Clarity AI vs Topaz Labs (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Clarity AI and Topaz Labs share a 2.0 GPA, neither has a free plan, and Clarity AI starts cheaper, at $13 a month against $19 a month.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Clarity AI grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Topaz Labs grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms.
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
Topaz Labs
AI upscaling and enhancement apps for photos and video
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 Topaz Labs if
- Fits if you upscale photos or video often and want it rendered locally
- Works for studios that would use photo, video and web together on the one bundle
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need more than one app, as each is a separate plan and the bundle is $79 a month
- Skip it if you want to try first, because there's no free plan or trial
- Watch out: cloud video credits expire every month and don't roll over
- Watch out: commercial use is limited to orgs under $1M revenue, and full commercial rights need Pro or Studio
- Watch out: the page's structured data lists Studio monthly at $69 while the visible page shows $79
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAClarity AIFair | 2.0GPATopaz LabsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | D$19 a month for the web image plan, but the desktop apps are $39 for Photo and $59 for Video, and the bundle is $79. The category's middle is $10 and its dearest tenth starts at $21.62. |
| Free plan and trial | CNew API accounts get $5 of free credit. No card requirement or time limit is stated. | FNo free plan or trial is listed anywhere on the pages read, so you pay from the first use. |
| Features | CFour upscalers, video upscaling, creative controls and an API. It does one job fully, which is a smaller job than the whole category. | BModels for upscaling, denoising, sharpening, frame interpolation and SDR to HDR, with unlimited local rendering on the desktop apps plus web and iPhone versions. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The API and ComfyUI plugin need technical setup, and the web front end is simpler. | BNo store rating on record. These are install-and-go desktop apps where you load a file and pick a model. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb, an API and a ComfyUI plugin. No desktop or phone app. | BMac, Windows, web and iPhone, but no Android app and no API on the listing. |
| Best for | upscaling images with an API or a web app | upscaling photos and video on your own machine |
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 Topaz Labs. How we grade
Price against what you get
Clarity AI starts at $13 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Topaz Labs starts at $19 a month and scores 3.0.
Topaz Labs scores higher, and starts $6 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, 59 score higher than Clarity AI for less, and 6 score higher than Topaz Labs for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Topaz Labs also covers video editing.
At a glance
| Clarity AI | Topaz Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $13 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | $5 in free API credits for new API accounts. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Clarity AI | Topaz Labs |
| Price read from | clarityai.co | topazlabs.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%.
Topaz Labs
- Monthly cloud video credits expire at the end of each month and do not roll over.
- Limited commercial use covers organizations under $1M USD annual revenue; full commercial use needs Pro or Studio Pro licenses.
- Plans are per app, so using photo, video and web features together points toward the $79 Studio bundle.
- The page's structured data lists Studio monthly at $69 while the visible page shows $79.
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.
Topaz Labs
- Photo enhancement models
- Topaz Photo lists Wonder, Standard Max, Dust & Scratch, Super Focus, Remove, Denoise, Sharpen and Upscale models.
- Video upscaling
- Topaz Video lists upscaling, denoising, frame interpolation, stabilization and SDR to HDR conversion models, including Starlight.
- Cloud and local rendering
- Desktop apps render locally without limit, while web and cloud work draw on monthly video credits that expire each month.
- Topaz for Web and iPhone
- Web workflows include unblur, face enhancer, background remover and colorizer, and an iOS app covers image upscaling.
- Studio bundle
- Topaz Studio covers Video, Photo, Gigapixel, the mobile app and Topaz for Web in one plan.
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.
Topaz Labs
Topaz for Web - Image$19
per month ($199 per year billed annually)
Unlimited cloud image rendering with the web image workflows, 32 MP export limit, limited commercial use. First year $169.
Topaz Photo$39
per month, cancel anytime
Desktop photo models with unlimited local and cloud image rendering; limited commercial use.
Topaz Video$59
per month, cancel anytime
Desktop video models with unlimited local rendering and 25 monthly cloud video credits.
Topaz for Web - Pro$59
per month ($599 per year billed annually)
Image and video workflows, 400 monthly video credits, 256 MP export, full commercial use. First year $199.
Topaz Studio$79
per month, cancel anytime
All apps, unlimited local and cloud image rendering, 300 monthly cloud video credits. Yearly $499; first year $299.
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.
Topaz Labs
- Other savings
Black Friday first-year annual prices
A Black Friday sale shows first-year-only annual prices: Studio $299 (regular $499), Web Image $169 (regular $199) and Web Pro $199 (regular $599). No end date is shown.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Clarity AI or Topaz Labs?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Clarity AI is cheaper to start with: $13 a month, against $19 a month for Topaz Labs. Clarity AI starts at $13 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly), and Topaz Labs starts at $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image).
Which has a free plan, Clarity AI or Topaz Labs?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Clarity AI nor Topaz Labs has a free plan. Clarity AI has a free trial.
Which platforms do Clarity AI and Topaz Labs run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Topaz Labs lists macOS, Windows and iOS apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.