Fooocus
Fooocus is free, open-source image-generating software based on Gradio and Stable Diffusion XL.
What Fooocus is
Fooocus is free, open-source image-generating software based on Gradio and Stable Diffusion XL. It creates images from text, accepts reference images, supports image editing, and provides API access. The interface includes styles, guidance, quality, image-count, negative-prompt, aspect-ratio, and sampling controls. An offline GPT-2 prompt processor is designed to reduce detailed prompt engineering and parameter tuning. Fooocus supports SDXL models from Civitai, and its project describes InsightFace use for FaceSwap. Output can be saved as PNG, JPG, JPEG, WebP, AVIF, or GIF. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, API, or a self-hosted setup. Windows users launch the extracted download with run.bat; Linux instructions and an unofficial Apple-silicon guide are provided. Google Colab use is also described, including basic text-to-image on its free tier. Local hardware requirements vary, with some Nvidia configurations listing 4 GB GPU and 8 GB system memory minimums. Support is limited to bug fixes.
Good
- Free, offline, and open source
- Supports text, reference images, and editing
- Includes API access
- Offers multiple output formats
- Runs across Windows, Linux, and macOS
Watch out
- Local hardware requirements apply
- Support is limited to bug fixes
- Network sharing is unauthenticated by default
- No newer architecture migration planned
Who it suits
Fooocus suits people wanting free local or hosted text-to-image generation with reference images and editing. It is also suitable for users who prefer minimal prompt tuning and open-source software.
Verdict
Fooocus provides a broad image-generation workflow without a paid plan, including editing, references, and API access. Hardware needs and limited long-term support are important considerations for local users.
Plans and prices
From Fooocus's own pricing page, checked 12 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Fooocus | Free | Free, offline, open-source software · local hardware requirements apply |
The facts
Each one read from Fooocus's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API access
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
- Hardware limits
- The project lists minimum local requirements that vary by platform and GPU, including 4 GB GPU memory and 8 GB system memory for some Nvidia configurations.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Hosted use
- The project describes running Fooocus in Google Colab, with basic text-to-image available on Colab's free tier.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Image editing
- Its listed functions include image variation and upscaling, inpainting, outpainting, and image prompts.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The README identifies Gradio as its base and describes using InsightFace for FaceSwap and Civitai SDXL models.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Models
- Fooocus is built on Stable Diffusion XL and supports SDXL models from Civitai.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Network access
- The UI can be exposed with a local listener or a Gradio share endpoint, and both are unauthenticated by default unless basic authentication is configured.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Offline and open source
- The project describes Fooocus as offline, open-source, and free software.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Project support
- Fooocus is in limited long-term support focused on bug fixes, with no current plans to migrate to newer model architectures.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Prompting
- Fooocus includes an offline GPT-2-based prompt processing engine and is designed to work without much prompt engineering or parameter tuning.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Fooocus is image-generating software based on Gradio.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Reference images
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
- Security
- GitHub reports that the repository has no security policy file and no published security advisories.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Styles and controls
- The interface includes styles, guidance, quality, image count, negative prompts, aspect ratios, and sampling controls.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Text-to-image
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Linux and macOS
- The README provides Linux installation instructions and an unofficial guide for Apple silicon Macs.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Windows installation
- The project provides a Windows download whose extracted folder is launched with run.bat.checked 12 Oct 2026
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