# Hotpot AI review (2026): is the free plan enough? > AI images, short videos, headshots and photo fixes paid with credits Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Hotpot is a browser-based set of AI tools for making images, short videos and themed portrait packs, alongside photo fixes such as upscaling, colorizing, restoring and background removal. It also offers editable design templates for app store screenshots, banners and social posts. AI work is paid for with credits that can be bought once or by subscription, while the templates are free to edit yourself. - **Category:** AI Image & Video Generators - **Made by:** Panabee, LLC - **Website:** https://hotpot.ai - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want apps on your phone or desktop, as everything runs in the browser. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Hotpot AI has a free plan, and paid plans start at $10 per month for 1,000 credits, or $12 one-time for 1,000 credits. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **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. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | Read from https://hotpot.ai/pricing on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Hotpot AI before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Save 25% with a yearly subscription** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://hotpot.ai/pricing - **500 credits for sharing an image each month** (Other savings): Once a month, sharing a favorite Hotpot image of your own or from its gallery earns 500 AI credits. Source: https://hotpot.ai/free ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Occasional users who would rather buy credits once than subscribe - App makers producing App Store and Google Play screenshots - Restoring, colorizing or upscaling old family photos - Getting a set of profile headshots from a single photo ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Hotpot is a browser set of AI image, video, headshot and photo-repair tools paid for in credits, $12 for 1,000 or $10 a month. Nobody says how much of the AI is free, headshot packs cost extra, and there is no app. - **Value for money: C.** 1,000 credits is $12 once or $10 a month, which is the category's middle price. Headshot packs are priced on top. - **Free plan and trial: C.** The image generator works without an account and templates are free to edit, but the amount of free AI use isn't stated. - **Features: C.** Images, video, headshot packs, photo repair, templates and a canvas. Wide, but each AI job spends credits and the video tool always needs an account. - **Ease of use: B.** Open the site and generate. Nothing to install or set up. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Browser only: no mobile or desktop app is listed, and no integrations. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Hotpot's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among AI image and video generators - Hotpot AI's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 63 of the 168 other AI image and video generators we grade, and level with 42. - It stands best on ease of use (B, above 119 of 168) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 2). - Its paid plans start at $10 a month, against a middle price of $11.88 for the category: 51 of the 120 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 22 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/ai-images ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Hotpot 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. It costs $120 a year. - You could make: Templates: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: An image model, which you can rent by the picture but not make. - You could not: A video model, which you can rent by the second but not make. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Image generation, Video generation, Templates, AI features ## Alternatives - [Fotor](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fotor): Photo editor and AI image and video generator with credit plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/fotor-vs-hotpot-ai) - [Picsart](https://toolgpa.com/tools/picsart): Photo and video editor with AI generation and design tools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hotpot-ai-vs-picsart) - [Pixlr](https://toolgpa.com/tools/pixlr): Browser photo editors with AI image, video and audio tools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hotpot-ai-vs-pixlr) - [NightCafe](https://toolgpa.com/tools/nightcafe): Community AI art generator with many models and daily free credits. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hotpot-ai-vs-nightcafe) - [Starryai](https://toolgpa.com/tools/starryai): AI art and video app with styles, a community feed and Lumen credits. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hotpot-ai-vs-starryai) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://hotpot.ai/pricing - https://hotpot.ai/ - https://hotpot.ai/ai-image-generator - https://hotpot.ai/ai-art-generator - https://hotpot.ai/ai-video-generator - https://hotpot.ai/ai-professional-headshots - https://hotpot.ai/remove-background - https://hotpot.ai/templates - https://hotpot.ai/free - https://hotpot.ai/help Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/hotpot-ai Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).