See your options side by side
Choose one task and 2–4 tools. Compare pricing, output, test results and trust.
Test scope & comparison notes
These are recorded facts, not a unified ranking. Tested tiers and scope are not consistently recorded. Read pricing with its date and timing with its conditions. Privacy observations reflect visible flows and statements, not a security audit.
Cross-task capability coverage across selected products
Each product is scored independently per task edge; switch tasks below while keeping shared products selected| Task edge | images-upscale.com | Unlimited:Waifu2x | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image upscaling | 92/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 89/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Active task |
Select at least 2 tools to compare
You can also filter a task page first, then compare your shortlist.
Browse this task →| Criterion | Images-Upscale.com Image upscaling 92/100 Seven-aspect task score Grants 2 free daily guest credits without login—enough to directly export a true 4x (2048×2048) watermark-free native PNG in 7.49s server time with sharp edge and text restoration (16.23 dB plate PSNR). Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-26 | Unlimited:Waifu2x (WebGPU In-Browser SR) Image upscaling 89/100 Seven-aspect task score Free open-source, login-free on-device processing gives good 4× detail; a dismissible rewarded-ad prompt may appear on first use. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-17 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Images Upscale daily free credits and one-time non-expiring credit packs (USD) · 2026-10-26 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Daily Free Allowance2026-10-26 ↗ Free Free Free 2 free credits daily (no login required): covers two 2× upscales or one 4× upscale per day, up to 25 MB per image, watermark-free export. Starter Pack2026-10-26 ↗ USD 9.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 110 credits (100 + 10 bonus, ~9.1¢/credit), good for 110 2× or 55 4× upscales; credits never expire. Pro Pack2026-10-26 ↗ USD 19.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 360 credits (300 + 60 bonus, ~5.6¢/credit), good for 360 2× or 180 4× upscales; credits never expire. Studio Pack2026-10-26 ↗ USD 49.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1,300 credits (1,000 + 300 bonus, ~3.8¢/credit), good for 1,300 2× or 650 4× upscales; credits never expire. 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Guests and signed-in users receive 2 free credits daily (1 credit per 2x upscale, 2 credits per 4x upscale); paid packs are one-time purchases with no subscription auto-renewal and credits never expire. Cancellation, sources & verification recordOne-time credit packs only with no recurring subscriptions; support available via support@images-upscale.com. Images Upscale official pricing page and free credit allowance ↗ · 2026-10-26 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ | unlimited:waifu2x in-browser AI image upscaler · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits unlimited:waifu2x Free Web2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free Free without login and no image-count limits (runs on local WebGPU/WASM hardware); supports up to 4x unwatermarked PNG export. 1 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. In-browser WebGPU/WebAssembly upscaler powered by nunif/waifu2x. Completely free with no account system or paid tiers; offers swin_unet and cunet models, 1x/2x/4x upscaling, and denoise levels running on local device hardware. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCompletely free open-source-powered tool with no accounts or subscription charges. unlimited:waifu2x official page ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Guests receive 2 free daily credits without login (enough for one free 4x upscale or two 2x upscales); registering a free account grants 5 additional first-month credits | Unlimited local WebGPU runs with zero daily caps or credit deductions |
| Cancellation & refunds | One-time credit packs only with no recurring subscriptions; support available via support@images-upscale.com. | Completely free open-source-powered tool with no accounts or subscription charges. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Upload panel upfront displays remaining free credits (2 free credits remaining today) and credit cost per scale factor | Explicitly discloses WebGPU browser requirements and model options at the top of the page |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Tested scale: 4× | Tested scale: 4× |
| Fixture findings | 4x upscaling of the 512×512 anchor to a native 2048×2048 PNG achieved 27.42 dB PSNR, 0.8876 SSIM, 0.6652 edge_corr, and 16.23 dB calibration plate PSNR with crisp lettering and line pairs. | Ran 4× upscaling locally with noise reduction and text retention; speed depends on the device. |
| Original historical observation | Uploading the 512×512 degraded anchor without login and selecting 4x produced a native 2048×2048 watermark-free PNG in 7.49s server time (PSNR = 27.42 dB, SSIM = 0.8876, edge_corr = 0.6652, plate_psnr_db = 16.23 dB) with sharp wooden sign text and micro calibration lines (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | Waifu2x Unlimited (Swin-UNet Photo 4x) suppresses JPEG compression artifacts cleanly while preserving natural camera gradients (PSNR 28.34 dB, SSIM 0.895) in 2.63s via WebGPU, without introducing fake generative hallucinations. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Everyday users seeking login-free, true 4x (2048×2048) watermark-free native PNG exports with strong edge sharpness and text restoration | Privacy-conscious users, anime/illustration and natural photo creators who want 100% free, unlimited 4x local GPU super-resolution without uploading files to any cloud server |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048×2048 (4x watermark-free native PNG, 3.35 MB) | 2048 × 2048 (true 4x lossless PNG export, supporting arbitrary large-image tiled inference) |
| Watermark observation | Completely watermark-free (native 2048×2048 PNG export) | Watermark-free |
| Batch & API | Supports up to 10x upscaling, portrait restoration, and background removal modes; Pro plan supports up to 20-image batch processing | Supports multi-model switching (Swin-UNet Art / Art Scan / Photo), 4-level denoise, and configurable tile size |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | 2048 × 2048 |
| Attached file dimensions | 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 2048 × 2048 · PNG |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 7.49s · End-to-end reference: 9.61s | Recorded local processing time: 2.63s · End-to-end reference: 2.63s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-26 · anchor_upscale_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-17 · anchor_upscale_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) |
| Repeated tests & reliability | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. |
| Interaction experience | ||
| Account requirements | No login in this test | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | No login required for 2x and 4x upscaling; also supports Google / Email sign-in | 100% usable without login (runs entirely in the local browser via WebGPU) |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Zero popup ads or forced sign-in walls; once upscaling finishes, an interactive Before/After comparison slider and direct download button appear immediately on the same page. | Pure single-page engineering workbench: select model (Swin-UNet Art / Photo), Denoise level, and 1x/2x/4x scale, then immediately preview or download the 2048×2048 PNG. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Images-Upscale.com (Independent AI Upscaling Team) | nagadomi (waifu2x / nunif Open-Source Author) |
| Recorded origin | Undisclosed jurisdiction (Cloudflare edge + cloud GPU inference) | Independent open-source AI vision researcher (Japan) |
| Domain history record | 2026–Present | 2015–Present (waifu2x.net) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Independent AI image upscaling service launched in 2026 with clear terms, privacy documentation, and support email, though without a disclosed corporate entity name. | Authored and maintained by nagadomi, the creator of the iconic Waifu2x open-source repository and the nunif deep-learning framework. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | On-device processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Google Analytics (G-0DP889885P) | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Submits jobs via POST /api/tasks/upscale backed by Cloudflare R2 and cloud Real-ESRGAN GPU inference (7.49s server time, 2.94s upload time); the privacy policy states guest images are retained only temporarily and purged automatically after ~1 hour. | 100% local in-browser WebGPU / ONNX Runtime inference — user images never leave the local device, offering maximum privacy protection. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 1 hours; deletion not independently verified | This flow runs locally; post-close deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 32.5 / 35 The landing page (01_landing.png) and pricing page clearly disclose free quotas (2 daily free guest credits without login, plus 5 bonus credits for new registered accounts) and credit costs (1 credit for 2x, 2 credits for 4x); in our no-login test, selecting 4x on the 512×512 anchor consumed 2 guest credits and exported a 2048×2048 watermark-free native PNG directly (02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). | 34 / 35 100% free and open-source in-browser WebGPU tool with zero paywalls, zero ad clutter, and no usage limits (01_landing.png, 02_workspace.png, 03_download.png). |
| Interaction restraint | 28 / 30 Zero popup ads or forced sign-in walls; once upscaling finishes, an interactive Before/After comparison slider and direct download button appear immediately on the same page. | 25 / 30 Pure single-page engineering workbench: select model (Swin-UNet Art / Photo), Denoise level, and 1x/2x/4x scale, then immediately preview or download the 2048×2048 PNG. |
| Background & reputation | 14.5 / 20 Independent AI image upscaling service launched in 2026 with clear terms, privacy documentation, and support email, though without a disclosed corporate entity name. | 19 / 20 Authored and maintained by nagadomi, the creator of the iconic Waifu2x open-source repository and the nunif deep-learning framework. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13 / 15 Submits jobs via POST /api/tasks/upscale backed by Cloudflare R2 and cloud Real-ESRGAN GPU inference (7.49s server time, 2.94s upload time); the privacy policy states guest images are retained only temporarily and purged automatically after ~1 hour. | 14.5 / 15 100% local in-browser WebGPU / ONNX Runtime inference — user images never leave the local device, offering maximum privacy protection. |
| Task quality | 62 / 65 Pixel fidelity (23.5/25: 512×512 anchor upscaled 4x to 2048×2048 with PSNR = 27.42 dB and SSIM = 0.8876) · Edge & high-frequency recovery (24.5/25: edge_corr = 0.6652, hf_ratio = 0.5259, crisp high-frequency edge reconstruction) · Calibration plate & micro-text (14.0/15: plate_psnr_db = 16.23 dB, sharp wooden sign and calibration plate lettering) (62.0/65) | 57.2 / 65 PSNR vs 2048px GT: 28.34 dB · SSIM: 0.895 · Edge Gradient Correlation: 0.7165 · High-Freq Sharpness Ratio: 0.5256 · Calibration Plate PSNR: 17 dB |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 2 daily free guest credits allow direct 4x selection and export of a native 2048×2048 watermark-free PNG (3,517,417 bytes) without login (20.0/20) | 20 / 20 Exports a full 2048×2048 4x upscaled PNG (or WebP/JPEG) locally in the browser with zero watermarks and no file-count limits (20.0/20) |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 Verified via task API timestamps: 7.49s server 4x upscaling inference from createdAt (10:25:37.315Z) to completedAt (10:25:44.805Z), with 2.94s upload and 9.61s end-to-end (12.0/15) | 10.5 / 15 Local WebGPU hardware acceleration completes 512→2048 (4x) tiled inference in just 2.63s with zero network upload overhead (14.5/15) |
