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Head-to-head · AI Image Generators

Shutterstock vs AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Shutterstock #1 in AI Image Generators 9.7/10 Paid ✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Shutterstock
AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI #7 in AI Image Generators 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit AUTOMATIC1111

Shutterstock leads on 0 checks, AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI on 1, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreShutterstock · 9.7/10
  • Free planonly AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI
  • Most featuresAUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI · 4 of 4

Shutterstock scores higher on our rubric for ai image generators: 9.7 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #7.

AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI offers free plan; Shutterstock doesn't.

Shutterstock is the better fit for teams that want AI images next to licensed stock. AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI is the better fit for free local Stable Diffusion experimentation.

  • Shutterstock fits best

    Teams that want AI images next to licensed stock

  • AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI fits best

    Free local Stable Diffusion experimentation

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Side by side

Feature Shutterstock 9.7/10 Visit ↗ AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.7 8.9
Ranking #1 in AI Image Generators #7 in AI Image Generators
Best for Teams that want AI images next to licensed stock Free local Stable Diffusion experimentation
Pricing model Paid Free
Starting price — Free plan
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Self-hosted
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Live chat, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 8,000+ integrations 7 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Shutterstock 1/4 · AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI 4/4
Text-to-image Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Reference images Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Image editing Not checked yet ✓ (best)
API access ✓ ✓
Specs
Monthly credits Not checked yet Not checked yet
Commercial use Not checked yet Not checked yet
Output formats Not checked yet PNG, JPEG
Our review
Pros
  • AI image generation and editing inside a broad licensed stock library
  • Unlimited Images includes 50 AI generation credits a month; Unlimited Plus includes 100
  • Web, iOS, Android and API access
  • Text-to-image, image-to-image, inpainting, and outpainting workflows
  • Batch processing, model controls, prompt tools, and upscaling
  • HTTP API plus integrations for restoration and super-resolution
Cons
  • AI credits come only with paid Unlimited plans; no free plan
  • Monthly credits cap how many images you can generate
  • Plan choices vary by media type and AI credit allowance
  • Requires self-hosted installation on a supported operating system
  • Model licenses may differ from the software's AGPL-3.0 license
  • Broad controls can demand more configuration than a narrow image tool
Our verdict

Shutterstock combines its stock library with AI tools, including an AI image generator and AI editing. Generation runs on monthly AI credits that come with the Unlimited plans: the pricing page lists 50 AI generation credits a month with…

Read the review →

AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI is an open-source, self-hosted browser interface for generating and transforming images with Stable Diffusion models. It suits creators, developers, and technical teams who want local control over…

Read the review →
  1. ShutterstockAI Image Generators 9.7Paid
  2. AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUIAI Image Generators 8.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Shutterstock — where it wins

    • AI image generation and editing inside a broad licensed stock library
    • Unlimited Images includes 50 AI generation credits a month; Unlimited Plus includes 100
    • Web, iOS, Android and API access

    Where it doesn't

    • AI credits come only with paid Unlimited plans; no free plan
    • Monthly credits cap how many images you can generate
    • Plan choices vary by media type and AI credit allowance

  • AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion WebUI — where it wins

    • Text-to-image, image-to-image, inpainting, and outpainting workflows
    • Batch processing, model controls, prompt tools, and upscaling
    • HTTP API plus integrations for restoration and super-resolution

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires self-hosted installation on a supported operating system
    • Model licenses may differ from the software's AGPL-3.0 license
    • Broad controls can demand more configuration than a narrow image tool

More comparisons

All AI image generators comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update