original Forge
- Find, install and update extensions from inside the app
- Reuses the model folders you already have
Cons
- Manual install with git and Python, and no installer
- Models are downloaded and placed in folders by hand
- AMD support relies on a third-party guide, and AMD issues are ignored
- No node editor or layered canvas
Who should skip:People with AMD graphics cards, since the project says it ignores AMD issues.
How to choose
- You have a Windows or Linux PC with an NVIDIA card and want a simple form: SwarmUI, whose Comfy Workflow tab lets you move to the graph later without switching apps.
- You mostly edit, paint over or extend images: InvokeAI, the one with a layered canvas.
- You’re on a Mac and want an app that installs like any other: InvokeAI or ComfyUI, both with a downloadable installer for macOS.
- You have an Intel Arc card: InvokeAI or ComfyUI, the two that document it.
- You have an AMD card on Windows: ComfyUI, which gives Windows AMD install steps. SwarmUI installs AMD support too, with a warning that some features won’t work.
- You want video, audio or 3D as well: ComfyUI covers all three; SwarmUI covers video and audio.
- Several people will share one install: SwarmUI, whose roles can limit what each person sees. InvokeAI’s Multi-User mode is simpler, with administrators and regular users.
- You want to build your own pipelines: ComfyUI or SwarmUI’s Comfy Workflow tab both give you the full graph. ComfyUI tips it if you’ll add many custom nodes, since ComfyUI-Manager searches, installs and updates them, and SwarmUI’s docs describe no such manager.
- You know AUTOMATIC1111’s web UI and rely on its extensions: Forge Neo.
- Nothing should leave your computer: SwarmUI documents that it sends no usage data. InvokeAI’s cloud models only run once you add an API key, the access code a provider such as OpenAI gives your account, and Forge Neo’s README describes no online features. In Comfy Desktop, untick the usage data box during setup.
Our picks
Also considered
- Fooocus
A simple prompt-and-generate app that many guides still recommend, but its README says it now gets bug fixes only, and it runs only Stable Diffusion XL models, so newer families such as Flux aren’t available.
- Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge
The original Forge hasn’t had a code change since June 2025. Forge Neo, ranked above, continues it with newer models.
- AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion web UI
The web UI that Forge and Forge Neo grew from hasn’t had a code change since July 2024. Forge Neo keeps its interface and extensions and adds newer models.
- Krita AI Diffusion
A plugin for the Krita painting app rather than an app of its own. If you already paint in Krita, it brings generation into your existing canvas.
- Stability Matrix
A package manager that installs and updates apps such as ComfyUI, Forge and Fooocus, with a generation screen of its own. We ranked the apps it installs rather than the manager.
Questions
How much graphics memory do I need to generate images locally?
ComfyUI’s README says even large models run on a card with 4GB of VRAM and 8GB of system memory, by streaming the model in pieces. InvokeAI’s requirements page says cards with less VRAM than it recommends still work, a bit more slowly. More VRAM mostly buys speed and room for bigger models.
Do these apps work without an internet connection?
For generating, yes, once your models are downloaded. ComfyUI’s README says its core downloads nothing unless you ask, and the --offline flag also turns off the paid partner nodes. SwarmUI’s privacy page says it updates its ComfyUI backend and custom nodes from GitHub by default and shows how to switch that off; SwarmUI itself updates only when you ask. InvokeAI’s optional cloud models are the exception, since they call online services with your own API keys.
How we scored
Every score cites quotes from each product's own documentation, website and release notes, or from trusted third parties, captured in November 2026. Each criterion counts the same, and a criterion the evidence doesn't cover is shown as "?" and left out of that product's overall score.
ComfyUI’s setup and privacy scores are for Comfy Desktop, the install its README recommends to new users. Forge Neo is the neo branch of the sd-webui-forge-classic repository on GitHub.
