Topaz Gigapixel
Most faithful detail on real photos, with face repair and unlimited local renders.
$29/moEasy
Best image and video upscalers
Short answer: Topaz Gigapixel. For photos, Topaz Gigapixel is the safe best; for video, Topaz Video.
Which AI makes my blurry photo or video sharp?
Upscayl
Free desktop app, no account, no watermark, works offline.
Free, then $24.99/moEasyOpen
Upscayl
Install and click on Windows, Mac or Linux with any normal graphics card.
Free, then $24.99/moEasyOpen
Krea Enhancer
For $9 a month you get Topaz upscaling up to 22K online.
Free, then $9/mo
Topaz shipped Gigapixel 1.4 in October 2026 and Topaz Video 1.7.2 on 3 November 2026.
All 10 side by side.
Price, whether it runs on your own computer, and the main catch.
| # | Tool | Best for | Price | On your PC | Main downside |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Topaz GigapixelTopaz LabsBest overall | Enlarging and restoring real photos | $29/mo | Easy | Subscription only now; no one-time license on the pricing page |
| 02 | MagnificMagnific (formerly Freepik) | AI art and creative upscaling | Paid | No | Creative mode can change faces and add things that were not there |
| 03 | Topaz VideoTopaz Labs | Old home videos and footage | $29/mo | Easy | Expensive; desktop plan costs $59 a month |
| 04 | Krea EnhancerKrea | Quick upscales in the browser | Free, then $9/mo | No | Free plan stops at 2K with basic models only |
| 05 | UpscaylUpscayl (open-source community) | Free upscaling on your computer | Free, then $24.99/mo | Easy | Needs a graphics card; most laptop built-in graphics fail |
| 06 | SeedVR2ByteDance Seed | Top quality free upscaling, technical users | Free | Some setup | Needs ComfyUI, a node-based app with a learning curve |
| 07 | Let's EnhanceLet's Enhance | Prints, product photos, quick fixes | Free, then $12/mo | No | Free credits are one-time, not monthly |
| 08 | chaiNNerchaiNNer community | Batch upscaling with custom models | Free | Some setup | Node graphs take time to learn |
| 09 | SUPIRFanghua Yu, Jinjin Gu and others | Restoring badly damaged photos, locally | Free | Technical | Non-commercial license; business use needs written permission |
| 10 | Real-ESRGANXintao Wang (Tencent ARC) | Developers and anime upscaling | Free | Technical | No update since 2022; photos can look waxy |
Nothing matches. Try another filter.
Pros and cons of all 10
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Topaz Gigapixel
Topaz Labs · Gigapixel 1.4.0
The most reliable photo upscaler, on your computer or online.
Best overallRuns on your PC- Price
- From $29/mo
- On your PC
- Easy16 GB RAM and a 6 GB graphics card, or any M-series Mac
- Most faithful detail on real photos, up to 16x
- Face recovery fixes blurry faces in old pictures
- Subscription only now; no one-time license on the pricing page
- Creative models need a graphics card with 8 GB
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Magnific
Magnific (formerly Freepik) · Upscaler Precision V2 and Creative
Creative upscaler that invents rich new detail, best for AI art.
- Price
- Paid
- On your PC
- No, online only
- Adds striking texture and detail to AI images
- Precision mode for faithful upscales, plus a video upscaler
- Creative mode can change faces and add things that were not there
- Upscaling is no longer sold alone, only inside a bigger plan
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Topaz Video
Topaz Labs · Topaz Video 1.7.2
The standard tool for turning old or blurry video into 4K.
Runs on your PC- Price
- From $29/mo
- On your PC
- Easy16 GB RAM and a 6 GB graphics card; 8 GB for newer models
- Best known video upscaler, many models for different footage
- Fixes noise, shaky footage and low frame rates too
- Expensive; desktop plan costs $59 a month
- Best Starlight models need 10 to 16 GB graphics cards
-
- Price
- Free plan, then $9/moAbout 4 enhanced images a day, up to 2K.
- On your PC
- No, online only
- Paid plans include Topaz upscaling, up to 22K
- Upscales video too, up to 8K
- Free plan stops at 2K with basic models only
- Video clips limited to 15 seconds per upload
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Upscayl
Upscayl (open-source community) · v2.15.0
Free, open-source desktop app that upscales photos on your PC.
Best freeBest on your computerFree planOpen sourceRuns on your PC- Price
- Free plan, then $24.99/moDesktop app is completely free with no limits or watermark.
- On your PC
- EasyGraphics card with Vulkan 1.3; no CPU-only mode; any Apple Silicon Mac
- Free forever, no account, no watermark
- Install and click; works offline
- Needs a graphics card; most laptop built-in graphics fail
- Older Real-ESRGAN style models, less natural than Topaz
-
SeedVR2
ByteDance Seed · SeedVR2 3B and 7B
Best free open model for upscaling photos and video locally.
FreeOpen sourceRuns on your PC- Price
- Free, open sourceFree open model, commercial use allowed.
- On your PC
- Some setupNVIDIA card with 8 GB using small GGUF files; 24 GB for full quality
- Near paid quality on photos and video, for free
- Keeps video frames steady, little flicker
- Needs ComfyUI, a node-based app with a learning curve
- Slow on cards under 12 GB; needs low-memory settings
-
- Price
- Free plan, then $12/mo10 credits once at signup, output up to 8 MP.
- On your PC
- No, online only
- Very easy. Upload, pick a mode, download
- Huge outputs for posters and prints
- Free credits are one-time, not monthly
- Less fine detail than Topaz or Magnific
-
chaiNNer
chaiNNer community · v0.26.1
Free node-based app to batch upscale with any community model.
FreeOpen sourceRuns on your PC- Price
- Free, open sourceCompletely free and open source.
- On your PC
- Some setupBest on NVIDIA; AMD and Intel via Vulkan; Apple Silicon; CPU works
- Runs thousands of free models from OpenModelDB
- Batch whole folders of images or video frames
- Node graphs take time to learn
- You must find and pick models yourself
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SUPIR
Fanghua Yu, Jinjin Gu and others · SUPIR v0
Research model that restores very damaged photos with rich detail.
FreeOpen sourceRuns on your PC- Price
- Free, open sourceFree for personal, non-commercial use.
- On your PC
- TechnicalNVIDIA card with 12 GB in low-memory mode, slower
- Rebuilds detail from very low quality photos
- Follows text hints about what the photo shows
- Non-commercial license; business use needs written permission
- Needs a 12 GB NVIDIA card even in low-memory mode
-
Real-ESRGAN
Xintao Wang (Tencent ARC) · v0.3.0
The classic free upscaling model behind many apps.
FreeOpen sourceRuns on your PC- Price
- Free, open sourceFree and open source, commercial use allowed.
- On your PC
- TechnicalAny Vulkan graphics card from Intel, AMD or NVIDIA, or Apple Silicon
- Fast and light, runs on modest graphics cards
- Great on anime and drawings
- No update since 2022; photos can look waxy
- Command line only; use Upscayl for a simple app
7 of these run on your own computer.
Private and offline. Check what your machine can handle.
| Tool | Setup | You need |
|---|---|---|
| Topaz Gigapixel | Easy | 16 GB RAM and a 6 GB graphics card, or any M-series Mac |
| Topaz Video | Easy | 16 GB RAM and a 6 GB graphics card; 8 GB for newer models |
| Upscayl | Easy | Graphics card with Vulkan 1.3; no CPU-only mode; any Apple Silicon Mac |
| SeedVR2 | Some setup | NVIDIA card with 8 GB using small GGUF files; 24 GB for full quality |
| chaiNNer | Some setup | Best on NVIDIA; AMD and Intel via Vulkan; Apple Silicon; CPU works |
| SUPIR | Technical | NVIDIA card with 12 GB in low-memory mode, slower |
| Real-ESRGAN | Technical | Any Vulkan graphics card from Intel, AMD or NVIDIA, or Apple Silicon |
Quick answers.
What is the best free AI upscaler?
Upscayl. It is a free, open-source desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux with no watermark or limits. You need a graphics card that supports Vulkan; most built-in laptop graphics fail. Online, Krea gives about 4 free upscales a day up to 2K.
Can I upscale images offline on my own computer?
Yes. Upscayl and chaiNNer are free and run offline. Topaz Gigapixel also runs locally but needs a subscription. SeedVR2 gives the best free quality but needs ComfyUI and an NVIDIA card with at least 8 GB.
Is Topaz Gigapixel worth it?
If you upscale real photos often, yes. It is the most faithful and fixes faces well. It now costs $29 a month or $149 a year, so occasional users should try Upscayl or Krea first.
Topaz or Magnific, which is better?
Topaz for real photos you want to keep true to the original. Magnific for AI art, where you want it to invent rich new texture. Magnific can change faces, so avoid creative mode on family photos.
What is the best AI to upscale old videos?
Topaz Video is the standard, with models for old, noisy and low frame rate footage. Its best models need a 10 to 16 GB NVIDIA card. The free option is SeedVR2 in ComfyUI. Online, Krea upscales clips up to 8K.
Does Upscayl work on Mac?
Yes, it runs on macOS 12 or later. The GitHub download is free; the Mac App Store copy costs $12.99. It is the same app.