Nero AI Image Upscaler · Image upscaling
Guest trials deliver detailed, watermark-free 4× output without login; only five free uses are available, with about 18 seconds of processing in this run.
US-West (California, AS2914)
2048 × 2048 · PNG · Open native file ↗
Subsequent pricing and service checks are shown separately without altering historical scores.
One run does not establish all complex scenes, untested paid maxima or long-term uptime.
Plans & historical pricing
Nero AI web plans (Free / Standard / Yearly promo / Business); USD · 2026-10-21
Public page displays only the 7.66 USD/month equivalent without showing the annual invoice total before login.
4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded.
The official pricing page and credit table state that guests get 5 free runs and registered Free accounts receive 10 one-time Nero Credits (Standard/Photo/Anime 2× costs 1 credit/image, 4× costs 2 credits/image, paid-only 8× costs 4 credits/image). Standard monthly is USD 21.95/month promotional (regular USD 24.99/month, 300 credits/month). The yearly promo banner displays only "7.66 USD per month" (3,000 credits/year) without printing the annual invoice total before login, so the annual total is marked unverified.
Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred.
Cancellation, sources & verification record
Cancel anytime by turning off auto-renewal in account settings (remaining credits expire at the end of the billing period); FAQ states refunds are not allowed once Nero Credits have been used.
Nero AI official pricing, credit consumption table, and FAQ ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗
Pricing recorded on the test date · 2026-10-17
5 free guest runs; Pro Pass $8.00/mo (billed annually) or $22.99/mo monthly (unlocks 8x & priority queue)
Guest free quota + subscription + credit packs
Historical context only; not current purchase guidance.
Delivery & access
- Free delivery record
- 2048 × 2048 (True 4.0x unwatermarked upscale)
- Attached file dimensions
- 2048 × 2048 · PNG
Read directly from the attached file; this does not establish free download availability at that size.
- Watermark
- No watermark
- Free allowance
- 5 free guest upscales (supports 2x and 4x for inputs <=2000x2000px)
- Account requirements
- No login required for up to 5 images; login grants extra free credits
- Maximum specification record
- 2048 × 2048 (True 4.0x unwatermarked upscale)
May include advertised capabilities; this does not establish a tested paid tier.
- Batch & API
- Supports batch upload, commercial API (/ai-api), and desktop software
- Manual refinement
- Not recorded or not verified
Tested result & sample
Nero AI is a standout dark horse in image upscaling: its Photo 4x model achieves 27.49 dB PSNR, 0.8895 SSIM, and 0.6704 Edge Correlation with zero watermarks and no login required — a sharp contrast to its 2000px-gated background and object removers.
- Fixture
- anchor_upscale_v1
- Recorded environment
- US-West (California, AS2914)
- Network-observed server wait
- 18.2 s
- End-to-end reference
- 19.3 s
Network wait includes round trips, queuing and polling error, not pure inference time. Local timings depend on the device; repetition counts are not standardized in legacy records.
Experience, rules & trust
- Disclosure
- Displays exact 512x512 -> 2048x2048 output dimensions before clicking Start
- Interaction
- Grants guests 5 free upscales (via "View as a guest") and exports a full 2048x2048 unwatermarked PNG at 4x (03_download.png).
- Entity record
- Nero AG
- Origin
- Karlsruhe, Germany
- Domain history record
- 1995–present
- Third-party tracking record
- Not recorded or not verified
- External information
- Not recorded or not verified
- Processing
- Cloud multi-model super-resolution (Photo / Anime / Standard / Iris / Reconstruct)
- Retention statement
- Temporary cloud tasks cleared automatically
A recorded statement does not verify deletion or all data-processing behavior.
Verifiable audit trail & evidence
Four SHA-256-verified stages link the benchmark fixture, same-run interface screenshots, native exported artifact and archived pricing sources.
anchor_upscale_v1 · Inspect fixture & file inspector →
Captures entry rules, result view and export disclosure.
Nero AI official pricing, credit consumption table, and FAQ (snapshot ↗)
Screenshots, native output and official claims support different conclusions. Evidence grades are not product safety certifications.
Evaluation basis & full scores · Overall 84.1/100
Overall = honesty & reputation × 30% + capability × 70%. Component maxima follow this report’s rubric. List scores are rounded for display; original precision is retained here.
Scoring version 2.3.1 · Test fixture anchor_upscale_v1
Honesty & reputation · 88/100 · 30%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 30 / 35 | The landing page (01_landing.png) states "Start free with Nero AI. Upscale low-resolution images by 2×, 4×, or 8×"; after uploading our 512x512 degraded anchor, the left panel clearly displays "Original 512 × 512 (0.3 MP) → Result (×4) 2048 × 2048 (4.2 MP)" while marking "×8 Unlock Now" as paid (02_workspace.png). | Evidence A → |
| Interaction restraint | 26 / 30 | Grants guests 5 free upscales (via "View as a guest") and exports a full 2048x2048 unwatermarked PNG at 4x (03_download.png). | Evidence A → |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 | Flagship AI upscaler by Nero AG (Karlsruhe, Germany, founded 1995). | Evidence A → |
| Engineering & privacy | 13 / 15 | Offers 5 specialized models (Photo, Anime, Standard, Iris, Reconstruct) and outputs a clean 2048x2048 unwatermarked blob. | Evidence A → |
Capability · 82.4/100 · 70%
| Criterion | Score | Rationale | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task quality | 55.4 / 65 | Outstanding restoration on the 512x512 -> 2048x2048 (4.0x) benchmark: full-frame PSNR reaches 27.49 dB (Top 3 overall), SSIM = 0.8895, Edge Correlation = 0.6704, HF Ratio = 0.5213, and Calibration Plate PSNR = 16.24 dB with crisp text and metallic sheen (55.4/65) | Evidence A → |
| Deliverable specifications | 18 / 20 | Because the 512x512 source is under Nero's 2000x2000px input cap, guests receive a true 2048x2048 (4.0x) unwatermarked PNG without login (18.0/20) | Evidence A → |
| Processing speed | 9 / 15 | Guest queue 4x cloud super-resolution completes in ~18.20s (Pro tier advertises 3x faster priority) (9.0/15) | Evidence A → |
Legacy scores may include advertised maximum capabilities. Read tested output separately from paid capabilities. Records without matching tiers and scope are not ranked together.
Revisions & corrections
- 2026-10-17
Initial real-browser evaluation on Mode A synthetic super-resolution anchor (anchor_upscale_v1).