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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 | Krea | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | Not tested in topic | 84/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Compare in task topic → |
| Image upscaling | 89/100 1024×1024 (PNG · 2.0x Super Resolution) · Historical description; output not attached | 71/100 1024×1024 (PNG · 2.0x Generative Enhance) · Historical description; output not attached | Active task |
| Object removal | Not tested in topic | 91/100 2048×2048 (Native full-resolution watermark-free PNG) · Historical description; output not attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Image generation | Not tested in topic | 93/100 2048 × 2048 · 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 | Krea AI (Krea Enhance) Image upscaling 71/100 Seven-aspect task score Free compute can enhance textures, but login, repeated onboarding promotions and a long queue add friction; rewritten small text limits fidelity-sensitive work. Tested export 1024×1024 (PNG · 2.0x Generative Enhance) · 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 ↗ | Individual web plans and default Business 80k volume; excludes API and other business volumes · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Basic2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9/month USD 63/year Monthly 5,000 general compute units/month; not removal counts Annual 5,000 general compute units/month Observed first-year promotion USD 63; then USD 84/year until cancelled Rules [1]Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 35/month USD 252/year Monthly 20,000 general compute units/month; not removal counts Annual 20,000 general compute units/month Observed first-year promotion USD 252; then USD 336/year until cancelled Rules [1]Max 60k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 105/month USD 756/year Monthly 60,000 general compute units/month; not removal counts Annual 60,000 general compute units/month Observed first-year promotion USD 756; then USD 1008/year until cancelled Rules [1]Business 80k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 200/month USD 1,920/year Monthly 80,000 general compute units/month; not removal counts Annual 80,000 general compute units/month Max 40k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 70/month USD 504/year Annual 40,000 general compute units/month Observed first-year promotion USD 504; then USD 672/year until cancelled Rules [1]Monthly 40,000 general compute units/month Max 80k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 135/month USD 972/year Annual 80,000 general compute units/month Observed first-year promotion USD 972; then USD 1296/year until cancelled Rules [1]Monthly 80,000 general compute units/month Max 100k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 165/month USD 1,188/year Annual 100,000 general compute units/month Observed first-year promotion USD 1188; then USD 1584/year until cancelled Rules [1]Monthly 100,000 general compute units/month Enterprise2026-10-20 ↗ Contact sales Quoted Quoted Custom enterprise support, security and administration 16 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. All 10 previously missing amounts are confirmed in USD checkout summaries. Individual annual offers separate first-year and renewal charges; Business 80k is $1,920/year. Max monthly purchase paths show additional annual offers whose checkout totals were not independently confirmed; these are not merged with the default annual offer. Per-removal compute cost and extra top-up pricing are not separately specified in the verified plans/checkouts. Other Business volumes are outside scope. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordSelf-serve cancellation in account settings Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ USD checkout summaries reached from official pricing ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ · Capture 4 ↗ · Capture 5 ↗ · Capture 6 ↗ · Capture 7 ↗ · Capture 8 ↗ · Capture 9 ↗ · Capture 10 ↗ Additional annual offers on monthly purchase paths ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ |
| 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 | 50 free daily compute credits (~6–7 free 2x enhancements/day); free tier is capped at 1 concurrent job with queue wait, and 8x/16x require a paid subscription |
| 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 account settings |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Crown icons on 4x/8x buttons clearly indicate paid tiers upfront | Prompts signup upon clicking Generate and clearly marks 8x/16x as 'For paid users only' inside the workspace |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Tested scale: 2× | Tested scale: 2× |
| Fixture findings | The tested 2× output was watermark-free with some edge recovery, at 1024px. | Enhanced texture but rewrote small text in this fixture; take care when exact lettering matters. |
| 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. | PSNR=23.64dB · SSIM=0.7771 (2x 1024×1024 unwatermarked PNG); high hf_ratio=0.6486 makes the 'REALTEST 2026' wooden sign and brass robot look ultra-detailed, but because Krea uses a generative diffusion model (realisticv51, denoising=0.4), the small bottom-right calibration plate text 'REALTEST 2048px GT' is hallucinated into 'AFAL I SOT 20110pss OT' (plate_psnr=14.30dB). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Everyday office and e-commerce users seeking instant 1.7s no-login 2x lossless super-resolution | Creators seeking 'Generative Upscaling' to hallucinate rich surface textures on AI art or portraits—not suitable for document or micro-text fidelity |
| 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. | 1024×1024 (PNG · 2.0x Generative Enhance) · 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) | 1024×1024 (2.0x · Free tier unlocks 2x/4x; 8x/16x require paid plan) |
| Watermark observation | 100% Watermark-Free | 100% Watermark-Free |
| Batch & API | Bulk transformation, real-time URL super-resolution, and REST API via PixelBin.io | Paid plans unlock multi-job concurrency and up to 16x upscaling; free tier is limited to 1 concurrent job |
| 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: 8.61s · End-to-end reference: 87.81s |
| 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 | Clicking Generate on the landing page requires Google / Apple / Email sign-in |
| 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. | Post-signup `/onboarding` triggers two consecutive discount retention modals when clicking 'Skip': first a 1-hour countdown modal ('Take Pro at 40% off instead... Offer ends in 0h:59m:57s'), followed by a 'Final chance — Are you sure you don't want this offer?' modal when dismissing the bottom bar (Screenshot ④); once inside `/enhancer`, the workspace is clean. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | PixelBin.io / Shopsense Retail Technologies Ltd. (Reliance Retail) | Krea AI Inc. (San Francisco, CA, USA) |
| Recorded origin | Mumbai, India | San Francisco, USA |
| Domain history record | 2021–Present | 2022–Present |
| 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. | Developed by Krea AI Inc. (San Francisco, CA, founded by Victor Perez & Diego Rodriguez, backed by Andreessen Horowitz & Bain Capital Ventures). |
| 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. | Uses an async GPU job queue (`/api/job-status` reports exact `time_in_gen_server: 8.61s` and `t_inference: 4.57s`) with encrypted CDN delivery (`gen.krea.ai`). |
| 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). | 24 / 35 Landing page `/apps/enhance` (Screenshot ①) provides an upload box and 1x/2x/4x/8x buttons, prompting 'Sign up for 50 free credits daily' when clicking Generate; after free Google sign-in, Krea grants daily free compute credits and exports 100% watermark-free 1024×1024 (2x) PNGs (8x and 16x are clearly labeled 'For paid users only'). |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 Smooth no-login 2x workflow; displays standard banner ads and a PixelBin promotion bar without obstructing the download button. | 18 / 30 Post-signup `/onboarding` triggers two consecutive discount retention modals when clicking 'Skip': first a 1-hour countdown modal ('Take Pro at 40% off instead... Offer ends in 0h:59m:57s'), followed by a 'Final chance — Are you sure you don't want this offer?' modal when dismissing the bottom bar (Screenshot ④); once inside `/enhancer`, the workspace is clean. |
| 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. | 19 / 20 Developed by Krea AI Inc. (San Francisco, CA, founded by Victor Perez & Diego Rodriguez, backed by Andreessen Horowitz & Bain Capital Ventures). |
| 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. | 13 / 15 Uses an async GPU job queue (`/api/job-status` reports exact `time_in_gen_server: 8.61s` and `t_inference: 4.57s`) with encrypted CDN delivery (`gen.krea.ai`). |
| 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 | 45 / 65 PSNR vs 2048px GT: 23.64 dB · SSIM: 0.7771 · Edge Gradient Correlation: 0.4812 · High-Freq Sharpness Ratio: 0.6486 · Calibration Plate PSNR: 14.3 dB |
| 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)) | 15 / 20 No free unwatermarked export (0/8); Free scale factor: 2x (1024×1024 (2.0x · Free tier unlocks 2x/4x; 8x/16x require paid plan)) |
| 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) | 9.5 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 8.61s (API mode: async_poll; end-to-end 87.81s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
