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Leonardo AI alternative: Keep the prompt, the layers, and the workflow.

Generate with models from the providers you connect, repaint one layer without touching the others, and rerun the workflow behind every image.

  • Open source
  • Local and hosted models
  • Your own provider accounts
Download NodeToolCompare with Leonardo AI
One sentence becomes a short film. The agent outlines the story, designs the characters, draws a storyboard, generates the clips, and edits them together.

From prompt to finished asset

The image is not the end of the project. The workflow and the layers behind it stay editable.

  1. 1. Build

    A workflow behind the image

    Prompts, reference images, and models are connected nodes, so a result can be traced and rerun.

  2. 2. Refine

    Layer by layer

    Give one layer a description and only that layer is redrawn. Your own drawing stays as it was.

  3. 3. Continue

    Into storyboard and video

    The same project has a storyboard, where approved stills become video clips.

NodeTool vs Leonardo AI

Leonardo AI is a hosted creation platform for images, video, and design. NodeTool is an open-source creative workspace for image, video, audio, and text workflows, with agents, desktop or self-hosted deployment, and your own provider accounts.

FeatureLeonardo AINodeTool
Image iterationImage editing and Realtime CanvasWorkflow canvas and sketch editing
VideoGeneration and editing toolsStoryboard, generation nodes, and timeline
AutomationAPI plans and hosted creation toolsCLI, API, MCP, and saved workflows
BillingPlan allowances and separate API offeringsConnected providers bill model calls

Check current capabilities and plan terms: Leonardo creation and editing tools · Leonardo individual, team, and API plans

Generate and upscale an image in a visible graph

Follow a prompt through image generation and upscaling. Keep the graph open to inspect or change either model.

Download NodeToolInspect the Generate then Upscale a Poster workflow

A FAL API key. The shipped graph uses FLUX.1 Schnell and Clarity Upscaler.

  1. In Studio, open Generate then Upscale a Poster from the template library.
  2. Connect FAL in provider settings. Hosted generation and upscaling are billed by FAL.
  3. Change the Prompt node, then run the workflow. Inspect the draft and the final Poster output.
  4. Save the workflow. Change the prompt or image model and run it again.

When Leonardo AI is the better choice

Leonardo fits creators who want its hosted canvas, model tools, and team offering. NodeTool fits when generation is one stage of a repeatable process with inspectable inputs and outputs. Custom-model features depend on the selected provider rather than the graph alone.

What are the best Leonardo AI alternatives?

  • NodeToolRecommended

    An open-source canvas for image, video, audio, and text that runs on your own keys — the creative canvas alternative you can host yourself.

    macOS, Windows, Linux, or self-hosted · Open source (AGPL-3.0)

  • Midjourney

    Compare

    Image and video creation service with a web editor

  • Adobe Firefly

    Compare

    Creative AI suite with Adobe and partner models

  • Ideogram

    Compare

    Generative media platform with typography and creative apps

  • Recraft

    Compare

    AI design platform for images and vector graphics

  • Weavy

    Compare

    Closed SaaS canvas, now Figma Weave

    Browser, hosted · Closed source

Frequently asked questions

Does Leonardo support video and APIs?
Yes. Leonardo lists video generation and editing, plus individual, team, and API offerings.
Is NodeTool's canvas the same as Realtime Canvas?
No. NodeTool's workflow canvas connects operations. Its sketch editor handles image layers. These serve different tasks from Leonardo's Realtime Canvas.
What does the poster starter require?
It uses a FAL API key for FLUX.1 Schnell and Clarity Upscaler. Review the models and their costs before running it.

Inspect the draft and the upscaled poster.

Try a two-stage image workflow with the model and output of each stage visible.

Download NodeTool