Upscayl vs Photoroom

Tagline

The #1 Free and Open Source AI Image Upscaler for Linux, MacOS, and Windows

AI-powered photo editor and listing studio designed for product photography and e-commerce visuals

Category

Pricing

Rating

Platforms

API

Open source

Description

Upscayl is a powerful AI image upscaler designed to enhance blurry or pixelated photos into clear, high-resolution images. It offers a completely free, open-source desktop application that works offline on Linux, MacOS, and Windows, as well as a cloud-based service that runs on any device without requiring dedicated graphics hardware.

Photoroom is an AI-powered photo editor and visual production suite built to quickly generate professional-quality product images. It provides background removal, batch editing, and AI-driven background generation, allowing users to format assets for marketplaces, DTC websites, and social media channels at scale via web, mobile, and API interfaces.

Key features

• AI Image Upscaling
• Up to 16x Resolution Enhancement
• Offline Local Processing
• Multiple AI Model Styles
• Custom Model Support
• Cloud-based Processing
• Text-to-Image Generation
• Face Enhancement
• Device-agnostic Cloud Access
• Zero Hardware Constraints on Cloud

• Background Remover
• Batch Editing
• AI Backgrounds
• AI Shadows
• Automated QA
• Brand Kit
• Virtual Model
• REST API
• Product Fixer
• Retouch
• AI Fill
• AI Expand

Pros

• The desktop application is completely free, open-source, and yours forever.
• Desktop processing is done locally on your machine, eliminating the need for an active internet connection.
• Upscayl is cross-platform, natively supporting Linux, MacOS, and Windows.
• Enhances images by up to 16x resolution with advanced AI quality preservation.
• Uploaded images are not used to train AI models, and users retain full ownership of their content.
• Allows deep customization, including the ability to add and use your own custom AI models.
• Upscayl Cloud does the processing heavy lifting without requiring local graphics cards or powerful hardware.
• Cloud subscription provides additional features like face enhancement and text-to-image generation.

• Enables batch editing of thousands of images in one job from the web app or API.
• Offers 1,000 free sandbox calls per month on the Image Editing API for building and testing.
• Provides 10 free, watermark-free production calls on the Remove Background API upon account creation.
• Automates QA using Brand Kit rules on upload, reducing check times from hours to minutes.
• Core tools like Background Remover and Retouch are included in paid plans with no extra AI credit cost.
• Allows formatting of a single master image into marketplace, DTC, resale, and delivery standards in one run.
• Backed by an Enterprise Guarantee where users only pay for outputs that pass set fidelity criteria.
• Supports seamless cross-platform usage across REST API, Claude MCP, desktop web, and mobile app formats.

Cons

• If you cancel your plan, unused subscription credits do not roll over and your history is deleted after 1 month.
• Unlike the direct download, the Mac App Store version of the software is not free.
• Accessing the free trial of the Cloud version requires submitting a formal trial application.
• No public API details or documentation are explicitly confirmed or disclosed in the provided content.
• Subscription payments are generally non-refundable unless technical errors or duplicate charges are verified.

• Unused API plan images do not roll over from month to month.
• Credit card payment is strictly restricted to desktop; mobile app purchases must go through mobile app stores.
• Refunds are restricted and only guaranteed up to one week after the purchase date.
• Self-serve API plans are strictly monthly; annual subscriptions are not available direct-to-buy.
• Credit-based AI tools like Video Generator and Virtual Model draw from a limited monthly credit pool.

Pricing plans

• Pro—
  • • Core tools included with no credit cost: Background Remover, Shadows (Presets), Product Fixer, Retouch, AI Fill, AI Expand/Resize, Image Enhancer
  • • Credit AI tools draw from AI credit pool
  • • Start free trial
• Max—
  • • Core tools included with no credit cost
  • • Credit AI tools draw from AI credit pool
  • • Start free trial
• Ultra—
  • • Core tools included with no credit cost
  • • Credit AI tools draw from AI credit pool
  • • Get started
• Enterprise—
  • • Everything in Ultra, plus
  • • Best for large catalogs & teams
  • • Custom for world-class brands
  • • Contact sales
• BasicUSD20/month
  • • Remove Background API
  • • Try for free
  • • Cancel anytime
  • • 10 free production calls on Remove Background API with account
• PlusUSD100/month
  • • Image Editing API
  • • Advanced photo editing including AI solutions
  • • Try for free
  • • Cancel anytime
• Enterprise—
  • • Have a consumer app and process more than 500K images per year
  • • Custom pricing options
  • • Contact sales

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