Pixlr vs Topaz Labs (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pixlr grades higher than Topaz Labs: 3.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Pixlr grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Pixlr
Browser photo editors with AI image, video and audio tools
Topaz Labs
AI upscaling and enhancement apps for photos and video
Which one is for you
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
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
| 3.2GPAPixlrVery good | 2.0GPATopaz LabsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APlus is $1.99 a month billed yearly and the editors are free, under 60% of the category's cheapest quarter. | 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 | BThe editors are free in the browser with ads, and paid plans add credits and remove ads. | FNo free plan or trial is listed anywhere on the pages read, so you pay from the first use. |
| Features | BTwo editors, generative edits, AI image and video, and credits. Nothing in the core job is missing. | 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 | BOpen a browser editor and start. Nothing to set up. | 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, iOS and Android. No desktop app or integrations. | BMac, Windows, web and iPhone, but no Android app and no API on the listing. |
| Best for | free browser photo editors with AI add-ons | 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: Pixlr and Topaz Labs. How we grade
Price against what you get
Pixlr starts at $1.99 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Topaz Labs starts at $19 a month and scores 3.0.
They score the same, and Pixlr starts $17.01 a month lower. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, none scores higher than Pixlr for less, and 5 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
- Pixlr also covers video generation.
- Topaz Labs also covers video editing.
At a glance
| Pixlr | Topaz Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $1.99 per month for 80 AI credits, billed yearly ($2.49 billed monthly) | $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image) |
| Free plan | The editors are free in the browser, with ads; the paid Plus plan is the first ad-free tier. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Pixlr | Topaz Labs |
| Price read from | pixlr.com | topazlabs.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
Pixlr
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
Pixlr's pricing page shows every paid plan about 20% cheaper per month when billed yearly.
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, Pixlr or Topaz Labs?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pixlr is cheaper to start with: $1.99 a month, against $19 a month for Topaz Labs. Pixlr starts at $1.99 per month for 80 AI credits, billed yearly ($2.49 billed monthly), and Topaz Labs starts at $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image).
Which has a free plan, Pixlr or Topaz Labs?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Pixlr has a free plan. Topaz Labs does not.
Which platforms do Pixlr and Topaz Labs run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Pixlr lists an Android app and only Topaz Labs lists macOS and Windows apps. Both list a web app and an iOS 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.