Draw Things
A Mac app for making pictures. Simpler than ComfyUI: there is no node graph.
Installer only · One-click app · Free
Make an image from a description
Type what you want and get a picture.
The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.
Works offline · Free options
Your computer
Describe your computer
Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.
5 results
Most tools here are free.
Photos & Images Not on the chat board
A calm Mac app for still pictures
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~7 GB · Free to download · License: OpenRAIL++
Photos & Images Not on the chat board
Quicker pictures, more setup
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~8 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
Photos & Images Not on the chat board
The small FLUX.2. Surprisingly good, and it fits where the big FLUX.2 file does not.
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~13 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
HONEST COMPARISON
Local or cloud: Make an image from a description?
Reviewed Oct 2026
- Privacy: Local winsPrompts and pictures stay on your PC
- Cost: Local winsUnlimited pictures once it is installed
- Quality: Cloud winsMore polished people, type and style
- Ease: Cloud winsNothing to install
Local AI
Local image models such as SDXL and Flux make pictures for free, and the prompt stays on your PC.
- No credit pack and no queue
- The prompt and the picture stay local
- Draw Things is a calm Mac app
Where it falls short
- Faces and text in the image are hit and miss
- The best cloud pictures are still more polished
Cloud & apps
Midjourney and the big chat apps still win on polish, especially for people and lettering.
- AAdobe FireflyCloud AIFreemium
Trained for commercial use and built into Adobe's apps.
Best for: Commercial work
Prompts go to Adobe
- CChatGPTCloud AIFreemium
Describe a picture in a chat and edit it with another sentence.
Best for: Quick ideasEdits
The prompt is sent to OpenAI
- MMidjourneyCloud AIPaidPopular choice
Still the most reliable look for a finished illustration.
Best for: Polished artStyle
Prompts are sent to Midjourney
Our take
Generate locally when you want unlimited private pictures. Use the cloud when the image has to look finished.
Choose local if…
- You make pictures often
- The prompt is private
Choose cloud if…
- You need a polished result
- You need readable text in the image
How to do it in 3 steps
- Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example ComfyUI or Draw Things. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
- Open the Stable Diffusion XL page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
- Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.
Questions
- Does this upload my files?
- The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
- What does it cost?
- Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
- What if it will not fit?
- Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.
Not into local AI? Try these instead
Ordinary apps for photos & images. These are normal links to the maker's site.
Affinity Photo
A photo editor for layers, retouching, and export.
Affinity PhotoCapture One
A raw-photo studio for color, crop, and tethering.
Capture OneDxO PhotoLab
A photo lab for noise, lens corrections, and local edits.
DxO PhotoLab