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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 | Upscale.media | Adobe | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | Not tested in topic | 77/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Compare in task topic → |
| Image upscaling | 89/100 1024×1024 (PNG · 2.0x Super Resolution) · Historical description; output not attached | 88/100 2048×2048 (4.0x Unwatermarked JPG) · Historical description; output not attached | Active task |
| Object removal | Not tested in topic | 89/100 2048×2048 (Full-Res Unwatermarked PNG) · Historical description; output not attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Image generation | Not tested in topic | 90/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Upscale.media (by PixelBin) Image upscaling 89/100 Seven-aspect task score Free 2× watermark-free downloads are smooth with clear paid tiers and good detail; 4× and 8× cost extra, alongside ads and product promotions. Tested export 1024×1024 (PNG · 2.0x Super Resolution) · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-16 | Adobe Firefly Upscaler (4x Super-Resolution) Image upscaling 88/100 Seven-aspect task score Adobe’s upscaler delivers watermark-free 4× output within its free allowance, with clear scale and size controls; login and daily limits apply. Tested export 2048×2048 (4.0x Unwatermarked JPG) · Historical description; output not attached Historical test · 2026-10-16 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Upscale.media free, monthly, annual, one-time credit packs, and enterprise plans; USD · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Plan2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free 3 free credits and 3 free downloads per month (1 credit per upscale conversion). Monthly 200 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 11.99/month — Monthly 200 credits/month (1 credit per conversion; unused monthly credits expire at month-end). Monthly 600 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 17.99/month — Monthly 600 credits/month (1 credit per conversion; unused monthly credits expire at month-end). Monthly 1,000 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 23.99/month — Monthly 1,000 credits/month (1 credit per conversion; unused monthly credits expire at month-end). Monthly 2,500 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 34.99/month — Monthly 2,500 credits/month (1 credit per conversion; unused monthly credits expire at month-end). Annual 3,000 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 49.99/year Annual 3,000 credits/year (billed annually at USD 49.99/year). Annual 7,500 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 69.99/year Annual 7,500 credits/year (billed annually at USD 69.99/year). Annual 15,000 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 99.99/year Annual 15,000 credits/year (billed annually at USD 99.99/year). Annual 30,000 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 119.99/year Annual 30,000 credits/year (billed annually at USD 119.99/year). One-Time 60 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 7.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 60 credits (1 credit per conversion). Rules [1] One-Time 125 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 11.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 125 credits (1 credit per conversion). Rules [1] One-Time 500 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 29.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 500 credits (1 credit per conversion). Rules [1] One-Time 1,200 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 54.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1,200 credits (1 credit per conversion). Rules [1] One-Time 2,500 Credits2026-10-21 ↗ USD 84.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 2,500 credits (1 credit per conversion). Rules [1] Enterprise2026-10-21 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Custom volume and API solutions via sales@pixelbin.io. 15 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official pricing page lists the Free plan (3 free credits and 3 free downloads per month; 1 conversion = 1 credit), four monthly subscriptions (200 / 600 / 1,000 / 2,500 credits/month), four annual subscriptions (3,000 / 7,500 / 15,000 / 30,000 credits/year), and five one-time credit packs valid for 1 year (60 / 125 / 500 / 1,200 / 2,500 credits). Cancellation, sources & verification recordSubscriptions auto-renew and can be cancelled anytime; the pricing page explicitly states that refunds are not provided due to AI compute costs, and one-time credit packs are valid for 1 year and non-refundable. Upscale.media official annual, monthly, and one-time credit pack pricing page ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ | US individual Firefly web free feature and four monthly subscriptions; excludes student/business, full Creative Cloud and other regions; includes four generative credit add-on subscriptions · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Firefly web background remover2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Official feature page describes free removal; single JPG/PNG/WebP input up to 50MB Count and free export specification are not stated; subsequent generative editing may require separate credits Firefly Standard2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99/month — Monthly 2,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts Rules [1] Firefly Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 19.99/month — Monthly 4,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts Rules [1] Firefly Pro Plus2026-10-20 ↗ USD 34.97/month — Monthly 10,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts First-year promotion advertised through October 21; regular price USD 49.99/month. Renewal and eligibility follow the offer terms. Rules [1]Firefly Premium2026-10-20 ↗ USD 139.91/month — Monthly 50,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts First-year promotion advertised through October 21; regular price USD 199.99/month. Renewal and eligibility follow the offer terms. Rules [1]2,000 generative credit add-on2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99/month — Monthly 2,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts 7,000 generative credit add-on2026-10-20 ↗ USD 29.99/month — Monthly 7,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts 10,000 generative credit add-on2026-10-20 ↗ USD 49.99/month — Monthly 10,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts 50,000 generative credit add-on2026-10-20 ↗ USD 199.99/month — Monthly 50,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts 9 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Four US individual Firefly monthly plans and four credit add-on subscriptions are listed. Pro Plus/Premium first-year promotions end October 21, with regular prices separately shown. Official pages do not quantify daily free removal counts or regional tax amounts. Generative credits concern other AI features and do not establish a payment requirement for free removal. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordSelf-serve cancellation in Adobe Account (monthly plans cancel anytime; annual billed-monthly plans subject to Adobe terms) Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ US individual Firefly subscriptions ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Official generative credit add-on subscriptions ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | 3 free no-login 2x (1024×1024) unwatermarked upscales; 4x and 8x display a Crown icon requiring a PixelBin subscription | Free Adobe accounts receive daily complimentary upscales ('2 generations left today' shown live) with full 4x (2048×2048) access |
| Cancellation & refunds | Subscriptions auto-renew and can be cancelled anytime; the pricing page explicitly states that refunds are not provided due to AI compute costs, and one-time credit packs are valid for 1 year and non-refundable. | Self-serve cancellation in Adobe Account (monthly plans cancel anytime; annual billed-monthly plans subject to Adobe terms) |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Crown icons on 4x/8x buttons clearly indicate paid tiers upfront | Remaining daily free generations and exact output dimensions (2048×2048) are displayed upfront in the bottom toolbar |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Tested scale: 2× | Tested scale: 4× |
| Fixture findings | The tested 2× output was watermark-free with some edge recovery, at 1024px. | The tested 4× upscale retained sign text and detail; findings cover the fixed fixture only. |
| Original historical observation | PSNR=27.57dB · SSIM=0.8918 (2x 1024×1024 unwatermarked PNG); ranks #1 in PSNR and SSIM among all 2x free upscalers with edge_corr=0.6496, hf_ratio=0.5289, and a blazing 1.74s Network-observed server wait. | Adobe Firefly Upscaler ('Powered by Photoshop') excels at faithful super-resolution: it unlocks 4x (2048×2048) on the free tier, achieves 26.91dB PSNR and 0.8839 SSIM, sharpens the brass robot's finger joints and carved sign text, and preserves the fine calibration plate text and frequency gratings without hallucination. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Everyday office and e-commerce users seeking instant 1.7s no-login 2x lossless super-resolution | Design and photography workflows requiring true 4x (2048×2048) faithful super-resolution without AI hallucination distorting text or facial features |
| Result & output evidence | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. | No native output obtained; the preview does not establish final export quality. |
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 1024×1024 (PNG · 2.0x Super Resolution) · Historical description; output not attached · Check watermark record No native output is attached; check the evidence for specification and watermark claims. | 2048×2048 (4.0x Unwatermarked JPG) · 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 | 1024×1024 (2.0x · Free without login; 4x/8x require PixelBin paid plan) | 2048×2048 (4.0x Unwatermarked JPG) |
| Watermark observation | 100% Watermark-Free | None (100% watermark-free) |
| Batch & API | Bulk transformation, real-time URL super-resolution, and REST API via PixelBin.io | Seamlessly chains upscaled results into Generative Remove or Remove Background within the same canvas |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Attached file dimensions | Not verified | Not verified |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 1.74s · End-to-end reference: 3.54s | Network-observed server wait: 7.4s · End-to-end reference: 8.2s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-16 · 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 | No login in this test | Account required in this test |
| Sign-in methods | No login required for 2x; optional sign-in via console.pixelbin.io | Free Adobe account sign-in via Google, Apple, Facebook, or email |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Smooth no-login 2x workflow; displays standard banner ads and a PixelBin promotion bar without obstructing the download button. | Clean workspace ('Powered by Photoshop') displaying live target dimensions ('W x H 2048×2048') next to the 2x/4x selector, with zero upsell popups or countdown timers. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | PixelBin.io / Shopsense Retail Technologies Ltd. (Reliance Retail) | Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) |
| Recorded origin | Mumbai, India | San Jose, California, USA |
| Domain history record | 2021–Present | Founded 1982 (Creator of Photoshop and Adobe Firefly) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by Shopsense Retail Technologies Ltd. (PixelBin.io / Reliance Retail subsidiary, Mumbai, India—the same enterprise cloud behind Erase.bg), holding SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR certifications. | Official Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) Firefly Upscaler built on Photoshop Camera Raw Super Resolution and Firefly vision research. |
| 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 | Backed by PixelBin's `delivery.pixelbin.io/predictions/outputs/1d/sr/upscaleRestricted/` edge pipeline with an explicit 24-hour (`1d`) auto-expiring storage bucket. | Supports 2x and 4x cloud super-resolution (expandable up to 8192×8192) while preserving exact typography and geometry without hallucination. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 24 hours; deletion not independently verified | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 31 / 35 Anonymous guests uploading an image on the landing page (Screenshot ①) receive a 2x (1024×1024) super-resolution output in 1.74s and can directly download a 100% watermark-free PNG (Screenshot ②); 4x and 8x buttons clearly display a Crown icon indicating a paid upgrade (Screenshot ③). | 28 / 35 Landing page accepts direct uploads (01_landing.png) and opens the unified Firefly Image Editor upon free Adobe login; bottom toolbar unlocks both 2x and 4x upscaling for free users while displaying '2 generations left today' (02_workspace.png), and exports a 2048×2048 unwatermarked image (Firefly.jpg, 03_download.png). |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 Smooth no-login 2x workflow; displays standard banner ads and a PixelBin promotion bar without obstructing the download button. | 26 / 30 Clean workspace ('Powered by Photoshop') displaying live target dimensions ('W x H 2048×2048') next to the 2x/4x selector, with zero upsell popups or countdown timers. |
| Background & reputation | 17 / 20 Operated by Shopsense Retail Technologies Ltd. (PixelBin.io / Reliance Retail subsidiary, Mumbai, India—the same enterprise cloud behind Erase.bg), holding SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR certifications. | 20 / 20 Official Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) Firefly Upscaler built on Photoshop Camera Raw Super Resolution and Firefly vision research. |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Backed by PixelBin's `delivery.pixelbin.io/predictions/outputs/1d/sr/upscaleRestricted/` edge pipeline with an explicit 24-hour (`1d`) auto-expiring storage bucket. | 14 / 15 Supports 2x and 4x cloud super-resolution (expandable up to 8192×8192) while preserving exact typography and geometry without hallucination. |
| Task quality | 57.5 / 65 PSNR vs 2048px GT: 27.57 dB · SSIM: 0.8918 · Edge Gradient Correlation: 0.6496 · High-Freq Sharpness Ratio: 0.5289 · Calibration Plate PSNR: 15.96 dB | 56.5 / 65 Full-image PSNR=26.91 dB · SSIM=0.8839 · Edge Correlation edge_corr=0.5729 · High-Frequency Ratio hf_ratio=0.3894 · Calibration Plate PSNR=15.43 dB: at 4x (2048×2048), both the large wooden sign 'REALTEST 2026' and the fine calibration text 'REALTEST 2048px GT / 4X UPSCALE BENCHMARK / 0123456789' remain legible with zero hallucinated characters |
| Deliverable specifications | 18 / 20 No free unwatermarked export (0/8); Free scale factor: 2x (1024×1024 (2.0x · Free without login; 4x/8x require PixelBin paid plan)) | 20 / 20 Unlocks full 4.0x (2048×2048) unwatermarked export on the free tier (20/20) |
| Processing speed | 14.5 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 1.74s (API mode: sync_post; end-to-end 3.54s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 12 / 15 Firefly Upscaler cloud 4x (512px -> 2048px) super-resolution completes in ~7.4s |

