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Adobe Firefly vs Stable Diffusion

Adobe Firefly: Adobe's image generator designed for commercial use. Stable Diffusion: Open image models you can run on your own computer. Here is how they compare on features, pricing, platforms, pros and cons.

Quick verdict

Adobe Firefly

Best for: Designers and businesses that need images they can use commercially.

Stands out for: Designed to be safe for commercial use; Works with Photoshop and Express.

Stable Diffusion

Best for: Tinkerers and developers who want full control and privacy.

Stands out for: Open models you can run offline; Huge community and add-ons.

Side-by-side comparison

Comparison of Adobe Firefly, Stable Diffusion
Visit firefly.adobe.com (opens in a new tab)Visit stability.ai (opens in a new tab)
What it isAdobe's image generator designed for commercial use.Open image models you can run on your own computer.
Pricing
Free + Paid
Open source
Free to useYesYes
CategoryAI Image GeneratorsAI Image Generators
Editor rank#2 in category#10 in category
Made byAdobeStability AI
Best forDesigners and businesses that need images they can use commercially.Tinkerers and developers who want full control and privacy.
Key features
  • Text to image and generative fill
  • Built into Photoshop and Express
  • Designed to be commercially safe
  • Open model weights
  • Runs locally on a capable GPU
  • Huge community of add-ons
Pros
  • Designed to be safe for commercial use
  • Works with Photoshop and Express
  • Open models you can run offline
  • Huge community and add-ons
Cons
  • Free credits run out quickly
  • Results can look less bold than rivals
  • Local setup needs technical skill
  • Needs a capable graphics card
Use it to
  • Generate images for commercial projects
  • Extend or fill parts of a photo
  • Create text effects and graphics
  • Run image generation on your own PC
  • Fine-tune a model on your own images
  • Build image features into an app
Web app
iPhone & iPad
Android
Windows
Mac
Linux
API

Adobe Firefly vs Stable Diffusion: questions

Is Adobe Firefly better than Stable Diffusion?

Neither wins for everyone. Our editors rank Adobe Firefly slightly higher overall in AI Image Generators, but Stable Diffusion can be the better fit: Tinkerers and developers who want full control and privacy.

Which is free, Adobe Firefly or Stable Diffusion?

Both can be used without paying: Adobe Firefly is free + paid and Stable Diffusion is open source. Paid plans add more usage or features.

Can I use Adobe Firefly and Stable Diffusion together?

Yes. Many people keep both and pick per task, for example generate images for commercial projects with Adobe Firefly, and run image generation on your own PC with Stable Diffusion.

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