ComfyUI vs DiffusionBee (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ComfyUI grades higher than DiffusionBee: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
ComfyUI grades higher on features and platforms. DiffusionBee grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ComfyUI
Open-source node editor for image and video AI workflows, plus a cloud
Which one is for you
Pick ComfyUI if
- Fits if you want full control of every step of an image or video pipeline
- Works for people with a capable GPU who would rather not pay a subscription
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to type a prompt and get a picture, as the node graph takes learning
- Tight if your computer is weak: Windows wants an NVIDIA or AMD GPU and the Mac app is Apple Silicon only
- Watch out: partner models like Nano Banana are paid in Comfy credits, even when you run locally
- Watch out: cloud runs stop at 30 minutes (1 hour on Pro), and your own models and LoRAs need Creator
Pick DiffusionBee if
- Fits if you have an Apple silicon Mac and want to make images free and offline
- Works for people who would train a small custom model on their own pictures
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows, Linux or a phone, since only macOS is offered
- Tight if you have an Intel Mac, which the FAQ calls very slow without a dedicated graphics chip
- Tight if you have an 8GB Mac, where one image takes about 30 seconds
- Watch out: generated images are tied to the CreativeML Open RAIL-M license
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAComfyUIVery good | 2.8GPADiffusionBeeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe desktop program is free and open source with no feature limits, which counts as free and substantial. Comfy Cloud starts at $16 a month billed yearly. | AThe whole app is free and runs locally on your Mac, which counts as free and substantial. No paid plans are listed on the site. |
| Free plan and trial | AComfyUI Desktop is free to run on your own hardware, offline after setup, with no cap. Cloud gives new users 5 free GPU runs. | AFree outright, with no paid plan listed and no cap beyond how fast your Mac is. |
| Features | BNode workflows, open and partner models, 5,000+ community extensions, a cloud, an agent and an API. Nothing in the core job is missing, though Team's shared workflows are still coming soon. | CText to image, image to image, generative fill, upscaler, variants, local training and video tools. A local Stable Diffusion app, with output tied to the CreativeML Open RAIL-M license. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You wire up nodes and models yourself, and local use needs a GPU and some setup. | BNo store rating on record. You download it and start generating, with nothing to set up, though Intel Macs are very slow. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac and Linux desktop apps, a browser cloud, an API and links to Photoshop, Blender, Nuke, Houdini, Civitai and Hugging Face. No phone app is listed. | DmacOS only, version 13.1 or later. No Windows, Linux, phone, web or API is listed. |
| Best for | node-based image and video workflows | free Stable Diffusion on a Mac |
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: ComfyUI and DiffusionBee. How we grade
Price against what you get
ComfyUI starts at $16 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. DiffusionBee has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
ComfyUI scores higher, and starts $16 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, 29 score higher than ComfyUI for less, and none scores higher than DiffusionBee 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
- ComfyUI is open source, according to its own site.
- ComfyUI also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| ComfyUI | DiffusionBee | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) for Comfy Cloud | Free |
| Free plan | ComfyUI Desktop is free and open source to run on your own hardware with no feature limits. Comfy Cloud gives new users 5 free GPU runs and free Agent credits. | The site's meta description calls the app completely free of charge; no paid plans are shown. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Comfy Org | DiffusionBee |
| Price read from | comfy.org | diffusionbee.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ComfyUI
- The Windows desktop app recommends an NVIDIA or AMD GPU, and the Mac app supports Apple Silicon only.
- Cloud runs stop at 30 minutes (1 hour on Pro), and importing your own models or LoRAs needs Creator or above.
- Partner models such as Nano Banana are paid in Comfy credits, even when ComfyUI runs on your own machine.
- On the Team plan, shared workflows, shared assets and projects are listed as coming soon.
DiffusionBee
- Only a macOS download is offered; the FAQ says macOS 13.1 or later is required.
- Apple silicon is recommended; the FAQ says Intel Macs work but are very slow without a dedicated graphics chip.
- On an 8GB M1 MacBook Air the FAQ puts one image at around 30 seconds.
- Use of generated images is tied to the CreativeML Open RAIL-M license, per the FAQ.
Key features
ComfyUI
- Node-based workflows
- Chain models, prompts, samplers and other steps into a visual graph that can be saved, shared and rerun, with control over each setting.
- Open and partner models
- Run open models such as Wan 2.2, Flux, LTX and Qwen Image Edit locally, or call partner models like Nano Banana Pro, Seedance 2.0 and GPT Image 2 with credits.
- Community extensions
- Install from more than 5,000 community extensions adding 60,000+ nodes, or write your own custom nodes.
- Comfy Cloud
- Run ComfyUI in a browser on 96GB RTX PRO 6000 GPUs with 900+ preinstalled models, paying only for active GPU time and queuing up to 100 workflows.
- Comfy Agent
- Describe the result you want and the agent plans, builds and runs the workflow on the canvas, charging its language-model use to your credits.
- Comfy API
- Deploy a workflow as a production API, with GPU time billed by the second, for example $3.49 an hour on an RTX PRO 6000.
DiffusionBee
- Text to image and image to image
- Generate images from prompts or transform an existing image with a prompt.
- Generative fill
- Add or remove objects in a selected region of an image.
- Upscaler and variants
- Sharpen and enlarge images, or generate several variants of one image.
- Model training
- Train a custom model on your own images, which the site says happens fully locally.
- Video tools
- A set of tools for generating animations and videos.
Plans
ComfyUI
ComfyUI Desktop$0
The full open-source engine on your own computer and GPU, offline after setup; partner models such as Nano Banana use paid credits.
Standard$16
per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Comfy Cloud with 50,400 credits a year (about 4,560 five-second videos), 30-minute runs, 4 Agent sessions, 5 API builds and 2 deployments.
Creator$28
per month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
88,800 credits a year, importing your own models and LoRAs, and 6 Agent sessions per workspace.
Pro$80
per month, billed annually ($100 billed monthly)
253,200 credits a year, runs up to 1 hour, 8 Agent sessions, 10 API builds and 5 deployments of up to 10 workers.
Team$630
per month, billed annually ($700 billed monthly)
1,772,400 credits a year in a shared pool, up to 50 members with roles, 16 Agent sessions and 20 API deployments.
EnterpriseCustom
More members, higher Agent limits and custom features, arranged with sales.
DiffusionBee
Free$0
The whole app, run locally on your Mac. No paid plans are listed on the site.
Ways to pay less
ComfyUI
- Annual discount
Up to 20% off Comfy Cloud billed yearly
Yearly billing takes Standard from $20 to $16 a month, Creator from $35 to $28 and Pro from $100 to $80; Team saves 10%.
DiffusionBee
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ComfyUI or DiffusionBee?
As of Nov 12, 2026, DiffusionBee is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $16 a month for ComfyUI. ComfyUI starts at $16 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) for Comfy Cloud, and DiffusionBee is free.
Which has a free plan, ComfyUI or DiffusionBee?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both ComfyUI and DiffusionBee have a free plan.
Which platforms do ComfyUI and DiffusionBee run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only ComfyUI lists a web app and Windows and Linux apps. Both list a macOS 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.