InvokeAI: Open-Core alternative to Midjourney in 2026
InvokeAI offers a polished, creator-oriented interface for Stable Diffusion, with a unified canvas, inpainting and model management, as a local alternative to Midjourney.
Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.
Audit Snapshot
View notes →License — Matches GitHub
GitHub — Active
Latest release — v6.14.2 · 15 days ago
Docker Compose — Partial
Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack
InvokeAI vs. Midjourney
Pros
- The friendliest interface for non-technical users among local options
Things to consider
- Requires an NVIDIA GPU with enough VRAM
Quick Docker installation guide
Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →
💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?
- On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Midjourney.
- On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
version: "3.9"
services:
invokeai:
image: ghcr.io/invoke-ai/invokeai:latest
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "9090:9090"
volumes:
- invokeai_data:/invokeai
deploy:
resources:
reservations:
devices:
- driver: nvidia
count: 1
capabilities: [gpu]
volumes:
invokeai_data:
🚀 Deploy in 1 command
Recommended for beginnersCopy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.
curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=invokeai" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.shThis docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.
This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →Technical profile
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Category
- Artificial Intelligence
- Replaces
- Midjourney
- Tech stack
- PythonReactPyTorch
Under the hood
Database
SQLite
Language
Python
Platforms
Web · Desktop (Mac/Win/Linux)
Key features
- Unified canvas with inpainting/outpainting
- Visual model and LoRA management
- Interface built for artists, not just devs
Preview
Public image provided by InvokeAI on its own website.
💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)
As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.
1. Create a compressed backup on the server
tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data2. Download it to your computer
From your computer's terminal (not your server's):
scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./3. Restore in case of emergency
tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL
Step 1 — Set up the DNS
In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:
- Type
- A
- Name/Host
- @ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
- Content/Value
- Your server's public IP
Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.
Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy
One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.
Create a file called Caddyfile:
yourdomain.com {
reverse_proxy localhost:9090
}Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):
docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy