Civitai
FreemiumThe largest Stable Diffusion model hub and in-browser image generator powered by community LoRAs and fine-tunes
What is Civitai?
Civitai is the Wikipedia of Stable Diffusion — a massive community-driven hub where creators upload and share fine-tuned models, LoRAs, textual inversions, checkpoints, and training data, and where every upload comes with example generations, user reviews, and one-click deployment to the integrated browser generator. The model library is by far the largest in the AI art world, with tens of thousands of community creations covering every conceivable style: photorealism, anime, architecture, sci-fi, fantasy, product photography, specific artists, specific subjects, specific lighting, specific poses. Civitai uses an on-site currency called Buzz: you earn Buzz by posting creations, reviewing models, uploading new models, voting, and general activity, and you can also purchase Buzz in packs. Generation, model downloads, and premium actions consume Buzz. On top of the free tier, Civitai offers four membership tiers — Free, Bronze ($10/month), Silver, and Gold — each granting monthly Buzz allowances (10,000 / 25,000 / 50,000), purchase bonuses, private model slots, larger job sizes, vault storage, and priority support. Twelve-month membership purchases get one month free. As of May 2025, direct credit card Buzz purchases are restricted and yellow Buzz can also be purchased with cryptocurrency on the platform. The community skews heavily toward hobbyist and enthusiast Stable Diffusion users, and the content moderation is looser than mainstream platforms — this is both a strength (access to niche creative work) and a caveat (not suitable for corporate-safe environments). Civitai is ideal for power users who want to go deep on Stable Diffusion's community ecosystem.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Stable Diffusion enthusiasts who want access to the largest community model library plus an integrated generator
Users needing clean curation, corporate-safe content filters, or Midjourney-style artistic polish
Free (Buzz credits from activity) · Bronze $10/mo · Silver · Gold
Yes — Buzz credits earned from site activity
Largest community-built Stable Diffusion model hub on the web, with tens of thousands of LoRAs and fine-tunes
Content moderation is looser than mainstream platforms and the credit/Buzz system has a learning curve
Bottom line: Civitai scores 4.4/5 — The central hub for the entire Stable Diffusion community and the easiest way to try any community model in one click. Upgrade to Bronze ($10/mo) for monthly Buzz and membership perks when free activity credits aren't enough.
Pricing
Free tier: Browse the full model library, download most models, earn Buzz credits through site activity (posting, reviewing, voting), and generate images using earned Buzz.
Bronze — $10/month: 10,000 Buzz per month, 5% bonus on Buzz purchases, 50% more Buzz from activity rewards, 3 private models, 8 images per job, 100 GB vault storage, priority support.
Silver: 25,000 Buzz per month, 10% purchase bonus, 150% more activity Buzz, 10 private models, 10 images per job, 250 GB vault storage.
Gold: 50,000 Buzz per month, 20% purchase bonus, 300% more activity Buzz, 100 private models, 12 images per job, 500 GB vault storage.
Buzz packs: $10 for 10,000 Buzz, $25 for 25,000, $50 for 50,000. Annual memberships grant one month free. Direct credit card purchases are restricted in some regions as of 2025; cryptocurrency payment is supported.
Key Features
- Largest community Stable Diffusion model hub (tens of thousands of models)
- LoRAs, textual inversions, checkpoints, embeddings, and training data
- One-click run of any community model in the integrated browser generator
- Buzz credit economy — earn via activity or purchase in packs
- Private model slots for premium members (3 / 10 / 100 on Bronze/Silver/Gold)
- Large vault storage for your own images and models
- Model reviews, ratings, and example gallery per upload
- ControlNet and advanced conditioning on integrated generator
- Fine-tuning tools for training your own LoRAs
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Largest community Stable Diffusion model library on the web by a wide margin
- Free tier is real — earn Buzz through normal site activity
- Membership tiers scale smoothly with usage needs
- Integrated generator lets you try any model without downloading weights
Cons
- Content moderation is looser than mainstream platforms — not corporate-safe
- Buzz economy has a learning curve for newcomers
- Credit card Buzz purchases are restricted in some regions
FAQ
Is Civitai free to use?
Yes. Civitai's core platform — browsing the model hub, downloading most models, and posting creations — is free without any membership. The in-browser generator consumes Buzz credits, but you earn Buzz automatically through site activity: posting creations, reviewing models, voting, and uploading. For regular users, the free Buzz flow is typically enough to generate daily. Paid memberships simply accelerate the credit supply.
What are Buzz credits on Civitai?
Buzz is Civitai's on-site currency. You spend Buzz on generating images, downloading certain premium models, and other site actions. You earn Buzz through activity — posting creations, reviewing models, voting on others' work, uploading models and LoRAs, and hitting daily login streaks. Members also get monthly Buzz allowances (10k/25k/50k on Bronze/Silver/Gold). Buzz can also be purchased in packs when needed.
How much does Civitai membership cost?
Civitai offers four tiers. Free is the default. Bronze costs $10/month and includes 10,000 Buzz monthly, 3 private models, and 100 GB vault storage. Silver includes 25,000 Buzz, 10 private models, and 250 GB storage. Gold includes 50,000 Buzz, 100 private models, and 500 GB storage. Twelve-month memberships of any tier get one month free. Exact Silver and Gold pricing should be verified on the Civitai site.
Is Civitai safe for work?
Civitai hosts a wide range of community content, and moderation is looser than mainstream platforms — you will encounter NSFW models and images in the feed unless you apply content filters in your account settings. The platform does support SFW filtering that blocks mature content from view. For corporate environments or all-ages contexts, consider alternatives like DreamStudio or Adobe Firefly.
Civitai vs Tensor Art — which is better?
Tensor Art offers a cleaner in-browser generation experience with 50 daily free credits and integrated LoRA training, while Civitai has a significantly larger model hub, stronger community, and the integrated browser generator. Most power users browse and download from Civitai and generate on Tensor Art, or use Civitai's integrated generator for convenience. For raw model discovery, Civitai wins; for pure generation UX, Tensor Art is slightly cleaner.
Can I download Civitai models to run locally?
Yes. Civitai's primary function for many users is a model download hub — you can download any model file, LoRA, or checkpoint to run on your own local Stable Diffusion setup (Automatic1111, ComfyUI, Forge, etc.). The integrated browser generator is an alternative for people without a local GPU. Downloads are free, and the entire model library is browsable without a paid membership.
Does Civitai allow NSFW content?
Yes, Civitai allows adult content with user-settable filters. The default for logged-out users is SFW, and registered users can toggle content filters based on their preferences. Commercial use rights depend on the individual model's license — many community models carry non-commercial clauses. Always check each model's license before using outputs commercially, especially for anything that could be considered a derivative work.
How do I get free Buzz on Civitai?
Earn Buzz through site activity: post creations to your profile (earn Buzz per post), review and rate community models, vote on other users' posts, upload new models or LoRAs, hit daily login streaks, and participate in community events and contests. Bronze, Silver, and Gold members earn bonus multiplied Buzz from these activities (50%, 150%, 300% respectively), which makes membership pay for itself for active users.
📋 Good to know
Sign up at civitai.com, apply content filters in your account settings, and start browsing the model hub. Posts and activity earn Buzz automatically.
Public posts default to the community feed. Premium members get private model slots. Content moderation is looser than mainstream platforms. Check Civitai's terms for details.
Bronze ($10/mo) for steady 10,000 monthly Buzz and private model slots. Silver or Gold for heavier Stable Diffusion workflows and larger vault storage.
Moderate. The model hub and Buzz system take an hour to understand, but Stable Diffusion veterans will feel immediately at home. Non-SD users should start elsewhere.