Stability AI
Stable Diffusion image models to self-host or call through an API
Stability AI report card
Weak · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for developers building on open image models
Stability AI makes the Stable Diffusion models and sells them to developers: download them and run them yourself, free under $1M in yearly revenue, or call a pay-per-image API. For building image features into a product, that's handy. For a person who just wants pictures, there's no app to open.
Who Stability AI is for
- Great if you're a developer adding image generation and editing to your own app
- Handy when you want to run open image models on your own servers for free
- Good for teams already building on Amazon Bedrock or Azure
Who Stability AI is not for
- Skip it if you just want to type a prompt and get a picture, as there's no app
- Not for you if your company makes over $1M a year, as that needs an Enterprise License priced by sales
- Too light for developers who want video by API, as the price list has none
Why Stability AI gets a 1.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyNothing a person can subscribe to. The models are free to run yourself under $1M yearly revenue, which takes your own hardware, and the API charges $0.025 to $0.08 an image at a cent a credit. Fair, but there's no plan to set against this category's.
- CFree plan and trialThe Community License lets people and companies under $1M a year run the core models free, commercial use included. That needs your own hardware, and the API's free start is 25 credits.
- DFeaturesStrong building blocks: SD 3.5 models, editing, upscaling, sketch and style control, and 3D. But there's no app for a person, and the image page's Start creating link goes to enterprise partnerships, so it needs code or another product to be useful.
- DEase of useNo app and no rating. Using it means calling an API from code or running the models on your own hardware.
- BPlatforms and integrationsAn API plus the models on Amazon Bedrock, SageMaker JumpStart and Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, and downloads for your own machines. No phone or desktop app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Stability AI's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/stability-ai#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/stability-ai.svg" alt="Stability AI: 1.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Stability AI stands among AI image and video generators
Stability AI's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 0 of the 21 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 6 of 21) and worst on features (D, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 AI image and video generators we grade, cut by the letter each got. Stability AI’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 21, level with 12
- CFree plan and trialAbove 3 of 21, level with 15
- DFeaturesAbove 0 of 21
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 21
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 21, level with 15
Keep Stability AI, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Stability AI you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 20 of the 21 other AI image and video generators grade higher.
What you could not
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- A video model, which you can rent by the second but not make.
- It plugs into other products, Amazon Bedrock, Amazon SageMaker JumpStart and Microsoft Azure AI Foundry among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Stability AI’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Stability AI?
Stability AI makes the Stable Diffusion image models, along with video, 3D and audio models. Developers can download the models and run them on their own hardware, free for anyone under $1M in yearly revenue, or call them through a pay-per-use API that adds editing, upscaling and control tools. Larger companies buy an Enterprise License through sales.
Stability AI has a free plan. See every plan
Good for
- Developers adding image generation and editing to their own apps
- Small companies that want to run open image models on their own servers
- Teams already building on Amazon Bedrock or Azure
Worth knowing
- The API is pay per use: 1 credit is $0.01, an image costs 2.5 to 8 credits, and the Creative Upscaler costs 60 credits per image.
- Organizations with more than $1M in yearly revenue need an Enterprise License, priced only through sales.
- The API price list has image, 3D and audio services but no video; Stable Video Diffusion is offered for self-hosting only.
- There is no image app sold to consumers: the image page's "Start creating" link leads to the enterprise partnerships page.
Key features
- Stable Diffusion 3.5 models
- Large, Large Turbo and Medium versions of the image model to download and run yourself; Medium is designed to run on consumer hardware.
- Image generation API
- Stable Image Ultra, Stable Image Core, the Stable Diffusion 3.5 family and SDXL, each billed per image in credits.
- Editing API
- Erase objects, inpaint, outpaint, remove or replace a background and relight, and find an object by name to recolor or replace it.
- Upscaling and control
- Creative, Conservative and Fast upscalers, plus sketch, structure and style tools that guide a new image from one you supply.
- Video and 3D models
- Stable Video Diffusion turns text into short clips for self-hosting; Stable Fast 3D and SPAR3D make 3D assets from one image through the API.
- Cloud partners
- The models are also offered on Amazon Bedrock, Amazon SageMaker JumpStart and Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, and in NVIDIA-optimized versions.
Stability AI pricing
- Starts at
- Not published
- Free plan
- Community License: free self-hosted use of the core models, commercial use included, for people and organizations under $1M in yearly revenue.
- Free trial
- 25 free API credits on sign-up
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Community License | $0 | Run Stable Diffusion 3.5, SDXL Turbo, Stable Fast 3D and Stable Audio 3.0 on your own hardware; for those under $1M in yearly revenue. |
| Enterprise License | Custom | Commercial use above $1M in yearly revenue, with implementation support; custom model training and consulting cost extra. |
Read from stability.ai on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Stability AI before you buy.
Works with
- Amazon Bedrock
- Amazon SageMaker JumpStart
- Microsoft Azure AI Foundry
Stability AI alternatives
- Stability AI vs Ideogram
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Stability AI vs Recraft
Free plan · from $10/mo
- Stability AI vs Leonardo.Ai
Free plan · from $12/mo
- Stability AI vs Midjourney
From $8/mo
Common questions
Is Stability AI free?
Stability AI has a free plan. Community License: free self-hosted use of the core models, commercial use included, for people and organizations under $1M in yearly revenue.
How much does Stability AI cost?
Stability AI lists 2 plans. Community License: $0. Enterprise License: custom pricing. Prices were read from stability.ai on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Stability AI work on?
Stability AI is available on Web.
Does Stability AI have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Stability AI is listed for Web.
Does Stability AI have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Stability AI is listed for Web.
Is Stability AI open source?
Stability AI is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Can Stability AI be self-hosted?
Yes. Stability AI's own site says it can be run on a server of your own.
Does Stability AI have an API?
Yes. Stability AI offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Stability AI integrate with?
Stability AI's listing names Amazon Bedrock, Amazon SageMaker JumpStart and Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Stability AI have a free trial?
Yes. 25 free API credits on sign-up.
Who makes Stability AI?
Stability AI is made by Stability AI Ltd.
What are the alternatives to Stability AI?
The closest alternatives to Stability AI in our directory are FLUX by Black Forest Labs, Ideogram, Recraft, Leonardo.Ai and Midjourney. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Stability AI.
How does Stability AI compare with other AI image and video generators?
Stability AI's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 0 of the 21 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 1. It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 6 of 21) and worst on features (D, above 0).
Could I make my own version of Stability AI?
To replace Stability AI you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 20 of the 21 other AI image and video generators grade higher. What you could not make: An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. A video model, which you can rent by the second but not make. It plugs into other products, Amazon Bedrock, Amazon SageMaker JumpStart and Microsoft Azure AI Foundry among them, and has an API. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.