Layer
Concept art & 2D assets · Free tier + paid- Commercial use
- Commercial use allowed
- Free plan
- Free planStart for free (scope unverified)
- Ship free-plan output?
- Yes
- Engines
- Any (standard file export / engine-agnostic)
Layer vs Retro Diffusion
Facts from each vendor's published pages, checked . Compare different tools →
Our ranking
In Concept art & 2D assets, Retro Diffusion ranks #1 and Layer ranks #4. No independent quality tests found. Ranked on game-dev fit: commercial use allowed; Godot, Unity, Unreal integrations; API and official MCP server.
Retro Diffusion
Concept art & 2D assets · Pay as you go- Commercial use
- Commercial use allowed
- Free plan
- Free trial or credits onlyFree starting balance for new accounts
- Ship free-plan output?
- Yes (free option is a trial or credits)
- Engines
- Godot, Unity, Unreal
Bottom line for game devs
- Commercial use: both commercial use allowed (Layer terms; Retro Diffusion terms).
- Free plan: Layer: free plan (Start for free (scope unverified)) pricing. Retro Diffusion: free trial or credits only (Free starting balance for new accounts) pricing.
- Shipping free-plan output in a paid game: both allow it, per their published terms.
- API and MCP: both: public API, official MCP server.
- Engine integrations stated by the vendor: Layer: none stated (standard file export). Retro Diffusion: Godot, Unity, Unreal.
Best for
Style-consistent game art and marketing creatives
Pay-per-image pixel-art sprites and tiles
What it does
Generative content platform aimed at game studios: style-trained models, concept art, marketing creatives and asset variations with team workflows.
Pixel-art-specific image models for sprites, tiles, tilesets and animations, plus low-poly 3D model generation with export for Godot, Unity and Unreal. Also sells an Aseprite extension.
Verdict
For studios that want style-trained generation with no per-seat fees; the pricing page lists a commercial licence for all users.
For pixel-art devs who want pay-per-image pricing with no subscription; the site says all output is yours for commercial use.
Tasks●
Concept art & 2D assets, Textures & materials, Trailers & marketing
Concept art & 2D assets, 3D model generation
Engines●
Any (standard file export / engine-agnostic)
Godot, Unity, Unreal
Free plan●
Free plan Start for free (scope unverified)
Free trial or credits only Free starting balance for new accounts
Pricing
Start for free. Subscriptions begin at US$10/month for 300 Creative Units, increasing by US$60 per 1,000 CUs; US$0 per seat. source
Pay per generation from a prepaid balance: images from US$0.03 (RD Fast), US$0.06, US$0.18 (RD Pro); animations from US$0.07 per clip. New accounts get a free starting balance. source
Export formats
Not stated by vendor
Not stated by vendor
Commercial use
Commercial use allowed
Pricing page lists "Commercial license for all users". Free-tier scope: unverified. source
Pricing page lists "Commercial license for all users". Free-tier scope: unverified. source
Commercial use allowed
Official FAQ: "Everything you generate is yours, for personal and commercial projects alike." source
Official FAQ: "Everything you generate is yours, for personal and commercial projects alike." source
Revenue share / caps
Not stated by vendor
Not stated by vendor
MCP server
Official MCP server. Hosted MCP server source
Official MCP server. Hosted MCP server source
Last checked
Rows marked ● differ between the two tools. Licence badges: green = commercial use allowed (including any free plan or trial), amber = paid plans only, restricted, or allowed but with no free plan, red = not allowed, grey = not stated by vendor or not applicable. Read the vendor's current terms before you ship.