Invoke
Open-source generative image studio with layered canvas editing and control tools.
why this verdict
Downgrade — pay for the workflow, not the AI
ComfyUI covers the headline feature free, so the $15/mo is now paying for the workflow around it.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- ComfyUI owning open-model workflows while hosted tools own everyone else. OpenAI, March 17, 2026 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers headline only editorial call
- The headline feature, but not the workflow, data or integrations around it.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 1 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: ComfyUI.
- What the call is worth $180/yr
- $15/mo at the entry paid tier — $180 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- March 17, 2026
- List price
- $15/mo
- Per year
- $180
The backstory
Invoke is the more designerly open-source generation tool, offering a proper layered canvas and inpainting controls instead of a node graph, plus an enterprise edition for teams that must keep models on their own infrastructure. It is squeezed between ComfyUI's total flexibility below and polished hosted products above. The enterprise self-hosted lane is the sound one, since studios with contractual limits on where imagery is processed cannot use a consumer service at all.
Escape hatches
switching could free up $180/yrMore powerful and more popular for open models
comfy.org open_in_newBetter hosted experience for the same kind of work
krea.ai open_in_newGenerative fill inside the industry-standard editor
adobe.com open_in_new1 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.