Clarity AI review (2026): is it worth $13 a month, billed yearly?
AI image and video upscaler and enhancer with an API
Black Friday: is there a Clarity AI sale?
Clarity AI report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for upscaling images with an API or a web app
Clarity AI upscales images and video with four upscalers, through a web front end, a ComfyUI plugin and a pay-per-use API. Starter is $13 a month billed annually. Credits go by output size, so a few huge upscales can use a month of Starter, and top-ups aren't on that plan.
Who Clarity AI is for
- Fits if you upscale images in batches through an API or ComfyUI
- Works for people who need old or low-resolution pictures made larger
Who Clarity AI is not for
- Tight on Starter: credits go by output size, so a few 10K or 20K upscales can use a month
- Not for you if you need top-ups, the ComfyUI plugin or small-image support, which aren't on Starter
- Skip it if you want editing beyond upscaling, since it only enlarges and enhances
- Watch out: the page shows yearly prices by default; monthly billing is $19, $49 and $299
- Watch out: the pricing page didn't load for us, so prices come from the listing
Why Clarity AI gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyStarter is $13 a month billed annually ($19 monthly), in the middle of what AI image tools charge. Pay-as-you-go API is about $0.005 per megapixel on Clarity.
- CFree plan and trialNew API accounts get $5 of free credit. No card requirement or time limit is stated.
- CFeaturesFour upscalers, video upscaling, creative controls and an API. It does one job fully, which is a smaller job than the whole category.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. The API and ComfyUI plugin need technical setup, and the web front end is simpler.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb, an API and a ComfyUI plugin. No desktop or phone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Clarity AI's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. The pricing page could not be read in full when we checked, so some grades rest on the listing alone. How we review and grade.
Make Clarity AI? Put this grade on your site
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/clarity-ai-upscaler#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/clarity-ai-upscaler.svg" alt="Clarity AI: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Clarity AI stands among AI image and video generators
Clarity AI's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 31 of the 168 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 31.
Its paid plans start at $13 a month, against a middle price of $11.88 for the category: 72 of the 120 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 59 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 169 AI image and video generators we grade, cut by the letter each got. Clarity AI’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 16 of 168, level with 103
- CFree plan and trialAbove 53 of 168, level with 94
- CFeaturesAbove 6 of 168, level with 97
- CEase of useAbove 12 of 168, level with 106
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 168, level with 72
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 123 AI image and video generators. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Clarity AI, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Clarity AI you would be making an image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 106 of the 168 other AI image and video generators grade higher. It costs $156 a year.
What you could not
- An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make.
- It plugs into other products, ComfyUI among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Clarity AI’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Clarity AI?
Clarity AI upscales and enhances images and video with four upscalers: Crystal for precise results, Clarity for creative detail, Clarity Pro and a Crystal video upscaler. It has a web front end, a pay-as-you-go API and a ComfyUI plugin on higher plans. Outputs can reach 38K for Crystal images, and plans are priced by monthly credits.
Worth knowing
- Credits are spent by output size, so a few 10K or 20K upscales can use a month of Starter credits.
- Top-up credits, the ComfyUI plugin and small image support are not on Starter.
- Custom features and premium support are Business only.
- The pricing page shows the yearly-billed prices by default; the vendor says yearly saves about 30%.
Key features
- Crystal Upscaler
- A precision upscaler that stays close to the source, with outputs up to 38K; 2K costs 5 credits and 4K costs 20.
- Clarity and Clarity Pro
- Creative upscalers that add detail; Clarity reaches 13K output and Clarity Pro reaches 10K.
- Video upscaling
- The Crystal Video Upscaler outputs 720p, 1080p or 4K in 5-second clips, from 50 credits per clip.
- API and ComfyUI plugin
- Every plan includes API access; the ComfyUI plugin is on Pro and Business.
- Creative controls
- Style transfer, image creation and automatic prompt detection are listed on all paid plans.
Clarity AI pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Clarity AI is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $13 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $13 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- $5 in free API credits for new API accounts.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| API Pay-as-you-go | $0per month, no subscription, billed by use | Pay per upscale, such as $0.005 per megapixel for Clarity and $0.016 per megapixel for Crystal. |
| Starter | $13per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | 1,200 credits a month, all four upscalers, API access, front end and commercial license. |
| Pro | $33per month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly) | 4,000 credits a month; adds ComfyUI plugin, small image and Flux LoRa support, and credit top-ups. |
| Business | $199per month, billed annually ($299 billed monthly) | 30,000 credits a month; adds custom features and premium support. |
Read from clarityai.co on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Clarity AI before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountYearly billing saves about 30%
The pricing page toggle shows yearly billing about 30% below monthly, for example Starter at $13 instead of $19 a month.
Stated on clarityai.co
Works with
Clarity AI alternatives
- Clarity AI vs Topaz Labs
From $19/mo
- Clarity AI vs Remini
Free plan · from $4.99
- Clarity AI vs Clipdrop
Free plan · from $15/mo
Common questions
Does Clarity AI have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Clarity AI is listed for Web.
Does Clarity AI have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Clarity AI is listed for Web.
Is Clarity AI open source?
Clarity AI is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Clarity AI have an API?
Yes. Clarity AI offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.