Topaz Labs vs Upscayl (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Upscayl grades higher than Topaz Labs: 3.0 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Topaz Labs grades higher on features and platforms. Upscayl grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use.
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
Upscayl
Free desktop image upscaler with a paid credit-based cloud
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 Upscayl if
- Fits if you want to enlarge photos for free, on your own machine
- Works for people who batch-process images and would rather not upload them
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need editing or image generation, as those are in the paid cloud only
- Tight if you try the cloud: the trial is 10 credits once, and it needs a trial application
- Pricey if you want cloud credits, at $24.99 a month for 300, and unused ones are lost when you cancel
- Not for you if you want it on a phone, since only desktop and web versions are listed
How we grade them
| 2.0GPATopaz LabsFair | 3.0GPAUpscaylVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AThe desktop app is free and open source, with no stated limit on images or formats. The cloud service is $24.99 a month for 300 credits, but you don't need it. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial is listed anywhere on the pages read, so you pay from the first use. | AFree outright for the desktop app, with no account, and it works offline. The cloud's only free offer is 10 credits once, after a trial application. |
| 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. | CDoes one job completely: several models, batch upscaling and your own custom models, up to 16x. It's a smaller job, and editing and generation exist only in the paid cloud. |
| 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 store rating on record. You download it, drop in an image and pick a model, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows, web and iPhone, but no Android app and no API on the listing. | CDesktop for Linux, macOS and Windows plus a cloud web app. No phone apps, no API on the listing and no integrations. |
| Best for | upscaling photos and video on your own machine | a free image upscaler that runs on your own computer |
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 Upscayl. 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. Upscayl starts at $24.99 a month and scores 2.3.
Topaz Labs scores higher and starts $5.99 a month lower. Of the other AI image and video generators on the chart, 5 score higher than Topaz Labs for less, and 32 score higher than Upscayl 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
- Upscayl is open source, according to its own site.
- Topaz Labs also covers video editing.
At a glance
| Topaz Labs | Upscayl | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image) | $24.99 per month for 300 credits, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | Upscayl Desktop is free and open source with no stated limits on images or formats. Upscayl Cloud gives a one-time 10-credit trial. |
| Free trial | None listed | Upscayl Cloud: 10 free credits after signing up and filling in a trial application. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Topaz Labs | Upscayl |
| Price read from | topazlabs.com | upscayl.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Upscayl
- The cloud service is sold by monthly credits, and the pricing page shows only one price at a time as the slider moves.
- If a cloud subscription is cancelled, unused subscription credits are lost and history is deleted after 1 month.
- The cloud trial is only 10 credits and requires a trial application.
- The desktop app has no cloud editing or image generation features.
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.
Upscayl
- Local desktop upscaling
- The desktop app does all processing on your machine and needs no internet connection.
- Several AI models
- Choose between different models for different kinds of images, add your own custom models, and run a double upscale for better quality.
- Batch processing
- Upscale several images in one go. The site advertises enlargement of up to 16x.
- Upscayl Cloud editing
- The cloud service lists face enhancement, detail recovery and smart editing, with batch processing.
- AI image generation
- Upscayl Cloud can generate images from a text description in several styles. It is included on the paid cloud plans.
- Large output sizes
- Cloud Pro upscales up to 256 megapixels and the Business tier up to 512 megapixels.
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.
Upscayl
Upscayl Desktop$0
Free, open-source app for Linux, macOS and Windows. Runs on your own computer, with several AI models and batch upscaling.
Free Trial (Cloud)$0
10 credits for Upscayl Cloud, one time. Needs a login and a trial application.
Pro (Cloud)$24.99
per month for 300 credits, billed monthly
Unused credits roll over, 6 months of storage, upscaling up to 256 MP, AI image generation and priority support. The price follows the credit amount chosen on a slider.
Business (Cloud)Custom
Offered for larger credit amounts on the slider, with upscaling up to 512 MP and 6 months of storage. No price was shown for it.
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.
Upscayl
- Annual discount
Up to 40% off with annual billing
The pricing page shows an Annual option labelled up to 40% off for Upscayl Cloud subscriptions. The annual prices were not displayed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Topaz Labs or Upscayl?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Topaz Labs is cheaper to start with: $19 a month, against $24.99 a month for Upscayl. Topaz Labs starts at $19 per month (Topaz for Web - Image), and Upscayl starts at $24.99 per month for 300 credits, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Topaz Labs or Upscayl?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Upscayl has a free plan. Topaz Labs does not.
Which platforms do Topaz Labs and Upscayl run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Topaz Labs lists an iOS app and only Upscayl lists a Linux app. Both list a web app and macOS and Windows 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.