Introduction

One website changed its address in April 2026, and a lot of people got lost. Bookmarks broke, searches came up empty, and old guides suddenly gave bad advice. If you typed civitai into Google that week, you were not alone.

This guide clears up the confusion. You will learn what the platform is, how its two main addresses differ, what Buzz really costs, and how to download models without getting burned. Every fact below was checked against official pages and reputable reporting as of October 4, 2026.

Quick Answer: What Is It?

Civitai is a free, community-run website where people share AI image models, finished images, and videos. Most files are built for open tools such as Stable Diffusion and Flux. You can download models to run on your own computer, or you can generate images on the site using a virtual currency called Buzz. Since April 2026, the main address shows only safe-for-work content, and a second address holds the adult catalog.

What You Can Find on the Platform

The site started with image models, but it now covers more. The top menu lists models, images, videos, 3D models, articles, and comics. Most visitors come for the models, so here are the four main types.

Resource type	What it does	Typical size	Beginner tip
Checkpoint	A full model that does the main image work	Several gigabytes	Pick one first, then add extras
LoRA	A small add-on that adds a style, character, or concept	Often a few hundred megabytes or less	Check which base model it was trained for
Embedding	A tiny file that teaches a model one new word or idea	Very small	Use the trigger word listed on the page
VAE	Helps decode colors and fine detail	Small to medium	Many checkpoints already include one

Images on the site are useful for another reason. Many posts show the prompt and the resources used to make them. That means you can copy a recipe and test it yourself, which is a faster way to learn than guessing.

Users can also post bounties, which are requests for a specific model or image style. Creators who finish a bounty earn Buzz.

A Short History of the Company

The site was created by Justin Maier. Wikipedia dates its founding to 2022. TechCrunch describes it a little differently: it grew as a community project first, and Maier made it an official company in early 2023 after it passed 100,000 registered users. The name comes from “Civitas,” a word for community. Its first name was Model Share.

Here are the milestones that matter most.

Date	What happened	Source type
Jun 2023	Reported $5.1 million round led by Andreessen Horowitz at a $20 million valuation	TechCrunch
Nov 2023	About 3 million registered users and 12 to 13 million monthly visitors (reported at the time)	TechCrunch
Dec 2023	Cloud provider OctoML ended its business relationship after concerns about abusive images	Engadget, via Wikipedia
2025	Rules tightened after pressure from a payment processor, and models of real people were banned	404 Media
Late Jul 2025	Access closed in the UK because of the Online Safety Act	Company notice, reported by forums
Aug 2025	A safe-for-work version, called Green, launched	Company announcement
Apr 15, 2026	The “two front doors” split went live	Company announcement, GitHub reports

Those funding and traffic numbers are old. Crunchbase also lists Andreessen Horowitz as the lead seed investor, but it hides the amount behind a paywall. No newer funding round could be verified for this guide.

.com vs .red vs .green: Which Address Should You Use?

This is the part that confuses most people. The company says it lost every mainstream payment option except crypto. Card networks would not support a site that mixes open-ended AI generation with mature content on one domain. The fix was to wall the two sides off completely.

Here is how the setup works today.

	civitai.com	civitai.red	civitai.green
Content	Safe-for-work only (PG)	Everything, and you choose what you see	Now redirects to .com
Payments	Credit cards and memberships	Crypto	Not applicable
Buzz type	Green Buzz	Yellow Buzz	Not applicable
Best for	Safe-for-work browsing and paid plans	Full catalog and unrestricted generation	Old bookmarks

A few details save a lot of trouble:

• One account works on both sites. Both addresses are filtered views of the same database, so your follows, uploads, and stats stay put.
• Ratings decide where posts appear. A safe image shows on both sites. A mature image only shows on .red, and only to people who opted in.
• The API did not move. It lives on the .com site and can also be reached through .red.
• Old links still work. The .green address now sends visitors to .com.

If you only use the site for safe models, you will barely notice the change. If you used it for everything, bookmark civitai.red and sign in with your existing login.

Buzz and Memberships: What It Costs

The site is free to browse and download from. Money comes into play when you generate on its servers, train models, or want extra perks. Buzz is the credit system for that.

Buzz now comes in three colors, and they do not mix.

Buzz color	How you get it	Where it works
Green	Bought with a credit card	Safe-for-work generation only
Yellow	Bought with crypto	Lives on .red
Blue	Earned through site activity	Safe-for-work on both sites, and adult generation on .red if you hold a membership

The split exists because card companies do not want any path where a card payment funds mature content. That is why Green and Yellow cannot be converted into each other.

Memberships are sold on the .com site for now. According to the pricing page checked in October 2026, the tiers look like this. Prices can change, so confirm them before you buy.

Tier	Price per month	Monthly Green Buzz	Private models	Monetize model versions
Bronze	$10	10,000	3	10 per month
Silver	$25	25,000	10	25 per month
Gold	$50	50,000	100	Unlimited

All three tiers add priority generation, ad-free browsing, and access to the creator program. Membership perks carry over to .red, but Green Buzz does not. The official FAQ says crypto memberships are not available yet.

How to Download and Use a Model

You do not need a membership to try a model on your own machine. You do need a tool that can run it. ComfyUI and Forge are popular choices, and Stability Matrix can manage downloads for you.

1. Match the base model. Each model page says what it was built on, such as SDXL or Flux. A LoRA made for one base model usually will not work well with another.
2. Read the license box. Some creators limit commercial use or sell paid access. Check before you publish anything made with their work.
3. Download the .safetensors file. Avoid older formats when you have a choice (more on that below).
4. Put it in the right folder. Checkpoints and LoRAs live in separate folders in most tools.
5. Load it and add the trigger word. If the page lists a trigger word, include it in your prompt.
6. Copy the settings from a sample image. Match the sampler, steps, and resolution first. Then change one thing at a time.

One caution for 2026: some third-party tools broke after the split. Stability Matrix users reported that its search stopped returning adult models. If a search looks empty, try the model’s direct page on .red.

If your computer is too weak, use the on-site generator instead. It runs in the browser and spends Buzz, so you can test a model before downloading a large file.

Is It Safe? What to Check First

Using the platform is not risky by itself, but a few habits matter.

• Prefer safetensors files. The format is designed to store model weights only. Older checkpoint formats can carry executable code, so treat them with more care.
• Scan the page, not just the picture. Read the description, the comments, and the version notes. Broken or low-effort uploads are common.
• Know the content rules. The company banned models that copy the likeness of real people in 2025, and it added limits on several other content types after payment-processor pressure. Uploading banned material can get your account removed.
• Respect age and local law. Adult content lives on .red. Some countries are blocked because of identity-check and social-feature rules.
• Use official links. Lookalike sites and fake apps exist for almost every popular platform. This guide could not verify an official standalone mobile app, so use the website in your browser.

Real-Life Example: The April 2026 Split

This is a documented case of a platform changing its structure to survive.

What happened. On April 9, 2026, Maier posted an official announcement called “Two Front Doors.” The following Wednesday, civitai.com became the safe-for-work home, civitai.red took over the full catalog, and civitai.green began redirecting. GitHub issue reports from tool makers show the change landed on April 15, 2026.

Who was involved. The company, its users and creators, and the card networks and payment processors that had refused to serve the old combined site. The company said that processors were willing to work with a site only when mature content lived “completely elsewhere” and not just behind filters or age checks.

How it relates to the topic. The split explains why there are two addresses, three Buzz colors, and a membership system that only sells on one side.

What you can learn. First, platform rules are shaped by payments as much as by policy. Second, a model you find on one site may behave differently in your tools if the link changes. Third, always bookmark the official announcement, not a random blog post, when rules change.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most problems come from small slips, not big risks.

• Mixing base models. A LoRA trained for one model family can give muddy or broken images on another.
• Buying the wrong Buzz. Green Buzz cannot pay for adult generation, and Yellow Buzz cannot be bought with a card.
• Trusting old guides. Anything written before April 2026 may point you to the wrong address.
• Skipping the license. A free download is not always free for commercial use.
• Downloading from random mirrors first. Start with the official page, then use backups only if the file is gone.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

Pros	Cons
Huge library of community models	Quality varies a lot
Free downloads for most files	Rules have changed several times
Sample images show prompts and settings	Buzz colors are confusing
Active creator tools and bounties	Blocked in the UK
Works with popular local tools	Third-party tools can lag behind site changes

Alternatives and Backup Sources

You might want another source if a model disappears or your country is blocked. These are the options that came up in research. None of them is a perfect swap.

• Hugging Face is a general AI hub with many open models. It is less focused on images and styles. One mirror project also reports that it has removed some model repositories.
• Tensor.Art is a competing model and generation site that community lists often suggest first.
• CivArchive is a search index for models removed from the main site. It says it does not store files itself and is not affiliated with the company. It matches files by SHA256 hash and links to mirrors.
• Liblib.art is a Chinese platform with its own LoRAs, though the language barrier is real.

Be careful with mirrors. Check the file hash when a page provides one, and read the license again. A deleted model may have been removed for a reason.

Who Should Use It

If you are…	Best move
A beginner who wants safe styles	Use the .com site and start with highly rated checkpoints
A hobbyist running models locally	Download safetensors files and follow the steps above
A creator who wants income	Look at the creator program and a Bronze or higher membership
Working for a company	Review each license and your employer’s policy before using any file
Living in the UK	Expect blocked access, and do not rely on workarounds for business use

Final Thoughts

The platform is still the biggest public shelf for community image models, but it is no longer one simple site. Learn the .com and .red difference, match your base models, and favor safetensors files. If you do those three things, you will avoid most of the headaches that caught people off guard in April.

FAQ

Is it free to use?

Browsing and downloading most models is free. You pay only for extras such as on-site generation beyond free rewards, private models, and memberships.

What is the difference between Red and Green?

Red is the full-catalog site that accepts crypto payments. Green was the safe-for-work site that accepted cards, and since April 2026 it redirects to the main .com address.

Do I need a separate account for the .red site?

No. The company says one account works on both domains, and your uploads, follows, and gallery are shared.

Why is the site blocked in the United Kingdom?

The company said it could not afford the compliance work required by the UK Online Safety Act, which includes age checks and legal risk assessments. It closed UK access in late July 2025.

Is there an official app?

This guide could not verify an official standalone app as of October 2026. Use the website, and be careful with apps that use the same name.

What is the archive people search for?

Community archives such as CivArchive index models that were removed from the main site. They are independent and not run by the company. Check licenses and file hashes before using anything from a mirror.

What is a LoRA?

A LoRA is a small add-on file that nudges a main model toward a style, character, or concept. You load it together with a checkpoint.