ImgUpscaler vs Upscayl

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Cheaper paid plan: ImgUpscaler — $9.90/mo vs $9.99/mo for Upscayl
Free plan: Both have one
Best fit: ImgUpscaler: Ecommerce sellers sharpening low-res supplier product photos · Upscayl: Photographers and artists upscaling images privately on their own hardware
Platforms: ImgUpscaler: Web · Upscayl: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
Trust score: About even — ImgUpscaler 77, Upscayl 80

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

ImgUpscalerBrowser-based AI upscaler for photos, artwork and product shots

UpscaylFree open-source desktop app that upscales images locally with AI models, plus a paid cloud version for larger images.

Side by side

Fact	ImgUpscaler	Upscayl
Category	Image Upscaling & Restoration	Image Upscaling & Restoration
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium
Starts at	$9.90/mo	$9.99/mo
Trust score	77 / 100	80 / 100
Platforms	Web	Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
Company	—	Upscayl
Launched	—	2022
Last verified	Oct 15, 2026	Oct 29, 2026

What our research says

ImgUpscaler

A cheap, no-install upscaler that is fine for web and social output and pointless for print or archival work. If you upscale regularly, Upscayl does the same job locally for free and Topaz does it far better for a one-off license fee.

Pros

Commercial use is allowed even on free output, which many free upscalers forbid
24-hour deletion policy is stated explicitly rather than buried
$19.90 unlimited tier is aggressive next to per-credit competitors
Reimagine mode is a real creative-upscale option, not just a sharpening filter

Cons

Capped at 4x, so no path to the 8x-16x some rivals offer
Free tier is 50 credits and ad-supported
No developer API and no desktop app included — the Upscal desktop product is licensed separately
Ownership is not disclosed anywhere on the site; WHOIS is private

Upscayl

Upscayl is the obvious first stop for anyone with a decent GPU who wants free, private image upscaling on their own machine. People without a capable graphics card, or who need face restoration and very large outputs, will lean on the paid cloud version or a dedicated retouching tool.

Pros

Desktop app is free, open source and works offline
Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
Batch and double upscaling, several models
Cloud credits roll over while subscribed

Cons

Desktop performance depends on your GPU
Generative detail and face tools are cloud-only and paid
No public API

Which one fits

Choose ImgUpscaler if you need

Ecommerce sellers sharpening low-res supplier product photos
Anime and illustration fans enlarging line art, where the model is tuned well
Occasional one-off enlargements where installing software is not worth it

Choose Upscayl if you need

Photographers and artists upscaling images privately on their own hardware
Designers preparing small images for print
Users who want batch upscaling without a subscription