All comparisons

Comparison

Onhand vs PhoneDiffusion

These two apps are close cousins. Both generate on the device, both work without an account, and both do image-to-image, inpainting and background removal. The real splits are how you pay, which hardware is supported, PhoneDiffusion's new optional cloud models, and two features it has that Onhand does not.

By Onhand · Updated September 30, 2026

Two local image workflows showing iterative refinement and detailed upscaling

The short answer

Pick PhoneDiffusion if you want to start today, if you need Mac or Apple Vision or a device that cannot run iOS 26, or if you want AI upscaling. Pick Onhand if you are on a recent iPhone or iPad and you prefer a free model plus a single Pro purchase over a subscription. On the part people usually shop for, generation that stays on the device with no account, the two are close to even, as long as you stick to PhoneDiffusion's local models: version 3.7 added optional cloud models that run off the device.

Side by side

What to checkOnhandPhoneDiffusion
Where generation runsOn the device, Apple silicon GPUOn the device for local models; optional cloud models since version 3.7
Account requiredNoneNone
PlatformsiPhone and iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision
Minimum OSiOS 26 or iPadOS 26iOS 17; macOS 14 on an M1 or later Mac
How you payFree model, plus a one-time Pro purchaseSubscriptions, plus a lifetime option
Listed pricesPro price varies by storefront and is being testedFrom $7.99 a month or $16.99 a year; lifetime $24.99 (30 September 2026)
Models offeredSD Turbo, SDXL Turbo and FLUX.2 Klein 4B packsStable Diffusion 1.5 and SDXL locally on supported devices, plus optional cloud models
Image to imageYes, with a strength control, on every modelYes
InpaintingYes, with the free fast model onlyYes
Background removalYes, on the deviceYes
AI upscalingNo, resize onlyYes, listed as a feature
AvailabilityPre-launch, coming soon (waitlist)On the App Store as of 30 September 2026

What do the two apps have in common?

Most of the core is the same. Both apps run Stable Diffusion-class models on the device itself, both work without an account, and both cover text-to-image, image-to-image, inpainting and background removal. PhoneDiffusion's website says image generation runs locally, that prompts are not uploaded, and that no internet is needed after setup. That holds for its local models. Version 3.7, released in late September 2026, added optional cloud models (the listing names GPT Image 2, Nano Banana, FLUX.2, Seedream and others) that you can switch to at any time, and those need a connection and run off the device. Onhand works the way the local side does: once a model pack has downloaded, generation and editing run in airplane mode on the device GPU, and prompts, source photos and results are never sent to a generation server.

Neither app is silent on the network, and it is worth being precise about that. PhoneDiffusion's privacy policy describes an accountless, on-device app that also uses Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics, along with Adapty for its paywall and purchases. Onhand uses limited anonymous analytics and Apple and RevenueCat purchase services. In both cases the generation stays on the device while the surrounding app talks to ordinary analytics and billing services. This is parity, not a reason to choose one over the other.

PhoneDiffusion also got there first, which counts for something. It is on the App Store today from Akro-in. d.o.o., while Onhand is still pre-launch. Its listing showed a 3.8 star average from 30 ratings when I checked on 30 September 2026, a sample far too small to read much into. If you want to make an image this afternoon, PhoneDiffusion is the only one of the two that can do it.

What does each one cost?

This is the clearest split between them. PhoneDiffusion is a free download with in-app purchases, and as listed on the US App Store on 30 September 2026 those were Monthly $11.99, Monthly Saver $7.99, Yearly $23.99, Yearly Saver $16.99 and Lifetime $24.99. A subscription is the default path, with a one-time lifetime unlock offered alongside it. Its website notes that this is not a cloud credit system, so the money buys the app rather than a bucket of images.

Onhand is a free download with a recommended fast model that is free to use, with no credits, no image limits and no subscription of any kind. Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks more model packs. The Pro price is not quoted on this page because it varies by storefront and is still being tested, so any single number here would be wrong for most readers.

Which devices can run them?

PhoneDiffusion reaches much more hardware. Its listing covers iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision, with a stated minimum of iOS and iPadOS 17, and macOS 14 on an M1 or later Mac. Onhand runs on iPhone and iPad only and needs iOS 26 or iPadOS 26. There is no Mac app, no Vision app, no Android app and no web version of Onhand, and none should be inferred from anything on this page.

For both apps the binding constraint is memory rather than chip speed. A model has to fit in the memory the system is willing to hand an app, so a faster phone with the same memory does not unlock a larger model. PhoneDiffusion's own guide recommends 6 GB of RAM or more and treats SDXL as Pro-class iPhone territory. Onhand is developed against an iPhone 14 Pro with 6 GB as the floor: the free pack runs there, and the larger packs need more memory than that.

What can you edit in each one?

The editing lists overlap heavily, with two items on PhoneDiffusion's side that Onhand has no answer for. PhoneDiffusion lists text-to-image, image-to-image, inpainting, background removal, upscaling and a mode it calls Live Generation. Onhand has text-to-image, image-to-image with a strength control on every model, masked inpainting, background removal on the device, resize, style presets and a gallery that keeps your history on the device.

Onhand has no AI upscaling. It can resize an image, which changes the dimensions without reconstructing any detail, and that is a different job. If enlarging a finished picture is part of your workflow, PhoneDiffusion covers it and Onhand does not. Live Generation has no counterpart in Onhand either.

What Onhand adds is the Refine loop. You keep a result on the canvas and run it again, and the versions are kept, so you can walk an image toward what you had in mind instead of rerolling the prompt from scratch. Refine works with every model in the catalog. Masked inpainting is narrower than that: painting an area and regenerating it works with the free fast model only.

  • Outpainting: Onhand does not do it, and PhoneDiffusion does not list it.
  • LoRA and ControlNet: not listed by either app.
  • Custom model import: not listed by either app.
  • Video: Onhand does not generate it.
  • Cloud models: PhoneDiffusion added optional ones in version 3.7. Onhand has none, so a model that will not fit simply will not run.

Which models does each one run?

The catalogs differ in kind. PhoneDiffusion lists Stable Diffusion 1.5 and SDXL on supported devices. Onhand ships a catalog of downloadable model packs of roughly 1 to 4.5 GB each: a free fast pack of about 2 GB, and Pro packs that add more looks for portraits and scenes plus a higher-quality model with better prompt following. By family, those are SD Turbo, SDXL Turbo and FLUX.2 Klein 4B. Licenses and credits for every pack are listed at /licenses.

Two caveats apply to Onhand whichever pack you load. The Turbo models run at cfg 0, which means negative prompts do nothing; style has to go in the positive prompt instead. And text or lettering inside a generated image is model-dependent, so treat any words in an Onhand result as something to check rather than something to count on.

On speed, the only figure worth giving is the developer's own measurement: about 7 seconds for a 512px image with the free fast model, and about 12 seconds with the XL pack, on an iPhone 14 Pro, with the method described at /about. There is no like-for-like measurement of PhoneDiffusion on that same phone here, so this page offers no speed comparison between the two.

Which one should you pick?

Pick Onhand if

  • You want one payment rather than a plan, with no credits and no image limits.
  • Your iPhone or iPad runs iOS 26 and you do not need a Mac or Apple Vision version.
  • You iterate on a result: the Refine loop keeps versions and works with every model.
  • You want a higher-quality model with better prompt following in the catalog, FLUX.2 Klein 4B.
  • You are willing to wait, since Onhand is coming soon and not on the App Store yet.

Pick PhoneDiffusion if

  • You want to start now. PhoneDiffusion is on the App Store and Onhand is not.
  • You need Mac, Apple Vision, or an iPhone or iPad that cannot run iOS 26.
  • You need AI upscaling, which Onhand does not have at all.
  • You want its Live Generation mode, which has no equivalent in Onhand.
  • A $16.99 yearly plan or the $24.99 lifetime unlock, as listed on 30 September 2026, suits how you prefer to pay.

Frequently asked questions

Is PhoneDiffusion free?

PhoneDiffusion is a free download with in-app purchases. As listed on the US App Store on 30 September 2026, those were Monthly $11.99, Monthly Saver $7.99, Yearly $23.99, Yearly Saver $16.99 and a $24.99 lifetime unlock. Its website says it is not a cloud credit system. Prices change, so check the listing before you buy.

Is there a PhoneDiffusion alternative without a subscription?

Onhand is one. The download is free, the recommended fast model is free to use with no credits or image limits, and Pro is a single purchase that unlocks more model packs. PhoneDiffusion also sells a lifetime unlock next to its plans, so a one-time route exists on both sides. Onhand is coming soon to iPhone and iPad and is not on the App Store yet.

Does PhoneDiffusion run on Mac?

Yes. Its App Store listing covers iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision, with macOS 14 or later on an M1 or later Mac. Onhand has no Mac app and no Apple Vision app. Onhand runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 and nothing else.

Can I run Onhand on an older iPhone?

Only if it can update to iOS 26. A device stuck on iOS 17 or iOS 18 cannot install Onhand, while PhoneDiffusion lists iOS 17 as its minimum. Past the OS version, memory decides which model packs load: Onhand is built and tested against an iPhone 14 Pro with 6 GB, where the free pack runs, and the larger packs need more than that.

Do these apps send my prompts to a server?

With local models, generation stays on the device in both. PhoneDiffusion's website says prompts are not uploaded and no internet is needed after setup, but version 3.7 added optional cloud models, and prompts you run on those are processed off the device. Onhand has no cloud models: it never sends prompts, source photos or generated images to a generation server, and it keeps working in airplane mode once a model pack is downloaded. Both apps do use analytics and purchase services around the generation itself; what Onhand collects is described at /privacy.

Which one can upscale an image?

PhoneDiffusion lists upscaling as a feature and Onhand does not have it. Onhand can resize an image, which changes its dimensions without reconstructing detail, so it is not a substitute. If enlarging finished images matters to your work, that alone is a reason to choose PhoneDiffusion.

Sources

Facts about other products come from their own listings and documentation, last checked on the date shown. Corrections are welcome at the address on the About page.