Topaz Gigapixel vs Waifu2x

Topaz Gigapixel and Waifu2x are both AI Art & Drawing tools (Image Upscaling). Below: what each costs, what it does well, its biggest catches, and who should pick which, all from public sources rather than our own testing.

Side by side

Topaz GigapixelWaifu2x
CategoryAI Art & Drawing · Image UpscalingAI Art & Drawing · Image Upscaling
PricingFree tier: no. Standard $29/mo or $149/yr. Pro $499/yr. (checked Oct 10, 2026)Free. (checked Oct 11, 2026)
Pros
  • Top-tier AI image upscaling
  • Standard and Pro tiers
  • Old perpetual licenses still run their legacy versions
  • Free, lightweight upscaler for anime, manga and line art
  • Preserves lines well and denoises effectively
  • Open source
Catches
  • Subscription-only now. Perpetual licenses ended
  • New models need an active subscription
  • Complaints about auto-renewal and the perpetual-license change
  • Weak on photos
  • Limited to about 2x per pass
  • No native video or batch workflow
Best forPhotographers upscaling and restoring images.Upscaling clean anime stills and illustrations.
Skip it ifYou hate subscriptions.You're upscaling photos or video. Use Real-ESRGAN or Upscayl.

Which should you pick?

Pick Topaz Gigapixel if…

you fit this: photographers upscaling and restoring images.

But not if: you hate subscriptions.

Watch out for: Subscription-only now. Perpetual licenses ended.

Pick Waifu2x if…

you fit this: upscaling clean anime stills and illustrations.

But not if: you're upscaling photos or video. Use Real-ESRGAN or Upscayl.

Watch out for: Weak on photos.

More options

Sources

Topaz Gigapixel

Waifu2x

Pros, catches and prices are compiled from public sources (official pricing and docs pages, published reviews, user reports), not hands-on testing. Prices change often, so check the vendor page before you buy.