Stable Diffusion
Overview
Stability AI is the creator of Stable Diffusion, the pioneer of open-source image generation. Since releasing the first Stable Diffusion in 2022, they have led the community-driven image generation ecosystem. Their latest generation is Stable Diffusion 3.5, released in 2024.
Latest: Stable Diffusion 3.5
Three variants targeting different use cases and hardware:
| Model | Params | Use Case | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD 3.5 Large | 8.1B | Professional | 1 megapixel, highest quality |
| SD 3.5 Large Turbo | 8.1B (distilled) | Fast generation | 4-step generation |
| SD 3.5 Medium | 2.5B | Consumer | Runs on consumer GPU |
Key Features
1. Professional Quality (SD 3.5 Large)
8.1B flagship. 1-megapixel resolution for professional use.
2. Fast Generation (SD 3.5 Large Turbo)
Distilled variant generating high-quality images in just 4 steps while maintaining prompt adherence.
3. Consumer Hardware (SD 3.5 Medium)
Improved MMDiT-X architecture. Runs on consumer GPUs (RTX 3060 and above).
4. Query-Key Normalization
New technology improving customizability and prompt adherence.
5. TensorRT Optimization
Up to 2.3x faster on NVIDIA RTX GPUs, 40% less VRAM.
6. Stable Video Diffusion
Short-clip generation from static images.
License
Stability AI Community License:
- ✅ Commercial use allowed
- ✅ Non-commercial use allowed
- ✅ Fine-tuning / customization freely allowed
- ⚠️ Enterprises with $1M+ annual revenue need Enterprise license
Strengths
- ✅ Pioneer of open-source image generation
- ✅ Commercial use allowed
- ✅ Runs on consumer GPUs (SD 3.5 Medium)
- ✅ Highly customizable (LoRA / fine-tuning)
- ✅ 2x faster with TensorRT
- ✅ Active community (Hugging Face, Civitai)
Weaknesses
- ❌ Business instability (leadership changes in 2024)
- ❌ Weaker text rendering than Midjourney
- ❌ Limited video models
- ❌ Weak text models (image-focused)
Official Resources
- Website: https://stability.ai
- SD 3.5: https://stability.ai/news/introducing-stable-diffusion-3-5
- API: https://platform.stability.ai
- Hugging Face: https://huggingface.co/stabilityai