Head-to-Head Comparison · Alternative to Leonardo AI · 🪄 generative media
Leonardo AI vs Draw Things
Local models, histories, canvases and retained settings on Apple hardware; no team asset library. Here is how Draw Things ($0/mo free) stacks up against Leonardo AI ($12/mo) across cost, hosting, data privacy, and real-world trade-offs.
Leonardo AI vs Draw Things Specification Matrix
facts verified 2026-08-10
| Dimension | Leonardo AI (Paid) | Draw Things (Replacement) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $12 / mo | $0 / mo |
| 1-Year Cost (1 seat) | $144 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $144) |
| 1-Year Cost (5 seats) | $720 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $720) |
| 1-Year Cost (10 seats) | $1,440 / yr | $0 / yr (Save $1,440) |
| Source & License | Proprietary SaaS | free GPL-3.0 |
| Where It Runs | Vendor Cloud | Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud) |
| Platforms | Web / Cloud | desktopmobileone-click install |
| GitHub Stars | — | ★ $0 forever |
Deep Dive: Switching from Leonardo AI to Draw Things
Trade-offs, installation & data architecture
What you trade away
It keeps models and history locally, but lacks Leonardo's shared team library, browser access, and managed training and compute.
How to deploy Draw Things
Install the signed app from Apple's App Store on macOS, iPhone, or iPad
What it takes to run
Apple hardware is required, and the first model download is large; older devices can be slow or memory-limited
Where your data lives
Projects, models, history, and generated media live in the app sandbox; on macOS model files are under the app container, while cloud offload sends prompts and media for processing
Why fork Draw Things instead of vibe-coding a Leonardo AI clone?
A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Leonardo AI, organize local or API-backed image-generation workflows and retain parameters. The hard boundary is proprietary models, hosted gpu capacity, training tools, and asset ecosystem, plus frontier models, compute, and data.
Leonardo AI vs Draw Things FAQ
Is Draw Things a good free alternative to Leonardo AI?+
Yes. Draw Things is a verified free replacement for Leonardo AI. Local models, histories, canvases and retained settings on Apple hardware; no team asset library.
What is the catch when switching from Leonardo AI to Draw Things?+
It keeps models and history locally, but lacks Leonardo's shared team library, browser access, and managed training and compute.
How much do you save switching from Leonardo AI to Draw Things?+
Leonardo AI costs $12/mo ($144/yr) per seat, whereas Draw Things is $0/mo. Switching saves $144/yr for a solo user, $720/yr for a 5-person team, and $1,440/yr for a 10-person team.
How do I install or self-host Draw Things instead of Leonardo AI?+
Install: Install the signed app from Apple's App Store on macOS, iPhone, or iPad. Setup: Apple hardware is required, and the first model download is large; older devices can be slow or memory-limited
