Search for any of these and you land on roughly the same handful of pages: fooocus vs automatic1111, comfyui vs automatic1111, fooocus vs comfyui. All three questions come down to the same tradeoff: how much manual control do you want over Stable Diffusion, and how much time are you willing to spend learning it. ComfyUI gives you the most control through a node graph and currently has the best support for newer models like Flux.1. AUTOMATIC1111 built the extension ecosystem the other two still borrow from, but it's been largely stalled since mid-2024. Fooocus skips the whole question and just asks for a prompt, and it's the one we package with a hosted API on AWS.
This isn't a ranking where one tool wins outright. It's three different bets on where your time goes: learning a workflow graph, learning a parameter panel, or not learning anything at all. Here's the honest breakdown, including which of the three has actually kept shipping updates.
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How to choose between Fooocus, ComfyUI, and AUTOMATIC1111
Three questions cover most of it:
- Do you want to build a workflow, or just describe one? ComfyUI's node graph lets you wire together the exact pipeline you want, chaining models, ControlNet, upscalers, whatever the job needs, and save it as a reusable file. Fooocus assumes you don't want to build anything at all, just describe the image.
- Do you need the newest model architectures? ComfyUI adds support for new architectures like Flux.1 fastest, because its node system doesn't need a full rewrite to add one. AUTOMATIC1111 hasn't kept pace. Fooocus support depends on the build you're running.
- Do you need an API, or is a browser tab enough? Fooocus is the one we've packaged with a working hosted API. ComfyUI can run in a headless API mode too and is a common backend for other products, but you're standing that up yourself. AUTOMATIC1111 needs an extension for API access.
1. Fooocus: describe the image, skip the parameters
Fooocus is GPLv3 licensed and built on ideas borrowed from both AUTOMATIC1111 and ComfyUI, but it hides nearly all of that complexity behind a single prompt box. There's no sampler dropdown to second-guess, the goal, in the project's own words, is that manual tweaking isn't needed. We package it as an AWS AMI with a hosted API included, so unlike a purely interactive tool, it's built for automation too, not just clicking through a browser tab.
Key features
- Prompt-only workflow, automatic tuning of the parameters the other two expose manually
- GPLv3 licensed, drawing on both AUTOMATIC1111 and ComfyUI's foundations
- Hosted API included in the Meetrix AMI, for automated or programmatic generation
- Actively maintained, though Flux.1 support depends on the specific build
2. ComfyUI: a node graph instead of a form
ComfyUI is GPL-3.0 licensed and, unlike the other two, isn't a page of buttons, it's a node graph. Loading a checkpoint, encoding a prompt, sampling, saving the image, each step is its own node, and you wire them into a pipeline you can save, share, and reuse as a JSON file. That's a genuine learning curve, but 2026 closed part of the gap: a native Desktop app now handles install and updates through a GUI, and App Mode lets you turn a finished workflow into a shareable app that someone else can run without ever touching the node graph. Comfy-Org/ComfyUI has crossed roughly 110,000 GitHub stars, and it's usually the first UI to support a new model architecture, which is why it currently has the strongest Flux.1 support of the three.
Key features
- Node/graph workflow editor, wire together the exact pipeline you need
- GPL-3.0 licensed, roughly 110,000 GitHub stars on Comfy-Org/ComfyUI
- Fastest of the three to support new model architectures, including Flux.1
- 2026 Desktop app and App Mode lower the install and sharing barrier
3. AUTOMATIC1111: the biggest library, the slowest release cycle
AUTOMATIC1111's Stable Diffusion WebUI is AGPL-3.0 licensed and, at over 164,000 GitHub stars, still the most starred Stable Diffusion interface that exists. It's a single-page GUI, tabs and dropdowns for every parameter, samplers, CFG scale, step count, with years of extensions built on top of it. The honest catch: its last major release shipped in mid-2024, a minor 1.10.1 update landed in February 2025, and since then it's been maintenance patches only. No new-architecture support means no Flux.1, which is the biggest reason ComfyUI has become the default recommendation for anyone chasing current-generation models.
Key features
- Every Stable Diffusion parameter exposed in a single-page GUI
- The largest extension and plugin library of any Stable Diffusion UI
- AGPL-3.0 licensed, over 164,000 GitHub stars
- No major release since mid-2024, no support for newer architectures like Flux.1
ComfyUI vs AUTOMATIC1111: the real gap is release velocity
Star count alone makes AUTOMATIC1111 look like the safe default, and for years it was. But popularity and development pace aren't the same thing. ComfyUI shipped a native desktop installer, an App Mode for turning workflows into shareable apps, and kept adding Flux.1 and SD3 support through 2026. AUTOMATIC1111's changelog has been quiet since its February 2025 patch. If you're choosing a UI specifically to stay current with new model releases, that gap matters more than either project's star count.
Fooocus vs ComfyUI vs AUTOMATIC1111: feature comparison
| Feature | Fooocus | ComfyUI | AUTOMATIC1111 |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | GPLv3 | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Interface style | Prompt-only, automated tuning | Node/graph workflow editor | Full manual parameter GUI |
| Extension ecosystem | Small, growing | Large custom-node ecosystem (ComfyUI-Manager) | Largest of any Stable Diffusion UI |
| Newer model support (e.g. Flux.1) | Depends on build | Best of the three, first to support new architectures | Not supported |
| Hosted API available | Yes, included in our AMI | Headless/API mode, not a managed hosted option | Via extensions, not built in |
| Active development | Yes | Yes, Desktop app and App Mode shipped in 2026 | No major release since mid-2024 |
| Install complexity | Low, under 3 clicks to first image | High node-graph learning curve, easier install since the 2026 Desktop app | Moderate, more configuration to learn |
Why we run Fooocus with a hosted API
Most people who come to us wanting Stable Diffusion aren't trying to master a node graph or a parameter panel. They want good images generated reliably, often from code rather than a browser tab. That's why we package Fooocus specifically, with a hosted API included, on AWS. If ComfyUI's node-based control is the more interesting question for your use case, our Fooocus API configuration guide covers the API-focused build-out we run instead, and if you're weighing Fooocus against the simplest possible one-click alternative to AUTOMATIC1111, we cover that in a separate Fooocus vs Easy Diffusion vs AUTOMATIC1111 breakdown.
Our Fooocus developer guide covers the full setup, with AWS and GCP install guides for both clouds.
Where I'd start
Want the most control and the best shot at running whatever model shipped this month: ComfyUI, and don't let the node graph scare you off, the 2026 Desktop app makes installing it painless even if the workflow itself still takes a weekend to learn. Need one specific extension from the biggest library available and don't need Flux.1: AUTOMATIC1111, eyes open about its stalled release cycle. Want a good image from a prompt with no setup and an API for automation: Fooocus, the one we run.
All three are free, open source, and genuinely capable. The wrong choice isn't picking any of them, it's picking based on GitHub stars instead of whether you actually want to build a workflow or just describe one.
Frequently Asked Questions
ComfyUI vs AUTOMATIC1111: which one is actually still getting updates?
ComfyUI. It shipped a native desktop app and an App Mode for turning workflows into shareable apps in 2026, and it's usually first to support new model architectures like Flux.1. AUTOMATIC1111 hasn't had a major release since mid-2024, just a minor 1.10.1 patch in February 2025.
Fooocus vs ComfyUI: which is easier to learn?
Fooocus, by a wide margin. It's a single prompt box with no parameters to configure. ComfyUI is a node graph, powerful once you understand it, but a real learning curve even with the 2026 Desktop app smoothing out installation.
What is the best stable diffusion ui for running Flux.1 or other new models?
ComfyUI. Its node-based architecture lets new model support ship as new nodes instead of a full rewrite, so it's typically first to support them. Fooocus support depends on the build you're running, and AUTOMATIC1111 doesn't support Flux.1 at all.
Does ComfyUI have a hosted API like Fooocus?
ComfyUI can run in a headless API mode and is a common backend for other products, but it doesn't ship with a managed hosted API of its own. Fooocus is the one we package with a working hosted API included, on AWS.
Is AUTOMATIC1111 still worth learning in 2026?
If you specifically need an extension from its library, yes, it's still the most documented Stable Diffusion UI ever built. For running current model architectures, ComfyUI has taken over as the practical default.
Fooocus vs Automatic1111 vs ComfyUI: which should I actually pick?
Depends what you're optimizing for. ComfyUI for control and current models, AUTOMATIC1111 for its extension library on older architectures, Fooocus for zero setup plus a hosted API. Most serious users end up with more than one installed.
Launch Fooocus with a Hosted API on AWS
Launch a pre-configured Fooocus server on AWS with the API already set up, ready to generate images without tuning parameters or managing GPU drivers yourself.
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