Fotor vs Pixlr (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pixlr grades higher than Fotor: 3.2 against 3.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Pixlr grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fotor
Photo editor and AI image and video generator with credit plans
Pixlr
Browser photo editors with AI image, video and audio tools
Which one is for you
Pick Fotor if
- Fits if you edit photos and make AI images from one account on phone and computer
- Works for people who will pay $39.99 for a year
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with limited credits and normal-quality exports
- Watch out: HD export, transparent PNG and watermark-free output need a paid plan
- Watch out: each model spends different credits; Pro's 100 buy about 2 five-second Seedance clips
- Watch out: yearly totals are shown with the monthly rate crossed out, and monthly prices were not readable
Pick Pixlr if
- Fits if you want a free browser editor
- Works for quick edits on a phone
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want ad-free for free, since Plus is the first ad-free tier
- Tight if you use AI heavily, as Plus gives 80 credits
- Watch out: unlimited fast generation is Ultra with fair use
- Watch out: unused monthly credits expire after a month
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFotorVery good | 3.2GPAPixlrVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is $39.99 billed yearly, about $3.33 a month, under 60% of the $8 cheaper-quarter start for image tools ($4.80). It gives 100 credits a month. | APlus is $1.99 a month billed yearly and the editors are free, under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | CBasic has limited free credits, 50 AI Agent chats and 512MB of storage, with normal-quality exports. HD export and transparent PNG need a paid plan. | BThe editors are free in the browser with ads, and paid plans add credits and remove ads. |
| Features | BAI images and video on models like Flux, Veo and Kling, plus background and object removal, upscaling, restoration, batch editing and brand kits. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | BTwo editors, generative edits, AI image and video, and credits. Nothing in the core job is missing. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. It opens in the browser or an app and you start editing, with nothing to set up. | BOpen a browser editor and start. Nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS, Android, Windows and Mac apps. No API or integrations are listed. | BWeb, iOS and Android. No desktop app or integrations. |
| Best for | photo editing plus AI images and video | free browser photo editors with AI add-ons |
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: Fotor and Pixlr. How we grade
Price against what you get
Fotor starts at $3.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Pixlr starts at $1.99 a month and scores 3.0.
They score the same, and Pixlr starts $1.34 a month lower. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, none scores higher than Fotor for less, and none scores higher than Pixlr 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
- Fotor also covers templates.
At a glance
| Fotor | Pixlr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39.99 per year, billed yearly | $1.99 per month for 80 AI credits, billed yearly ($2.49 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Free Basic plan: limited free credits, 1 concurrent generation, 512MB of cloud storage and normal-quality exports. | The editors are free in the browser, with ads; the paid Plus plan is the first ad-free tier. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Everimaging | Pixlr |
| Price read from | fotor.com | pixlr.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Fotor
- The Basic plan has limited free credits and normal-quality exports; HD export, transparent PNG and watermark-free output need a paid plan.
- Yearly totals are shown with the monthly rate crossed out; the Pro monthly price and the monthly-billing prices were not clearly readable.
- Each model spends a different number of credits per image or video.
Pixlr
- Unused monthly credits expire after one month on monthly billing; yearly credits last a year.
- Unlimited fast image generation is tied to Ultra and subject to fair use.
- The FAQ names Plus and Premium as the plans sold in the mobile apps; it does not mention Ultra there.
- The models for video and some image tools are third-party and may vary with demand.
Key features
Fotor
- AI image and video generation
- Lists image models such as Flux, GPT Image, Nano Banana and Seedream, and video models such as Veo and Kling.
- Photo editing tools
- Background remover, object remover, image upscaler, photo restoration and batch editing.
- Credits that roll over
- Unused credits roll over while subscribed, up to 5 months of accumulation.
- AI headshot packages
- Headshots are sold as one-time image packages, separate from the subscription.
- Brand kits and templates
- Pro plans list multiple brand kits, design templates and fonts.
Pixlr
- Two editors
- Pixlr Express handles quick edits, templates and collages; Pixlr Editor is the layered editor for detailed work.
- Generative editing
- Generative fill, an image extender, an instruction-based editor and a background remover change a photo from a description.
- AI image and video generation
- Generate images and short video in the browser; the site says it uses models from Flux, Kling and Recraft among others.
- AI credits
- Monthly credits cover generation and edits; yearly plans grant 12 months of credits upfront, and a credit pack can top up.
- One account everywhere
- A paid plan works on the web, desktop and mobile apps through the same Pixlr account.
Plans
Fotor
Basic$0
Limited free credits, 50 AI Agent chats and 512MB of storage.
Pro$39.99
per year, billed yearly
100 credits a month, 10 concurrent generations and 2GB of storage.
Pro+$62.99
per year, billed yearly
300 credits a month, 30 concurrent generations and 100GB of storage. Shown against $7.49 a month.
Max$251.92
per year, billed yearly
1,000 credits a month by default, 50 concurrent generations and 500GB of storage. Shown against $29.99 a month.
Pixlr
Plus$1.99
per month for 80 AI credits, billed yearly ($2.49 billed monthly)
Ad-free, unlimited saves, 1 concurrent AI generation; about 80 fast AI images a month.
Premium$7.99
per month for 1,000 AI credits, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)
All image, video and audio models, 4 concurrent generations, private mode, fonts and templates.
Ultra$19.99
per month from 5,000 AI credits, billed yearly ($24.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited fast image generations, 8 concurrent ones, priority queue and extended high-res exports.
Ultra Max$39.99
per month for 10,000 AI credits, billed yearly ($49.99 billed monthly)
Ultra with double the monthly credits: 10,000 instead of 5,000.
Ways to pay less
Fotor
- Annual discount
30% off yearly billing on Pro+ and Max
The pricing page marks Pro+ and Max with 30% off when billed yearly.
Pixlr
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
Pixlr's pricing page shows every paid plan about 20% cheaper per month when billed yearly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fotor or Pixlr?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pixlr is cheaper to start with: $1.99 a month, against $3.33 a month when paid by the year for Fotor. Fotor starts at $39.99 per year, billed yearly, and Pixlr starts at $1.99 per month for 80 AI credits, billed yearly ($2.49 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Fotor or Pixlr?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Fotor and Pixlr have a free plan.
Which platforms do Fotor and Pixlr run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Fotor lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. 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.