Topaz Labs vs Upscale.media (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Upscale.media grades higher than Topaz Labs: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Topaz Labs grades higher on features. Upscale.media grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Topaz Labs
AI upscaling and enhancement apps for photos and video
Upscale.media
AI image and video upscaler sold by credit, with a free allowance
Which one is for you
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
Pick Upscale.media if
- Fits if you need a few photos enlarged without installing anything
- Works for people who'll buy credits by the year
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 3 credits and 3 downloads a month
- Watch out: unused monthly credits expire at the end of the billing cycle
- Skip it if you want a refund option, as the page says there are none
- Watch out: the monthly credit counts show only on the monthly view
- Not for you if you want a phone or desktop app, as it's browser only
How we grade them
| 2.0GPATopaz LabsFair | 2.6GPAUpscale.mediaGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | B$49.99 a year buys 3,000 credits, about $4.17 a month, while month-to-month plans start at $11.99. Credits expire, and refunds aren't offered. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial is listed anywhere on the pages read, so you pay from the first use. | C3 credits and 3 downloads a month, plus one upscale a day with no account. Enough to test, not to work from. |
| Features | BModels for upscaling, denoising, sharpening, frame interpolation and SDR to HDR, with unlimited local rendering on the desktop apps plus web and iPhone versions. | CUpscaling to 8x, video upscaling, sharpening, deblurring, restoration and colorizing. It does the upscaling job fully, which is a smaller job. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. These are install-and-go desktop apps where you load a file and pick a model. | BNo rating on record. Upload a picture, pick a size and download, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows, web and iPhone, but no Android app and no API on the listing. | BWeb, with bulk processing and an API. The Google Play link on the site is for the sister product Pixelbin. |
| Best for | upscaling photos and video on your own machine | enlarging photos in the browser |
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: Topaz Labs and Upscale.media. How we grade
Price against what you get
Topaz Labs starts at $19 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Upscale.media starts at $11.99 a month and scores 2.7.
Topaz Labs scores higher, and starts $7.01 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, 6 score higher than Topaz Labs for less, and 9 score higher than Upscale.media 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 and image generation.
At a glance
| Topaz Labs | Upscale.media | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image) | $11.99 per month, billed monthly ($49.99 per year on yearly billing) |
| Free plan | None | 3 free credits and 3 free downloads every month; one image a day can also be upscaled without signing up. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Topaz Labs | Shopsense Retail Technologies Limited |
| Price read from | topazlabs.com | upscale.media |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Upscale.media
- Each image upscale generally uses 1 credit, and unused monthly credits expire at the end of the billing cycle.
- The pricing page says there are no refunds because of AI costs and recommends trying the free plan first.
- The yearly tiers are shown as yearly totals; the monthly credit counts are not shown on the default view.
- Browser only on the pages read; the Google Play link on the site is for Pixelbin.
Key features
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.
Upscale.media
- Image upscaling to 8x
- Enlarges images at 1x, 2x, 4x or 8x. Signed-in users can upload up to 20,000 x 20,000 px at 1x; guests get smaller limits.
- Video upscaling
- A video upscaler handles clips up to 1 minute in mp4, mov or webm.
- Enhancement tools
- Sharpen, deblur, dehaze, remove motion blur, restore old photos, colorize and restore faces, from the same site.
- Bulk processing and API
- The site lists bulk transformation and API integration; the pricing page says all plans include API access to add-on credits.
- Pay-as-you-go packs
- One-time credit packs run from 60 credits for $7.99 to 1,200 credits for $54.99, valid for one year.
Plans
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.
Upscale.media
Free Plan$0
3 credits and 3 downloads a month, plus one upscale a day without an account.
Monthly subscription$11.99
per month and up, billed monthly
Monthly plans start at $11.99; credit counts for each tier show only on the page's monthly view.
Yearly, 3,000 credits$49.99
per year, billed annually
3,000 credits, auto-renews yearly. The page shows a Mega Offer of doubled credits at the same price.
Yearly, 7,500 credits$69.99
per year, billed annually
7,500 credits, auto-renews yearly; the page's default subscription tier.
Yearly, 15,000 credits$99.99
per year, billed annually
15,000 credits, auto-renews yearly.
Yearly, 30,000 credits$119.99
per year, billed annually
30,000 credits, auto-renews yearly.
Ways to pay less
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.
Upscale.media
- Annual discount
Yearly plans marked 70% off
The pricing page tags its Yearly toggle 70% off, with 3,000 credits at $49.99 a year up to 30,000 credits at $119.99.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Topaz Labs or Upscale.media?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Upscale.media is cheaper to start with: $11.99 a month, against $19 a month for Topaz Labs. Topaz Labs starts at $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image), and Upscale.media starts at $11.99 per month, billed monthly ($49.99 per year on yearly billing).
Which has a free plan, Topaz Labs or Upscale.media?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Upscale.media has a free plan. Topaz Labs does not.
Which platforms do Topaz Labs and Upscale.media 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.