Forge — Cloud AI Image Generation Platform
Forge is AUTOMATIC1111 with the bottlenecks removed. Same UI, same extensions, 30–75% faster, up to 1.3 GB less VRAM. Free, local, open-source.
Runs Locally Open Source NSFW Allowed
A1111 fork that trades nothing for speed and memory.
At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Type | Local image generator |
| Price | Free, open-source |
| Base | AUTOMATIC1111 (SD-WebUI 1.10.1) |
| Platform | Windows, Linux |
| Min VRAM | 4 GB (NVIDIA) |
| Models | SD 1.5, SDXL, Flux, SD3, Lumina, Sana |
| UI Style | Form-based (same as A1111) |
| Difficulty | Easy — identical to A1111 |
TL;DR — Is It Worth It?
If you're on A1111, switch. It's the same thing but faster with lower VRAM. Drop-in replacement — same extensions, same models folder, just swap the launcher. If you're starting fresh, Forge is the default pick for form-based local generation in 2026.
Top 5 Features
- VRAM Optimization — Cuts peak GPU memory by 700 MB–1.3 GB. SDXL runs on 4 GB cards that crash in A1111.
- Speed Gains — 30–75% faster depending on your GPU. Biggest gains on 6–8 GB cards.
- Multi-Model Support — SD 1.5, SDXL, Flux (NF4/GGUF quantized), SD3, Lumina, Sana. Native LoRA support across all.
- UNet Patcher — Implements Self-Attention Guidance, Kohya High Res Fix, and similar methods in ~100 lines. No extension conflicts.
- Extended Samplers & Schedulers — DDPM, DPM++ 2M Turbo, DDIM CFG++, Align Your Steps, KL Optimal, and more.
Requirements & Setup
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | NVIDIA 4 GB VRAM | NVIDIA 8 GB+ VRAM |
| GPU (Flux) | 12 GB VRAM | 24 GB VRAM |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Disk | 20 GB | 30 GB+ (SSD) |
| OS | Windows 10/11, Linux | Windows 10/11 |
One-click installer available. Download, extract, run. No Python setup needed.
Migrating from A1111? Point Forge at your existing models folder. Extensions carry over.
Limitations
- Update cadence is uneven. Syncs with upstream A1111 every ~90 days. Community forks (reForge, Forge Neo) fill gaps but fragment the ecosystem.
- ComfyUI is still faster. On SDXL at 1024×1024: ComfyUI ~22s, Forge ~24s, A1111 ~28s. The gap narrows on high-end GPUs.
- Flux needs serious VRAM. 12 GB minimum, 24 GB for full speed. Quantized models (NF4/GGUF) help but quality drops.
- Known bugs on new backends. Soft inpaint and Python 3.12 compatibility have open issues on Forge2/new Forge backend. Gradio legacy backend still works.
How It Compares
| Feature | Forge | A1111 | ComfyUI | Fooocus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed (SDXL 1024×1024) | ~24s | ~28s | ~22s | ~26s |
| Min VRAM | 4 GB | 8 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| VRAM Savings vs A1111 | 700 MB–1.3 GB | Baseline | Similar to Forge | Moderate |
| Model Support | SD 1.5, SDXL, Flux, SD3 | SD 1.5, SDXL | SD 1.5, SDXL, Flux, SD3, video | SDXL only |
| UI | Form-based | Form-based | Node-based | Prompt-only |
| Extension Compat | Full A1111 ecosystem | Full | Own ecosystem | Minimal |
| Learning Curve | None (if you know A1111) | Low | High | None |
Forge beats A1111 in every metric. ComfyUI beats Forge on raw speed and model breadth — if you'll learn nodes. Fooocus is simpler but stuck on SDXL.
Fork Landscape
| Fork | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Forge (original) | Active | Main project by lllyasviel. 12,300+ GitHub stars. |
| reForge | Dead (April 2025) | Added extra samplers and multi-checkpoint loading. No longer maintained. |
| Forge Neo | Active | Continues Forge2 backend. Adds Wan 2.2, Nunchaku support. |
| Forge Classic | Active | Original backend with community optimizations. |
Stick with the original Forge unless you need a specific feature from Neo or Classic.
Bottom Line
- Use if you're on A1111 — free speed upgrade, zero migration cost.
- Use if you want form-based local gen without learning nodes.
- Use if you have 6–8 GB VRAM — this is where Forge shines most.
- Skip if you need maximum speed — ComfyUI is faster.
- Skip if you need video generation — ComfyUI has broader pipeline support.
- Skip if you want zero config — Fooocus is simpler.
If you'd rather skip manual setup entirely, LocalForge AI comes with Forge pre-configured — one option alongside installing it yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Forge free? +
Yes. Free, open-source, runs on your hardware. No account, no cloud, no per-image cost.
What GPU do I need for Forge? +
NVIDIA with 4 GB VRAM minimum. 8 GB recommended for comfortable SDXL. 12 GB+ for Flux models. AMD support is limited.
Can I use my AUTOMATIC1111 extensions in Forge? +
Yes. Forge inherits the full A1111 extension ecosystem. Most extensions work without changes. Point it at your existing models and extensions folders.
How much faster is Forge than AUTOMATIC1111? +
30–75% faster depending on your GPU. 6 GB cards see the biggest gains (60–75%). 8 GB cards: 30–45%. High-end 24 GB cards: 3–6%.
What happened to reForge? +
Development stopped in April 2025. The maintainer recommended switching to original Forge, Forge Neo, or Forge Classic instead.
Forge vs ComfyUI — which should I pick? +
Forge if you want a familiar form-based UI with easy setup. ComfyUI if you want maximum speed, video gen, and don't mind learning a node-based workflow. ComfyUI is roughly 10% faster on identical hardware.
Details
| Website | https://github.com/lllyasviel/stable-diffusion-webui-forge |
| Runs Locally | Yes |
| Open Source | Yes |
| NSFW Allowed | Yes |