Short answer
If you want today’s models without learning a node graph, HEISS UI on ComfyUI is the shorter path. Flux.2, Krea 2, Qwen-Image 2.1 and video run built in, each set up for you, missing pieces arrive in one click, and your old A1111 and Forge images join the same gallery.
If you live in A1111’s tabs, with inpainting, ControlNet, hires fix and X/Y/Z plots, Forge Neo keeps that interface going with current models. Plain A1111 stops at SDXL.
Pick HEISS UI if
- You want today’s models, including Flux.2 Dev, Qwen-Image 2.1, HunyuanVideo 1.5 and MiniMax H3, without learning a graph.
- You’d like each model recognised from its file and set up to run, renamed files included.
- You want missing pieces listed with their sizes and fetched in one click.
- You want your A1111 and Forge images in the same gallery, where they already are.
- You generate from your phone, or want an encrypted place for private images.
Pick Forge Neo if
- You want the A1111 layout, tabs and extensions you already know.
- You inpaint, sketch or use ControlNet every day.
- You rely on hires fix, X/Y/Z plots or A1111’s prompt editing, like
[cat:dog:0.5]. - You’d rather not run ComfyUI at all.
Only in HEISS UI
- Flux.2 Dev, HunyuanVideo 1.5 and MiniMax H3. Built in, next to the models Forge Neo also runs.
- Missing pieces in one click. Each with its size, saved into the right folder.
- Models recognised from the file. Renamed files work, with no naming rules for paths.
- Your old gallery comes along. A1111 and Forge folders join it where they are.
- A phone studio. Made for one thumb, with its own sign-in.
- Hidden. An encrypted place for private images.
At a glance.
| Feature | HEISS UI | Forge Neo | A1111 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newest models | 21 image familiesFlux.2 Dev and Klein, Krea 2, Qwen-Image 2.1, Z-Image | ManyKrea 2, Flux.2 Klein, Z-Image, Qwen-Image, Anima; not Flux.2 Dev | Noup to SDXL and SD3 Medium |
| Video | BetaWan 2.1 and 2.2, HunyuanVideo 1.5, MiniMax H3 | Wan 2.2 14Bnot the 5B | No |
| Missing pieces | One click eachsizes shown first | Manualits wiki lists the downloads | Manual |
| Model detection | From the filerenamed files work | Partly by nameedit models need “qwen” and “edit” in the path | SD 1.5 to SDXL |
| Old images | Join the galleryA1111 and Forge folders, where they are | Its own folder | Its own folder |
| On a phone | Phone studiomade for one thumb | Browser page | Browser page |
| Private images | Hiddenencrypted | No | No |
| Latest release | 0.13.028 Sep 2026 | 2.29.121 Sep 2026 | 1.10.1July 2024 |
| Engine | Your ComfyUI | Its ownwith ComfyUI-style memory management | Its own |
| Extensions | ComfyUI node packs | Most A1111 ones | The original set |
| Inpainting, sketch | No | Yes | Yes |
| ControlNet | In imported workflows | YesUnion and LLLite | Extension |
| Hires fix, X/Y/Z | No | Yes | Yes |
| Licence | MIT | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
Checked 29 September 2026 against each repository’s README, releases and commit history.
Is A1111 dead?
It isn’t getting new features. AUTOMATIC1111’s last release is 1.10.1 from July 2024, its main branch hasn’t changed since, and the dev branch got a few install fixes in early 2026. It still runs SD 1.5, SDXL and SD3 Medium with the extensions you had, and people who only use SDXL fine-tunes keep it for that. It doesn’t run Flux, Qwen-Image, Krea 2 or any video model.
Forge, reForge, Forge Classic, Forge Neo.
The names are confusing, so here they are in order.
- Forge by lllyasviel sped up A1111 and added Flux.1, NF4 and GGUF in 2024. Its last commit is from June 2025, and its one-click package still ships CUDA 12.1 with PyTorch 2.3.1.
- reForge by Panchovix now points people to Forge Classic and Forge Neo in its own README, for stability.
- Forge Classic and Forge Neo by Haoming02 are two branches of one repository. Classic keeps the older Forge base. Neo continues the Forge that had Flux, and it’s the one adding new models.
If a guide says “Forge” in 2026, it usually means Forge Neo.
Back in 2024, users already asked for an update on Forge’s state and development, in a thread that collected 42 comments.
reForge’s README recommends Forge Classic, Forge Neo or ersatzForge instead, for stability.
New models, and how they arrive.
Forge Neo adds each model in its own code, and its README says exactly what’s in and what isn’t: Flux.2 Klein but not Flux.2 Dev, Wan 2.2 14B but not the 5B. Some models are recognised by name, so a Qwen edit model needs “qwen” and “edit” in its path. The list is long, and it keeps growing.
HEISS UI runs on ComfyUI, which usually supports a model on release day. Its built-in list covers 28 families, and anything else ComfyUI runs can come in as your own workflow. Models are recognised from their weights, so a renamed file still works. See the guides for Flux.2 Dev, Krea 2 and Qwen-Image.
Bring your old images.
In Settings › Library, add your A1111 or Forge output folder and those images join the HEISS UI gallery where they are, without copying. Search them with /, star the good ones. New PNGs can also carry their prompt and settings the way AUTOMATIC1111 writes them, so Civitai fills in an upload (beta, in Settings › Library).
Where Forge Neo is the better pick.
Inpainting, hires fix and X/Y/Z are where the A1111 line is ahead. Forge Neo has an inpainting canvas, sketch, soft inpainting, ControlNet with Union and LLLite models, hires fix, a refiner, X/Y/Z plots and A1111’s prompt editing. If those are how you work, stay with it.
HEISS UI has a start image with a Change slider for every image model, reference images for Flux.2 and Qwen-Image 2.1, SeedVR2 upscaling with a compare slider and an optional face detail pass. That covers a lot of everyday edits. It isn’t inpainting.
Moving over from A1111 or Forge.
Install ComfyUI
ComfyUI Desktop on Windows with NVIDIA or on a Mac, the portable build with an AMD card, the manual install on Linux.
Reuse your models
ComfyUI’s
extra_model_paths.yamlhas ana111section. Set itsbase_pathto your stable-diffusion-webui folder and ComfyUI reads the same checkpoints, LoRAs and VAEs.Start HEISS UI
Unzip it, double-click Start HEISS UI, and add your old output folder under Settings › Library.
Questions.
Is AUTOMATIC1111 still maintained?
Not with new features. Its last release is 1.10.1 from July 2024, and only a few install fixes landed on the dev branch in early 2026. It runs SD 1.5, SDXL and SD3 Medium, not newer models.
Is Forge dead?
The original Forge by lllyasviel stopped in June 2025. Forge Neo by Haoming02 continues it and releases often, with Krea 2, Flux.2 Klein, Z-Image, Qwen-Image and Wan 2.2 14B.
Forge Neo or ComfyUI?
Forge Neo if you want the A1111 interface with inpainting, ControlNet, hires fix and X/Y/Z. ComfyUI if you want every new model first and custom workflows. HEISS UI gives you ComfyUI’s models without the graph.
Can ComfyUI use my A1111 models?
Yes. Rename ComfyUI’s extra_model_paths.yaml.example to extra_model_paths.yaml, uncomment the a111 section and set base_path to your stable-diffusion-webui folder.
Can HEISS UI show my old A1111 images?
Yes. Add the output folder in Settings › Library and the images join the gallery where they are, without being copied.
Sources: AUTOMATIC1111, A1111 1.10.0 notes, Forge, reForge, Forge Neo, extra_model_paths.yaml.example, HEISS UI README.
