Best free Topaz Gigapixel alternatives (open source, 2026)
Updated · 20 repos compared
The best free Topaz Gigapixel alternative for most people is upscayl (51k GitHub stars, AGPL-3.0 license). stable-diffusion-webui works on a Mac, according to the project. All 20 options below are open source and run on your own computer or server, so there's no subscription.
Topaz Gigapixel (AI image and video upscaling) is a paid, closed-source product. The open-source projects below do the same job and run on your own computer or server.
Top picks
🆙 Upscayl - #1 Free and Open Source AI Image Upscaler for Linux, MacOS and Windows.
- Needs:
- Hardware needs not stated by the project
- Trade-off
- Better than Topaz Gigapixel: free and private, with no usage limits. Worse: AGPL: if you run it as a service, you must share your changes.
Stable Diffusion web UI
- Needs:
- works on Mac (as stated by the project)
- Trade-off
- Better than Topaz Gigapixel: the biggest community (165k stars). Worse: AGPL: if you run it as a service, you must share your changes; slower development (last update 7mo ago).
Comparison
✓ yes · ✗ no · – not stated by the project. Hardware details may be incomplete.
Topaz Gigapixel vs open source: what you give up
- Setup. Topaz Gigapixel is ready as soon as you sign up. These projects need installing, usually with Python, Node or Docker.
- Hardware. Most of these don't state hardware needs; heavier models run much faster with a GPU. 3 mention Mac support.
- Polish and support. Paid products usually have a smoother interface, managed updates and customer support. Open source gives you privacy, no usage limits and no monthly bill.
- Maintenance. 4 of 20 were updated in the last 30 days.
- License. 16 of 20 use a standard open-source license (MIT, Apache, GPL and similar). Check the license before commercial use.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to Topaz Gigapixel?
Yes. We list 20 free, open-source GitHub projects that do the same job as Topaz Gigapixel. The most popular are stable-diffusion-webui, upscayl and Final2x.
What is the best open-source Topaz Gigapixel alternative?
It depends on your setup. Best overall: upscayl. Mac users: stable-diffusion-webui. Compare GitHub stars, license and hardware needs in the table on this page.
Can I run a Topaz Gigapixel alternative on a Mac?
Yes. According to the projects, Final2x, ComfyUI-SeedVR2_VideoUpscaler and stable-diffusion-webui run on macOS.
Do I need a GPU to replace Topaz Gigapixel?
Most of these don't state hardware needs. Expect heavier models to run much faster with a GPU.
Are these Topaz Gigapixel alternatives really free?
Yes. All 20 are open source on GitHub, and projects that need a paid API key are left out. 16 use a standard open-source license such as MIT, Apache or GPL; check the license before commercial use.