Today there are 74 different AI image upscalers. We spent 43 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to improve the clarity and quality of your photos.
What is the Best AI Image Upscaler?
- Fotor — best of the best
- Gigapixel AI — best for photographers
- HitPaw — best for ease of use
- Icons8 AI Image Upscaler — best for web devs
- Luminar Neo Upscale AI — best for advanced photo editing
- AVC Labs Photo Enhancer AI — best for restoring damaged photos
- Stockphotos.com AI Image Upscaler — best for stock images
1. Fotor
Our Verdict — Best Of The Best
Price: Starts at $9.99/month
Fotor is a powerful, web-based AI solution that can upscale images with incredible results. We think it’s the best because of its advanced AI algorithms, user-friendly interface, and affordable pricing plans.
The Best Part:
It’s incredibly user-friendly. Fotor's intuitive web design and easy-to-navigate interface let even the most novice users enhance and upscale all kinds of images in no time.
The Worst Part:
Occasional slow processing times. Depending on your internet connection and image size, the upscaling process on Fotor might take longer than expected.
Get it if you want to turn your not-so-great photos into eye-catching visuals without breaking the bank or spending hours learning complicated software.
I recommend you give Fotor’s free plan a try, then get Fotor Pro for $39.96/year.
(free plan)
Best For
Fotor is best for individuals who want a user-friendly AI image upscaler to turn average photos into stunning masterpieces.
Top Features
Kiss pixelation goodbye. Fotor's AI-driven upscaling turns your low-res photos into crisp, clear works of art.
Tweak ‘em to perfection. Fine-tune brightness, contrast, saturation, and more with Fotor's comprehensive editing options.
Channel your inner Picasso. Choose from a vast selection of filters and effects to make your images pop.
Erase those oops moments. Remove blemishes, red-eye, and other imperfections with Fotor's retouching tools.
Express your heart. Add stylish text to your images using a large array of fonts and customizations.
Pricing
Fotor offers five pricing plans:
- Fotor Basic: Free forever, for casual users who want to test out editing, design, and upscaling features without any download options.
- Fotor Pro: $8.99/month for professionals and creatives who need unlimited downloads for upscaled images, batch editing, and up to 2GB of cloud storage.
- Fotor Pro+: $19.99/month for professionals and creatives who want access to everything in the Fotor Pro plan, with up to 10 GB of cloud storage.
- One-time Payment: $19.99 one-time payment, for casual users who prefer a non-recurring payment option for accessing premium features like AI upscaling and high-resolution downloads.
- Subscription Plan: $35.99 one-time payment, for casual users who want ongoing access to Fotor's premium features and credit-based tools without committing to a recurring subscription.
Annual plans provide a 62% discount.
Try Fotor today with the free plan.
2. Gigapixel AI
Our Verdict — Best For Photographers
Price: $99
Gigapixel AI is a top choice for pros in need of a heavy duty AI image upscaler. We think it’s the best for photographers because of its GPU acceleration support, mind-blowing detail enhancement, and quick previews of upscaled images.
The Best Part:
It’s supercharged with GPU power. Gigapixel AI has collaborated with top-notch CPU/GPU brands like Nvidia and Intel to optimize performance for large image files and batch processing.
The Worst Part:
It requires a powerful computer. Gigapixel AI craves for a beefy GPU to run its high-powered features without any hiccups.
Get it if you want to level up your photography with an AI-powered upscaler that enhances every tiny detail.
I recommend you give the free trial a whirl, then buy the software for $99.99.
(30-day free trial)
Best For
Gigapixel AI is best for professional photographers who want high-quality upscaling without sacrificing detail.
Top Features
Batch processing for the win. Upscale thousands of photos at once thanks to Gigapixel AI’s batch processing functionality.
Scale to the moon. Upscale your images to impressive resolutions by up to 6x without compromising image quality.
Effortless face enhancement. Gigapixel AI automatically detects and improves facial details in your photos without any manual retouching.
Customize your results. Find the perfect balance of sharpness and noise reduction in your images, by fine-tuning your results.
Keep it natural. Experience realistic upscaling with Gigapixel AI’s advanced algorithm to maintain true-to-life textures in your photos.
Pricing
Gigapixel AI offers a single pricing plan:
Gigapixel AI: $99.99 one-time payment, for professional photographers who want cutting-edge image upscaling without ongoing costs.
Try Gigapixel AI today with a free 30-day trial.
3. HitPaw
Our Verdict — Best For Ease Of Use
Price: Starts at $17.99/month
HitPaw is the most straightforward desktop AI image upscaler software. We think it’s the best for ease of use because of its swift processing speed, clutter-free interface, and compatibility with Windows and Mac OS.
The Best Part:
Sky's the limit. HitPaw gives you the freedom to enlarge images beyond standard options, allowing you to set your desired resolution for truly personalized upscaling results.
The Worst Part:
Prone to occasional crashes. HitPaw may experience hiccups when upscaling images to extreme levels, which can be frustrating.
Get it if you want an AI-powered upscaler that's simple to use and works efficiently on both Windows and Mac.
I recommend you start with the free plan, then get the Lifetime plan for $99.99.
(free plan)
Best For
HitPaw is best for those who rather install software on their devices, rather than relying on web-based apps.
Top Features
Blow up your images. Enlarge your images in 2x, 4x, and up to 8x.
Take the reins. Tweak image parameters, such as noise reduction, resolution, and export format, to get it just right.
Real-time preview magic. HitPaw lets you check the results of your upscaled images instantly so you can make adjustments as needed before hitting export.
Flexible pricing for all budgets. HitPaw offers a diverse range of pricing plans, from monthly to lifetime options.
One size fits all devices. Whether you're team PC or team Mac, HitPaw has got you covered.
Pricing
HitPaw offers six pricing plans:
- Free plan: Free forever, for casual users who want to test out HitPaw’s upscaling features without exporting any images.
- 1 Month for Windows: $17.99/month for occasional users who need an efficient AI image upscaler on their Windows device.
- 1 Year for Windows: $79.99/year for dedicated users who need to upscale images regularly on their Windows device.
- Lifetime for Windows: $99.99 one-time payment, for long-term Windows users who want a reliable AI image upscaler without recurring costs.
- 1 Month for Mac: $19.99/month for occasional Mac users who want a reliable and easy-to-use AI image upscaler.
- 1 Year for Mac: $79.99/year for committed Mac users who upscale images frequently.
- Lifetime for Mac: $129.99 one-time payment, for Mac users who want a reliable AI image upscaler without ongoing expenses.
Annual plans provide a 63% discount.
Try HitPaw today with the free plan.
Our Top Three Picks
Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:
- Fotor — best of the best
- Gigapixel AI — best for photographers
- HitPaw — best for ease of use
Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:
Tool | Entry Offer | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
Fotor | Free plan | Starts at $8.99/mo |
Gigapixel AI | 30-day free trial | $99 |
HitPaw | Free plan | Starts at $17.99/mo |
Icons8 AI Image Upscaler | Free plan | Starts at $9.mo |
Luminar Neo Upscale AI | 30-day money-back guarantee | Starts at $14.95/mo |
AVC Labs Photo Enhancer AI | Free plan | Starts at $19.95/mo |
Stockphotos.com AI Image Upscaler | Free plan | Starts at $7 |
Here are the top 50 AI image upscalers we considered in this review:
- Fotor
- Gigapixel AI
- HitPaw
- Icons8 AI Image Upscaler
- Luminar Neo Upscale AI
- AVC Labs Photo Enhancer AI
- Stockphotos.com AI Image Upscaler
- Bigjpg
- Deep Image
- Vance AI Image Enlarger
- Photoshop’s Preserve Details 2.0
- Blow Up 3
- ImageEnlarger.com
- ON1 Resize
- Let's Enhance
- Reshade
- Pixlr
- Upscalepics
- AI Image Enlarger
- PhotoEnlarger
- Upscale Images with Neural Networks (PineTools)
- Upscaler
- ImgLarger
- BiggerPicture
- Stoik Smart Resizer
- Resizing.app
- Smart Upscaler
- GIMP
- Img2Go
- Online Image Enlarger
- AI Img Enlarger
- Iloveimg
- Befunky
- Lunapic
- ResizePixel
- InPixio
- Photomarkr
- PlaNet
- Photoupz
- BIRME
- Simple Image Resizer
- Resize-Photos
- ImageResize.org
- Image Optimizer
- Tinypng
- Faststone Photo Resizer
- Free Picture Resizer
- PhotoRazor
- Fotosizer
- Bulk Resize Photos
What is the best AI image upscaler?
When it comes to the best AI image upscaler, Fotor stands out as the top choice. Known for its advanced AI algorithms, user-friendly interface, and affordable pricing plans, Fotor serves as a versatile platform for enhancing the quality of low-resolution images and transforming them into high-quality digital photos.
By utilizing artificial intelligence and deep learning, Fotor can process a wide range of image types, effectively mitigating issues such as quality loss, blurry aspects, and color inconsistencies.
What sets Fotor apart is its user-friendly design; even unregistered users can upload images and benefit from the upscaling technology it offers.
Fotor provides robust image editing tools, allowing users to perform color correction, apply image enhancers, and make other adjustments to perfect their images.
Which is the best free AI photo enhancer?
HitPaw Photo Enhancer stands out as the best free AI photo enhancer, as it allows you to generate upscaled pictures for free before paying for a subscription to export the results. Offering a wide range of upscaling and image editing tools, HitPaw is easy to use, making it accessible to users of various skill levels. The software employs AI and deep learning technology for image upscaling, and provides tools for color correction and image enhancement, offering a comprehensive suite for photo editing. HitPaw also stands out for its flexible pricing options, including a free plan for casual users and custom plans that cater to more professional needs.
Which AI makes images look better?
While various AI tools help improve image quality, Deep Image AI shines in making images look better.
This advanced AI tool uses deep learning and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to upscale low-resolution images and enhance photo quality. Its image super-resolution capability stands out, offering improved image quality without any significant quality loss. Deep Image AI works with various image types, including natural images, black-and-white images, and anime-style images, providing a wide range of options for users.
How do I upscale to 4K with AI?
Upscaling to 4K with AI is achieved using tools such as Topaz Labs' Gigapixel AI and AVC Labs Photo Enhancer AI. These tools use advanced AI algorithms to upscale low-resolution images to 4K, ensuring an enhanced photo resolution without sacrificing image quality. The process usually involves uploading the low-resolution image into the tool, selecting the desired output resolution (in this case, 4K), and letting the AI process the image.
Is Topaz Labs worth it?
Yes, Topaz Labs is worth it for those requiring high-quality, detailed image upscaling.
Their AI image upscaling product, Gigapixel AI, offers significant benefits such as GPU acceleration support and quick previews of upscaled images, making it a top choice for professional use.
While it requires a powerful computer to run its high-powered features, its quality enhancement capability justifies the investment, particularly for professionals dealing with high-resolution images and large image files.
The one-time fee provides permanent access to their robust tools, supporting the argument for its value.
The Bottom Line
To recap, here are the best AI image upscalers to try this year:
- Fotor — best of the best
- Gigapixel AI — best for photographers
- HitPaw — best for ease of use
- Icons8 AI Image Upscaler — best for web devs
- Luminar Neo Upscale AI — best for advanced photo editing
- AVC Labs Photo Enhancer AI — best for restoring damaged photos
- Stockphotos.com AI Image Upscaler — best for stock images
