No-account upscalers compared
We make Resly, so read this knowing that. Free tools win on price, and we say so below.
| Upscaler | Account | Free | If you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenPixels | Account: None (sign-in only to save) | Free: Unlimited, 2×/4×/8×, no watermark, runs in the browser | If you pay: No paid tier |
| upscale.tools | Account: None | Free: Unlimited 2× or 4×, no watermark; input up to about 6 MP on a computer | If you pay: Optional cloud tier for accounts |
| Pixelcut | Account: None to upscale | Free: 3 downloads a day, no watermark, input up to 6000 × 6000 | If you pay: Subscription from $8 a month billed yearly |
| ImageHub | Account: None | Free: 1 task a day across its tools, no watermark | If you pay: Subscription from $9.99 a month |
| waifu2x | Account: None | Free: Free; cloud version upscales inputs up to 1500 × 1500 | If you pay: Donations only |
| Upscayl desktop | Account: Not needed to run it | Free: Free, open source, unlimited, on your computer | If you pay: Upscayl Cloud from $24.99 a month |
| Upscale.media | Account: One free image a day without signing up | Free: 3 credits a month with an account | If you pay: One-off packs from $7.99 for 60 credits |
| Resly | Account: None | Free: No free version | If you pay: $1.99 an image, 99¢ each extra in the same order; one-off |
Limits and prices change often; check the vendor’s page before relying on one. Let’s Enhance and Topaz need an account for their free credits or trial.
Which to use
- A small image, for a screen: OpenPixels or upscale.tools, free.
- Lots of images, privately, free: the Upscayl desktop app, if your computer has a decent graphics card.
- A few images a day on a phone: Pixelcut’s 3 free daily downloads.
- Anime, drawings and line art: waifu2x was built for them.
- One photo going to a print or a frame: Resly. You type the print size, such as 8×10 or 24×36, and get the photo rebuilt at that shape and size, with the background extended rather than cropped. Up to 16 megapixels, $1.99, and the file is deleted two days after delivery.
Free browser upscalers and big prints
Browser upscalers run on your own device, which keeps photos private but caps the size: upscale.tools takes about 6 megapixels in, and big outputs can exceed what a browser tab can hold. A poster needs far more than a screen: an 18×24 at 300 PPI is 5,400 × 7,200 pixels. For posters and canvas, 150 PPI is enough (2,700 × 3,600), which most of these tools can reach from a decent original. See how big each size needs to be.
Faithful upscalers (waifu2x, Upscayl’s standard models) stay close to the original. Generative ones, Resly included, redraw detail, so a soft photo comes out sharper but faces and lettering can change slightly. Check them at full size.