Overview
Stability AI is the company behind Stable Diffusion, the leading open-source image generation model. Founded by Emad Mostaque, Stability AI focuses on creating open, accessible AI models across modalities including image, video, audio, and language. Their open-source approach has democratized generative AI and enabled countless applications.
The company releases both open-source models (Stable Diffusion, SDXL) and provides commercial API access. Stability AI has faced financial and governance challenges but remains a major player in open generative AI, with their models downloaded millions of times and used in commercial products worldwide.
Key Features
**Stable Diffusion**: Leading open-source image generation**SDXL**: High-resolution image generation**Stable Video**: Video generation from text/images**Stable Audio**: Music and audio generation**Stable Code**: Code generation models**API Access**: Commercial inference endpoints**Open Source**: Free model downloads**Commercial License**: Use in productsWhen to Use Stability AI
Stability AI is ideal for:
Image generation applicationsCreative tools and productsSelf-hosted generative AICost-conscious image generation at scaleApplications requiring model customizationAvoiding vendor lock-in with open modelsPros
Leading open-source image modelsFree to self-hostCommercial licensing availableMulti-modal offerings (image, video, audio)Large community and ecosystemMany fine-tuned variants availableCan customize and trainAPI access for convenienceCons
Company facing financial difficultiesLeadership changes and instabilityLess capable than Midjourney/DALL-E 3 for some usesLanguage models lag behind competitorsUncertain long-term viabilityAPI can be expensiveModel quality variesSome controversy around training dataPricing
**Open Source**: Free to self-host**API**: $0.002-0.04 per image depending on model**Enterprise**: Custom pricing and support**Commercial License**: Free for most uses