Roop AI face swap: status, risks & alternatives

The linked Roop WebUI extension is archived; verify the exact project before downloading. The current `s0md3v/roop` page identifies a separately developed Stable Diffusion WebUI extension for images. GitHub records its archive flag on May 17, 2026; its development-stop notice was already in the October 2023 history. For a new workflow, choose a maintained browser or local tool and check application and model licences separately.

If you want a supported browser workflow, use a current face-swap service. If you need local control, evaluate an active project and verify the license of every model it downloads. Do not assume that a website or app using “Roop” in its name is affiliated with the original maintainer.

This status guide was checked October 10, 2026 against the maintainer repository currently served at the linked Roop URL, its commit history, current InsightFace licensing guidance, and first-party documentation for the alternatives. The linked repository identifies itself as a separately developed WebUI extension. We did not run a controlled output benchmark.

• Linked project: one-face-image replacement inside AUTOMATIC1111 WebUI
• Linked repository status: archived and read-only
• Current official surface: `s0md3v/roop`, currently described as the separately developed Stable Diffusion WebUI extension
• Linked extension code license: AGPL-3.0
• Model-license caveat: the InsightFace pretrained models commonly used in this workflow have separate restrictions
• Best next step: choose a supported browser tool or a current local project based on privacy, licensing, and maintenance needs

Magic Hour publishes this guide and includes its own product in the comparison. Treat the recommendations as editorial guidance from a vendor, and verify the linked first-party product details and your own output requirements before choosing a tool.

What is Roop AI?

Roop is associated with one-image face swapping. The maintainer repository currently served at this URL describes “roop for StableDiffusion,” an AUTOMATIC1111 extension for images, and says it was developed separately from Roop. Check the exact repository before applying this guide’s setup or license facts to historical standalone Roop or another fork.

Maintainer’s Roop WebUI-extension repository as displayed September 25, 2026. The current repository description and README distinguish this extension from standalone Roop. Check its maintenance and installation notes before running it. View official source

The repository visible today describes a Stable Diffusion WebUI extension for replacing faces in generated images. Its README covers importing one face, enabling the extension, selecting specific faces in group images, and optionally using restoration or upscaling. That historical workflow is useful context, but it should not be mistaken for a maintained consumer app or an official hosted Roop service.

Is Roop AI still available?

The currently linked WebUI extension is archived and its source remains viewable. GitHub’s banner gives May 17, 2026 for the current archive flag. The extension’s October 8, 2023 commit already added the maintainer’s stop-development notice; a March 13, 2026 commit added archive wording only. These dates describe the linked extension’s history, not a newly verified shutdown date for every standalone Roop version or fork.

Sources: Development-stop notice added October 8, 2023; Archive-wording update March 13, 2026.

Archival has practical consequences:

• The official maintainer is not shipping normal feature or security updates.
• The repository does not accept new pull requests.
• Old setup instructions can conflict with newer Python, Stable Diffusion WebUI, ONNX Runtime, GPU, or operating-system versions.
• Download links in tutorials may point to forks, mirrors, model files, or packaged apps controlled by other parties.
• A site using the Roop name is not automatically the original project.

The popular `roop-unleashed` GitHub repository is also not a dependable default: GitHub currently says that repository has been disabled by GitHub staff for a terms-of-service violation. That does not prove anything about every fork, but it is a clear reason not to treat the first downloadable “Roop” package you find as trusted.

Is Roop free and open source?

The currently linked WebUI extension exposes its source and an AGPL-3.0 code license. That license belongs to this repository; check the exact original release or fork rather than transferring it across projects. Code permissions also do not settle the separate licenses of models in a working face-swap stack.

Sources: Linked extension code license.

Roop setup guides commonly reference InsightFace and the `inswapper_128.onnx` model. InsightFace's current license notice separates code from models: its code is MIT licensed, while its public pretrained models are generally limited to non-commercial research unless separately licensed. InsightFace specifically directs users of the INSwapper face-swap models to contact the company about licensing.

Before using any Roop-derived workflow commercially, identify:

1. The exact application or fork and its code license.
2. Every face-detection, recognition, swapping, restoration, and upscaling model it downloads.
3. The license attached to each model file, not only the repository license.
4. Whether the intended use includes advertising, client work, monetized content, an internal business workflow, or a hosted service.

An open repository and a downloadable model can have different permissions. If the model license is unclear, do not infer commercial rights from the code license.

Roop alternatives compared

The best replacement depends on whether you want a browser workflow or a local technical stack. This table compares current access and maintenance facts; it does not rank output quality.

Choose Magic Hour for a supported browser workflow

Magic Hour Face Swap removes the local installation step. You provide the source face and target video in the browser, then generate and review the result. This is the practical path when your priority is completing a video rather than maintaining Python packages, GPU runtimes, model files, and extensions.

A hosted workflow still requires judgment. Use media you have permission to process, get consent from recognizable people, inspect the result for artifacts, and review the current product terms for commercial work. For a broader category comparison, see our best AI face-swap tools.

Choose FaceFusion for a current local platform

FaceFusion is a current local face-manipulation project with its own installation documentation. The documented setup uses Conda, Python, and an ONNX Runtime option matched to the user's hardware. That is more work than a hosted tool, but it offers local control and a current documentation path.

Licensing still needs a component-level review. FaceFusion's license reference lists separate terms for the application and the models or assets it can use, including several items marked non-commercial. Select a processor only after confirming that its model license fits the project. Our FaceFusion setup guide covers the workflow and common configuration issues.

Choose ReActor for a Stable Diffusion WebUI extension

ReActor SFW is designed as a face-swap extension for A1111, SD.Next, and Cagliostro. Its README documents source and target face selection, multiple-face handling, restoration, upscaling, face models, and an SFW detector.

ReActor makes sense if Stable Diffusion WebUI is already part of your local process. It is a weaker choice if you only want to swap one face in a video and export, because the host application and extension add setup and maintenance work. Its repository license also does not replace the license of INSwapper, CodeFormer, GFPGAN, or any other model selected in the pipeline.

Roop vs FaceFusion

FaceFusion is the stronger starting point for a new local setup because it has a current repository and dedicated documentation. Roop is better treated as an archived reference or a legacy dependency that an experienced operator has chosen to maintain.

That recommendation is about project status, not proven output superiority. We have not run Roop and FaceFusion on a controlled set of source images and target videos. If output quality is decisive, test the exact processors and models you are licensed to use with consented media.

Roop vs a browser face-swap tool

A local Roop-derived stack gives you more direct control over where files and models run, but it also makes you responsible for installation, updates, dependencies, security, storage, and licensing. A hosted tool moves that operational work to the provider and gives you a guided workflow, but you need to review upload retention, privacy, plan limits, and terms.

Choose local when you need controlled infrastructure and have someone who can maintain it. Choose a browser tool when speed to a finished asset and support matter more than configuring the stack yourself.

How to evaluate a Roop download or fork

Search results contain many packages and websites that reuse the Roop name. Before downloading anything, use this checklist:

• Provenance: does the page link to an identifiable repository and maintainer?
• Status: is the repository active, archived, or disabled?
• Release integrity: are builds published from the same repository, with hashes or signed releases where available?
• Dependencies: does the installer explain what models and executable files it downloads?
• Model licenses: are commercial and non-commercial restrictions stated per model?
• Security: are open issues, dependency updates, and install instructions current?
• Privacy: does a hosted version explain storage, retention, deletion, and subprocessors?
• Consent controls: does the workflow require users to confirm rights and consent?

Do not enter credentials, payment details, or private media into an unrelated “Roop AI” site solely because it ranks for the project name. Verify the operator and its terms independently.

How to test any face-swap alternative

Use the same small evaluation set for every option:

1. One front-facing source portrait with even lighting.
2. One target close-up with similar angle and lighting.
3. One target with head movement, partial profile, hair, glasses, or a hand crossing the face.
4. One short video with multiple faces if that is part of your real workflow.
5. The same export resolution and restoration setting where possible.

Score identity resemblance, edge blending, skin tone, temporal stability, occlusions, eye and mouth detail, processing time, setup time, and total cost. Count only results you could actually publish. A tool that renders quickly but needs extensive cleanup may be slower for the full job.

Responsible-use checklist

Face replacement can mislead people and can involve biometric, publicity, copyright, employment, or election rules depending on the use and location. For a practical production workflow:

• Get explicit permission from the people whose faces appear.
• Use source and target media you have rights to process.
• Label synthetic or materially altered media when context could mislead viewers.
• Avoid impersonation, fraud, harassment, sexual content without consent, or deceptive endorsements.
• Protect source images and delete them when they are no longer needed.
• Keep records of consent and asset licenses for commercial work.
• Review the platform, code, and model terms separately.

Is the original Roop AI discontinued?

The currently linked maintainer repository is archived and contains a stop-development notice. It identifies itself as a separately developed Stable Diffusion WebUI extension. That verifies the extension’s status; this source alone does not establish the archive date, code license or availability of every historical standalone Roop release or later fork.

What is the official Roop website?

For the WebUI extension, the maintainer source we could verify is the official GitHub repository. We found commercial sites and apps using the Roop name, but the archived repository does not establish them as official successors.

Is Roop safe to download?

The archived source is publicly inspectable, but safety depends on the exact fork, build, installer, dependencies, and model files you use. Avoid unofficial binaries whose provenance or downloads you cannot verify.

Can Roop run locally?

Yes. The linked WebUI extension runs inside an existing local AUTOMATIC1111 installation with Python and InsightFace dependencies. Historical standalone Roop and later forks need separate setup checks. The extension is archived, so its old installation instructions should not be treated as a current support commitment.

Can Roop be used commercially?

Do not assume commercial permission from a repository license alone. The currently linked WebUI extension’s code is AGPL-3.0; check the code license of the exact release or fork you intend to run. InsightFace’s public pretrained models are generally restricted to non-commercial research unless separately licensed. Confirm the exact models and required permissions for the intended use.

What is the best Roop alternative?

For a supported browser workflow, use Magic Hour. For a current local platform, start with FaceFusion. If you already use Stable Diffusion WebUI and want an extension, evaluate ReActor SFW. The right answer depends on whether you prioritize convenience, local control, or integration with an existing generation stack.

Final verdict

For a new workflow, treat the currently linked Roop WebUI extension as an archived reference. Evaluate a maintained browser tool or local platform against your actual inputs, maintenance needs and model permissions. Do not use this extension’s current repository metadata as proof of the identity or licensing of every Roop-named package.

The practical replacement decision is straightforward: use a supported browser product when you want to finish an asset quickly, or choose a current local project when infrastructure control justifies the setup and maintenance. In both cases, verify consent, privacy, and every model license before using real people's faces or publishing commercial work.