Civitai vs Leonardo.Ai (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Leonardo.Ai: it is second in our ranking of AI image and video generators, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Leonardo.Ai grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Civitai
Community hub for AI image models, with an on-site generator
Leonardo.Ai
Image, video and 3D generator with its own and partner models
Which one is for you
Pick Civitai if
- Fits if you want to find and download community image models and LoRAs
- Works for creators who would train a LoRA or earn from their models
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to pay by card for extra Buzz, as that is no longer offered on civitai.com
- Watch out: Yellow Buzz is bought with cryptocurrency, and unrestricted content lives on civitai.red
- Watch out: the monthly Buzz on Bronze to Gold is Green Buzz, for PG and PG-13 content only
- Watch out: prices come from Civitai's own guide, which says tiers change over time
Pick Leonardo.Ai if
- Fits if you want images, short video and 3D models under one account
- Works for people who finish designs in Canva and want images sent there
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want everything unlimited, as the slow queue covers selected Leonardo models only and partner models always cost tokens
- Tight if you might cancel, since rollover tokens are lost when you do; Teams plans need 3 seats and sell no top-ups
- Pricey if you buy on iPhone, where the plans run $15.99 to $79.99
- Watch out: the web prices come from a third-party summary of June 5, 2026, as Leonardo's own page turned our reader away
- Skip it if you want private images for free, as free-plan images are visible to all Leonardo users
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACivitaiFair | 3.0GPALeonardo.AiVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBronze is $10 a month, the middle of image-tool prices. Each paid tier gives Green Buzz, which covers only PG and PG-13 content. | CEssential is $12 a month, billed monthly, for 8,500 tokens, private images and a rollover bank of up to 25,500. That's the middle of this category. The figure is from a third-party summary, as Leonardo's page turned our reader away, and the iPhone app sells plans from $15.99. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree accounts upload, download, generate and earn Buzz, with 100 Blue Buzz on sign-up and daily claims. Buzz limits how much you can generate. | B150 tokens every day that reset rather than pile up, which adds up to over half of what Essential gives in a month. Free images are public but can still be used commercially. You get fewer video models, though. |
| Features | CA model and LoRA library, an on-site generator, LoRA training, video and audio engines and creator earnings. Card payments for Buzz are gone, and content rules split across two sites. | BIts own Lucid and Phoenix models next to FLUX, GPT Image, Veo and Kling, video with start and end frames, 3D models from an image, an editor with inpainting and a live sketch canvas, and send-to-Canva. The whole job, images to video to 3D. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Three colours of Buzz, each with its own earning and spending rules, take time to understand. | A4.83 from about 11,100 App Store ratings, the top band. Each model shows its token cost before you generate. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with Civitai Link as the one integration. No desktop or phone app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with an API and one-click hand-off to Canva. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | community AI models and an image generator | images, video and 3D in one app |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Civitai and Leonardo.Ai. How we grade
Price against what you get
Civitai starts at $10 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Leonardo.Ai starts at $12 a month and scores 3.3.
Leonardo.Ai scores higher, and starts $2 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, 26 score higher than Civitai for less, and none scores higher than Leonardo.Ai for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Civitai also covers community.
- Leonardo.Ai also covers video generation.
At a glance
| Civitai | Leonardo.Ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per month (Bronze membership) | $12 per month for 8,500 tokens, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free accounts can upload, download, generate and earn Buzz; new accounts get 100 Blue Buzz. | 150 tokens a day that do not carry over, with fewer video models. Images made on the free plan are public, though they may still be used commercially. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Civitai | Leonardo Interactive Pty Ltd |
| Price read from | education.civitai.com | eesel.ai (not the vendor's own page) |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Civitai
- Per the education guide, buying Buzz by card is no longer available on civitai.com; Yellow Buzz is bought with cryptocurrency.
- Unrestricted content creation now lives on civitai.red, which uses Yellow Buzz, according to the membership guide.
- The monthly grant from Bronze to Gold is Green Buzz, which is for PG and PG-13 content.
- Prices come from Civitai's own education guide; the guide says the membership page is the source of truth and tiers change over time.
Leonardo.Ai
- Web prices come from a third-party summary of June 5, 2026, as Leonardo's pricing page turned away our reader. The iOS app sells the plans for $15.99 to $79.99.
- Unlimited generation starts only after tokens run out, in a slower queue, and covers selected Leonardo models only; other partner models always cost tokens.
- Top-up tokens need an active individual plan and are not sold on Teams plans; rollover tokens are lost if you cancel.
- Private generation needs a paid plan; free-plan images are visible to all Leonardo users.
Key features
Civitai
- Model and LoRA library
- Creators upload checkpoints and LoRAs, and others download them or run them in the on-site generator.
- On-site image generator
- Images are priced in Buzz on a sliding scale based on step count and model architecture.
- LoRA training
- The on-site LoRA trainer lets members train their own models on Civitai's servers, paid for with Buzz.
- Buzz currency
- Buzz comes in Blue, Yellow and Green colors with different rules for earning and spending, and reactions and daily rewards earn free Blue Buzz.
- Creator earnings
- Creators can price model versions or earn a cut when their resources are used in the generator; the Creator Program needs an active membership.
- Video and audio generation
- Civitai's education pages describe video and audio engines in the generator, each priced in Buzz.
Leonardo.Ai
- Own and partner models
- Leonardo's Lucid and Phoenix image models sit beside partner models such as FLUX, GPT Image, Veo and Kling, each with its own token cost shown before you generate.
- Video with start and end frames
- Make clips from text or images, set start and end frames on supported models, and use models that add sound effects and dialogue.
- 3D generation
- Turns an image and up to five reference views into a downloadable 3D model, with choices of mesh type, quality and material.
- Editor, canvas and upscaling
- Change an image by describing the edit, inpaint or extend it on a canvas, turn sketches into images live in Realtime Canvas, and enlarge results with the Pro Upscaler.
- Edit in Canva
- Send a generated image to a Canva account in one click and keep designing there. Available to individual users, not Teams.
- Token rollover
- Unused monthly tokens on paid plans move to a rollover bank holding up to three months' worth, spent after the month's fresh tokens.
Plans
Civitai
Free$0
Upload, download, generate and earn Buzz by taking part; 100 Blue Buzz on sign-up, claimable daily from the generator.
Bronze$10
per month
10,000 Green Buzz a month, 5% bonus on Buzz purchases, 3 private models, 8 images per job, priority support.
Silver$25
per month
25,000 Green Buzz a month, 10% purchase bonus, 10 private models, 10 images per job, premium support.
Gold$50
per month
50,000 Green Buzz a month, 20% purchase bonus, 100 private models, 12 images per job, VIP support.
Leonardo.Ai
Free$0
150 tokens a day that reset every 24 hours; public generations only.
Essential$12
per month for 8,500 tokens, billed monthly
Private generation, a rollover bank of up to 25,500 unused tokens, and top-up token packs.
Premium$30
per month for 25,000 tokens, billed monthly
Unlimited slower image generation on selected Leonardo models once tokens run out; rollover bank of up to 75,000.
Ultimate$60
per month for 60,000 tokens, billed monthly
Unlimited slower image and video generation on selected models; rollover bank of up to 180,000.
Teams Starter$24
per seat / month, billed monthly
25,000 tokens per seat, private team generations and shared collections. Minimum 3 seats.
Teams Growth$48
per seat / month, billed monthly
60,000 tokens per seat and model training on team tokens. Minimum 3 seats.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Civitai or Leonardo.Ai?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Civitai is cheaper to start with: $10 a month, against $12 a month for Leonardo.Ai. Civitai starts at $10 per month (Bronze membership), and Leonardo.Ai starts at $12 per month for 8,500 tokens, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Civitai or Leonardo.Ai?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Civitai and Leonardo.Ai have a free plan.
Which platforms do Civitai and Leonardo.Ai run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Leonardo.Ai lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.