HitPaw vs Topaz Labs (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HitPaw and Topaz Labs share a 2.0 GPA, and only HitPaw has a free plan.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HitPaw grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Topaz Labs grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HitPaw
AI photo, video and audio tools online and on desktop
Topaz Labs
AI upscaling and enhancement apps for photos and video
Which one is for you
Pick HitPaw if
- Fits if you restore or upscale old photos and prefer a desktop app
- Works for people who want photo, video and audio tools under one credit balance
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want real results free, as the free plan shows previews only
- Watch out: the 7-day trial renews at $42.99 a month on Windows and $69.99 on Mac
- Pricey if you pay monthly at $24.99, or weekly at $9.99 for 300 credits
- Tight if you use the desktop apps, which are sold and priced separately from the online plans
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
| 2.0GPAHitPawFair | 2.0GPATopaz LabsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CWeekly is $9.99, monthly $24.99 and yearly $79.99, about $6.67 a month but with 3,000 credits for the whole year. The monthly price is at the top of the category range. | 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 | DThe free plan is previews only, with no AI generators and limited exports. A 7-day trial exists for the desktop video app and renews at a high price. | FNo free plan or trial is listed anywhere on the pages read, so you pay from the first use. |
| Features | CEnhancing, background removal, image generation, video effects and audio tools. The listing shows a lot of tools but results are previews until you pay. | 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 is on record, and credits and separate apps add things to figure out. | BNo store rating on record. These are install-and-go desktop apps where you load a file and pick a model. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, but no API or integrations are listed. | BMac, Windows, web and iPhone, but no Android app and no API on the listing. |
| Best for | upscaling photos with video and audio tools on the side | 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: HitPaw and Topaz Labs. How we grade
Price against what you get
HitPaw starts at $43.29 a month and scores 2.3 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 $24.29 a month lower. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, 48 score higher than HitPaw 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
- HitPaw also covers video generation.
- Topaz Labs also covers video editing.
At a glance
| HitPaw | Topaz Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $9.99 per week for 300 AI credits ($24.99 per month, $79.99 per year) | $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image) |
| Free plan | Previews only for the enhancers, no AI generators, limited exports and a limited upload file size. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of HitPaw Ultra (VikPea) on the desktop apps | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | HitPaw | Topaz Labs |
| Price read from | online.hitpaw.com | topazlabs.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HitPaw
- The Free plan shows previews only and has no AI generators, so real use means paying.
- Weekly, monthly and yearly plans each come with a fixed credit allowance, and the Yearly plan's 3,000 credits are for the whole year.
- Pricing shown here is for the online editor; the desktop and mobile apps are sold separately and priced separately.
- Plans renew automatically; the 7-day trial renews at a stated $42.99 a month on Windows and $69.99 on Mac.
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
HitPaw
- Photo enhancer and upscaler
- Sharpens, denoises and upscales photos. Online, the credit plans cover up to 300 to 3,000 enhanced images depending on the plan.
- AI image generator
- Generates images from prompts, with portrait, headshot, anime and character generators, and lists models such as GPT Image 2, Nano Banana Pro and Flux Kontext.
- Image editing tools
- Includes a background remover and changer, watermark and object removers, a photo retoucher, old photo restoration and an image format converter.
- AI video effects and generation
- Creates video from images and text and applies effects such as AI dance and product videos. Listed models include Seedance 2.0, Veo 3, Kling and Wan.
- Audio tools
- The same credits cover an AI music generator, an audio enhancer and a vocal remover.
- Desktop and mobile apps
- FotorPea (photos) and VikPea (video) run on Windows and Mac, with iOS and Android apps for enhancing, art generation and photo-to-video.
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
HitPaw
Free$0
Preview-only results in the enhancers, no AI generators, limited exports and upload size.
Weekly$9.99
per week, billed weekly
300 AI credits a week, shown as $24.99 crossed out. Up to 150 generated images or 300 enhanced photos.
Monthly$24.99
per month, billed monthly
1,200 AI credits a month, shown as $69.99 crossed out. Up to 600 generated images or 1,200 enhanced photos.
Yearly$79.99
per year, billed yearly
3,000 AI credits a year, shown as $199.99 crossed out. Up to 1,500 generated images or 3,000 enhanced photos.
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
HitPaw
- Other savings
7-day free trial of HitPaw Ultra
The pricing page offers a 7-day free trial of HitPaw Ultra (VikPea) on Windows and Mac, renewing at $42.99 a month on Windows and $69.99 on Mac.
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, HitPaw or Topaz Labs?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Topaz Labs is cheaper to start with: $19 a month, against $43.29 a month for HitPaw. HitPaw starts at $9.99 per week for 300 AI credits ($24.99 per month, $79.99 per year), and Topaz Labs starts at $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image).
Which has a free plan, HitPaw or Topaz Labs?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only HitPaw has a free plan. Topaz Labs does not.
Which platforms do HitPaw and Topaz Labs run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only HitPaw lists an Android app. Both list a web app and macOS, Windows and iOS 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.