Invoke (InvokeAI) is a free, open source image generation app with a professional, Photoshop-like interface. It has a unified canvas where you paint, inpaint, outpaint and regenerate regions on layers, a model manager that installs models from Hugging Face or Civitai by link, and a workflow editor for node graphs when you want them. The Community Edition is the free local app; the company also sells a hosted version, which is why the app feels more finished than most.

Invoke suits artists, designers and anyone who wants to work on an image rather than just generate one. It is also one of the easiest installs with a proper launcher for Windows, Mac and Linux. Power users who need the latest experimental models or video will still want ComfyUI next to it.

No install required - run AI models on the cloud

BitVector Prism is the easiest way to start: pick a model, type a prompt and generate in a clean web app, with nothing to configure. BitVector is also available on Discord and on the web (SpyGlass).

Try BitVector

What you need

Windows 10 or 11, macOS 12 or later (Apple Silicon recommended) or Linux. NVIDIA GPU with 6 GB VRAM (8 GB for SDXL, 12 GB or more for Flux); AMD on Linux with ROCm; Apple Silicon through MPS with 16 GB unified memory or more. About 10 GB for the program plus your models.

How to get and install Invoke (InvokeAI)

Download the Invoke Community Edition launcher for your system from the official site (invoke.com) or the GitHub releases.
Run the launcher, choose an install folder on a drive with space, pick your GPU type and let it install. It handles Python and PyTorch for you.
Start Invoke from the launcher. The browser interface opens at http://127.0.0.1:9090.
Open the Model Manager (the cube icon). Use Starter Models to install SD 1.5, SDXL or Flux with one click, or paste a Civitai or Hugging Face link, or scan a folder of your existing checkpoints.
Updates are done in the launcher; it keeps your models and settings.

Download only from the official links on this page. Installers found elsewhere may be out of date or tampered with. ModelTrends.ai hosts no files.

No install required - run AI models on the cloud

PirateDiffusion is Telegram only and built for pros: thousands of models, LoRAs and workflows driven by chat commands, with unlimited generation on a fixed price plan.

Try PirateDiffusion

How to use Invoke (InvokeAI)

Choose a model in the left panel, write your prompt and negative prompt, set the size and press Invoke to generate to the gallery.
Add a LoRA from the LoRA section in the left panel, adjust its weight and include the trigger words from the model page in your prompt.
Switch to the Canvas to work on an image: select a region with the bounding box, paint a mask and press Invoke to inpaint only that area.
Drag the bounding box outside the image and generate to outpaint; Invoke blends the new area with the old one.
Use Control Layers to add ControlNet guidance (canny, depth, pose) or IP-Adapter reference images, and Regional Guidance to give different prompts to different areas.
Right click any gallery image to recall its prompt and settings, upscale it, or send it to the canvas.

Tips and common problems

Flux in Invoke needs the quantized versions on cards under 24 GB; the starter models include a suitable one.
If models from another app are not detected, use Scan Folder in the Model Manager and tick in-place so they are not copied.
The Workflows tab gives you ComfyUI-style nodes inside Invoke for repeatable pipelines.
Low on VRAM? Lower the canvas bounding box size and let Invoke upscale the final result instead.

Models you can run in Invoke (InvokeAI)

Invoke runs Stable Diffusion 1.5, SDXL (including Pony and Illustrious) and Flux checkpoints and LoRAs from this catalog, plus ControlNet and IP-Adapter models. It does not run the video models.

Flux Models

Stable Diffusion XL 1.0 Models

Stable Diffusion 1.5 Models

No install required - run AI models on the cloud

No GPU, no downloads, no Python. These services run the same open source models on their own servers, so you can start generating from a browser, Discord or Telegram in a minute.

Try BitVector

Try PirateDiffusion

Links

These links go to the makers' own sites. ModelTrends.ai is not affiliated with them and does not host any software.

Other local apps

How to install ComfyUI

The node-based powerhouse for Stable Diffusion, Flux, Wan video and almost every new open source model. Free, open source, for Windows, Mac and Linux.