ComfyUI vs InvokeAI
Short answer
ComfyUI: Node-based engine for generating images, video, 3D and audio with open models. InvokeAI: Creative studio for AI image (and video) generation with canvas, layers and workflows. Both are in our Image & media generation category.
Choose ComfyUI if you want: larger community (142k vs 28.8k GitHub stars).
Choose InvokeAI if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Copyleft (GPL)).
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
ComfyUI vs InvokeAI side by side
| ComfyUI | InvokeAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Image & media generation | Image & media generation |
| What it is | Node-based engine for generating images, video, 3D and audio with open models. | Creative studio for AI image (and video) generation with canvas, layers and workflows. |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Copyleft (GPL) | Permissive |
| License conditions | Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. Each model has its own license; check before commercial use. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. Each model has its own license; check before commercial use. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 142k | 28.8k |
| Last commit | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Latest release | v0.42.1 | v6.14.2 |
| Minimum hardware | 8 GB RAM | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | The README claims it can run even the largest open models on as little as 4 GB VRAM plus 8 GB RAM using weight streaming. NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Apple Silicon and Ascend are supported. | Nvidia GPUs with compute capability 7.5+ (GTX 16xx, RTX 20xx and later, driver R580+), AMD via ROCm and Intel Arc are supported; Apple Silicon works with 16 GB+ memory recommended. Linux ARM64 runs CPU-only, where local generation is slow. |
| Est. server cost | GPU server (not estimated) | GPU server (not estimated) |
| Deploy method | Desktop app or manual install | Docker (Nvidia GPU) |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | Not documented |
| Calls home by default | No (documented) | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Not supported (OIDC not supported) |
| Audit log | Not documented | No |
| RBAC | Not documented | Yes, free |
| Details | Full ComfyUI guide → | Full InvokeAI guide → |
Key differences
- License: ComfyUI: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). InvokeAI: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: ComfyUI: minimum 8 GB RAM. InvokeAI: not published.
- Deploy: ComfyUI: Desktop app or manual install · Desktop app or manual install. InvokeAI: Docker (Nvidia GPU) · single container.
- GitHub stars: ComfyUI: 142k. InvokeAI: 28.8k.
- Latest release: ComfyUI: v0.42.1 (Oct 19, 2026). InvokeAI: v6.14.2 (Sep 27, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Image & media generation; GPU: needed for practical use; Est. server cost: GPU server (not estimated); Status: Active; Last commit: Oct 23, 2026.
ComfyUI vs InvokeAI: FAQ
ComfyUI or InvokeAI: which should a small business choose?
Choose ComfyUI if you want: larger community (142k vs 28.8k GitHub stars). Choose InvokeAI if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Copyleft (GPL)).
Which is cheaper to self-host, ComfyUI or InvokeAI?
ComfyUI: GPU server (not estimated). InvokeAI: GPU server (not estimated). Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do ComfyUI and InvokeAI need?
ComfyUI: minimum 8 GB RAM. InvokeAI: not published. ComfyUI and InvokeAI needs a GPU for practical use.
What is the license difference between ComfyUI and InvokeAI?
ComfyUI: GPL-3.0 (Copyleft (GPL)). Free to use internally and commercially. If you distribute a modified version, you must release its source under GPL-3.0. Each model has its own license; check before commercial use. InvokeAI: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. Each model has its own license; check before commercial use. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is ComfyUI or InvokeAI more actively maintained?
ComfyUI: Active, last commit Oct 23, 2026. InvokeAI: Active, last commit Oct 23, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 23, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, ComfyUI or InvokeAI?
ComfyUI installs via Desktop app or manual install (Desktop app or manual install); InvokeAI via Docker (Nvidia GPU) (single container). ComfyUI lists 2 known gotchas and InvokeAI lists 4; see each app page.
Related
Sources
- ComfyUI GitHub repository: github.com/Comfy-Org/ComfyUI
- ComfyUI documentation, ComfyUI hardware requirements, ComfyUI deploy instructions: github.com/Comfy-Org/ComfyUI#readme
- ComfyUI license: github.com/Comfy-Org/ComfyUI/blob/master/LICENSE
- InvokeAI GitHub repository: github.com/invoke-ai/InvokeAI
- InvokeAI documentation: invoke.ai/
- InvokeAI license: github.com/invoke-ai/InvokeAI/blob/main/LICENSE
- InvokeAI hardware requirements: invoke.ai/start-here/system-requirements/
- InvokeAI deploy instructions: invoke.ai/configuration/docker/
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.