Stable Diffusion (Stability AI) review

Stable Diffusion is the open option for people who want to own their setup. Stability AI's Community License lets individuals and organizations with under $1M in annual revenue use the Core Models for research, non-commercial and commercial work without a fee, and the FAQ tells home creators directly that they do not need to pay. Stable Diffusion 3.5 comes in Large, Large Turbo and Medium versions, and Medium is designed to run on consumer hardware. If you do not want to host anything, the API charges in credits at $0.01 each: Stable Image Core costs 3 credits, SD 3.5 Large 6.5 and Stable Image Ultra 8, and new accounts get 25 free credits. Editing endpoints cover object removal, inpainting, outpainting, background removal and relighting, and the Stable Assistant web app offers the models in a browser. The cost is effort. Self-hosting needs a capable GPU and setup time, and the experience is far less polished than ChatGPT or Canva. For tinkerers on a budget, the value is hard to beat.

Who it is for

Tinkerers and small businesses who want to run open models on their own hardware.

Price

Free to self-host under the Community License below $1M annual revenue; API credits at $0.01 each, from 3 credits per Stable Image Core image.

API usage is based on credits. 1 credit = $0.01.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large, Large Turbo and Medium models
• Medium is designed to run on consumer hardware
• API image editing: erase, inpaint, outpaint, remove background, search and replace
• Control tools for sketch, structure and style guidance
• Stable Assistant web app for using the models without code

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free commercial use of Core Models for individuals and businesses under $1M revenue
• Strength: API images from 3 credits, or $0.03, with Stable Image Core
• Strength: 25 free API credits to start
• Weakness: Self-hosting needs a capable GPU and technical setup
• Weakness: Organizations above $1M revenue need an Enterprise License
• Weakness: No design workspace for non-technical users outside Stable Assistant

Key facts

• License: Community License, free under $1M annual revenue
• API credit: $0.01 per credit
• Flagship API model: Stable Image Ultra, 8 credits

Where it ranks

Stable Diffusion (Stability AI) is No. 10 in our Best AI Image Generators verdict.