1
Topaz Video
Topaz Labs · Local upscaling, frame interpolation and SDR to HDR for final delivery
$$$
Topaz Video remains the reference desktop tool for finishing, with Starlight Precise and Mini, Proteus, Iris, Rhea XL, Themis and the Hyperion 2 SDR-to-HDR model added in May 2026, rendering locally with 4K and 8K output. It ships as a Premiere panel too. It is subscription-only since perpetual licences ended, and full commercial rights need a Pro plan for businesses over $1M revenue.
- Cheapest way in
- Watermarked trial; from $299/year, or $59/month
- Cost per output
- Local rendering unmetered; 25 cloud credits a month included
- Max resolution
- Up to 8K
- Models
- Starlight Precise and Mini, Proteus, Iris, Rhea XL, Themis, Hyperion 2
- Runs
- Local (Mac and Windows) plus cloud credits
- Commercial licence
- Limited below Pro (orgs under $1M revenue); full on Pro
Good at
- Local rendering, no per-clip credits for desktop models
- Widest model set: upscaling, denoise, interpolation, stabilisation, SDR to HDR
- Premiere Pro panel for cloud processing
Watch out for
- Needs a capable GPU for heavy models like Starlight
- Standard plans limit commercial use to organisations under $1M annual revenue
- No free tier beyond a watermarked trial
Prices topazlabs.com, checked 1 November 2026
Topaz Video website Work made with it on AI LIVE
2
Topaz for Web (Astra 2)
Topaz Labs · Upscaling AI-generated clips to 4K with prompt-guided creative detail
$$
Astra 2 (late April 2026) adds prompt input and a 1 to 5 creativity dial, which suits AI-generated footage, and Starlight runs in the cloud for realism. On 30 September 2026 Topaz moved Astra's models into Topaz for Web and closed the separate Astra interface. Topaz's own July 2026 test ranked it above ByteDance's SeedVR2-based upscaler and TensorPix, but that is a vendor comparison.
- Cheapest way in
- Video plans from $19/month ($199 billed yearly)
- Max resolution
- 4K
- Models
- Astra 2, Starlight, Precision and Creative Upscale, interpolation, HDR
- Runs
- Cloud
Good at
- Strong on AI-generated video; creative and precise modes
- No GPU needed; browser and mobile
- Unlimited image upscaling on web plans
Watch out for
- Credits expire monthly, no rollover
- Creative mode can invent detail that was not in the source
- Commercial rights need the Pro web plan
Benchmarks Topaz 'Best Video Upscalers in 2026' (vendor test, 10 Jul 2026): Topaz ranked its own tool first vs ByteDance Video Upscaler (SeedVR2) and TensorPix on two 720p to 4K clips
Prices topazlabs.com, checked 1 November 2026
Topaz for Web (Astra 2) website Work made with it on AI LIVE
3
Magnific Upscaler
Magnific · Creative image upscaling that adds texture and detail to AI stills
$$
Magnific made its name with the 'hallucinating' creative upscaler and now offers Creative and Precision image upscalers (Magnific One at up to 4K, Magnific Precision) plus a video upscaler with Standard and Turbo modes up to 4K. It sits inside the Magnific plan alongside generation, which makes generate-then-finish workflows simple. Video upscaling is newer and has no independent quality test yet.
- Cheapest way in
- Included in Magnific plans from £14/month (£10.50 billed yearly)
- Cost per output
- About £0.13 per 4K image (Magnific One High, Premium yearly rate)
- Max resolution
- Video up to 4K; image per plan
- Modes
- Creative, Precision (image); Standard, Turbo, fps boost (video)
- API
- Yes
Good at
- Best-known creative image upscaler
- Precision mode for faithful upscales
- Video upscaler with fps boost; API available
Watch out for
- Creative mode can change faces and fine detail
- API per-frame prices not published
- No head-to-head video benchmark
Prices magnific.com, checked 1 November 2026
Magnific Upscaler website Work made with it on AI LIVE
4
Topaz Gigapixel
Topaz Labs · Print and poster-size stills and key art
$$
Gigapixel upscales stills up to 16x and gained Wonder 2, Wonder 3 and High Fidelity 3 models in May 2026, with Redefine for creative detail and face recovery. On Topaz for Web, Bloom Creativity and Wonder 3 cover the creative end and image rendering is unlimited. It is the safer choice than creative upscalers when fidelity to the original matters.
- Cheapest way in
- From $149/year; Topaz for Web Image from $12/month
- Cost per output
- Local rendering unmetered
- Max upscale
- 16x
- Models
- Wonder 2 and 3, Redefine, High Fidelity 3, Recover, Face Recovery
- Runs
- Local plus cloud
Good at
- Up to 16x local upscaling
- Faithful and creative models in one app
- Unlimited cloud image upscaling on web plans
Watch out for
- Stills only
- Commercial limits below Pro
Prices topazlabs.com, checked 1 November 2026
Topaz Gigapixel website Work made with it on AI LIVE
5
Krea Enhancer
Krea · Cheap Topaz and Krea upscalers where you already generate
$
Krea's Enhancer bundles several upscalers, including Topaz Video and Topaz Starlight options, and paid plans include upscaling up to 22K for images. Its Video Upscale mini-app does 2x to 8x depending on plan and source, with four free video upscales a day for signed-in users. Upscaling sits next to generation, so it is convenient rather than best-in-class.
- Cheapest way in
- Free (4 video upscales a day); Basic from $9/month ($5 billed yearly)
- Max resolution
- Images up to 22K on paid plans; video up to 8x factor
- Includes Topaz
- Yes
Good at
- Topaz models inside a $9 plan
- Free daily video upscales
- Same workspace as generation
Watch out for
- Fewer controls than Topaz's own apps
- Video upscale model and caps not fully documented
Prices krea.ai, checked 1 November 2026
Krea Enhancer website Work made with it on AI LIVE
6
SeedVR2
ByteDance Seed · Open-weights, low-cost video and image upscaling via API or ComfyUI
$
SeedVR2 is ByteDance's one-step diffusion restoration and upscaling model, with open weights, ComfyUI support and cheap API hosting (fal charges $0.001 per megapixel of video data, about $0.25 for 121 frames of 1080p). Reviewers warn it can over-sharpen clean AI clips and repaint fine textures, and Topaz's own test found it gave a 'reimagined look'.
- Cheapest way in
- Free to run locally (open weights)
- Cost per output
- About $0.05 per second of 1080p video on fal ($0.001 per megapixel)
- Max resolution
- 2160p via fal
- Open weights
- Yes
- Runs
- Local (ComfyUI) or API (fal, WaveSpeed, RunComfy)
Good at
- Open weights; runs locally in ComfyUI
- Very low API cost
- Up to 2160p via API
Watch out for
- Can over-sharpen or repaint detail
- Self-hosting at high resolution needs a lot of GPU memory
- Licence not stated on the fal page; check the ByteDance-Seed repository
Prices fal.ai, checked 1 November 2026
SeedVR2 website
7
Runway 4K upscale
Runway · Upscaling Runway generations without leaving the app
$$
Runway's paid plans include 4K upscaling, and Pro and Max add unlimited 4K video upscaling plus Topaz AI Upscale as a hosted model. It is the easiest finishing step for anyone already generating in Runway, though it offers far fewer controls than Topaz's own tools.
- Cheapest way in
- Included on Standard from $15/month ($12 billed yearly)
- Cost per output
- Unlimited 4K video upscaling on Pro and Max
- Max resolution
- 4K
- Includes Topaz
- Pro and Max
Good at
- Unlimited 4K video upscaling on Pro ($35) and Max
- Topaz model available in-app
- HDR and ProRes exports on Max
Watch out for
- Limited controls
- Only worth it if you already use Runway
Prices runway.com, checked 1 November 2026
Runway 4K upscale website
8
Adobe Firefly upscale
Adobe with Topaz Labs · Topaz upscaling inside Firefly and Premiere workflows
$$
Adobe lists Topaz Astra among Firefly's partner models, reportedly added on 2 June 2026, giving 4K video upscaling on generative credits next to Firefly's own tools. Topaz also offers a Premiere panel directly. It is convenient for Adobe shops but you pay in Firefly credits and get fewer settings than in Topaz's apps.
- Cheapest way in
- Firefly Standard €11.35/month incl. VAT
- Max resolution
- 4K (Topaz Astra)
Good at
- Inside the Adobe ecosystem
- Uses existing Firefly credits
Watch out for
- Partner-model credit cost not listed on the plans page
- Fewer controls than Topaz for Web
Prices adobe.com, checked 1 November 2026
Adobe Firefly upscale website
