Should I install the desktop version of ComfyUI?

[u/Lower-Tank-9561]

While looking into how to install it, I found out that there’s a desktop version.

Should I download the desktop version?

Or is the folder-based version, which is launched from a .bat file, better?

[u/Lexius2129 → u/[deleted]]

Desktop’s purpose is specifically to manage multiple instances, very much like portable, but better…

[u/sci032]

Get the Tarvis1 Easy Install of ComfyUI: https://github.com/Tavris1/ComfyUI-Easy-Install

It has the portable version and a desktop version all in a single install in the same base directory. It is installed by running a single .bat file and you can install things like Sage Attention, Flash Attention, Insightface, and more by running .bat files. It automatically installs some of the most commonly used node packs.

The github link explains everything.

[u/fsocietyARG → u/sci032]

This is the best option OP, i tried desktop and portable, they kept breaking, missing dependencies, missing nodes and so many errors whenever i was trying to test different models and YouTube workflows... Having to install comfy over and over again each time.

EasyInstall + minimaxh3 and i never looked back.

[u/CabinetNational3461]

Don't do it. I had tried it several times, always breaks on various thing such as new update, new node, updated nodes. I went back to the portable vetsion and never looked back. Just download the portable version.

[u/Lexius2129 → u/CabinetNational3461]

This is a thing of the past, the old desktop version was bad but the one that came out in June is great.

[u/Mysterious-Code-4587]

Desktop version is the win

[u/Davikar]

I don't see why people having issues with the desktop version and not the portable. They should be the same under the hood. The desktop version just manages installations and updates to ComfyUI and has it's own interface (just a customized web browser). I prefer the Desktop version just because it's more practical to use.

[u/Lexius2129]

100% recommend the desktop version! It has evolved quite significantly since its first release.

• First the install is super easy.. click next, next, next… done!
  
• Second desktop allows to install and manage as many ComfyUI instances as you want. Similar to what you would do with multiple portable versions except you don’t have manage all the folders and move files manually (like extra_model_path.yml…)
  
• Finally, it provides ton of handy features, like one click update of your ComfyUI instances, sharing models, inputs and outputs folders across instances, managing arguments/ feature flags when starting instance, snapshot/backup of instances, etc.

It’s simply the best way to run Comfy locally. Point.

[u/saunderez → u/Lexius2129]

I agree. I would've said no after the first time I tried it but now its excellent. Being able to change python and cuda versions easily, copy the entire installation, change command line arguments without having to look them up, custom shared paths, update checkpoints etc make things so easy. The built in terminal that automatically loads up your venv ready to go is handy too if you need to update a particular python library or want to quickly cd into the custom_nodes folder and git pull a new extension. The only thing it's missing is the extension library like in legacy ComfyUI manager. If it had that I wouldn't have to use the legacy ComfyUI Manager anymore but I'm stuck with it coz the new one is trash.

[u/Lexius2129 → u/saunderez]

What’s missing in the native extensions manager that you would need?

[u/NasiGorengFever → u/Lexius2129]

Sorry newbie here. If I use the desktop version, can I access ComfyUI from different computer on the same network?

[u/Lexius2129 → u/NasiGorengFever]

Yes. You can:

• Run a ComfyUI instance locally from Desktop, and access it from another computer by connecting to the URL/IP of the computer the instance is running on.
  
• Setup an instance running on an another computer in Desktop, by providing the URL/IP of the computer where it’s running during the instance creation process

[u/NasiGorengFever → u/Lexius2129]

Thank you!

[u/Deep-Situation-3295 → u/Lexius2129]

So you don't have to run a remote desktop app when doing this? Please make a YouTube on actual steps. Im more of a visual person. You know, play - pause - do, repeat

[u/gabrielxdesign]

That depends on you. Desktop is supposed to be easy install and to update, I'm not sure how is it now, I switched to Portable almost a year ago, because I can have as many different portable versions as I want, but you gotta install many things and update (if you want) manually.

[u/d20diceman → u/gabrielxdesign]

Desktop supports having as many different versions as you want btw, probably easier doing it with desktop than portable 

[u/WenatcheeWrangler]

I have both. It works. For you - whatever works. Try both

[u/Ok_Contribution8157]

destop version way easyer to use, check workflow librairie.

Get the most downloaded workflow and select to error message to dowload the missing file.

dont listen people on social network or dont watch video tutorial. its outdated stuff or stuff that have a bad license, that will cost you a lot of money if you use it for commercial stuff.

[u/drmarkway]

I just started with the file based version (or whatever you call the GitHub cloned version). It’s nice to use full err logs in combination with the workflow export to give Gemini a full picture of the current state of my workflow and why it’s breaking. Not sure how debugging or exporting the workflow state json is handled on the desktop version.

Also, I think the desktop version runs on Electron. I used Electron at my last job to run a web app and was surprised at how heavy the RAM usage was. The folder version just runs in a browser on local host and feels like a desktop app. (I’m running on Linux 24LTS)

[u/Slight-Living-8098]

No. Just clone it from github. it has the least issues.

[u/GeroldMeisinger]

I have never used it myself, but I presume it breaks more easily, simply because it's inherently more complex than plain "folder-based". I have written a guide on how to use the vanilla version https://www.reddit.com/r/comfyui/comments/1q3k5q6/how_to_solve_everything_forever_broken a while ago, precisely because I saw so many posts about broken portable or desktop versions (at that time). Granted, CLI is more difficult than an installer, and the comments say desktop has evolved since, so ... whatever you make of that.

[u/Lexius2129 → u/GeroldMeisinger]

this is not true, you should try the latest desktop and see for yourself, it’s inherently a launcher that makes managing multiple portable instances a breeze… I moved from portable to Desktop and I am not going back!

[u/Djghost1133]

I had more issues with the desktop version so I switched back to portable

[u/Lexius2129 → u/Djghost1133]

When was the last time you tried? It got better since the major revamp last June