Topaz Labs makes AI tools for upscaling, sharpening, denoising and restoring photos and video: Topaz Video, Photo and Gigapixel on Mac and PC, browser apps including Bloom and Astra, and an iPhone app. Topaz Studio bundles every app for $399 a year, $45 a month on a yearly commitment or $69 month to month, with unlimited local rendering, unlimited cloud image rendering and 300 video cloud credits a month. Single apps start at $149 a year for Gigapixel. Organizations with more than $1 million in revenue need Pro licenses, from Studio Pro at $799 a year.
Reviewed by EdGrows·Updated Sep 30, 2026This analysis is based on documentation, public user reports, and vendor materials — not yet on our own hands-on testing. How we rate
Topaz Labs makes the tools many photographers and video editors reach for when an image or clip is too small, too noisy or too soft. Its homepage calls it "the standard in image and video upscaling", with tools for upscaling, sharpening, denoising, adding detail, restoring and stabilizing, and claims more than a million photographers and filmmakers as users and more than 2 billion images processed.
The lineup has grown into a family of apps. Topaz Video enhances and upscales footage, Topaz Photo handles denoising, sharpening and restoration, and Topaz Gigapixel enlarges images. In the browser, Topaz for Web runs image and, more recently, video models in the cloud, Bloom offers creative and generative upscaling, and Astra targets video. Topaz for Mobile brings the tools to the iPhone. Current model names include Starlight Precise 2.5 for video and Wonder 3.
The business model has changed too. Topaz was long known for perpetual licenses, but its pricing page now lists only subscriptions, led by the Topaz Studio bundle.
Topaz Labs' pricing page on annual billing, checked September 30, 2026.
Topaz Studio includes every app, desktop, browser and iPhone, with unlimited rendering on your own computer, unlimited cloud image rendering and 300 video cloud credits a month. It costs $399 billed yearly, $45 a month billed every month for 12 months, or $69 month to month, and Topaz says the apps inside would cost over $1,400 a year separately.
Studio Pro, at $799 a year, adds Pro licenses for every app, 600 video cloud credits a month, seat management and up to four simultaneous cloud image renders. It exists mainly for the licensing rule covered below, since the apps themselves are the same.
| App | Where it runs | Personal license | Pro license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topaz Gigapixel | Mac and PC | $149 a year | $499 a year |
| Topaz Photo | Mac and PC | $199 a year | $599 a year |
| Topaz Video | Mac and PC | $299 a year | $699 a year |
| Topaz for Web, images | Browser, includes Topaz for Mobile | $109 a year on sale, $199 listed | $329 on sale, $599 listed |
| Topaz for Web, video | Browser | $199 a year on sale, $299 listed | |
| Bloom | Browser | $229 a year | $490 a year |
Prices as listed on Topaz Labs' pricing page on September 30, 2026, with some browser apps on sale.
A single app makes sense for someone with one clear job: Gigapixel at $149 for enlarging photos, or Topaz Video at $299 for footage. Beyond that the bundle wins quickly. Photo plus Video already costs $498 a year, well above Studio's $399, which adds every other app and the cloud allowance.
The split between desktop and web apps decides how much you can do. Desktop apps render on your own Mac or PC with no limits, so a filmmaker with a strong GPU can upscale hours of footage for the price of electricity. Web apps render in Topaz's cloud, which needs nothing installed and suits weaker computers, but video rendering there uses credits.
Studio's 300 video cloud credits a month, and Studio Pro's 600, expire at the end of each month and do not roll over. Cloud image rendering is unlimited on both, with Studio allowing two simultaneous cloud renders and a 32-megapixel export limit on the browser image apps. For video-heavy work, the practical rule is to render locally when you can and keep cloud credits for when you are away from your workstation.
Topaz's licensing depends on the size of your organization. Personal plans, including Studio and single apps, cover personal use and commercial work for individuals and organizations with less than $1 million in annual revenue, so freelancers and small studios can use them for paid jobs. Organizations above $1 million need Pro licenses, bought per app or through Studio Pro, which also adds seat management for teams. Larger production houses can contact Topaz's enterprise team, and developers can use its API.
Magnific is the best-known alternative for images, but it takes a different approach: creative upscaling that invents new detail, excellent for AI art and illustration but less faithful for restoring real photos. Krea bundles upscaling and enhancement with generation in the browser. Adobe's Photoshop and Lightroom include AI super resolution and denoising, available to people already paying for Creative Cloud, alongside the generative tools in Adobe Firefly, and many AI video generators such as Runway now upscale their own output.
Topaz's strength is quality and control on real footage and photos, especially video, where local rendering and years of model development keep it ahead of general-purpose tools. For occasional use, built-in upscalers are enough; for professional restoration and upscaling at volume, Studio at $399 a year is the most complete package.
Every Topaz app: Topaz Video, Photo and Gigapixel on Mac and PC, Topaz for Web, Astra and Bloom in the browser, and Topaz for Mobile on iPhone. Studio also includes unlimited local rendering, unlimited cloud image rendering and 300 video cloud credits a month. It costs $399 a year, $45 a month on a 12-month commitment or $69 month to month.
Yes, as yearly subscriptions. Topaz Gigapixel costs $149 a year, Topaz Photo $199, Topaz Video $299 and Bloom $229, and the browser apps were on sale when we checked, with Topaz for Web for images at $109 against $199. Buying two desktop apps separately already costs more than half of Studio, so the bundle pays off quickly.
Credits are used when you render video in Topaz's cloud rather than on your own computer. Studio includes 300 a month and Studio Pro 600, and monthly credits expire at the end of each month without rolling over. Rendering video on your own hardware with the Topaz Video desktop app is always unlimited.
Only if your organization is larger. Personal plans, including Studio, allow personal and commercial use for organizations under $1 million in annual revenue. Above that, you need Pro licenses, which Studio Pro includes for $799 a year along with seat management, 600 video cloud credits and more cloud rendering concurrency.
Not any more for new customers. Topaz Labs was long known for perpetual licenses, but its pricing page now lists only subscriptions: Studio, Studio Pro and single apps billed yearly, with monthly options for Studio. Check your account if you bought a license years ago, since older purchases were handled differently.
Desktop apps install on your Mac or PC and render on your own hardware with no limits, which suits large jobs if you have a strong GPU. Web apps run in the browser with nothing to install and render in Topaz's cloud, useful on weaker computers or on the go. Studio includes both.
Yes, for annual and monthly plans. You cancel from your Topaz account and keep access until the end of the billing period you have paid for. On the $45 monthly option, note that it is billed every month for 12 months, so it works like a yearly commitment.
Topaz for faithful enhancement: recovering detail, removing noise and upscaling photos and video while staying true to the original, including long video on your own hardware. Magnific for creative upscaling, where AI invents new detail and texture, which suits AI art and illustration more than restoration.
The AI voice platform to beat: Eleven v4 voices, cloning and dubbing, with plans from $6 and Creator at $22 for 121,000 credits a month.
The design app for everyone, now with tiered AI allowances, Business in place of Teams and Affinity included.
The design tool most product teams use, priced per seat type: $3 to $16 a month on Professional, with AI credits for Figma Make and the agent attached to each seat.