Clarity AI vs Replicate (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Clarity AI grades higher than Replicate: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Clarity AI grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. Replicate grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Clarity AI
AI image and video upscaler and enhancer with an API
Which one is for you
Pick Clarity AI if
- Fits if you upscale images in batches through an API or ComfyUI
- Works for people who need old or low-resolution pictures made larger
Look elsewhere if
- Tight on Starter: credits go by output size, so a few 10K or 20K upscales can use a month
- Not for you if you need top-ups, the ComfyUI plugin or small-image support, which aren't on Starter
- Skip it if you want editing beyond upscaling, since it only enlarges and enhances
- Watch out: the page shows yearly prices by default; monthly billing is $19, $49 and $299
- Watch out: the pricing page didn't load for us, so prices come from the listing
Pick Replicate if
- Fits if you build products that call image or video models
- Works for developers who want to deploy their own model
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you aren't a developer
- Pricey if you run private models, which bill for setup and idle time
- Watch out: spend isn't fixed, as it depends on the model and hardware
- Watch out: larger multi-GPU capacity needs committed spend
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAClarity AIFair | 1.8GPAReplicateWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $13 a month billed annually ($19 monthly), in the middle of what AI image tools charge. Pay-as-you-go API is about $0.005 per megapixel on Clarity. | CPublic models are billed by run, from $0.04 an image, with no fixed plan to compare. |
| Free plan and trial | CNew API accounts get $5 of free credit. No card requirement or time limit is stated. | FNo free allowance is recorded on the listing. |
| Features | CFour upscalers, video upscaling, creative controls and an API. It does one job fully, which is a smaller job than the whole category. | BA public model library, per-output billing, private models and fine-tunes. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The API and ComfyUI plugin need technical setup, and the web front end is simpler. | DIt is an API, so you need code to use it. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb, an API and a ComfyUI plugin. No desktop or phone app. | BA web site and an API. No phone or desktop program. |
| Best for | upscaling images with an API or a web app | an API for running image and video models |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Clarity AI and Replicate. How we grade
Where they differ
- Replicate also covers video generation.
At a glance
| Clarity AI | Replicate | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $13 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | $5 in free API credits for new API accounts. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Clarity AI | Replicate |
| Price read from | clarityai.co | replicate.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Clarity AI
- Credits are spent by output size, so a few 10K or 20K upscales can use a month of Starter credits.
- Top-up credits, the ComfyUI plugin and small image support are not on Starter.
- Custom features and premium support are Business only.
- The pricing page shows the yearly-billed prices by default; the vendor says yearly saves about 30%.
Replicate
- No fixed plan: spend depends on the model and hardware, so the $0 entry only means no subscription fee.
- Private models on dedicated hardware are billed for setup, idle and active time, not just for generations.
- Larger multi-GPU A100, H100, H200 and L40S capacity is available only with committed spend contracts.
Key features
Clarity AI
- Crystal Upscaler
- A precision upscaler that stays close to the source, with outputs up to 38K; 2K costs 5 credits and 4K costs 20.
- Clarity and Clarity Pro
- Creative upscalers that add detail; Clarity reaches 13K output and Clarity Pro reaches 10K.
- Video upscaling
- The Crystal Video Upscaler outputs 720p, 1080p or 4K in 5-second clips, from 50 credits per clip.
- API and ComfyUI plugin
- Every plan includes API access; the ComfyUI plugin is on Pro and Business.
- Creative controls
- Style transfer, image creation and automatic prompt detection are listed on all paid plans.
Replicate
- Public model library
- Thousands of open-source models contributed by the community plus proprietary ones, each with a cost estimate on its page.
- Per-output or per-second billing
- Some models bill per output, such as $0.04 per image for flux-1.1-pro; most bill by the seconds they run on the chosen hardware.
- Private and custom models
- Models packaged with the open-source Cog tool can be deployed privately; most run on dedicated hardware billed for all online time.
- Fast-booting fine-tunes
- Fine-tunes labeled as fast booting are billed only while active and processing requests, not for idle time.
- Listed hardware rates
- The pricing page lists per-second and hourly rates, such as $5.04 an hour for one A100 80GB and $0.81 an hour for a T4.
Plans
Clarity AI
API Pay-as-you-go$0
per month, no subscription, billed by use
Pay per upscale, such as $0.005 per megapixel for Clarity and $0.016 per megapixel for Crystal.
Starter$13
per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
1,200 credits a month, all four upscalers, API access, front end and commercial license.
Pro$33
per month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
4,000 credits a month; adds ComfyUI plugin, small image and Flux LoRa support, and credit top-ups.
Business$199
per month, billed annually ($299 billed monthly)
30,000 credits a month; adds custom features and premium support.
Replicate
Pay as you go$0
no subscription, billed by usage
Billed by run time on the hardware used, or by output; for example flux-dev at $0.025 per output image.
EnterpriseCustom
Enterprise page linked from the site; committed spend contracts unlock extra multi-GPU capacity. No prices published.
Ways to pay less
Clarity AI
- Annual discount
Yearly billing saves about 30%
The pricing page toggle shows yearly billing about 30% below monthly, for example Starter at $13 instead of $19 a month.
Replicate
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Clarity AI or Replicate?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Clarity AI starts at $13 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly), and Replicate publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, Clarity AI or Replicate?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Clarity AI nor Replicate has a free plan. Clarity AI has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.