The Best Stable Diffusion Models [Unique List With Prompts]

Stable Diffusion is a text-to-image model whose weights are available to the public.

This means anyone can download the weights and fine-tune them – using methods such as LoRA – to generate specific types of images.

This has led to an explosion of Stable Diffusion models created by individuals and made available to everyone.

In this article, we dive into the best Stable Diffusion models for different use cases such as photorealism, nsfw ai art, fantasy art, anime, and more.

Best Stable Diffusion Models

Below we discuss the best Stable Diffusion models on Civitai. These models can be downloaded and run locally on your PC or online platforms such as mage.space.

1. Realism Engine SDXL: Best Stable Diffusion model for photorealism

Detail	Description
Creator	razzz
Base Model	SDXL 1.0
NSFW friendly?	Yes
Downloads	54K

Realism Engine SDXL is a top Stable Diffusion model for photorealistic images for almost any use case you can imagine. It generates spectacular images for landscapes, faces, cities, NSFW, and much more.

Here’s a prompt I tried on this Stable Diffusion checkpoint.

amateur photography of people at market . casual, f/16, noise, bad light

Here’s the result.

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2. AniVerse: Best Stable Diffusion model for anime

Detail	Description
Creator	Samael1976
Base Model	SD 1.5
NSFW friendly?	Yes
Downloads	53K

AniVerse generates incredible Anime images that are colorful with sharp contrast, making it one of the best Stable Diffusion models for anime. It also generates unique costumes for your anime characters that make them stand out. Anime fans will be hooked on this model. You can also use it to generate anime landscapes and manga.

I tested the model using this prompt.

(best quality, masterpiece, colorful, dynamic angle, highest detailed) upper body photo, fashion photography of cute girl (\Rei Ayanami\), red eyes, dressing high detailed Evangelion white suit, in dynamic pose, light passing through hair, perfect night, (abstract background:1.3), (official art)

Here’s the negative prompt that goes with it.

bad-image-v2-39000, moles, freckles, bad-hands-5, scars on face, wings

Here’s the AI-generated image.

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3. Juggernaut XL: Overall best Stable Diffusion model

Detail	Description
Creator	KandooAI
Base Model	SDXL
NSFW friendly?	Yes
Downloads	335K

Juggernaut XL is the latest and greatest of all previous Juggernaut and SDXL models in terms of image quality. It is my go-to for general image generation.

It is a juggernaut at generating ultra-realistic, high-quality images of anything you can imagine. From animals, landscapes, fantasy, faces, you name it, it does it all.

I took it for a spin using the following prompt.

Nikon RAW photo,8 k,Fujifilm XT3,masterpiece, best quality, realistic, photorealistic,ultra detailed, dog wearing a super hero cap close up portrait, walking, urban city, rain

Here’s the result.

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4. DreamShaper XL: Best alternative to Midjourney

Detail	Description
Creator	Lykon
Base Model	SDXL Lightning
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	233K

DreamShaper is one of the best SDXL models, so much so that it’s been adopted by major AI image-generating platforms such as Leonardo.ai.

The creator describes it as, “a general-purpose model that aims to go against other general-purpose models and pipelines like Midjourney and DALL-E.”

Yes, you read that right. The creator is single-handedly challenging the industry titans.

Here’s a prompt I used from the creator.

(masterpiece, best quality, ultra-detailed, best shadow), cinematic film still, photo of a man wearing a high tech scifi armor, mecha armor, male focus, armor, solo, facial hair, cape, beard, looking at viewer, blue eyes, blurry background, power armor, knee protection, standing, brown hair, science fiction <lora:aesthetic_anime_v1s:1.2>

And the negative prompt:

(low quality, worst quality:1.4), cgi, text, signature, watermark, extra limbs, ((nipples))

Here’s the result.

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5. Monster Diffusion SDXL: Best Stable Diffusion model for horror

Detail	Description
Creator	razzz
Base Model	SDXL 1.0
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	2.7K

Horror and scary images fans are going to love this one. Monster Diffusion SDXL is the best Stable Diffusion model for generating scary and horror-based AI images.

Only your imagination and how much you can stomach can limit you here. It can generate monsters, creatures, and realism.

Here’s a prompt you can try.

Horror-themed cinematic film still the cat in the hat, scary, concept art by greg rutkowski high budget, bokeh, cinemascope, moody, epic, gorgeous, film grain, grainy . Eerie, unsettling, dark, spooky, suspenseful, grim, highly detailed

The negative prompt:

cheerful, bright, vibrant, light-hearted, cute, 3d render

The resulting image.

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6. DucHaiten-AIart-SDXL: Best SDXL model

Detail	Description
Creator	DucHaiten
Base Model	SDXL 1.0
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	28K

I recently discovered DucHaiten-AIart-SDXL and quickly became addicted to it. It generates super high-quality images with amazing lighting and texture. It’s a general-purpose, all-in-one model for any use case. So go all in with your imagination.

Even though it can generate human faces, I find the results too polished and unrealistic. Otherwise, it’s a great model for bringing your imagination to life.

I went with a super simple prompt to see what I’d get:

john wick holding a big gun cyberpunk

The resulting image.

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7. SDXL FaeTastic: Best Stable Diffusion checkpoint model

Detail	Description
Creator	Faeia
Base Model	SDXL 1.0
NSFW friendly?	Yes
Downloads	32K

SDXL FaeTastic is one of those models that will hook you in an instant. It’s versatile, in that it can generate any type of image you want, from landscapes, cars, horror, realism, people, sci-fi, you name it.

The generated images are crisp, bold, colorful, beautiful, and surreal, all rolled into one. Thanks to its creator, the model is available to try out on Civitai before downloading, so be sure to give it a shot. I have no doubt you will download it in a heartbeat once you get a taste of it.

Here’s a landscape image I generated using this model since I believe it’s one of the best Stable Diffusion models for landscapes.

Here’s the prompt:

best quality, masterpiece, high definition, high quality, high resolution, sharp focus, trending on Artstation, 4k, beautiful scenery landscape

Negative prompt:

easynegative, (blurry, watermark, low quality, worst quality:1.3)

Here’s the image:

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8. RealCartoon3D: Best Stable Diffusion Model for Cartoons

Detail	Description
Creator	7whitefire7
Base Model	SDXL 1.5
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	133K

RealCartoon3D is the best Stable Diffusion model for cartoons. It is the go-to for those interested in creating cartoon characters for a story or show.

The generated cartoons are detailed and perfect in a 3D-cartoony way. I also experimented with landscapes and buildings, the results were just as amazing.

However, I noticed the model favors female models more than male models despite my prompt specifying females.

Here’s a prompt for a castle I generated using this model.

A castle in medieval france 

Here’s the negative prompt.

(worst quality:2), (low quality:2), (normal quality:2), lowres, normal quality,bad-artist ,((monochrome)), ((grayscale))

Here’s the AI-generated image.

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9. Absolute Reality: Best Stable Diffusion Model for Faces

Detail	Description
Creator	Lykon
Base Model	SD 1.5
NSFW friendly?	Yes
Downloads	209K

Absolute Reality is one of the most downloaded Stable Diffusion models on Civitai. It’s also created by the top model creator on the platform.

This is to tell you that this is an incredible model for generating ultra-realistic faces, people, animals, cars, fantasy creatures, and more.

Thanks to its versatility and quality, it’s one of those models I tinker with for hours. I especially like the lighting and contrast it produces in images.

Here’s a simple prompt I used to test the model.

beautiful lady a cyberpunk ninja assasin with a katana

Here’s the negative prompt.

(worst quality:2), (low quality:2), (normal quality:2), lowres, normal quality,bad-artist ,((monochrome)), ((grayscale))

Make sure to use a negative prompt to avoid cartoonish images. Here’s the resulting image.

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10. majicMIX realistic: Best Stable Diffusion model for K-pop

Detail	Description
Creator	Lykon
Base Model	SD 1.5
NSFW friendly?	Yes
Downloads	209K

majicMIX is hands down the best Stable Diffusion model for generating Asians. It also doubles as a great Stable Diffusion celebrity model. For example, I mostly use it to recreate K-pop stars such as IU and JENNIE. I also find the model fantastic at generating clothes and fashion design.

Remember, this model is fine-tuned to generate Asians only. With that said, here’s a prompt you can try.

1boy,handsome male,face,beard,white background

Here’s the negative prompt.

(worst quality:2),(low quality:2),(normal quality:2),lowres,watermark

Here’s the AI-generated image.

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11. Cheese Daddy’s Landscapes mix: Best Stable Diffusion model for landscapes

Detail	Description
Creator	cheesedaddy
Base Model	SD 1.5
NSFW friendly?	Yes
Downloads	37K

Cheese Daddy’s Landscapes mix is an incredible Stable Diffusion checkpoint for generating artistic landscapes. It gives a watercolor result to landscapes making it perfect for artists.

The downside is it takes a few trials to get used to it, especially with the V4.1 checkpoint. You should try Cheese Daddy’s Landscapes mix | OFFSET NOISE by the same creator for more realistic landscapes.

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12. Logo.Redmond: Best Stable Diffusion model for logo design

Detail	Description
Creator	artificialguybr
Base Model	SD 1.0
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	31K

Logo.Redmond is one of the best AI logo generators for you or your client’s next venture. Even though I noticed it doesn’t always get the logos right, I mostly use it as a brainstorming companion.

Here’s a prompt I used to test it.

logo for a cleaning company include a mop

Here’s the negative prompt.

bad art, ugly, deformed, watermark, duplicated

Here’s the AI-generated logo

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13. ILLUSTRO: Best Stable Diffusion model for fantasy art

Detail	Description
Creator	artificialguybr
Base Model	SD 1.0
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	31K

Illustro is a highly capable model for creating all sorts of fantasy art, such as retro and modern fantasy art, photorealism, surrealism, and more.

This model works well for writers and/or artists who wish to bring their characters to life. But as mentioned, it’s not limited to that.

Here’s a prompt I tried.

(medieval fantasy art), 1girl, beautiful, perfect face, petite, torn clothes, peasant, messy hair, dirty clothes, torn fabric, lost in alley, dnd, fantasy, (masterpiece, photorealistic, absurdres), dappled sunlight, studio lighting, (photorealistic:1.6), <lora:add_detail:0.8>

Here’s the negative prompt.

BadDream amor, rich, body armor, bad-artist-anime bad-artist badhandsv5-neg badhandv4 FastNegativeEmbedding EasyNegative verybadimagenegative_v1.3, loli, child

Here’s the resulting image.

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14. Badass Cars: Best Stable Diffusion model for cars

Detail	Description
Creator	Barmagloth
Base Model	SD 1.5
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	13K

Badass Cars is the best Stable Diffusion model for cars. It can generate almost all types of cars: retro, modern, photorealistic, and fantasy. And the result is incredible.

I noticed, however, that the model doesn’t generate backgrounds and landscapes according to my prompt. Rather, it generates a random background for the image.

Here’s a prompt I used to test the model.

a 3/4 front view of ((futuristic cyberpunk hotrod zeekars)) (with glowing tires), at the parking lot, <lora:zeekars:0.65>

Here’s the negative prompt.

worst quality, lowest resolution, garbage, duplicates, transition of shapes, blurry, (((numbers on door)))

Here’s the result.

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15. Art Universe: Best Stable Diffusion model for realism

Detail	Description
Creator	wildzzz
Base Model	SDXL 1.0
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	38K

Art Universe produces crisp, detailed, and aesthetically pleasing images. It has been trained on high-resolution datasets, allowing it to generate sharp textures, realistic lighting, and rich colors.

Unlike some Stable Diffusion models that specialize in a single style, Art Universe can generate realistic, anime, cinematic, fantasy, and abstract art effectively. I also noticed it adapts well to prompts with complex artistic styles.

It allows for LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation) and ControlNet integration, giving artists more control over image generation. Users can tweak lighting, depth, and compositions for better consistency.

Here’s a prompt I tried on this model.

photoart_style,(braised smoked grilled ribs with tomatoes, green olives, sauce,onion),realistic,(film grain),ultrarealistic 4k,cinematic light,light glare,light flare,perfect composition, dynamic play of light, rich colors, epic shot, perfectly quality, natural textures,high detail, photoshadow, (natural colors, correct white balance, color correction, dehaze),(intricate detailed),

Here’s the negative prompt

(high contrast, over saturated, glossy:1.1), (cartoon, 3d, 3d render, Photoshop, sketch, sketches, video game, draw, paint, painting, render, cgi, computer graphics, anime, manga, 2d art, 3d art, illustration:1.1), (canvas frame, watermark, signature, username, artist name:1.1),pixelated, low res, jpeg artifacts, Compression artifacts, bad art, worst quality, low resolution, low quality, plastic, fake, bad limbs, conjoined, featureless, bad features, incorrect objects, watermark, signature, logo

Here’s the AI-generated image

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16. UniverseStable: Best Stable Diffusion model for monsters

Detail	Description
Creator	wildzzz
Base Model	SD 1.5
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	23K

UniverseStable is primarily designed for artistic portraits and full-length photos, it excels in generating photorealistic landscapes, monsters, and more. This top Stable Diffusion model is a merge of numerous diverse models, resulting in high-quality and intriguing image outputs.

It emphasizes better detail and gorgeous backgrounds, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of generated images. My recommended settings include using the DPM++2M SDE Karras sampler, Clip skip: 1, 2, or 3, with 25-35 steps, and a CFG scale of 5-7, ensuring efficient and high-quality image generation.

Here’s a prompt I used on UniverseStable

,(art retouch), Angel ,(realistic,fine art parody),(grotesque,caricature:1.2)

Here’s the negative prompt.

(high contrast, over saturated, glossy:1.1), (cartoon, 3d, 3d render, Photoshop, sketch, sketches, video game, draw, paint, painting, render, cgi, computer graphics, anime, manga, 2d art, 3d art, illustration:1.1), (canvas frame, watermark, signature, username, artist name:1.1),pixelated, low res, jpeg artifacts, Compression artifacts, bad art, worst quality, low resolution, low quality, plastic, fake, bad limbs, conjoined, featureless, bad features, incorrect objects, watermark, signature, logo

Here’s the generated image

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17. Incredible World: Best Stable Diffusion model for fashionable girls

Detail	Description
Creator	wildzzz
Base Model	SD 1.5
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	10K

The Incredible World Stable Diffusion model is highly regarded for its ability to generate stunning, fantastical, and fashion-forward images, particularly of girls.

In its latest version, v4.0, the model incorporates trained LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation) on a unique set of photographs, enhancing its capacity to produce incredible and unreal visuals.

Here’s a prompt I used on this model.

midjourney pride,(a hyperrealistic image of completely filled (foggy) a dusty pastell powder glowing powerful splashing),((dynamic pose:1.2),(dynamic camera),(waist-length portrait, South American a woman in a dress with a star design on it),(Dreadlocks yellow wind floating hair),posing for fashion,(look to camera),(cotton volumetric abstract background:1.3), (composition centering, conceptual photography), (natural colors, correct white balance, color correction, dehaze,clarity)),cold gamma colors,color correction,highly detailed, rule of third, soft lighting, beautiful detailed, insanely intricate details, hypermaximalistic, high details, 8k wallpaper, ultra detailed, beautiful and aesthetic, masterpiece, best quality,extremely detailed, the most beautiful form of chaos, elegant designed, vivid colours, romanticism, atmospheric, <lora:add_detail:0.25>,<lyco:MJ_Pride:0.33>, <lora:add_detail:0.25>

Here’s the negative prompt

(green shadow), (deformed, distorted, disfigured:1.3), poorly drawn, bad anatomy, wrong anatomy, extra limb, missing limb, floating limbs, (mutated hands and fingers:1.4), disconnected limbs, mutation, mutated, ugly, disgusting, blurry, amputation. tattoo, watermark, text, anime, illustration, sketch, 3d, vector art, cartoon, painting, ((watermark,3d,cartoon,paint,draw)),(canvas,border,frame),(muted colors:1.4). simple background, (extra fingers, deformed hands, polydactyl:1.3), ugly, (worst quality, low quality, poor quality, bad quality:1.35), artist logo, signature

Here’s the resulting AI image

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18. ArchitectureRealMix: Best Stable Diffusion model for architecture

Detail	Description
Creator	laizhende
Base Model	SD 1.5
NSFW friendly?	No
Downloads	44K

ArchitectureRealMix is considered one of the best Stable Diffusion models for architecture. Why? It generates highly detailed and photorealistic renders, making it ideal for professionals and enthusiasts who need lifelike visualizations.

Unlike general Stable Diffusion models, ArchitectureRealMix is specifically trained on architecture-related datasets, allowing it to produce accurate styles ranging from modern skyscrapers to classical designs. Thanks to the training datasets, it maintains straight lines and realistic proportions in buildings, keeping things structured and believable.

ArchitectureRealMix integrates well with ControlNet, depth maps, and other tools, allowing for even greater control over output.

Here’s an ArchitectureRealMix prompt.

masterpiece,realistic,best quality,high-rise office building,architectural renderings,horizen facade,rendered renderings,tree,vehicle,landscape,cloudy_sky,road,street,city,curtain wall,high-rise complex,

Here’s the negative prompt

realisticvision-negative-embedding,bad-picture-chill-75v,EasyNegativeV2,FastNegativeV2,

Here’s the result.

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What is a Stabe Diffusion Base Model?

Stable Diffusion base models are latent text-to-image models capable of generating different types of images like photorealistic and fantasy art.

A base model can be fine-tuned by training it on a specific set of images to produce those types of images.

For example, illustro is trained in fantasy art images to generate compelling fantasy art from text.

Currently, the best Stable Diffusion model for fine-tuning is Stable Diffusion 1.5. It’s versatile and consistent.

Best Stable Diffusion Model Creators on Civitai

I strongly advise following these creators on Civitai to stay in the loop on the latest and greatest Stable Diffusion models, checkpoints, and fine-tuning techniques.

1. jjhuang: His Models focus on interior and exterior photorealistic architectural designs.

2. Lykon: Top Civitai creator responsible for Dreamshaper and Absolute Reality.

3. KandooAI: Creates incredible SDXL checkpoints that are unmatched. Examples are Juggernaut XL and LoRAs such as Juggernaut Cinematic XL. It’s no wonder he’s the top SDXL model creator on Civitai.

Conclusion: Best Stable Diffusion Models

Stable Diffusion opened up a world of possibilities by making weights available to the public. This has allowed people to fine-tune the models to generate specific types of images.

As a result, there has been an explosion of models that are capable of generating specific types of images very well. Here are the 5 best Stable Diffusion models.

1. Realism Engine SDXL: Best Stable Diffusion model for photorealism
2. AniVerse: Best Stable Diffusion model for anime
3. Juggernaut XL: Overall best Stable Diffusion model
4. DreamShaper XL: Best Alternative to Midjourney
5. Monster Diffusion SDXL: Best Stable Diffusion model for horror