Head to head · Images · updated Oct 26, 2026
Upscayl vs Magnific
Upscayl scores 86 to Magnific's 24 on public evidence for upscale & restore images, and they rank #1 and #4 there. Only Upscayl has a free tier. Numbers below are the same public signals the ranking uses, recomputed nightly — nothing here is sponsored.
Upscayl
Free open-source desktop upscaler built on Real-ESRGAN models with a simple drag-and-drop interface.
+ Completely free, runs offline on almost any GPU and batch-processes folders.
− Only deterministic upscaling, so it cannot add believable detail like Magnific or Gigapixel.
Magnific
Generative upscaler and enhancer that adds detail and can restyle images while enlarging them.
+ Invents convincing fine detail (skin, fabric, foliage) that ordinary upscalers cannot.
− Expensive, and the creativity slider can alter faces or add details that were not there.
Side by side
public evidence| Upscayl | Magnific | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence score / 100 | 86 | 24 |
| GitHub stars | 51,049 | closed source |
| Hacker News stories, 30d | 0 | 1 |
| Release-feed mentions, 30d | 0 | 1 |
| Last activity | 20 days ago | 0 days ago |
| Pricing | Open source · free | Paid · from $39/mo |
| Platforms | windows, mac, linux | web |
| Maker | Upscayl | Magnific AI (Freepik) |
Which one?
Pick Upscayl if
- you want the stronger public evidence (86 vs 24)
- you want open source — self-host it, read it, fork it
- you need it on linux, mac, windows
- a bigger GitHub community matters (51,049 vs 0 stars)
Best for free offline batch upscaling.
Pick Magnific if
- you need it on web
Best for turning AI renders into print-ready images.