The best free AI image generator that runs on your own device in 2026 is Off Grid AI. It makes images on your Mac, Windows PC, Linux machine, iPhone or Android phone, with no credits, no account and no prompt ever uploaded.
You watch each image form step by step and stop a bad one early. We make Off Grid AI. Every rival fact below comes from its own site or GitHub page, checked 5 November 2026.
Download Off Grid AI · App Store · Google Play
An image made in the chat window, on the computer's own GPU.
How we ranked
- Free on your own hardware. No credits, no queue.
- Easy. Type a prompt, get a picture. No node graph to wire.
- Every device. Computer and phone.
- Still shipping. Active development in 2026.
The ranking at a glance
| Computers | Phones | Setup | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Off Grid AI | Mac (Apple silicon), Windows, Linux | iPhone, Android | One app, prompt in chat | Free, open source |
| 2. ComfyUI | Windows, Mac, Linux | No | Node workflows | Free, GPL-3.0 |
| 3. Draw Things | Mac | iPhone, iPad | One app | Free; paid cloud plan |
| 4. InvokeAI | Windows, Mac, Linux | No | Canvas app | Free, Apache-2.0 |
| 5. Fooocus | Windows, Linux, Mac | No | Simple prompt app | Free, GPL-3.0; bug fixes only |
| 6. DiffusionBee | Mac | No | One app | Not listed on its site |
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1. Off Grid AI
On your computer. Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) runs image models on your GPU: Metal on a Mac, CUDA on NVIDIA, Vulkan on AMD and Intel. Pick a model in Models → Image:
| Model | Good for | RAM listed | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| RealVisXL v5.0 Lightning | Fast photoreal | 8 GB | About 4.18 GB |
| Juggernaut XL v9 | Photoreal | 8 GB | About 4.35 GB |
| DreamShaper XL v2 Turbo | All-round, fast | 8 GB | About 4.18 GB |
| Animagine XL 4.0 | Anime | 8 GB | About 4.18 GB |
| Qwen-Image 2.1 Turbo | Detail and text in images | 32 GB | About 14.45 GB |
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In any chat, press + and choose Generate image. A frame appears and sharpens at every step, so you can press Stop the moment the layout is wrong. Pick a style preset, or start from a picture of your own with image-to-image. Every image lands in the Gallery with its seed, so you can make it again.
On your phone. Off Grid AI Mobile (OGAM) makes images on iPhone and Android with SDXL Turbo and SDXL Lightning. Tap the image mode, describe the picture, and watch it form. Tap Restyle on a finished image to try another look. Phones whose GPU the engine can't use get Local Dream, and the app tells you how long each image takes.
For your own apps. OGAD serves an OpenAI-compatible API at 127.0.0.1:7878, so a script or another app can make images on your machine too.
Price. Free and open source. No account.
2. ComfyUI
What it is. The most flexible local image tool. You build workflows from nodes, and it runs nearly every open model.
Best for. People who like wiring their own pipelines.
Where Off Grid AI wins. No graph to build, no files to place in folders by hand, and an app for your phone.
3. Draw Things
What it is. A free image app for iPhone, iPad and Mac that runs offline. It also turns images into short clips.
Best for. Apple-only users who want deep controls.
Where Off Grid AI wins. Android, Windows and Linux.
4. InvokeAI
What it is. An open-source (Apache-2.0) image studio with a canvas for editing and inpainting.
Best for. Artists who paint into images.
Where Off Grid AI wins. A phone app, and chat, voice and documents in the same download.
5. Fooocus
What it is. A simple SDXL generator that needs little prompt tuning.
Best for. Existing users with a setup that works.
Where Off Grid AI wins. Fooocus's README says it is in "limited long-term support" with bug fixes only. Off Grid AI ships new releases most weeks.
6. DiffusionBee
What it is. A one-click Stable Diffusion app for macOS 13.1 or later. It runs fully offline.
Best for. A first try on a Mac.
Where Off Grid AI wins. Windows, Linux and phones, and newer models such as Qwen-Image 2.1.
Make your first image in five minutes
- Download Off Grid AI for your computer or phone.
- Open Models, choose Image, and download a model that fits your memory. On a computer with 8 GB or more, start with DreamShaper XL v2 Turbo.
- Start a chat, choose image mode, and describe the picture: subject, setting, light and style.
- Watch it form. Stop and rephrase if the layout is off.
Which one should you pick
- You want images on every device, with no setup: Off Grid AI.
- You want to build custom pipelines: ComfyUI.
- You only use Apple devices and want deep controls: Draw Things.
- You paint and edit inside images: InvokeAI.
FAQ
How can I generate AI images on my own computer or phone without credits?
Install Off Grid AI, download an image model once, and generate in the chat. There is no credit meter and your prompts never leave the device.
What is the best free AI image generator that runs locally?
Off Grid AI. It is free and open source, runs SDXL models and Qwen-Image 2.1 on your computer, and makes images on iPhone and Android too.
Do local image generators upload my prompts?
No. Every app on this list generates on your own hardware. Draw Things also sells optional cloud compute.
How much memory do I need to make AI images locally?
In Off Grid AI, SDXL models list 8 GB of RAM and download in about 4.2 GB. Qwen-Image 2.1 Turbo lists 32 GB.
Can I make AI images on my phone without internet?
Yes. Off Grid AI makes images on iPhone and Android with no internet after the model download.
Related guides
- How to make AI videos on your own computer or phone in 2026
- How to generate AI images locally on your Windows PC in 2026
- How to generate AI images locally on your iPhone in 2026
Download Off Grid AI and make your first image tonight.
