There is no single best ComfyUI model; pick by job and license. For fast images you can use commercially, start with Z-Image Turbo (6B) or FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, both Apache 2.0. For text inside images and editing, use Qwen-Image and Qwen-Image-Edit (20B, Apache 2.0) on a 24 GB-class GPU. FLUX.1 [dev], FLUX.1 Krea and FLUX.2 [dev] are strong but licensed for non-commercial use. For anime, SDXL fine-tunes such as Illustrious-XL keep the largest LoRA ecosystem. For local video, Wan 2.2 (Apache 2.0) is the default, with LTX-2 when you need audio.
Checked on October 1, 2026 against official model cards and license files on Hugging Face, vendor repositories and announcements, and docs.comfy.org. This update replaces the July 2026 version, which predates FLUX.2, Z-Image and several Qwen releases and listed VRAM ranges we could not trace to a source.
Best ComfyUI models by use case
- Fast images you can sell: Z-Image Turbo (6B, Apache 2.0) or FLUX.2 [klein] 4B (Apache 2.0).
- Text inside images, posters and editing: Qwen-Image and Qwen-Image-Edit-2511 (20B, Apache 2.0).
- The Flux look for personal projects: FLUX.1 [dev] or FLUX.1 Krea [dev]; FLUX.2 [dev] if you have the hardware. All three are non-commercial models.
- Anime and stylized characters: SDXL fine-tunes such as Illustrious-XL, or Pony V7. Check each checkpoint's license.
- Low VRAM and the biggest LoRA library: SDXL 1.0 and its fine-tunes.
- Open video: Wan 2.2 (Apache 2.0); LTX-2 for video with synchronized audio; HunyuanVideo 1.5 as a smaller option.
Every model below runs in ComfyUI without custom nodes. VRAM figures are the vendor's or Comfy's own statements, not our benchmarks.
Image models compared
| Model | Released | Size | License | Commercial use | Official VRAM guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z-Image Turbo | Nov 2025 | 6B | Apache 2.0 | Yes | "Fits comfortably within 16G VRAM consumer devices" (Tongyi-MAI) |
| FLUX.2 [klein] 4B | Jan 2026 | 4B | Apache 2.0 | Yes | About 8 GB (BFL GitHub) or 13 GB (model card); Comfy measured 8.4 GB for the distilled version |
| FLUX.2 [klein] 9B | Jan 2026 | 9B | FLUX Non-Commercial License | No, without a BFL license | No consistent official figure |
| FLUX.2 [dev] | Nov 2025 | 32B | FLUX Non-Commercial License | No, without a BFL license | Full model needs an "H100-equivalent GPU"; quantized builds target consumer GPUs |
| FLUX.1 [dev], Krea [dev], Kontext [dev] | Aug 2024 to Jul 2025 | 12B | FLUX.1 [dev] Non-Commercial License | Restricted; see the license section | Original FLUX.1 file is about 23 GB; Comfy suggests Krea's original weights with about 24 GB |
| FLUX.1 [schnell] | Aug 2024 | 12B | Apache 2.0 | Yes | No official figure |
| Qwen-Image, Qwen-Image-Edit-2511 | Aug 2025, Dec 2025 | 20B | Apache 2.0 | Yes | No official figure; Comfy's fp8 test used 86% of a 24 GB RTX 4090D |
| Qwen-Image-2.1 | Sep 2026 | 7B generator | Qwen Research License | No (research and evaluation only) | No official figure |
| HiDream-I1 | Apr 2025 | 17B | MIT (bundled Llama 3.1 encoder has its own license) | Yes | fp8 files need more than 16 GB, full files more than 27 GB (Comfy docs) |
| Chroma1-HD | Aug 2025 | 8.9B | Apache 2.0 | Yes | No official figure |
| Stable Diffusion 3.5 Large / Medium | Oct 2024 | 8.1B / 2.5B | Stability AI Community License | Free below $1M annual revenue; register with Stability first | Medium needs 9.9 GB, excluding text encoders |
| SDXL 1.0 | Jul 2023 | 3.5B base | CreativeML Open RAIL++-M | Yes, within its use restrictions | "Should work effectively on consumer GPUs with 8GB VRAM" |
Sources: model cards for Z-Image Turbo, FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, [klein] 9B, FLUX.1 [schnell], Qwen-Image-Edit-2511, Qwen-Image-2.1, HiDream-I1, Chroma1-HD and SDXL; BFL's FLUX.2 repository; Stability's SD 3.5 and SDXL announcements and Community License; and Comfy's tutorials for FLUX.1, FLUX.2 [klein], Qwen-Image and HiDream-I1.
Z-Image Turbo and FLUX.2 [klein] 4B: the practical defaults
Both are small, fast and Apache 2.0, which makes them the safest starting points for creators who plan to sell or publish commercially. Z-Image Turbo is a distilled 6B model that needs only 8 function evaluations per image and also renders English and Chinese text. FLUX.2 [klein] 4B combines generation and editing, including multi-reference edits, in one model. The larger [klein] 9B is non-commercial, so check which file you download.
Qwen-Image: text and editing
Qwen-Image is a 20B model known for rendering text inside images, and its Edit versions (2509, 2511) handle instruction-based edits. It is heavier than Z-Image or [klein] 4B. The newer Qwen-Image-2.1 is smaller, but its Qwen Research License allows research and evaluation only. See our Qwen Image Edit guide for the ComfyUI workflow.
FLUX.1 and FLUX.2 [dev]: quality under a non-commercial license
FLUX.1 [dev] and its Krea and Kontext variants remain popular for photoreal images and instruction editing, and FLUX.2 [dev] is Black Forest Labs' largest open-weight image model at 32B. All of them carry non-commercial model licenses, covered below. Our Flux Kontext guide covers the editing workflow.
FLUX licenses, read carefully
The FLUX.1 [dev] Non-Commercial License v1.1.1 grants use of the model "solely for your Non-Commercial Purposes" and says use "for revenue-generating activity" or "in direct interactions with or that has impact on end users" is not one. Its Outputs clause says "You may use Output for any purpose (including for commercial purposes), except as expressly prohibited herein," but its Restrictions section bars using the model "or any data produced by" it "for any commercial or production purposes." The FLUX.2 [dev] and [klein] 9B license follows the same pattern.
In practice: personal experiments and testing are fine; client work, a paid app or images for a monetized account are commercial use of the model and need a license from Black Forest Labs. If you want to avoid the question, use FLUX.1 [schnell], FLUX.2 [klein] 4B or another Apache 2.0 model. This is a summary of the license text, not legal advice.
Anime and stylized models
For anime and illustration, SDXL fine-tunes still lead because most anime LoRAs, ControlNets and style packs target them. They run on the same modest hardware as SDXL.
- Illustrious-XL: an SDXL-based anime model from OnomaAI. Its latest open weights, v2.0 (April 2025), are tagged CreativeML Open RAIL-M on Hugging Face.
- NoobAI-XL: another SDXL anime fine-tune. Its model card says: "We prohibit any form of commercialization, including but not limited to monetization or commercial use of the model, derivative models, or model-generated products."
- Pony V7: built on AuraFlow rather than SDXL. Its card summarizes the Pony License: you can use the model and outputs commercially unless you provide an inference service or app, have a company with over $1M in revenue, or use it in professional video production. The older Pony Diffusion V6 XL is not on PurpleSmartAI's Hugging Face page, so read the license wherever you download it.
Many anime checkpoints on community sites are further fine-tunes of these, and each uploader sets its own permissions. Read the license on the exact file you download.
Video models compared
| Model | Released | Size | License | Official VRAM guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wan 2.2 TI2V-5B | Jul 2025 | 5B | Apache 2.0 | Comfy: "should fit well on 8GB vram with the ComfyUI native offloading"; Wan's own script needs 24 GB |
| Wan 2.2 T2V and I2V A14B | Jul 2025 | 27B total, 14B active | Apache 2.0 | Wan's scripts: at least 80 GB. Comfy timed its Wan 2.2 14B-based workflows on a 24 GB RTX 4090D using fp8 files |
| Wan 2.2 Animate and S2V | Aug to Sep 2025 | 14B | Apache 2.0 | No official figure |
| HunyuanVideo 1.5 | Nov 2025 | 8.3B | Tencent Hunyuan Community License (excludes the EU, UK and South Korea) | "Minimum GPU Memory: 14 GB (with model offloading enabled)" |
| LTX-2 and LTX-2.5 | 2026 | 19B, 22B | Lightricks community licenses; LTX-2 requires a paid license at $10M+ annual revenue | Lightricks: full dev model 80 GB+; distilled and fp8 variants run on 32 GB and on as little as 12 GB |
Sources: the Wan 2.2 repository, Comfy's Wan 2.2 tutorial, the HunyuanVideo 1.5 card, the LTX-2 card and license, Comfy's LTX-2.5 tutorial and Lightricks' model information page.
Wan 2.2's repository adds: "We claim no rights over the your generated contents." Newer Wan versions (2.5 and later) have no open weights on Wan-AI's Hugging Face page as of October 1, 2026; ComfyUI offers them as paid API nodes. For a character-animation workflow, see our Wan 2.2 Animate tutorial.
How much VRAM do you need?
- Around 8 GB: SDXL and its fine-tunes, Wan 2.2 5B with ComfyUI's offloading, and FLUX.2 [klein] 4B by BFL's lower estimate.
- Around 16 GB: Z-Image Turbo, and HiDream-I1 in fp8, which Comfy lists as needing more than 16 GB.
- Around 24 GB: Qwen-Image in fp8, the original FLUX.1 weights, and Wan 2.2 14B workflows in fp8.
- Data-center GPUs: full-precision FLUX.2 [dev] and Wan 2.2 A14B as run by the vendors' own scripts.
ComfyUI stretches these limits. Its README says it can run "even the biggest open source models on as low as 4GB vram + 8GB ram" by streaming weights, and fp8 or GGUF files trade some precision for smaller downloads and memory use. Expect slower runs the further you push below a model's comfortable size.
Getting these models into ComfyUI
The simplest route is a template: open Templates in the sidebar, pick a workflow for the model, and ComfyUI prompts you to download any missing files. Manual downloads go in ComfyUI/models: all-in-one checkpoints such as SDXL in checkpoints, standalone models such as Flux, Qwen-Image, Z-Image and Wan in diffusion_models, plus their text encoders and VAEs. Our ComfyUI installation guide covers folders and requirements, and our ComfyUI-Manager guide covers the custom nodes some workflows need.
Picks for AI influencer workflows
- Consistent character stills: train a character LoRA on a base whose license fits your plans, such as Z-Image, FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, Qwen-Image or SDXL. Our LoRA training guide walks through dataset and settings; no LoRA guarantees the same face in every image.
- Edits and outfit changes: Qwen-Image-Edit or FLUX.2 [klein] 4B for commercial projects; FLUX.1 Kontext [dev] for personal ones.
- Fast drafts: Z-Image Turbo; see our Z-Image Turbo tutorial.
- Motion: animate finished stills with Wan 2.2 image-to-video or Wan 2.2 Animate.
Whatever you publish, follow each platform's AI-disclosure rules and only create likenesses you have the right to use.
Build a consistent AI persona with the right model stack
Picking a model is one decision in a longer pipeline: character LoRA training, consistent images across many generations, animation and publishing. Our AI Influencers course covers that workflow, including model selection, LoRA training and ComfyUI production pipelines.
AI Influencers Academy
ComfyUI, LoRA training and multi-model production for building a consistent AI persona.
Get AI Influencers →Best ComfyUI models FAQ
What is the best ComfyUI model in 2026?
It depends on the job and the license you need. For fast, commercially usable images, start with Z-Image Turbo or FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, both Apache 2.0. For text inside images and editing, use Qwen-Image and Qwen-Image-Edit. For anime, SDXL fine-tunes such as Illustrious-XL still have the largest LoRA ecosystem. For open video, Wan 2.2 is the default choice.
Which ComfyUI models can I use commercially?
Apache 2.0 models allow it: Z-Image, FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, FLUX.1 [schnell], Qwen-Image and its Edit versions, Chroma1-HD and Wan 2.2. HiDream-I1 is MIT and SDXL uses CreativeML Open RAIL++-M. SD 3.5, LTX-2 and Pony V7 allow it below revenue or use limits. FLUX.1 [dev], FLUX.1 Krea and Kontext [dev], FLUX.2 [dev], FLUX.2 [klein] 9B, Qwen-Image-2.1 and NoobAI-XL are non-commercial without a separate license.
Is FLUX.1 [dev] free for commercial use?
Not as a model. Its license allows use only for non-commercial purposes and says revenue-generating use is not one. The Outputs clause lets you use outputs "for any purpose (including for commercial purposes), except as expressly prohibited herein", but the Restrictions section also bars using data produced by the model for commercial or production purposes. For paid work, get a license from Black Forest Labs or use an Apache 2.0 model.
How much VRAM do I need for Flux in ComfyUI?
The original FLUX.1 [dev] file is about 23 GB, and Comfy suggests Krea's original weights only if you have about 24 GB of VRAM. FLUX.2 [klein] 4B needs far less: Black Forest Labs quotes about 8 GB on GitHub and 13 GB on the model card, and Comfy measured 8.4 GB. Full FLUX.2 [dev] needs an H100-class GPU unless you use a quantized build.
What is the best ComfyUI model for anime?
SDXL fine-tunes such as Illustrious-XL and NoobAI-XL, plus the AuraFlow-based Pony V7, because most anime LoRAs target them. Check each checkpoint's license: NoobAI-XL prohibits any commercialization, and community fine-tunes set their own terms.
What is the best open video model for ComfyUI?
Wan 2.2, released under Apache 2.0. Its 5B model fits on about 8 GB of VRAM with ComfyUI's offloading, according to Comfy's docs, while its 14B models need much more memory. LTX-2 adds synchronized audio under a community license, and HunyuanVideo 1.5 is a smaller 8.3B option with regional license limits.
Which model should I use for AI influencer content?
Train a character LoRA on a base model whose license fits your plans, such as Z-Image, FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, Qwen-Image or SDXL, generate consistent stills with it, then animate them with Wan 2.2. No model or LoRA guarantees the same face in every image, so review each output.
Are Wan 2.5 and newer open source?
No open weights were published for Wan 2.5 or later versions as of October 1, 2026. ComfyUI offers them only through paid API nodes, so Wan 2.2 and its Animate models remain the newest Wan releases you can run locally.