7 best AI image generators for keeping the same face in 2026

Key takeaways

• Mage is the strongest all-around pick for a recurring face. You build a saved Character from one portrait and call it by name in any prompt, with up to 10 reference images on Mango 3, a Mage-exclusive model.

• Ideogram and Leonardo both offer single-photo character features. Ideogram's newer 4.5 model takes up to five reference images, and Leonardo's dedicated Character Reference is a legacy feature on its way out.

• ChatGPT keeps a face through conversation and uploads, with no saved character, and its September 2026 Images 2.5 update improved how it holds faces from reference photos.

• ComfyUI is the free, local route, using face-ID tools like PuLID or a trained Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA), but it needs a capable graphics card and some patience.

• Mage and OpenAI restrict using a real person's likeness without consent, and Midjourney and Google bar harmful or deceptive images of real people, so these features are for original characters and your own face.

Which AI image generator keeps the same face?

Identity drift is the problem every character creator runs into. The first image looks right, and by the fifth, the jaw has softened, the eyes have changed color, or the nose belongs to someone else. A good tool for this job holds the face while everything else changes: pose, outfit, lighting, and setting.

The tools below take different routes to that. Some save a character you can reuse by name. Some take one or more reference photos on each prompt. The local option lets you train a small model on the face itself.

We've ranked them on how they anchor a face (a saved character, reference images, or training), how many references they take, how well they hold up when the pose and outfit change, what the feature costs to use regularly, and how much setup it needs.

The seven tools at a glance

1. Mage: best overall for a recurring face

Mage is a browser-based image and video platform with a feature built for this job. Its Characters feature saves a face once from a single reference portrait, and you call it by handle in any prompt, in images and in video.

Strengths: Mango 3, a Mage exclusive released in July 2026 for consistent characters, takes up to 10 reference images, shared between your Character and any outfit, pose, or location references. The Character Sheet app turns one image into a close-up plus front, side, and back views you can save as a Character. Mango 3 and unlimited Character creation come with the $30 Pro plan.

Limits: A portrait-based Character holds the face better than the body, so you need a full-body reference for full-body characters.

Best for: Creators who want a reusable character face they can call by name across a whole series, in a browser.

2. Leonardo: best for an all-in-one creative suite

Leonardo is a large browser-based image suite, and it has offered a single-image Character Reference feature since 2024.

Strengths: Character Reference preserves a subject's likeness from one photo on Leonardo's SDXL-based models. Its help center says the newer Omni models accept up to six reference images, which covers the same need without a separate mode. Paid plans can also train personal models from your own image set, worth it for a character you'll reuse for months.

Limits: Leonardo describes the dedicated Character Reference as part of a legacy mode that's leaving the platform, and its API docs say the feature isn't a face swap and won't produce a perfect replica. It only takes one image at a time. The free plan's 150 daily tokens come with limited model access and public creations.

Best for: Existing Leonardo users who want character consistency in the same suite.

3. Ideogram: best for single-photo characters with text

Ideogram made its name on legible text inside images. Character tools came later: a saved Character, plus reference images on 4.5.

Strengths: Ideogram's Character feature saves a named character from one photo, with an adjustable mask that controls how much of the original is preserved. Its newer Ideogram 4.5 model takes one to five reference images, and its docs say shots of the face from a few angles work best. Text rendering, its original strength, makes it handy for posters, covers, and thumbnails that feature the same character.

Limits: Ideogram 3.0 and 4.0 don't take reference images at all, so you need 4.5 or the Character app. Free accounts that sign in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft get 30 credits a week, and their images are public. Generations that use a reference image still cost credits after you run out, even in the slower queue.

Best for: Characters that have to appear next to readable text.

4. ChatGPT: best for quick edits in conversation

ChatGPT handles character consistency inside a conversation. You upload a photo or pick an image you made earlier, then describe the change you want.

Strengths: OpenAI's ChatGPT Images 2.5 update, released in September 2026, is better at preserving the subjects in reference photos and at keeping earlier edits consistent across a multi-turn session. It's available on every ChatGPT plan, including free, and the selection tool lets you edit just part of an image.

Limits: There's no saved character, so a face lives in a conversation and you re-upload it to start again. The free plan has limited image creation, and OpenAI doesn't publish numeric caps. Its help center notes that selected-area edits can spill beyond the area you chose.

Best for: A few quick variations of one face without learning a new tool.

5. ComfyUI: best for full local control

ComfyUI runs open image models on your own computer through a free, node-based interface. You pick the models and add-ons that lock the face.

Strengths: PuLID for FLUX keeps a face from a single photo with no training, and InstantID does the same for SDXL. ComfyUI also has a built-in node for training a LoRA on a set of images of one character, a reliable lock for a long project. FLUX 3 Image Klein, which takes up to 10 references and runs from 8GB of video memory, has worked in ComfyUI since its October 2026 release.

Limits: PuLID for FLUX peaks at roughly 15GB to 17GB of video memory even with FP8 and offloading, and fitting a 12GB card takes an aggressive offload that's very slow. InstantID's face models and IP-Adapter FaceID are licensed for non-commercial or research use only, which rules them out for paid work. Setup takes real time.

Best for: People with a strong graphics card who want complete control over how a face is locked. Our VRAM guide covers what each model needs.

6. Midjourney: best for stylized, high-polish images

Midjourney's character tools changed in 2026. The V8.2 model, the default since July, uses an Edit Model that replaces the older Omni Reference and Character Reference features.

Strengths: The Edit Model takes up to four reference images on V8.1 and V8.2, so you can show a face from more than one angle. The older Omni Reference still works on V7 if you want that model's style, with a weight setting that controls how closely the result follows the reference.

Limits: There's no free tier; plans start at $10 a month. Omni Reference uses twice the GPU time of a normal V7 image and doesn't work in Fast Mode or Draft mode. Midjourney's docs say fine details like freckles may not match exactly. The older character reference works only with V6 and Niji 6.

Best for: A consistent character in Midjourney's polished, stylized look.

7. Nano Banana 2: best for several characters in one image

Google's Nano Banana 2, inside the Gemini app, combines several references in one image.

Strengths: At launch in February 2026, Google said Nano Banana 2 keeps the resemblance of up to five characters in a single workflow. Google's developer docs allow up to four character images among its references, which helps when two or three recurring characters share a scene. It's free in the Gemini app.

Limits: Images made in the Gemini app carry Google's invisible SynthID mark, plus a visible watermark that's on by default and can be turned off in settings. The newer Nano Banana 2.1 needs a paid Google AI plan, and Google says only that limits apply, without a fixed count. Through the API, a 1K image costs $0.067.

Best for: Trying character consistency for free, or putting several recurring characters together in one image.

How to keep a face consistent in any tool

• Start with a clean reference: A sharp, well-lit, front-facing portrait gives every tool here the best chance, and Mage's docs recommend exactly that.

• Show more than one angle: Ideogram's docs say shots of the face from a few angles work best. Stop at a handful.

• Separate the face from the outfit: Describe clothing and setting in the prompt or a separate reference, so the tool doesn't treat a hat or a jacket as part of the face.

• Keep the description identical: If you describe the character in words, reuse the exact same wording every time.

• Fix drift by editing: When one image goes off, edit it back from your best one.

Keeping the same face FAQ

What is the best AI image generator for keeping the same face?

For most people, Mage is the most complete option, because you save a Character once and reuse it by name with up to 10 references on Mango 3. ComfyUI gives more control if you have the hardware and time, and ChatGPT works for a few quick variations without a new tool.

How many reference photos do I need?

One clear portrait is enough to start on most of these tools. A few photos from different angles usually hold a face better. Past a handful, Mage's docs note that too many references start to blur together.

Can I use a real person's face?

Only your own, or someone who has agreed. Mage bans building a Character from a photo of someone who hasn't agreed, OpenAI restricts using a person's likeness without consent, and Midjourney and Google bar harmful or deceptive images of real people.

Is training a LoRA better than using reference images?

For a character you'll use for months, a trained LoRA is usually the more stable option, and ComfyUI and Leonardo both support training one. Reference images are faster to set up and good enough for most series. Mage's Mango models don't use LoRAs, so on Mage the saved Character and references do that job.

Why does my character's face change between images?

Most generators redraw a face from scratch on every image, so small differences add up across a series. A saved character, reference images, or a trained LoRA gives the model a fixed target to match.