Bottom line: ComfyUI is free, open-source software that builds AI image, video and audio generation as a chain of connected nodes you control step by step — and running it on your own computer costs $0, with no subscription, no credits and no watermark. The trade is real: you need your own capable graphics card and a tolerance for a technical interface. Comfy Cloud, the optional hosted version, starts with 5 free runs and then costs $20 a month and up — and its plan credits do not roll over.
What does ComfyUI actually do?
Most AI image tools give you a prompt box. ComfyUI gives you a graph. Each stage of generation — load a model, encode the prompt, sample, upscale, save — is a node you can see, rewire, reuse and share as a workflow file. That is why it became the power user’s standard for models like Stable Diffusion, SDXL and Flux, and increasingly for video models such as Wan 2.2: a workflow that works once can be run a hundred times with the same settings, and workflows are traded across the community like recipes.
It is a different bargain from the hosted generators we cover. ImageFX is Google’s completely free prompt-and-go generator, and Krea AI gives you hosted daily credits — both are easier. Tensor.Art runs community models in the cloud on daily credits. ComfyUI is what you graduate to when you want the model, the sampler and the pipeline itself under your control, on your machine.
What is actually free, and what costs money?
| Way to use it | Price | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| ComfyUI locally (Comfy Desktop or manual install) | $0 | Full open-source software under GPL-3.0; Comfy Desktop itself is free, per Comfy’s pricing page; runs on your own GPU; no credits, no feature gates |
| Comfy Cloud trial | $0 | 5 free runs on real GPUs, no credit card required — a trial, not a monthly allowance |
| Comfy Cloud Standard | $20/month, or $16/month billed yearly | Monthly credit pool; 30-minute max runtime per workflow; 1 concurrent API job; cannot import your own models |
| Comfy Cloud Creator | $35/month, or $28/month billed yearly | Adds importing your own models and LoRAs; 3 concurrent API jobs |
| Comfy Cloud Pro | $100/month, or $80/month billed yearly | Runtime up to 1 hour per workflow; 5 concurrent API jobs |
| Partner Nodes (proprietary models inside a workflow) | Draws credits | Models such as Nano Banana Pro bill from the same credit pool, on Cloud and on Desktop |
Checked on Comfy’s official pricing page, November 8, 2026.
On the cloud, credits buy active GPU time, not generations: Comfy’s own reference point is roughly 11 credits for a five-second video using the Wan 2.2 image-to-video template at default settings. Building and editing a workflow costs nothing — you are never charged for idle time, only while a job is actually running. Comfy Agent, the describe-it-and-it-builds-the-workflow assistant, works on every plan and new users get free credits to try it.
What the pricing page doesn’t make obvious
Cloud credits expire on schedule, and the tiers gate your own models. Comfy’s pricing FAQ states plainly that plan credits reset at the end of each billing cycle and do not roll over; only top-up credits persist, and those stay valid for one year. Annual plans get the whole year of credits up front, which softens the monthly reset but not the principle. Second: the $20 Standard plan cannot import your own models or LoRAs at all — that starts at Creator — so the cheapest cloud tier locks you to the hosted model library. Third: “free locally” still has metered corners. Partner Nodes for proprietary models draw credits even when you run them from the free Desktop app, and refunds are not automatic: Comfy reviews refund requests case by case through a support ticket. None of this touches the core deal — the local software is fully free — but cloud buyers should budget credits as use-it-or-lose-it.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Completely free and open source for local use — the full engine, no trial, no watermark, no generation cap
- Total pipeline control: models, samplers, upscalers and post-steps are visible, reusable workflow nodes
- Runs image, video and audio models locally, so generations stay on your machine
- Huge community workflow library, plus an optional cloud if you lack a GPU (5 free runs to test it)
Cons
- Steep learning curve — a node graph is power, not simplicity
- Local use needs a capable GPU; large image and video models want serious VRAM, and that hardware is the real cost
- Comfy Cloud plan credits do not roll over, and Standard cannot import your own models
- Partner Nodes for proprietary models cost credits even inside the free Desktop app
Who is ComfyUI best for?
Creators, developers and tinkerers who generate a lot, want repeatable pipelines, or want local, private generation on hardware they already own — especially anyone hitting the credit ceilings of hosted tools. It is a poor first tool if you just want a picture from a prompt: start with a hosted free generator and come to ComfyUI when you outgrow the prompt box.
Frequently asked questions
Is ComfyUI really free?
Yes, locally. The software is open source under GPL-3.0 and Comfy Desktop is free. You pay only if you choose Comfy Cloud GPU time or use metered Partner Nodes for proprietary models.
Do I need a good graphics card for ComfyUI?
For local use, yes — generation runs on your GPU, and bigger image and video models need more VRAM. If you do not own a suitable card, Comfy Cloud runs the same interface on Comfy’s GPUs, starting with 5 free runs.
Do Comfy Cloud credits roll over?
No. Plan credits reset at the end of each billing cycle. Top-up credits are the exception: they persist and stay valid for one year from purchase.
Can I use my own models on Comfy Cloud?
Not on Standard. Importing your own models and LoRAs — for example from Civitai or Hugging Face — starts on the Creator plan at $35 a month ($28 billed yearly). Locally, your own models are unrestricted and free.
Verdict: ComfyUI is the strongest free deal in AI generation if you own a GPU: unlimited, unwatermarked, fully controllable generation at $0. Treat Comfy Cloud as a rental GPU with expiring credits — useful, but read the rollover and model-import lines before you subscribe.