ComfyUI vs InvokeAI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ai image generation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
ComfyUI
Node-based interface for Stable Diffusion image generation
VS
InvokeAI
Professional creative engine for Stable Diffusion
| Feature | ComfyUI | InvokeAI |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI Image Generation | AI Image Generation |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 124,689 | ★ 27,783 |
| First released | 2023 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Midjourney, DALL-E | Midjourney, Adobe Firefly |
Why pick each one
Choose ComfyUI if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 124.7k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Choose InvokeAI if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 27.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is ComfyUI or InvokeAI better?
Neither is universally better. ComfyUI has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ComfyUI and InvokeAI free and open-source?
Yes. ComfyUI is licensed under GPL-3.0 and InvokeAI under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ComfyUI and InvokeAI with Docker?
ComfyUI: yes. InvokeAI: yes.