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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 | LightX | ImgUpscaler | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 64/100 480 × 480 · PNG | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Image upscaling | 86/100 JPEG · Output attached | 85/100 2048×2048 (PNG · 400% / 4.0x AI Upscale) · Historical description; output not attached | Active task |
| Object removal | 66/100 JPEG · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Image generation | 83/100 JPEG · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | LightX AI Image Upscaler Image upscaling 86/100 Seven-aspect task score A signed-in free account uses 2 daily credits to upscale 4X in ~6.4s and export a 2048×2048 watermark-free JPEG with strong pixel and edge fidelity, though sign-in is required and output is lossy JPEG. Tested export JPEG · Output attached Historical test · 2026-10-23 | ImgUpscaler (AI Image Upscaler) Image upscaling 85/100 Seven-aspect task score Free login-free 4× output retains detail well; a fullscreen ad can interrupt initial use, and this run took about 22 seconds. Tested export 2048×2048 (PNG · 400% / 4.0x AI Upscale) · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-16 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | USD web monthly/annual subscriptions and 800-credit pack; excludes API · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Starter2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Card states 6 AI credits/day; comparison table instead says up to 5 credits Background removal outputs low-resolution JPG; export table lists 512px Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99/month USD 59.99/year Annual 1,000 AI credits/month; unlimited background removal/replacement PNG and high resolution; export table lists 4096px Monthly 1,000 AI credits/month; unlimited background removal/replacement PNG and high resolution; export table lists 4096px 800 AI credit pack2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 800 general AI credits Advertised lifetime validity 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Monthly $9.99 verified; promotional annual total $59.99 and non-expiring 800-credit pack $9.99. The free card still says 6 daily credits while the table says up to 5. Free removal is low-resolution JPG; Pro provides unlimited high-resolution PNG removal. Earlier INR and current USD observations do not imply identical regional pricing. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ Monthly pricing and feature comparison ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ | ImgUpscaler personal and business plans (Free / Premium / Business); USD · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free 50 credits/month; single-image AI upscaling, enhancement, and Reimagine (includes ads; guest single-image 4x upscaling available). Premium Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 9.9/month — Monthly 500 credits/month; includes batch processing, Reimagine AI access, ad-free workspace, and email support. Premium Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 49/year Annual Billed yearly at USD 49/year (USD 4.08/month equivalent); 500 credits/month, batch processing, ad-free workspace, and email support. Business Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 19.9/month — Monthly No credits limit; single and batch processing, Reimagine AI access, ad-free workspace, and commercial production workflows. Business Yearly2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 69/year Annual Billed yearly at USD 69/year (USD 5.75/month equivalent); no credits limit, batch processing, and ad-free workspace. 5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official pricing page lists Free (USD 0, 50 credits/month, single-image processing, includes ads), Premium (USD 9.90/month or USD 49/year, equivalent to USD 4.08/month, with 500 credits/month, batch processing, and no ads), and Business (USD 19.90/month or USD 69/year, equivalent to USD 5.75/month, with no credit limit, batch processing, and no ads). Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel or change plans anytime from the account billing page; both free and paid results may be used for personal or commercial projects subject to source-image rights. ImgUpscaler official monthly/yearly pricing and FAQ ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Free accounts receive 6 daily credits; upscaling the 512×512 canonical anchor at 4X consumes 2 credits and exports a 2048×2048 watermark-free JPEG via Apply -> Download even if a dismissible cloud-storage-full prompt appears | Free single-image 200% (2x) and 400% (4x) unwatermarked upscaling without login; batch upload requires a paid plan |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. | Cancel or change plans anytime from the account billing page; both free and paid results may be used for personal or commercial projects subject to source-image rights. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Requires sign-in upon clicking upload on the landing page; workspace clearly displays remaining credits and 2X/4X credit cost (2 credits) | No paywall traps; supported by standard and vignette Google AdSense ads |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Tested scale: 4× | Tested scale: 4× |
| Fixture findings | Upscaled 4X from 512px to 2048×2048 with 28.05 dB PSNR and 0.8979 SSIM, preserving sharp brass robot edges, wooden sign lettering, and micro calibration plate lines. | This guest run produced a watermark-free 4× image with structure retained; findings cover this fixture only. |
| Original historical observation | Upscaling the 512×512 canonical anchor at 4X (consuming 2 free credits) produces a native 2048×2048 JPEG (PSNR = 28.05 dB, SSIM = 0.8979, edge_corr = 0.7118, plate_psnr_db = 16.85 dB, server wait 6.42s) with sharp brass robot details, wooden sign lettering, and calibration plate lines. | PSNR=27.50dB · SSIM=0.8900 (4x 2048×2048 unwatermarked PNG); edge_corr=0.6685, hf_ratio=0.4995, plate_psnr=16.22dB—one of the very few tools offering genuine 400% watermark-free exports to anonymous guests. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users willing to sign in to a free account and use daily free credits to export true 4X (2048×2048) high-fidelity watermark-free upscaled images | Users who want true 4x (2048×2048) watermark-free faithful super-resolution without creating an account |
| Result & output evidence | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. | |
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | JPEG · Output attached · No watermark in test | 2048×2048 (PNG · 400% / 4.0x AI Upscale) · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims. |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048×2048 (4X watermark-free native JPEG, 2.78 MB) | 2048×2048 (4.0x / 400% · Free without login) |
| Watermark observation | Completely watermark-free (native 2048×2048 JPEG export) | 100% Watermark-Free |
| Batch & API | Offers commercial API and full online editor handoff | Batch web upload on paid plans; offline batch processing via desktop app Upscal.app |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 6.42s · End-to-end reference: 6.84s | Network-observed server wait: 20.68s · End-to-end reference: 22.22s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-23 · anchor_upscale_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-16 · 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 | Account required in this test | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | Supports free Google / Facebook / Apple / Email sign-in (6 daily free AI credits granted) | No login required; optional email/Google login for paid plans |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | The workspace provides 2X/4X scale toggles and a Before/After comparison slider (02_result.png). Although a "Your Cloud storage is full" upgrade modal may appear when entering the editor, dismissing it and clicking Apply -> Download exports the native 2048×2048 watermark-free JPEG without payment gating (03_download.png). | Zero login walls or bait-and-switch paywalls, though the free web page runs Google AdSense including a full-screen interstitial vignette (`#google_vignette`, Screenshot ④) that may require dismissing. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | AndOr Communications Pvt. Ltd. (LightX) | ImgUpscaler / Upscal.app Team |
| Recorded origin | New Delhi, India | Independent Cross-Platform Utility Team (Web + macOS/Windows App Store) |
| Domain history record | 2017–Present | 2020–Present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by AndOr Communications Pvt. Ltd. (New Delhi, India), creator of the LightX mobile and web visual AI suite with tens of millions of users. | Operated by the independent team behind Upscal.app (available on the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store). |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Uses AWS S3 presigned uploads paired with POST https://www.instagraphe.mobi/andor-media-1.0/aiartweb/generateImage async inference and CDN delivery; after vendor S3 credential recovery on 2026-10-23, single-sample server wait measured 6.42s (6.84s end-to-end). | Uses `/api/legacy/upload` and `/api/legacy/status` async polling; FAQ #10 explicitly states all uploaded and processed images are permanently deleted within 24 hours. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 25 / 35 The landing page (01_landing.png) requires sign-in before entering the workspace; once signed in, the workspace clearly displays the daily free credit balance (6 credits) and "2X / 4X" scale options. Upscaling the 512×512 canonical anchor at 4X consumes 2 credits (1 generation = 2 credits) and exports a 2048×2048 watermark-free JPEG after clicking Apply (02_result.png, 03_download.png). | 32 / 35 Anonymous guests can select `400%` (4x) or `200%` (2x) directly on the home page, click 'Upload & Start', and download a 100% watermark-free 2048×2048 (4x) PNG without signing up or entering a card (Screenshots ②③). |
| Interaction restraint | 23 / 30 The workspace provides 2X/4X scale toggles and a Before/After comparison slider (02_result.png). Although a "Your Cloud storage is full" upgrade modal may appear when entering the editor, dismissing it and clicking Apply -> Download exports the native 2048×2048 watermark-free JPEG without payment gating (03_download.png). | 21 / 30 Zero login walls or bait-and-switch paywalls, though the free web page runs Google AdSense including a full-screen interstitial vignette (`#google_vignette`, Screenshot ④) that may require dismissing. |
| Background & reputation | 18 / 20 Operated by AndOr Communications Pvt. Ltd. (New Delhi, India), creator of the LightX mobile and web visual AI suite with tens of millions of users. | 15 / 20 Operated by the independent team behind Upscal.app (available on the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store). |
| Engineering & privacy | 12 / 15 Uses AWS S3 presigned uploads paired with POST https://www.instagraphe.mobi/andor-media-1.0/aiartweb/generateImage async inference and CDN delivery; after vendor S3 credential recovery on 2026-10-23, single-sample server wait measured 6.42s (6.84s end-to-end). | 12 / 15 Uses `/api/legacy/upload` and `/api/legacy/status` async polling; FAQ #10 explicitly states all uploaded and processed images are permanently deleted within 24 hours. |
| Task quality | 60 / 65 Pixel fidelity (24.5/25: 512×512 anchor upscaled 4X to 2048×2048 with PSNR = 28.05 dB and SSIM = 0.8979) · Edge & high-frequency recovery (22.5/25: edge_corr = 0.7118, hf_ratio = 0.5313, rich 4X full-resolution detail) · Calibration plate & micro-text (13.0/15: plate_psnr_db = 16.85 dB, clean wooden sign lettering and calibration lines) (60.0/65) | 58.5 / 65 PSNR vs 2048px GT: 27.5 dB · SSIM: 0.89 · Edge Gradient Correlation: 0.6685 · High-Freq Sharpness Ratio: 0.4995 · Calibration Plate PSNR: 16.22 dB |
| Deliverable specifications | 18 / 20 Daily free credits (2 credits used) directly export a native 4X 2048×2048 watermark-free JPEG (2,782,593 bytes); full 4X resolution achieved, with 2 points deducted for lossy JPEG format (18.0/20) | 20 / 20 No free unwatermarked export (0/8); Free scale factor: 4x (2048×2048 (4.0x / 400% · Free without login)) |
| Processing speed | 12 / 15 2026-10-23 same-run single-sample network timing: 6.42s server wait (6.84s end-to-end) from POST https://www.instagraphe.mobi/andor-media-1.0/aiartweb/generateImage (r8) to result image GET completion (r19) (12.0/15) | 8 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 20.68s (API mode: async_poll; end-to-end 22.22s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
