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ComfyUI vs FLUX (Black Forest Labs): license, pricing and features compared (October 2026)

ComfyUI and FLUX (Black Forest Labs) are both listed under Image generation. FLUX (Black Forest Labs)'s repository had its last push on Jul 31, 2025, 451 days before we checked. License: ComfyUI is GPL-3.0; FLUX (Black Forest Labs) is Apache-2.0 for the flux repository (model licenses vary by model; check each). ComfyUI is the better fit for: Power users who want to run open models locally. FLUX (Black Forest Labs) is the better fit for: developers adding image generation by API. Facts were read from vendor and GitHub pages on Oct 25, 2026 and are Reported; what we ran ourselves is under What we measured.

Our pick: Pick ComfyUI for power users who want to run open models locally; pick FLUX (Black Forest Labs) for developers adding image generation by API. No overall winner: we have not benchmarked them against each other. Updated (America/Chicago).

By Agentic Weekly, operated independently from Texas, US · Published · Last updated (America/Chicago) · How we work

Evidence: ComfyUI has a Tested entry; FLUX (Black Forest Labs) is Reported (scope on each tool page). The facts in the tables were read from each vendor's own pages and the public GitHub API on 2026-10-25 (America/Chicago) and are Reported. The What we measured section lists what we have actually run, with links to the test logs, and what we have not run yet; anything we could not confirm is marked as not captured.

ComfyUI

Comfy Org · v0.42.1

Tested (smoke test)

The tool to learn if you want maximum control over open models on your own GPU; it has a learning curve.

FLUX (Black Forest Labs)

Black Forest Labs

Reported

Black Forest Labs' FLUX image models, available through an API with per-image pricing; the flux GitHub repository is Apache-2.0.

Side by side, from what we recorded

Each row compares one recorded fact for both tools. Rows are not weighted and nothing is added up into a score; the note under each row says what the marker means.

  • Evidence

    Tested (smoke test) (ComfyUI is ahead on this row) for ComfyUI
    Reported for FLUX (Black Forest Labs)

    Tested = we ran it (smoke test); Reported = we read official sources

  • Pricing we could verify

    Not verified for ComfyUI
    Partly verified (FLUX (Black Forest Labs) is ahead on this row) for FLUX (Black Forest Labs)

    About our evidence only, not about the price

  • Steps in our setup guide

    3 for ComfyUI
    2 for FLUX (Black Forest Labs)

    Counts our guide's steps, not difficulty

  • Sources we cite

    3 for ComfyUI
    2 for FLUX (Black Forest Labs)

    How much we had to read; more is not better

A list of recorded differences, not a quality score or a ranking. We have not benchmarked these tools against each other; the smoke-test row links each tool's own log. How we label evidence.

What we measured

We have run ComfyUI ourselves but not the other tool, so no head-to-head result exists yet. Everything else on this page is Reported from vendor and GitHub pages.

Our own tests for ComfyUI and FLUX (Black Forest Labs)
TestComfyUIFLUX (Black Forest Labs)
Hands-on test log (install and a real task)Tested: ComfyUI ComfyUI 0.42.0 (commit cdf272f), PyTorch 2.14.1 CPU, Oct 26, 2026: passed. ComfyUI 0.42.0 installed in 17.42 s and its CPU-only server was ready in 30.1 s with 1014 node types, but we did not generate an image. Full test logNot tested yet. What we will run: the same five prompts side by side, scored on prompt-following with a checklist (needs a paid account).

How we test and label results: methodology. All test logs: test hub.

ComfyUI vs FLUX (Black Forest Labs) at a glance

ComfyUI and FLUX (Black Forest Labs) are both listed under Image generation. Agentic Weekly's FLUX (Black Forest Labs) page names ComfyUI as an alternative. ComfyUI: The tool to learn if you want maximum control over open models on your own GPU; it has a learning curve. FLUX (Black Forest Labs): Black Forest Labs' FLUX image models, available through an API with per-image pricing; the flux GitHub repository is Apache-2.0.

ComfyUI and FLUX (Black Forest Labs) side by side (vendor pages and GitHub, 2026-10-25)
FeatureComfyUIFLUX (Black Forest Labs)
VendorComfy OrgBlack Forest Labs
Listed underImage generation, AI videoImage generation
LicenseGPL-3.0Apache-2.0 for the flux repository (model licenses vary by model; check each)
Pricing modelNot captured on the pages we readAPI usage
Free tierNot captured on the pages we readNot captured
Paid plansNot captured on the pages we readAPI priced per image (a $0.048 figure appears on the pricing page; model not captured); Enterprise custom
PlatformsNot captured on the pages we readAPI and open weights
Public repositorycomfyanonymous/ComfyUI: 142,960 stars, last push Oct 25, 2026 UTC (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026)black-forest-labs/flux: 26,039 stars, last push Jul 31, 2025 UTC (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026)
Latest release we sawv0.42.1, Oct 18, 2026Not captured on the pages we read
EvidenceTested (scope on its tool page)Reported from vendor pages

How ComfyUI and FLUX (Black Forest Labs) differ

  • FLUX (Black Forest Labs)'s repository had its last push on Jul 31, 2025, 451 days before we checked.
  • License: ComfyUI is GPL-3.0; FLUX (Black Forest Labs) is Apache-2.0 for the flux repository (model licenses vary by model; check each).
  • GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: ComfyUI 142,960 (comfyanonymous/ComfyUI) vs FLUX (Black Forest Labs) 26,039 (black-forest-labs/flux). Stars measure attention, not quality.
  • FLUX (Black Forest Labs) is "API usage"; the entry for ComfyUI has no pricing model we could confirm (pricing not verified).

Which should you pick?

  • Pick ComfyUI if: Power users who want to run open models locally; artists building repeatable image or video workflows. Skip it if: you want a one-click consumer app.
  • Pick FLUX (Black Forest Labs) if: developers adding image generation by API. Skip it if: you want a consumer app.

Strengths and limits

Strengths and limits as listed on each tool page
FeatureComfyUIFLUX (Black Forest Labs)
StrengthsHuge model and workflow ecosystem; Runs locally; README claims it can run big models on as little as 4GB VRAM with 8GB RAM; Frequent releasesAPI access; Open repository
LimitsGPL-3.0 license has copyleft obligations for derivatives; Steep learning curve; Partner nodes use paid third-party modelsPer-model licensing to check

What we did not verify

  • ComfyUI: Hardware requirements in practice (README claims only).
  • FLUX (Black Forest Labs): Release date (none published on the pages we read; the date shown is the day we first covered this entry).
  • Output quality, speed and reliability beyond the smoke tests listed under What we measured: not compared.

FAQ

Is ComfyUI or FLUX (Black Forest Labs) open source?

ComfyUI: GPL-3.0. FLUX (Black Forest Labs): Apache-2.0 for the flux repository (model licenses vary by model; check each). Licenses come from each project's GitHub repository or the vendor's own pages, read Oct 25, 2026; read the license text itself before redistributing or building a competing service.

Does ComfyUI or FLUX (Black Forest Labs) have a free plan?

ComfyUI: we did not capture free-tier details. FLUX (Black Forest Labs): we did not capture free-tier details. Checked Oct 25, 2026; prices and limits change, so confirm on each vendor's page.

What is the main difference between ComfyUI and FLUX (Black Forest Labs)?

FLUX (Black Forest Labs)'s repository had its last push on Jul 31, 2025, 451 days before we checked. License: ComfyUI is GPL-3.0; FLUX (Black Forest Labs) is Apache-2.0 for the flux repository (model licenses vary by model; check each).

Sources

Page history

  • : First published. Facts read from vendor pages and the GitHub API on 2026-10-25.

Markdown version for agents: /compare/comfyui-vs-black-forest-labs.md