Upscayl vs Stability AI

Tagline

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

Enterprise-ready creative partner delivering professional-grade generative AI tools for media production

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.

Stability AI is a multi-modal generative AI company that builds world-class open-source models for image, video, 3D, and audio production. It offers professional solutions like Brand Studio, enterprise deployment options, and models optimized for creative workflows.

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

• Image generation and editing
• 3D and 4D video models
• Brand Studio creative production platform
• Audio generation with Stable Audio
• Inpainting, recoloring, and upscaling
• On-environment model deployment
• Community License and Enterprise Membership
• Generative product photography solutions

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.

• Offers diverse Generative AI models across modalities including image, video, 3D, and audio.
• Achieved SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 compliance, validating security controls through third-party auditing.
• Provides a commercial-safe platform with Brand Studio for end-to-end creative production.
• Enables users to deploy models directly in their own environments for advanced data customization.
• Offers a Community License and free exploration of Brand Studio for developers and small businesses.
• Collaborates with major industry partners such as EA, Amazon Web Services, UMG, WMG, and NVIDIA.
• Supports precise image control features like Recolor, Upscale, Inpaint, and Replace Background.
• Consistently releases open-weight models trained on fully licensed data, like Stable Audio 3.0.

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 service credits automatically expire one year after the date of purchase or issuance.
• A minimum age of 18 is required to register and use their generative AI services.
• No official mobile apps are explicitly listed; operations are web or desktop environment focused.
• Enterprise-tier pricing is not transparently listed and requires speaking with a sales expert.
• Stability AI reserves the right to remove custom LoRA files from Brand Studio at any time without notice.

Pricing plans

• TrialUSD0
  • • Everything included in the Core plan
  • • Generate: text-to-image, sketch-to-image, image-to-image
  • • Edit: Inpaint, Outpaint, Remove Background
  • • Control: Style Guide, Style Transfer, Structure
• CoreUSD50/month
  • • For creative professionals who want both powerful AI capabilities and precise control
  • • Everything your team needs to produce
  • • Unlimited seats
  • • Option to purchase additional credits
• Enterprise—
  • • Everything in Core, plus…
  • • Custom models trained on brand identity
  • • Custom-built solutions
  • • Team & enterprise features

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