Hotpot AI vs Starryai (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Starryai grades higher than Hotpot AI: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hotpot AI grades higher on ease of use. Starryai grades higher on the free plan, 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.
Hotpot AI
AI images, short videos, headshots and photo fixes paid with credits
Starryai
AI art and video app with styles, a community feed and Lumen credits
Which one is for you
Pick Hotpot AI if
- Fits if you want a few AI tools and templates without a subscription
- Works for people who need an occasional photo fix, such as restoring or colorizing
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want apps on your phone or desktop, as everything runs in the browser
- Tight if you stay free, because the amount of free AI use isn't stated and video needs credits
- Watch out: monthly plans have a two-payment minimum
- Watch out: headshot packs are separate, for example $8 for 20 portraits
Pick Starryai if
- Fits if you make art on your phone and want daily free images
- Works for people who like a community feed with each image's prompt, to recreate
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want video: it always costs Lumens, even on Unlimited plans
- Watch out: upscaled and enhanced images are deleted after 7 days, and edited images aren't saved
- Pricey if you pay weekly, at $4.99 a week against $11.99 a month
- Watch out: web plan prices show only after sign-in, so these are the US App Store prices
- Skip it if you need a desktop app or an API, as neither is listed
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAHotpot AIFair | 2.6GPAStarryaiGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C1,000 credits is $12 once or $10 a month, which is the category's middle price. Headshot packs are priced on top. | C$11.99 a month for Pro, in the middle of the $8 to $15 range. The cheapest entry is $4.99 a week, about $21 a month, and Unlimited Pro is $39.99. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe image generator works without an account and templates are free to edit, but the amount of free AI use isn't stated. | BA free account gets daily free images with no watermark, plus 5 Lumens on sign-up. Anything past the basics spends Lumens. |
| Features | CImages, video, headshot packs, photo repair, templates and a canvas. Wide, but each AI job spends credits and the video tool always needs an account. | BMany styles, reference images, custom styles trained on your own pictures, 10-second video and upscales to 16x. Unlimited plans cover standard images only. |
| Ease of use | BOpen the site and generate. Nothing to install or set up. | CNo store rating on record. Lumens, styles, slow mode and different costs per setting take a few tries to get the hang of. |
| Platforms and integrations | CBrowser only: no mobile or desktop app is listed, and no integrations. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with no desktop app and no API on the listing. |
| Best for | a browser kit for images and photo fixes | phone-first AI art with daily free images |
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: Hotpot AI and Starryai. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hotpot AI starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Starryai starts at $21.62 a month and scores 2.7.
Starryai scores higher, and starts $11.62 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, 14 score higher than Hotpot AI for less, and 13 score higher than Starryai 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
- Hotpot AI also covers templates.
- Starryai also covers community.
At a glance
| Hotpot AI | Starryai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per month for 1,000 credits, or $12 one-time for 1,000 credits | $4.99 per week (Starter Pro Weekly, US App Store in-app price) |
| Free plan | The image generator can be tried with no account, AI editors include some free usage (amount not stated), and design templates are free to edit, commercial use included. | A free account with daily free images and no watermark; new accounts are topped up with 5 Lumens, and 1 Lumen makes 4 images at base settings. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Panabee, LLC | starryai, Inc. |
| Price read from | hotpot.ai | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hotpot AI
- The amount of free AI usage is not stated; video generation always needs an account and credits.
- Monthly subscriptions have a two-payment minimum, and yearly plans add credits month by month.
- Headshot packs are priced separately, for example $8 for 20 Professional portraits, or paid from a credit balance.
- The site lists no desktop or mobile apps; every tool runs in the browser.
Starryai
- Web plan prices are shown only after signing in; the plans here are the US App Store's in-app prices.
- Unlimited plans cover standard generation only; edits, transformations, video and 8x or 16x upscales always use Lumens.
- Upscaled and enhanced images are deleted after 7 days, and edited images are not saved, so they must be downloaded at once.
- Web purchases can be refunded within 7 days if under 5% of the Lumens were used; app purchases go through Apple or Google.
Key features
Hotpot AI
- AI image and art generator
- Turn a prompt into a photo, painting, anime or 3D image using style presets, or add your own style reference or written style in the Library.
- AI video generator
- Animate an image or a written scene into a 4, 6 or 8-second clip in portrait or landscape, with a chosen style, music and camera movement.
- Headshot and portrait packs
- Themed portrait sets made from one photo of you, such as professional, corporate, travel and fantasy looks. The Professional pack is 20 portraits for $8.
- Photo repair and editing
- Upscaler, colorizer, restorer, face enhancer and background remover. Background removal costs 10 credits an image on Standard or 22 on Premium.
- Design templates
- Editable App Store and Google Play screenshots, LinkedIn banners, YouTube thumbnails and social posts, free to edit yourself with no watermark.
- Hotpot Canvas
- Draw a rough sketch on a canvas and have AI turn it into a finished painting, or remix several images together.
Starryai
- Prompt to image in many styles
- Type a prompt, pick a style or none, and add reference images to guide style, face or composition. Photoreal images and edits use Nano Banana.
- Short video generation
- Make 10-second videos with the Nova Ultra model. Video always costs Lumens, including on Unlimited plans.
- Custom styles
- Train a style on your own set of images, then use it privately or publish it to your profile for others.
- Upscale and enhance
- Upscale images 4x, 8x or 16x, or use Enhance to add detail. Unlimited plans include 4x upscaling in slow mode.
- Unlimited slow mode
- On Unlimited Pro and Unlimited Pro Max, standard generation carries on at slow speed after the included Lumens are spent.
- Community feed and challenges
- Browse trending images with their prompts and styles, tap Recreate to make your own version, and enter the weekly challenge.
Plans
Hotpot AI
Free$0
Try the image generator without an account and edit classic templates with no watermark; sharing an image once a month earns 500 credits.
Monthly subscription$10
per month for 1,000 credits, billed monthly
Larger steps run to 2,500 credits for $25, 5,000 for $50, 10,000 for $100 and 20,000 for $200 a month. Two-payment minimum.
Pay once$12
one-time, for 1,000 credits
Packs of 2,500 credits for $30, 5,000 for $60, 10,000 for $120 and 20,000 for $240. The 5,000 pack adds 2 free AI headshot packs.
Starryai
Free$0
Daily free images without watermarks, plus 5 Lumens on sign-up. Generation cost depends on the settings chosen.
Starter Pro Weekly$4.99
per week (US App Store in-app price)
The lowest-priced Pro subscription the App Store listing shows.
starryai 1 Month Pro$11.99
per month (US App Store in-app price)
Monthly Pro subscription with an allowance of Lumens for fast generations.
40 Lumens Pack$15.99
one-time, for 40 Lumens (US App Store in-app price)
Extra Lumens for fast generations, edits, video and higher upscales; Unlimited Pro members pay half price for packs.
starryai 1 Month Unlimited Pro$39.99
per month (US App Store in-app price)
Unlimited standard images and 4x upscales in slow mode after the included Lumens are used.
Ways to pay less
Hotpot AI
- Annual discount
Save 25% with a yearly subscription
A yearly plan of 1,000 credits a month costs $108 a year, which the pricing page labels a 25% saving; monthly billing is labelled a 17% saving over one-time packs.
- Other savings
500 credits for sharing an image each month
Once a month, sharing a favorite Hotpot image of your own or from its gallery earns 500 AI credits.
Starryai
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hotpot AI or Starryai?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hotpot AI is cheaper to start with: $10 a month, against $21.62 a month for Starryai. Hotpot AI starts at $10 per month for 1,000 credits, or $12 one-time for 1,000 credits, and Starryai starts at $4.99 per week (Starter Pro Weekly, US App Store in-app price).
Which has a free plan, Hotpot AI or Starryai?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Hotpot AI and Starryai have a free plan.
Which platforms do Hotpot AI and Starryai run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Starryai lists iOS and Android 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.