Pick by what you want.
- You have ComfyUI and want it to just work: any model ready to prompt, missing pieces in one click, your phone tooHEISS UI
- You build and share node workflows, and want every new model firstComfyUI
- You run one workflow all day and want it as a simple formApp Mode
- You want one app with an image editor, ControlNet, grids and several GPUsSwarmUI
- You liked A1111 and want inpainting, hires fix and X/Y/Z with current modelsForge Neo
- You edit images on a canvas with layers, masks and regionsInvokeAI
- You paint, and want AI inside a painting appKrita AI Diffusion
- You make video on a 6 to 12 GB cardWanGP
- You work in SDXL and want its best simple inpaintingFooocus
At a glance.
| Feature | Best pickHEISS UI | ComfyUI | SwarmUI | Forge Neo | InvokeAI | WanGP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uses the ComfyUI you haveNo second install to keep updated | As it is | It is ComfyUI | Own copyby default | Noown engine | Noown engine | Noown engine |
| Any model file, ready to promptDrop it in and it runs with settings that fit | Yesrecognised from the file | Per templateyou pick the workflow | Partlyvalues from its docs | Partlyyou set the sampler | Partlystarter models | Its own listothers need a definition |
| Missing parts, shown firstEach one with its size, before anything downloads | YesGet all in one click | In templatesmatched by file name | Automaticno choice shown | By hand | Starter bundles | On Generateno sizes up front |
| A first model that fits your computerThe right size for your GPU or Mac, marked | Marked for you | No | At installstarter models | No | Starter bundles | Not in docs |
| Your ComfyUI workflows as simple controlsDrop in the JSON, no extra nodes | Yeswith a safety review | App Modebuilt per workflow, beta | Simple tabneeds its own nodes | No | Noown node editor | No |
| A studio on your phonePrompt, browse and share from the couch | Made for one thumb | App Mode tabs | Mobile layouta setting | Browser | Not in docs | Not in docs |
| A locked place for private imagesEncrypted, opened with Touch ID, Windows Hello or a password | Hidden | No | No | No | No | No |
| Free and open source | MIT | GPL-3.0 | MIT | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 | Freeown licence |
| Where others go further | ||||||
| Video | Beta7 families | Yes | Yesalso LTX-2 | PartlyWan 2.2 14B | PartlyWan 2.2 | Its focussmall cards too |
| Inpainting and ControlNet | Noonly in your own workflows | Nodes | Yes | Yes | Canvas | Mask editor |
Checked 29 September 2026 against each project’s own docs. Each comparison page has the full table and the sources.
Also worth knowing.
- Draw Things is an app for iPhone, iPad and Mac with its own engine built for Apple Silicon. It’s free to run locally, with optional paid cloud compute, and recent releases added Flux.2, Krea 2, MiniMax H3 and Qwen-Image 2.1. On a Mac it’s worth trying first. See also our Mac guide.
- SD.Next runs its own engine with automatic model downloads, quantisation, and desktop and mobile layouts.
- Mix Studio and MooshieUI are other front ends for ComfyUI. Mix Studio has curated workflows and a phone layout, and MooshieUI is made for beginners.
- Stability Matrix and Pinokio install ComfyUI, Forge, SwarmUI and others for you. Stability Matrix keeps one shared model folder for all of them. They’re launchers, not interfaces.
- J-AI Studio by Jasper is where HEISS UI started. The idea of a prompt-first front end for ComfyUI is his.
How we compared.
For each tool we read its README, docs, latest release notes and commit history, and wrote down only what they say. Version numbers and dates are as of 29 September 2026. Tables use Yes, Partly and No with a short note, and a plain answer where a mark wouldn’t be fair. HEISS UI’s gaps are listed on every page: no inpainting, no ControlNet outside imported workflows, no hires fix or X/Y/Z grids, no LTX-2 yet, and no engine of its own.
Questions.
What is the best ComfyUI frontend?
It depends on the job. For a prompt box and gallery that set each model up for you on the ComfyUI you already run, with a phone studio, HEISS UI. SwarmUI has the most features, Krita AI Diffusion is best for painting and inpainting, and ComfyUI’s own App Mode turns one workflow into a form.
Is there a simple UI for ComfyUI without nodes?
Yes. ComfyUI’s App Mode, SwarmUI’s Generate tab and HEISS UI all hide the graph. HEISS UI starts from a model file and lists anything that model is missing, with a Download button for each part.
Is AUTOMATIC1111 still maintained?
Not with new features. Its last release is 1.10.1 from July 2024. Forge Neo carries the same interface on with current models, including Krea 2, Flux.2 Klein and Wan 2.2 14B.
What’s a good Fooocus alternative?
Fooocus runs SDXL only and gets bug fixes only. For the same prompt-first feel with newer models, HEISS UI runs Flux.2, Krea 2, Qwen-Image and Z-Image on ComfyUI. RuinedFooocus is a Fooocus fork that adds Flux.
Do I need ComfyUI to use HEISS UI?
Yes. ComfyUI runs every job, and HEISS UI connects to it on this computer or another. No ComfyUI yet? on HEISS UI’s offline screen says which one to install.
Which one is best on a Mac?
Draw Things runs models on its own engine written for Apple Silicon, and it’s worth trying first. ComfyUI and the front ends on it, HEISS UI included, run through PyTorch’s Metal backend, where fp8 files load at full precision and take as much memory as the full file.
Sources: ComfyUI, SwarmUI, Krita AI Diffusion, Forge Neo, AUTOMATIC1111, Fooocus, InvokeAI, WanGP, Draw Things, HEISS UI README.
