No more pixelated mess: The best free AI image upscalers

If you’re serious about image editing and have a computer with a reasonably modern graphics card, Upscayl is a must-have. It’s an open-source desktop application and currently arguably the most powerful free option on the market.

Detailed Information

• Platform: Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Technology: Utilizes advanced AI models like Real-ESRGAN.
• Cost: 100% free & open source.

Advantages and Disadvantages:

Upscayl runs locally on your computer. This means: no limits, no waiting in server queues, and maximum privacy, as your images are never uploaded to the internet. It offers a variety of AI models to choose from, depending on whether you want to enlarge real photos, digital art, or very blurry images.

✅ Advantages: Extremely high quality, no quantity limit, batch processing (many images at once), privacy.

❌ Disadvantages: Requires installation; needs a decent graphics card for fast results.

💡 Best Use Case: For anyone who regularly needs to enlarge images in the highest quality.

Don’t let the name fool you. “Waifu2x” was originally developed to enlarge anime images, but it has since become an extremely capable tool for almost all types of graphics and even photos. Many websites utilize this technology.

Detailed Information

• Platform: Web-based (various providers, e.g., waifu2x.udp.jp or waifu2x.booru.pics) & Desktop versions.
• Technology: Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), specializing in noise reduction.
• Cost: Free (web versions often have upload size limits).

Advantages and Disadvantages:

Waifu2x particularly excels at noise reduction. If you have old JPEGs with unsightly compression artifacts, this tool works wonders. It preserves clean lines in drawings better than almost any other tool.

✅ Advantages: Perfect for illustrations, logos, and anime; very good noise reduction; no installation required (web version).

❌ Disadvantages: Web versions often have file size limits; sometimes over-processes realistic photos.

💡 Best use case: Digital art, drawings, logos and noisy old images.

Clipdrop is a suite of AI tools from Stability AI (the creators of Stable Diffusion). Its upscaler is impressively fast and delivers excellent results directly in the browser.

Detailed Information

• Platform: Web-based
• Technology: Proprietary models from Stability AI
• Cost: Free with limitations (often a limited number of images per day or a restricted maximum resolution in the free tier)

Pros and Cons

It’s incredibly easy to use. Drag and drop the image, wait a moment, and you’re done. The results are often very natural and less artificially sharpened than with more aggressive tools. It’s perfect for quick fixes on the go.

✅ Pros: Very easy, fast, and produces good results with realistic photos.

❌ Disadvantages: The free version often has stricter limits than open-source alternatives (e.g., watermarks at very high resolutions or daily limits).

💡 Best Use Case: Quickly enlarge photos for social media or web use.

BigJPG is another well-known web service that works similarly to Waifu2x, but offers specialized models for different image types.

Detailed Information

• Platform: Web-based, also available as an app.
• Technology: Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.
• Cost: Freemium (free to use, but slower speed and limits without a subscription).

Pros and Cons

It’s a solid alternative when other web services are overloaded. It offers special settings for photos versus illustrations. The results are good, but free users sometimes need to be patient, as the servers prioritize paying customers.

✅ Pros: Good quality, special modes for artwork and photos.

❌ Cons: Can be very slow in the free version; limits on maximum zoom.

💡 Best use case: When you can’t install software and Waifu2x isn’t delivering the desired result.

My advice: If you have the option, install Upscayl. It’s the best and most hassle-free long-term solution without paywalls. For quick fixes on the go, a Waifu2x website is usually the best choice.