Topaz Gigapixel vs Resly AI
Topaz Gigapixel is the upscaler photographers recommend first, and for faithful, large enlargements it earns that. Resly does a narrower job: take one photo, make it sharper, and reshape it to the exact print size you need, in the browser, paid per image. We make Resly, so read this knowing that. Here is where each one is the right choice.
Written by the team that makes Resly AI. Facts about Topaz Labs checked on their own site on 1 October 2026; sources are at the bottom of the page.
Choose Topaz Gigapixel if…
Choose Topaz if you upscale photos every week, need very large or very faithful enlargements, or want everything to stay on your own computer.
Choose Resly AI if…
Choose Resly if you have a handful of photos to get printed, want them reshaped to a frame size without cropping, and would rather pay per image than subscribe.
Side by side
| Feature | Topaz Gigapixel | Resly AIPay per image | Resly StudioFor bulk and regular use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Desktop app for Mac and Windows, plus a web version | In the browser, on any device, including a phone | In the browser, on any device |
| Account needed | Yes | No | Yes, a free business account |
| How you pay | Subscription: Gigapixel from $149 a year or $29 a month; Topaz for Web from $12 a month | Pay per image, from $1.99, with each extra image in the order cheaper. No subscription | Credits from $0.50 an image: one-off packs from $10, or monthly plans from $15 |
| Largest output | Upscales up to 6×; the web version exports up to 32 megapixels | 16 megapixels (8,000px on the long side). Detail is rebuilt at up to 4K, about 16 megapixels, then fitted to your size | 16 megapixels (8,000px on the long side). Detail is rebuilt at up to 4K, about 16 megapixels, then fitted to your size. Also delivered as print-ready PDF |
| Changes the shape to fit a print | No. It enlarges the image at its existing shape | Yes. Type any size and the scene is extended to fit, not cropped | Yes. Type any size and the scene is extended to fit, not cropped |
| How it adds detail | A choice of models: faithful ones that stay close to the original, and generative ones that add detail | A generative AI model that redraws detail, so small things like faces can change slightly | A generative AI model that redraws detail, so small things like faces can change slightly |
| Free option | None listed on the pricing page | No. The examples on the home page are real, full-size output | Your first 3 images, with no card needed |
Topaz Labs figures as listed on its site on 1 October 2026. Prices change; check theirs before buying.
Where Topaz Gigapixel is better
- Faithfulness. Its non-generative models restore what is there, so faces, textures and small text stay closer to the original than a generative model keeps them.
- Size. It goes well past our 16-megapixel ceiling, which matters for big prints viewed up close.
- Volume. A subscription with unlimited local rendering is cheaper than paying per image once you process more than a few a month.
- Privacy and control. The desktop app runs on your own machine, with model choices and strength settings we don't offer.
Where Resly AI is better
- Reshaping. Type 8×10 or 24×36 and the scene is extended to that shape instead of cropped. Gigapixel has no equivalent.
- Nothing to install and no account: open the page, upload, pay, download.
- Paying for what you use. A few photos for a frame cost a few dollars, not a year's subscription.
- Any device. It works the same on a phone as on a computer.
Topaz is being bought by Adobe
On 24 June 2026 Adobe agreed to buy Topaz Labs for about $340 million, with the deal expected to close in Adobe's fourth fiscal quarter of 2026. Adobe plans to bring Topaz's models into Photoshop, Lightroom and Firefly.
Adobe says Topaz's apps will keep being sold on their own through the Topaz website, and Topaz's CEO is staying on. Nothing about the software changes today. If you were about to commit to a year of Topaz and the uncertainty bothers you, a pay-per-image tool is a way to get this month's prints done without committing to anything.
Doing this every week? There’s Resly Studio
If you'd pick Topaz because you're upscaling images every week, Resly Studio is our volume option: an account with credits instead of a year-long subscription, a job history, and files delivered ready to print. It still won't match Topaz on faithfulness or on size.
Credits start at $0.50 an image, as one-off packs from $10 or monthly plans from $15. Every job is kept for 7 days, and your first 3 images are free with no card needed.
See Resly StudioTry Resly AI on your photo
Upload it and pick a size. You see the price before you pay, and nothing is charged until you do.
Drop images, or click to browseTap to choose photos
JPG, PNG, HEIC, WEBP (up to 50MB each) · up to 5 at once
From $1.99 · no account · nothing uploaded until you continue
Each extra image $1.99 $0.99 · up to 5 per order
Topaz Labs vs Resly AI: questions
Is Resly as good as Topaz Gigapixel?
For faithful restoration, no. Topaz's models stay closer to the original image, and it can output far larger files. Resly is better at a different job: making one photo sharper and reshaping it to an exact print size in a single pass, without an install or a subscription.
Is there a free alternative to Topaz Gigapixel?
Upscayl is free and open source, runs on your own computer, and is the best free option we know of. Resly is not free; it is pay per image, with no subscription.
Will Topaz still be sold after Adobe buys it?
Adobe says Topaz products will continue to be sold as standalone apps through the Topaz website after the deal closes. What happens to pricing in the longer run hasn't been announced.
Can Topaz change an image's aspect ratio?
Gigapixel enlarges an image at the shape it already has. To fit a different frame you crop it, or extend the canvas in another tool. Resly extends the scene to the shape you type as part of the same upscale.
Sources
Checked 1 October 2026.