Civitai
Still the largest public library of open image checkpoints and LoRAs, and the reproduction metadata attached to sample images is what makes it more useful than a file host. But the last two years have been about payment processors and content policy rather than models, and anyone depending on it should understand that the platform's commercial plumbing and its catalogue have both been reshaped by outside pressure.
Pros
- Sample images carry prompts and generation settings, so results can actually be reproduced
- The on-site generator removes the local-hardware barrier entirely
- A documented developer API exists for pulling model metadata and files
- Membership Buzz allowances scale linearly, so the tiers are easy to reason about
Cons
- Card processing was cut off in May 2025, leaving crypto as the practical route to buying Buzz
- Model licences are set per upload by uploaders, so commercial terms vary file by file
- Repeated policy purges have removed categories of content and, with them, some users' libraries
- Two domains now exist, which splits the catalogue and the community