Stable Diffusion XL
Stability AI · Image generation · 3.5B · Released 26 July 2023
Permitted with conditions
Open weights
Apple Silicon
The workhorse of local image generation. SDXL produces native 1024x1024 images and has by far the deepest community library of fine-tunes and LoRAs of any base model, so it is endlessly customisable. It runs on 8GB and up.
Strengths
- Enormous ecosystem of fine-tunes, LoRAs, and tooling
- Native 1024x1024 output, and light enough for an 8GB card
- Mature and extremely well documented
Weaknesses
- Weaker at rendering readable text than FLUX or Qwen-Image
- The base model rewards careful prompting and often a refiner step
- The RAIL licence carries use-based restrictions to be aware of
Hardware requirements
| Quantisation | Approx. VRAM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FP16 | ~7GB | The usual format, fits an 8GB card, more headroom helps |
Optimised builds available for Apple Silicon.
Licence
CreativeML Open RAIL++-M — read the licence
Availability
Recommended for
- Customisable image generation with community fine-tunes and LoRAs
- Running on modest hardware, from 8GB upward
- A well-trodden starting point for local image generation
Catalogue entry last verified 30 July 2026. Specifications change; verify anything you are about to spend money on.