Imagine being able to see the faces of your loved ones from old photos in greater detail or capture the beauty of a scene that was once hidden in a photo due to poor technology at the time it was taken.
AI image upscalers can enhance the resolution of any image by up to 800% of the original image size without losing quality. Not only do these upscalers increase the resolution, but they also can enhance it with techniques that reduce noise and shakiness from images, and more.
There are many upscalers available on the web. For your convenience, we have made a list of the best upscalers available based on their features, ease of use, and pricing plans, so you an pick the best AI image upscaler that suits your needs.
Our picks for the best AI image upscalers are listed starting from what we consider to be the best.
Table of Contents
Vance AI
This image upscaler can increase image resolution by up to 800% of the original image size. There are options to enlarge images by 2x, 4x, 6x, and 8x without any image quality loss. Vance AI can add real details while enlarging the images to bring the best results compared to normal image upscaling, which causes pixelation.
One of the best features of Vance AI is the excellent image upscaling of anime images. You can significantly enlarge your anime images by 16x to make them fit for being a 2K, 4K, or 8K wallpaper.
Vance AI removes blurriness as well as reduces noise. Another factor that makes Vance AI enough usable is its free trial which allows up to 5 upscales per month for free. Another great feature of this image upscaler is its enhancing capabilities, such as restoring old photos by removing cracks, correcting colors, and more.
Payment Plan
- 5 images for free but with watermarks
- 100 images for $4.95
- 200 images for $6.95
- 500 images for $11.45
- 1000 images for $17.95
Key Features
- Enlarges image by up to 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x, or 16x
- Removes noise and blurriness
- Can remove background
- Can upscale anime images very well
- The free plan offers 3 upscales per month but with watermarks
- Can restore old images
- Online image upscaler
- No manual editing option is available, but you can do cropping, resizing, rotating, and flipping
- Bulk operation
- User-friendly interface
- Can enlarge images by up to 16X
- Especially good at upscaling anime images
- Bulk operation allowed
- Online image upscaler
- Can remove background
- The free mode adds watermarks
Examples
In this example, I just gave simple commands to the image upscaler. I checked the enlargement option and my image was standard. The results are clear. Not only is the image enlarged but enhanced as well. This is what we need from an image upscaler; enlargement along with enhancement of minor details. However, the free version added a watermark.
This is an anime picture, and the results are again crystal clear; the picture is enlarged along with improved pixelation.
Final thoughts on Vance AI
Vance AI is one of the best AI image upscalers. Its capability to generate high-resolution images without losing image quality makes it an image enlarger worth using for photographers, e-commerce sites, real estate, other businesses, and hobbyists. To get world-class AI image upscaling I would suggest Vance AI.
StockPhotos Upscaler
This image upscaler can increase image resolution to either 2X, 4X, or 8X its original resolution. The upscaler is web-based and allows a free trial of up to 3 upscales. Free trial upscales expire within a month and their resolution is enhanced by 2X.
The upscaler allows batch upload which saves time. All you have to do is simply drag and drop the image you wish to be upscaled. The StockPhotos Upscaler supports JPG, PNG, WebP, and BMP formats.
While there are many reasons why one should use this AI image enlarger, one is that it doesn’t require payment to be done each month. The payment plans are yearly making it a very easy-to-use software for long-term usage. 3 smoothing options do for a variety of images. Some styles work well for pets and faces, while others are used for detailed illustrations.
Payment Plan
- Free plan: 3 upscales for free and they last for a month. Also, the output image is not greater than 2000 pixels and is available only in JPG format
- Standard Plan: 20 upscales for 7$ and the subscription lasts for 12 months. The output image can be of maximum 8000 pixels and is available in JPG, PNG, WebP, and BMP formats
- Premium Plan: 100 upscales for 15$ and the subscription lasts for 12 months. The output image can be of maximum 8000 pixels and is available in JPG, PNG, WebP, and BMP formats.
Key Features
- Resolution by up to 2X, 4X, or 8X
- JPG, PNG, Web, and BMP formats support
- 3 smoothing options: Artifact removal, Ironed out, and High fidelity
- Batch upload
- Yearly subscription plans
- User-Friendly interface
- Live Chat support
- Social Media crop and resize
- 90 days history
- It doesn’t require sign up to use it for free
- Can enlarge images by up to 8X
- Saves upscaled images for 90 days
- Allows batch operation
- The free usage doesn’t add watermarks
- It gives 3 smoothing options: Artifact removal, Ironed out, and High fidelity
- Free version only offers 3 free upscale at 2X
- Free version is confusing because the interface is full of promotions, from when you start image upscaling to when you download your resized images
- It doesn’t work great enough for low resolution images
Examples
The difference is very clear. The image after upscaling is more crisp and sharp. The details that were lost during the process of taking a picture are returned back to some extent. You can see that the edges have got sharper and tiny granules on the table are more distinct in the 2nd image compared to the 1st.
However, it didn’t work great enough for low resolution images. As you can see in the above example, StockPhotos Upscaler didn’t do wonders with the picture. It only improved its resolution slightly in the free mode.
So I can say that this image upscaler is good enough to regain the lost pixels. But it doesn’t do magical wonders. Also, when I uploaded an image of already higher resolution, it didn’t upscale it because the image was already good in pixels.
Final thoughts on StockPhotos Upscaler
StockPhotos Upscaler is another one of the best AI image upscalers. This image upscaler is good value for the price since it gives a good number of upscales at a small price for a whole year. For good resolutions, it upscales the image to make it further better by highlighting details. However, for smaller resolutions, it only makes them better, not the best.
The free plan is ok for 3 quick upscales without the hassle of signing up.
Gigapixel AI
Developed by Topaz Lab, Gigapixel is another image upscaler that is able to upscale photos by 600% of the original image size, and it’s another one of the best AI image upscalers available right now. This tool is also on the list because of its capability to reduce noise and shakiness from the images that result from capturing pictures with hands.
The tool is trained with millions of images so that upon uploading a picture, it immediately detects what’s wrong and rectifies the issue.
This image upscaler is excellent for improving pixels and detailing, specifically when you want to take a print of it. It increases image resolution of a wide variety of images, from portraits to wildlife, landscapes, architecture, etc. The image types that it works on are DSLR, Web/Compressed, and CG.
However, it’s a desktop based app and not an online image upscaler, so it can be used in your browser from any device.
Payment Plan
- Free trial: Provides a free downloadable trial
- Paid plan: Available at a one-time cost of 99$
Key Features:
- Upscale images by 600% of the original image size while preserving image quality. It can go higher but there’s no guarantee image quality will be preserved.
- It’s a standalone desktop app, so you need to download and install it locally, and you can’t use it in your browser.
- It can be used as an Adobe Photoshop Plugin
- Available only for Mac or Windows.
- Reduces noise and shakiness
- It can upscale and enhance images in bulk
- User-friendly interface
- Gives high-quality printables
- Face recovery
- Natural reduction of artifacts
- Upscales images by up to 600% of the original image size
- It has excellent image enhancement features, aside from upscaling
- Can bulk upscale
- It can be used as a standalone software or as an Adobe Photoshop plugin
- Gives natural-looking results
- Wide application: face recovery, texture enhancement, high-quality printables, commission artifacts reduction
- One-time payment of $99.99
- Can’t be used in your browser. It’s limited to Mac and Windows, but can also be used on Linux using Wine. Doesn’t seem to be available for Android or iOS.
Examples
The difference is so obvious. The image upscaler and enhancer has seemingly done magic to this picture. The face is unblurred. But to make this function work make sure you check all the required fields in the settings. If you are a beginner, you can simply refer to the snapshot below
Now let’s see an example of a landscape:
The first image is blurry as it has lost its pixels due to being compressed. Gigapixel AI has increased the image resolution and given it life by reducing compression artifacts, reducing noise, and sharpening the result in a somewhat natural way. This is because the software is trained through a huge database relevant to such landscapes.
However, there are a few shortcomings of this image upscaler like its subscription plan which costs 99$ as a one-time investment. For a beginner, this amount may be much to spend at once. On the other hand, it’s excellent for users who are willing to pay – in the long run, $99 one-time payment is a lot better than paying a subscription forever.
Another thing that makes it difficult to use for some is its inability to be used online but to be downloaded whether you are a Windows or a Mac user. This may not be suitable for some users.
While using Gigapixel AI, another factor that should also be kept in mind is that the resolution and other changes done by the software are excellent. However, still, the minor details added are not real but generated by Artificial Intelligence.
Final thoughts on Gigapixel AI
This image upscaler gives realistic results of almost anything like a human’s face, bird feathers, cityscapes, landscapes, etc. The AI upscaler adds missing pixels while upscaling images while reducing noise, blur, and shakiness. For example, it is doing an incredibly great job in face recovery.
Factors like its expensive relatively purchase plan and being downloadable make it difficult to use for some. However for what it offers, at a one time payment of $99, it’s well worth it for many users; for example professionals who may also benefit from Gigapixel AI being available as an Adobe Photoshop plugin.
Icons8 Smart Upscaler
The easiest and cheapest AI image upscaler is Icons8 Smart Upscaler.
Yes! you can upload your image on the site or just copy/paste its URL to upscale your image within minutes. It has various parameters that can be adjusted manually. The size limit of an image that it allows is only 5MBs until now.
The image upscaler also has got a background remover and thousands of datasets ( 5 million images) to give superb editing results. Driven by intelligent AI algorithms Icons8 can upscale any image 2X or 4X but not more than that. Also, the Icons8 Smart Upscaler reduces noise and sharpens any image. The bulk operation can be performed using API. Another factor that must be discussed is the presence of watermarks in the free version. However, paid plans are also available which do not put watermarks on images.
Payment Plans
- Free plan: enlarges the image by only 2x and adds watermarks
- Prepaid package: $10/month for 50 Upscales
- Limited Plan: $9/month for 100 upscale
- Unlimited Plan: $99/month for unlimited upscales
Key Features
- Upscales images by 2X or 4X (7680 x 7680 px)
- Removes background
- User-Friendly interface
- Easy to use and free
- Adds watermarks
- Stores images for up to 60 days
- API integration
- Economic payment plans
- URL pasting allowed
- Can remove background
- Allows manual editing
- API integration
- Stores upscaled images for up to 60 days
- Upscales images by up to 4X only
- The free plan adds watermarks and enlarges images by only 2X which doesn’t allow a user to get an idea of results generated through paid plans
Examples
When zoomed in, as can be seen in the app’s interface, the minor details are enhanced, like the texture of food. Icons8 uses AI to add the missing minor details when upscaling images. And this is how the images look natural, as if they were taken with the camera.
As can be seen, this AI image upscaler has very efficiently served the purpose of removing the background. The prompt that I gave to Icons8 was to remove the background and did what I required.
Other options are also available like adding another background and editing the background manually and this increases the efficacy of this image upscaler.
Final thoughts on Icons8
The AI image upscaler is very easy to use because of its easy operation and free availability. This thing makes it very competitive in the AI Upscalers market. However, its ability to upscale images by only 4X makes it less competitive with others that can enlarge by 8X. Another feature is the watermark in the free version. But that’s not a big issue for the commercial industry since Icons8 offers very affordable paid plans that generate images without watermarks.
Image Upscaler
This AI image upscaler can increase image resolution by up to 1500 by 1500. It can enlarge images up to 4X. It not only just upscales but also removes blurriness and is also used as a background remover.
To enhance image quality of an image, 2 options are available. Color enhancement and Intensity enhancement.
Up to 10Mb of images can be uploaded to the interface. One good thing about this AI image enlarger is the ability to upscale and edit 10 images per month for free. But the annoying thing is unwanted ads which keep on coming to hinder the process. However, paid plans are available both for individuals as well as business purposes which solves the issue.
Payment Plans
Individual
- Free: $0 for 10 images per month with no watermark
- Subscription: $9 for 50 images per month
- Advanced: $39 for 500 images per month
Business:
- Free: $0 for 100 images per month with no watermarks
- Subscription: $30 for 1000 images per month
- Advanced: $200 for 20000 images per month
Key features
- Can upscale size by 1500 x 1500 or 4X
- Removes noise and blur
- Bulk operation
- User-friendly interface
- Can erase background and watermarks
- Ads during use
- Free plan allows for 10 upscales each month and doesn’t add watermarks
- Economic payment plans for both individual as well as business purposes
- Can enhance image quality
- Allows bulk operation
- Can remove background
- Upscaling done by only up to 4X
- Ads during use
- Faulty upscaling at times (gives an error; doesn’t upscale at all, and still counts it as an upscale)
Examples
The image processing took a bit of time compared to the above-mentioned upscalers. Also, at first, the image upscaler didn’t upscale the image at all. After a few tries it did.
The results are upscaled and enhanced images. Notice that the upscaling didn’t distort the pixels but enhanced them which is the purpose of AI upscalers.
The image upscaler hasn’t done a great job in terms of improving image quality. The image still looks blurry and noisy but to a bit lesser extent. This conveys that for a very small resolution, this tool is not good enough in terms of upscaling.
Final thoughts on Image Upscaler
This AI image upscaler is great for beginners who want to invest less in the beginning, as it offers quite a good number of upscales for free. The intensity enhancement feature for dark photos and color enhancement feature for not enough saturated colors make this tool worthwhile. Pricing for those who want to upscale without ads blocking progress is also very reasonable. Also, the tool doesn’t work properly sometimes and doesn’t give desired results. Image Upscaler doesn’t work on very low resolution images as well.
BigJPG
This AI image upscaler is capable to reduce noise and serration in your images. The resulting image is not only upscaled in terms of resolution but has its glitter removed as well.
The AI image enlarger has the capability of increasing the resolution by 16X with a resolution of 3000 x 3000 pixels and is specifically designed for anime images and illustrations. For a free user, the maximum size able to be uploaded of an image is 5M but for a paid user it is 50M.
The uploaded and enlarged images are automatically deleted from the database in 5 days.
Payment Plan
- Free: free 20 upscales per month of up to 5 Mb max upload with upscaling by only 4X and slow process
- Basic: 500 upscales per month for $6.
- Standard: 1000 upscales/ month for 6 months for $12. 50 MB max upload and upscaling by 16X
- Premium: 2000 upscales per month for 6 months for $22. 50 MB max upload and upscaling by 16X
Key features
- 3000 x 3000 pixels enlargement
- 4K upscaling
- Specially designed for anime pictures
- 5 levels of noise reduction
- Free plan gives 20 upscales per month
- User-friendly interface
- Bulk operation
- API integration
- Economic payment plans
- Can upscale images by 16X
- Can do 4K upscaling
- Specific for anime pictures but can upscale standard pictures as well
- Reduces noise in 5 levels
- Allows bulk operation
- API integration
- Free plan upscales images by only 4X which doesn’t give the idea of upscaling done by paid plans
Examples
This image is upscaled by 4x which is the maximum limit allowed for free. Noise level reduction is medium. The results are quite evident. The upscaled image has not only got increased resolution but is brighter and the minor details of food are added. Details in the texture are added by BigJPG.
To upscale this image, I selected the option of artwork. The image was upscaled by 4X. And the noise level reduction was kept low. The results are very evident. The image is much better in terms of enhancement and artifact removal. The tool couldn’t do wonders with an image of such a small size. Still, it did its job really well. The option of 16X upscaling is available in paid plans so I couldn’t do that.
Final thoughts on BigJPG
This AI image upscaler has many advantages like 3000 x 3000 pixels enlargement which many other upscalers don’t offer. Also, the 16X upscaling makes it distinguishable from other upscalers which provide up to 8X upscaling. The results that are generated are also good in terms of image quality, and this image upscaler can be a great asset for beginners.
Deep Image AI
If you can spend some money to improve the quality of your images, this is one of the best AI image upscalers available. It’s easy to use and can make a big difference in the overall look of your photos. This is because the free version gives images with watermarks.
The image upscaler can enlarge any photo by up to 4 times on a resolution of 15000 X 15000 pixels. This is called super-resolution and Deep Image AI serves the purpose. Another important feature is the API support to the developers rendered by Deep image AI. This tool is very useful in reducing noise and sharpening any image.
Besides, background removal and light & color correction features make this image upscaler preferable to be used among other such tools.
The image upscaler is browser based and needs signup, but after that, you can try upscaling 5 images for free. The upscaled images possess a maximum resolution of 10000 X 10000 which is lesser than the paid version and have a watermark on them.
Payment Plan
- Trial: 5 images for free for 1-time usage with no priority processing and watermarks all over the image
- Bronze: 100 monthly images for $7.5/month with priority processing
- Silver: 300 monthly images for $20.75/month with priority processing
- Gold: 500 monthly images for $32.50/month with priority processing
Key Features
- Upscaling done up to 15000 x 15000 pixels
- Free mode adds watermarks
- Enables bulk operation
- Removes blur and also background
- Light and color correction
- API integration
- Google Drive integration
- Super resolution
- Allows bulk operation
- Can remove background
- Can enhance image quality, most notably color and light
- API integration
- Google Drive Integration
- Can upscale by only 4X
- Free plan adds watermarks all over the image
- Somewhat pricey
Examples
This picture was a little dark, so I wanted to add more light to it. Unlike other online AI image upscalers, which add unnatural light, Deep Image AI has added natural light, and the photo looks exactly as it was taken with more light. The results were generated within seconds.
This image which was blurry and low resolution, is sharpened and enhanced by 4x. The AI image upscaler has a user-friendly interface with multiple options to check and for this, I checked to sharpen and enhance by 4X. The results are not so clear.
The AI image upscaler is not good enough for pictures that are blurry as it only results in minor changes. Another factor that is hindering us to see the desired results is the presence of watermarks all over. Due to the watermarks, the changes made by Deep Image can not be apprehended properly.
Final thoughts on Deep Image AI
This AI image upscaler does a good job in terms of adding light, but it is not good enough in terms of upscaling. The quality of upscaling is not great enough compared to other image upscalers. Watermarks on free images make it less useful for newbies. But the software can be very useful for professional photographers, real estate agents, digital marketing agencies, and other businesses due to its ability to do super-resolution of images and economical payment plans.
Let’s Enhance
This AI image upscaler which is available for free, is capable of upscaling an image by 16X and 256 megapixels. The quality of upscaled images is 4K. The image upscaler is very easy to use since it is free and requires only a sign-up. It is capable of reducing noise and enhancing any image by improving colors, removing compressions, and replenishing textures.
The free trial requires signup and gives an opportunity to upscale 10 images at once. But it must be noted that free images have watermarks and are upscaled up to 64 megapixels only. While paid plans offer more.
Payment Plans
- Free: 10 free credits
- 100 credits for $9/month charged annually ($12/month in case charged monthly)
- 300 credits for $24/month charged annually ($32/month in case charged monthly)
- 500 credits for $34/month charged annually ($45/month in case charged monthly)
Key features
- Image upscaling by up to 16X
- 4k AI image upscaling features
- Noise reduction
- Easy to use
- Free online trial
- API integration
- Upscales images by 16X
- Does 4K AI image upscaling
- API integration
- Can improve colors and textures of images
- Free trial allows image upscaling by only 2X, which doesn’t allow a new user to know the results that could be generated by paid plans. Also free plan adds watermark
- Costly payment plans
Examples
Among the many options available to upscale images in the toolbox of Let’s Enhance, I chose a photo, then light AI, which was by default 100%. And finally, tone enhancement by 30%. The results were appreciable. The image got sharper after upscaling. Although a watermark was added.
This image is upscaled and color enhanced by 50%. Again the light AI was enhanced by 100% by default. Not only is the resolution increased but warm light is added to the image which is making it look much better than before.
Final thoughts on Let’s Enhance
Although the tool is not magical, it still does a good job for beginners by providing 10 images for free. The paid plan is for different businesses like real-estate and e-commerce websites, as well as professional photographers. And the 16X AI image upscaling is a great feature.
Zyro Upscaler
This tool is also available for free and does the job of upscaling images by 4X. The image upscaler works on, for example, old or blurry images and precisely adds details to them, thanks to the deep convolutional neural networks that are trained on thousands of images to know all the details. Zyro Upscaler supports PNG and JPG formats.
The tool developers aim to launch features of noise reduction and sharpening images.
Payment Plan
- Free to use
Key Features
- Upscales images by 4X
- Supports PNG and JPG formats
- Removes blur
- Free to use
- Free and very easy to use
- Upscales images, reduces noise and sharpens, significantly enhancing images
- The input image can be a maximum of 5MB and 750 x 750px
Examples
Zyro didn’t have any other option other than processing the image. The tool has removed blur to some extent but is not magical.
This image is significantly enhanced in terms of colors and intensity by Zyro upscaler. Also, you can see the image is sharpened and noise is reduced.
Final thoughts on Zyro Upscaler
This image upscaler is very precise in generating natural results of almost any kind of image. For example, if an image of a wall made of bricks is blurred, the image upscaler would add all the missing details naturally. However, the ability to upscale images by only 4 times overweighs its feature of being free and is, therefore less likely to be used by professionals. Still, casual users can easily take advantage of this online image upscaler.
Waifu2X
This online image upscaler is available for free and is very easy to use. The features included in this image upscaler are its special ability to enhance anime pictures and cartoons by up to 2X. The maximum size this tool allows for an image is 5 MB and 3k x 3k resolution. The tool uses deep convolutional neural networks and allows for 5 levels of noise reduction. Besides, it also allows the user to do minor tweaks manually. Another advantage of using this tool is that it can allow the insertion of an image URL rather than downloading or dragging and pasting an image.
Although the tool is good enough for anime as well as normal pictures it has a UI that looks old and is not updated.
Payment Plan
- Free to use
Key Features
- Up to 2X image enlargement
- Used for cartoons and anime pictures but can be used for regular images as well
- 5 levels of noise reduction
- Allows insertion of Image URL
- Easy to use
- Available for free
- Free to use
- Allows image URL to be copy pasted
- Can reduce noise in 5 levels
- Upscales cartoon and anime pictures but can upscale regular pictures as well.
- Old UI
- Upscales image by only 2X
Examples
The tool sometimes gives errors and doesn’t upscale images. But after some time, it gives. To upscale this image, I simply uploaded a picture (the URL option wasn’t yielding results), selected artwork with noise reduction to medium, and upscaled to 2X. With 2X image upscaling, the results could be only what can be seen in this example. The image is improved slightly, which is good in terms of 2X upscaling.
Another Example:
Again the image is upscaled by 2X, which is the maximum limit offered by Waifu2X. The noise reduction level is high. The results generated are better compared to 1st example which conveys that the tool is good in terms of noise reduction.
Final thoughts on Waifu2X
This tool is free to use and gives good results in terms of image upscaling all kinds of images, especially those that are noisy and is easy to operate as well. However, the ability to upscale images by only 2X makes it less work for professionals. Also, the error that it gives from time to time makes it less useful compared to other upscalers in the list.
How Do AI Image Upscalers Work?
It might sound like magic, but AI image upscalers use machine learning to improve images. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that allows computers to learn from data.
With image upscaling, the computer is taught to identify patterns in low-resolution images. It can then use these patterns to resize the image without losing quality.
AI image upscalers analyze low-quality images and identify features like lines, shapes, and textures. It can then use this information to generate a high-quality version of the image.
Why Use an AI Image Upscaler?
If you need to resize an image, you might be tempted to just use a traditional image resize tool, like Photoshop. However, these traditional image resize tools can often result in loss of quality.
This is because traditional image resize tools just use algorithms to Stretch or Shrink the image. These algorithms don’t take into account the patterns and features of the image. As a result, the quality of the image can often be diminished.
This is where AI image upscalers can be helpful. AI image upscalers don’t just blindly resize images. Instead, they use machine learning to identify patterns in images. This means that they can improve the quality of images without losing any of the original information.
Conclusion
We reviewed a total of 10 AI image upscalers and we hope this roundup will help you choose the one that fits you the most.
AI image upscalers are tools that can take a low-resolution image and resize it into a high-resolution image. These tools are becoming more and more popular as they are able to improve the quality of images without losing quality.
To choose the best AI image upscaler for your needs, you should consider the size of the image you want to resize and the level of quality you need. Other factors you should consider include:
- Whether you just casually resize images or you need to resize multiple images at high-quality and in batch.
- If you’re just looking for casual image upscaling every other day, or you need it for professional use, and you need a reliable software.
- If you’re interested in specific features like noise reduction, super-resolution, or image enlargement without losing quality.
- Whether you need a desktop application, a web-based application, or a plugin for Photoshop.
- Your budget.
We hope this roundup helped you choose the best AI image upscaler for your needs. If you have any feedback or questions please feel free to leave a comment.
