InvokeAI
Verified Oct 15, 2026 ActiveOpen-source local studio for Flux, SDXL and SD 1.5 image generation with canvas layers and node workflows
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- 100% Free
Free and open source under Apache 2.0 with no paid product on the site; real costs are your own GPU or a rented one. The site asks for sponsorship rather than selling a plan.
Use tool ↗About InvokeAI
InvokeAI is a free, Apache-2.0 image generation studio you install on your own machine, wrapping models like Flux, SDXL and SD 1.5 in a layer-based canvas with inpainting, regional control and node-based workflows. Everything runs locally for privacy, with Docker installs and rented-GPU options for people without suitable hardware. The founding team's commercial hosted edition wound down after they joined Adobe in 2025, and the project is now community-maintained. It suits artists and studios who want repeatable, editable pipelines rather than one-shot prompting.
- API
- Not confirmed
- Last verified
- Oct 15, 2026
Verified sources
- Home page: free, open-source, self-hosted, Apache 2.0 licensed; layer-based canvas, node workflows, Flux/SDXL/SD 1.5 support; 'Become a Sponsor' instead of a pricing page (15 October 2026)invoke.ai ↗
- GitHub repository active: latest release v6.14.2 published 27 September 2026, last push 15 October 2026, Apache-2.0, about 28,600 stars (15 October 2026)github.com ↗
Is InvokeAI legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- Domain registered
- Dec 16, 2017 (8 years ago)Registry record (RDAP), registrar NameCheap, Inc., looked up Sep 11, 2026
- TLS certificate
- Issued by Google Trust Services, valid until Dec 30, 2026Seen in our own connection to the site on Oct 15, 2026
- Last checked
- Oct 15, 2026The site answered
- On the market since
- 2022The vendor's own material, read by us
Pros & cons of InvokeAI
The most artist-friendly of the open local generation UIs, pairing a real layered canvas with node workflows and full privacy on your own hardware. The catch is that it is now a community-run project — the founding company effectively exited to Adobe — so support and release pace depend on volunteers.
Pros
- Apache 2.0 license with no usage fees at all
- Layered canvas plus node graph covers both artists and technicians
- Runs fully local — nothing leaves your machine
- Supports current open model families including Flux
Cons
- Community maintenance since the 2025 Adobe move adds roadmap uncertainty
- Installation and model management still demand technical comfort
- No official hosted option remains for casual use
Best for
- Artists who want layer-and-canvas editing around diffusion models
- Studios keeping generation on-premises for IP reasons
- Users building repeatable node workflows instead of prompt roulette
Not for
- People without a capable GPU who won't rent one
- Beginners wanting a zero-setup hosted generator
Watch out: The commercial hosted edition was discontinued after the founding team joined Adobe; the GitHub Pages URL now redirects to invoke.ai, which serves the community project.
Alternatives to InvokeAI
PNGAI69Generates PNG images from text prompts using the Flux model, with a separate tool for describing existing images.Not rated yetFrom $10/moInvokeAI head-to-head
Side-by-side fact sheets against the competitors our research or their makers name — pricing, platforms, API and both verdicts on one page.
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