---
title: "Flux Dev Vs Sdxl In Comfyui — Benchmark & Workflow Comparison"
description: "Flux.1 Dev wins on natural-language prompt adherence, hands, and rendered text; SDXL remains faster on 8 GB cards and has a massive LoRA library. Compare VRAM usage, Flux and video support, startup speed, and Windows installation."
canonical: https://comfy.ink/compare/flux-dev-vs-sdxl-in-comfyui
updated: 2026-10-17
---

# ComfyUI vs SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI

Flux.1 Dev wins on natural-language prompt adherence, hands, and rendered text; SDXL remains faster on 8 GB cards and has a massive LoRA library.

## Facts (2026-10-17)

- **Compared Against:** SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI
- **ComfyUI Edge:** Lower VRAM, Flux/Video support, node graph
- **Shared Models:** Yes via extra_model_paths.yaml
- **Windows Build:** Free download at /download

## ComfyUI vs SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI Feature Matrix

| Capability | ComfyUI (Windows) | SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Text rendering in images | Flux.1 Dev spells words accurately | SDXL struggles with long text |
| VRAM footprint | Flux: 8–16 GB (FP8/GGUF) | SDXL: 6–8 GB (FP16) |
| ControlNet maturity | Flux Union & Depth available | SDXL has dozens of specialized ControlNets |
| Generation speed (RTX 4070) | Flux: ~12–18 sec (20 steps) | SDXL: ~4–6 sec (25 steps) |

## How ComfyUI compares to SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI

Flux.1 Dev wins on natural-language prompt adherence, hands, and rendered text; SDXL remains faster on 8 GB cards and has a massive LoRA library.

**Where ComfyUI pulls ahead:** ComfyUI runs both side-by-side in the same installation and switches checkpoints in seconds.

**Where SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI fits:** No need to pick one — keep SDXL in models/checkpoints and Flux in models/unet.

## Running both tools on the same Windows PC without duplicating checkpoints

You do not need to delete SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI or duplicate 100 GB of `.safetensors` files to switch to ComfyUI. Configure [extra_model_paths.yaml](https://comfy.ink/install/extra-model-paths-yaml-setup) so ComfyUI reads your existing checkpoints, LoRAs, VAEs, and ControlNets directly from disk.

Install the Windows desktop or portable build from [/download](https://comfy.ink/download) and point it at your existing model library in under two minutes.

## FAQ

### Can ComfyUI and SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI share the same models folder on Windows?

Yes. Edit `extra_model_paths.yaml` in your ComfyUI root folder to point `base_path` at your existing models directory so both apps load the exact same files.

### Does ComfyUI use less VRAM than SDXL 1.0 in ComfyUI?

ComfyUI only keeps the active node's sub-model (CLIP, UNet, or VAE) in VRAM at each step and supports native FP8 and GGUF quantization, making it significantly lighter on 8 GB and 12 GB GPUs.

## Related

- [ComfyUI vs Other Diffusion Tools](https://comfy.ink/compare)
- [Share Checkpoints Between ComfyUI, A1111 & Forge](https://comfy.ink/install/share-models-with-automatic1111-forge)
- [ComfyUI VRAM Requirements for SDXL, Flux & Video (6GB–24GB)](https://comfy.ink/guides/comfyui-vram-requirements-guide)
- [ComfyUI Desktop Windows Download](https://comfy.ink/desktop/comfyui-desktop-windows-download)
- [ComfyUI vs Automatic1111 SD WebUI](https://comfy.ink/compare/comfyui-vs-automatic1111)

## Download

Free desktop app: [Download Comfy](https://comfy.ink/download)

Markdown mirror: https://comfy.ink/compare/flux-dev-vs-sdxl-in-comfyui.md