A free Topaz Gigapixel alternative that runs in your browser
OpenPixels (openpixels.app) is a free Topaz Gigapixel alternative: an open source photo enhancer that enlarges photos on your own device, with nothing to install, no account and no subscription. This page compares the two line by line, with the sources listed below.
Free, open source, no account, no watermark. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.
Paid desktop software, or a free web page.
Topaz Gigapixel is a subscription desktop app for Mac and Windows, used on its own or as a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic [1]. It replaced the older Topaz Gigapixel AI in September 2025 [6]. OpenPixels is a web page, so this Topaz Gigapixel alternative opens in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone, with or without a graphics card.
Topaz Gigapixel and this Topaz Gigapixel alternative, compared.
Each row was checked on 21 October 2026. Numbers in brackets point to the sources.
| Topaz Gigapixel | OpenPixels | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A desktop app, standalone or as a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic [1] | A web app; also a Chrome and Firefox extension, and apps for Windows, Mac and Android [7] |
| Platforms | macOS 13 or later; Windows 10 or 11; Linux is not supported [2] | The browser, on a computer or phone [13]; apps for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), macOS 11 or later and Android 8 or later; no Linux app [7] |
| Computer it needs | At least 16 GB of RAM; on Windows, a graphics card with 6 GB of VRAM or Intel UHD 600 or Iris Xe graphics; 30 GB of disk on a Mac, 55 GB on Windows [2] | No graphics card needed. The web app uses WebGPU when the browser has it, otherwise the processor; the apps use the processor [8][9] |
| Largest enlargement | A scale factor up to 6×, or custom dimensions up to 32,000 pixels on the longest side [3] | Up to 8×; the result is held near 40 megapixels on the web, Windows and Mac, and 16 on Android [7][10] |
| AI models | Core and generative models, including Standard, High Fidelity, Low Res, Art & CG, Recover, Redefine, Wonder and Face Recovery [1] | Five upscaling models, all from the Real-ESRGAN family, plus models for faces, colour and backgrounds [11] |
| Besides enlarging | Face Recovery; for dedicated denoise and sharpen tools, Topaz points to Topaz Photo [1][3] | The web app and the browser extension also clear noise, rebuild faces, add colour to black-and-white photos and remove the background, free [12] |
| Many images at once | Yes, batch processing [4] | Yes, one photo after another, downloaded as one ZIP [12] |
| Where the photo is processed | On your computer with local rendering, or on Topaz's servers if you choose cloud rendering [1][5] | On your device; never uploaded [12] |
| Internet and account | Needs an internet connection to install, activate and update, and you sign in to activate [6] | No account. Works offline once each model has downloaded [7][12] |
| Price | Subscription. Personal: $149 billed annually or $29 billed monthly, with commercial use for organisations under $1M a year in revenue; Pro: $499 billed annually [1] | Free; there is no paid version [12] |
Choose Topaz Gigapixel if one of these is you.
A Topaz Gigapixel alternative is not always the better pick.
- You need very large output. Topaz Gigapixel goes up to 32,000 pixels on the longest side, about 1 gigapixel [3]. OpenPixels holds the result near 40 megapixels.
- You work in Photoshop or Lightroom Classic. Topaz Gigapixel runs as a plugin inside both [1]; OpenPixels has no plugin.
- You want generative models. Topaz Gigapixel has generative models such as Redefine and Wonder, and can render them in the cloud when your computer is under-powered [1][5].
- You need exact print sizes. Topaz Gigapixel takes a custom width or height and a pixel density setting [3]; OpenPixels offers 2×, 4× and 8×.
- Your business needs a commercial licence. Topaz Labs sells Personal and Pro licences with stated commercial-use terms [1].
Choose this Topaz Gigapixel alternative if one of these is you.
- You do not want a subscription. This Topaz Gigapixel alternative is free, with no trial, credits or watermark [12].
- Your computer is modest. Topaz Gigapixel lists 16 GB of RAM and up to 55 GB of disk as its minimum [2]. This Topaz Gigapixel alternative runs on the processor when there is no graphics card to use [8].
- You would rather install nothing. This Topaz Gigapixel alternative is a web page: open it and drop a photo on it. It also opens in the browser on an iPhone or an Android phone [7][13].
- You do not want an account. Every feature works with no sign-in [12].
- You want more than enlarging, in one free tool. The web app also clears noise, rebuilds faces, colours black-and-white photos and removes backgrounds [12].
- You want to see what changed. OpenPixels shrinks each result back to the original size and compares the two; when they match, it says Faithful to the original [12].
Both keep the photo on your machine when Topaz is set to local rendering [1]. The difference is the price, the install and the hardware, not privacy.
What this Topaz Gigapixel alternative does not do.
No more than 8×, and the result is held near 40 megapixels in the browser (16 on Android). The app says so before anything runs [7][10].
No plugin and no custom output size. You pick 2×, 4× or 8×, or keep the original size and only clean the image up.
The apps do less than the web app. Rebuilding faces, colouring and removing backgrounds run in the web app and the browser extension, not yet in the Windows, Mac and Android apps [7].
Each model downloads once. The first time you use a feature, its model downloads; the face model is 340 MB [11].
Looking for free desktop software instead?
Upscayl is a free, open source desktop upscaler for Linux, macOS and Windows that runs on a Vulkan-compatible graphics card. We compare it with OpenPixels on the Upscayl alternative page. We have not measured either against Topaz Gigapixel, so this page makes no claim about speed or quality.
Looking for Topaz Gigapixel itself? It is at topazlabs.com/gigapixel. Topaz Gigapixel is made by Topaz Labs, and OpenPixels is not affiliated with Topaz Labs.
Sources for this Topaz Gigapixel alternative comparison.
All checked on 21 October 2026.
- topazlabs.com/gigapixel: Mac and Windows, plugin or standalone, the models, local and cloud rendering, plans and prices.
- Topaz Gigapixel system requirements: operating systems, memory, graphics, disk space, no Linux.
- Topaz Gigapixel docs, Upscale: scale factor up to 6×, 32,000 pixels on the longest side, dimensions and pixel density; Topaz Photo for denoise and sharpen.
- Topaz Gigapixel docs, Batch Processing.
- Topaz Gigapixel docs, Cloud Rendering: generative models in the cloud.
- Topaz Gigapixel docs, Quick Start: internet to install, activate and update; sign-in; released 16 September 2025, replacing Gigapixel AI.
- OpenPixels apps for Windows, Mac and Android: versions and limits.
- OpenPixels, ort.js: WebGPU or the processor.
- OpenPixels, pixels-engine: the apps' engine, with no graphics card acceleration.
- OpenPixels, Options.svelte: sizes and the 40-megapixel ceiling.
- OpenPixels models: each model's licence, size and checksum.
- OpenPixels interface text: free, never uploaded, offline, batch, and which features the apps do not have yet.
- OpenPixels on GitLab: README (a mobile-first web app) and licences, MIT or Apache-2.0.
Try this Topaz Gigapixel alternative on your own photo.
It enlarges photos in the browser, takes them to 4K or to the pixels a 300 DPI print needs, and comes as software for Windows, Mac and Android.
Open OpenPixels →Before you choose a Topaz Gigapixel alternative.
Is there a free Topaz Gigapixel alternative?
Yes. OpenPixels is a free, open source Topaz Gigapixel alternative that runs in your browser. It enlarges photos 2x, 4x or 8x on your own device, with no install, no account and no subscription, and the photo is never uploaded.
Is Topaz Gigapixel free?
No. Topaz Gigapixel is sold as a subscription. On 21 October 2026 its own page listed the Personal plan at $149 billed annually or $29 billed monthly, and the Pro plan at $499 billed annually. OpenPixels, a Topaz Gigapixel alternative, has no paid version.
Does Topaz Gigapixel need a graphics card?
Its minimum requirements on Windows list 16 GB of RAM and either a graphics card with 6 GB of VRAM or Intel UHD 600 or Iris Xe integrated graphics, and on a Mac, macOS 13 and 16 GB of RAM. This Topaz Gigapixel alternative needs no graphics card: it uses WebGPU when the browser has it and the processor when it does not.
Can OpenPixels enlarge as far as Topaz Gigapixel?
Not in size. OpenPixels goes up to 8x and holds the result near 40 megapixels in the browser. Topaz Gigapixel scales up to 6x, or to custom dimensions of up to 32,000 pixels on the longest side, about 1 gigapixel.
Is OpenPixels better than Topaz Gigapixel?
We have not measured Topaz Gigapixel and this Topaz Gigapixel alternative side by side, so this page makes no claim about speed or quality.
Is OpenPixels part of Topaz Labs?
No. Topaz Gigapixel is made by Topaz Labs, and OpenPixels is not affiliated with Topaz Labs.