An Upscayl alternative that runs in your browser

OpenPixels (openpixels.app) is a free, open source photo enhancer that runs on your own device. As an Upscayl alternative, it needs nothing installed and no graphics card. This page compares the two line by line, with the sources listed below.

Free, open source, no account, no watermark. Facts checked on 20 October 2026.

Desktop software, or a web page.

Upscayl is desktop software for Linux, macOS and Windows that runs its AI models on your graphics card, and it needs a card that supports Vulkan. OpenPixels is a web page, so this Upscayl alternative opens in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone, with or without a graphics card.

Upscayl and this Upscayl alternative, compared.

Each row of this Upscayl alternative comparison was checked on 20 October 2026. Numbers in brackets point to the sources.

Choose Upscayl if one of these is you.

An Upscayl alternative is not always the better pick.

• You have a supported graphics card and want to use it. Upscayl runs its models on a Vulkan graphics card [1].
• You need more than 8×. Upscayl goes up to 16× [4]; OpenPixels stops at 8×.
• You want to pick between many models. Upscayl ships seven and can load custom models [1][5].
• You use Linux. Upscayl has Linux builds [1]; OpenPixels has no Linux app.
• You want a command line. Upscayl has one, upscayl-ncnn [1].

Choose this Upscayl alternative if one of these is you.

• Your computer has no supported graphics card. Upscayl's own FAQ says it won't work with most integrated graphics or CPUs [1]. This Upscayl alternative runs on the processor when there is no graphics card to use [9].
• You are on a phone or tablet. Upscayl's README gives install steps for Linux, macOS and Windows only [1]. This Upscayl alternative opens in the browser on an iPhone or an Android phone and can be added to the home screen; there is also an Android app [8][13].
• You would rather install nothing. This Upscayl alternative is a web page: open it and drop a photo on it.
• You want more than enlarging, for free. Upscayl’s desktop app only enlarges; its face enhancement and background removal are in the paid Upscayl Cloud [2]. This Upscayl alternative’s web app and browser extension also rebuild faces, colour black-and-white photos and remove backgrounds, at no cost [13].
• 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 [13].

What this Upscayl 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 [8][11].

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 [8].

Each model downloads once. The first time you use a feature, its model downloads; the face model is 340 MB [12].

Both are open source, and both use Real-ESRGAN.

Upscayl says it “uses Real-ESRGAN and Vulkan architecture” [1]. The five OpenPixels upscaling models are from the Real-ESRGAN family too, each listed with its licence and checksum [12]. We have not measured the two side by side, so this page makes no claim about speed or quality.

Looking for Upscayl itself? Download it from upscayl.org or its GitHub releases. Upscayl is a separate project by its own developers, and OpenPixels is not affiliated with it.

Sources for this Upscayl alternative comparison.

1. Upscayl README: platforms, graphics card, FAQ, batch, models, command line, licence.
2. upscayl.org/cloud: Upscayl Cloud in the browser.
3. upscayl.org/download: local processing, no internet needed.
4. Upscayl v2.15.0, image scale setting: 1× to 16×.
5. Upscayl v2.15.0, model list: seven built-in models.
6. Upscayl on the Mac App Store: $12.99 in the US store on 20 October 2026.
7. upscayl.org/pricing: Upscayl Cloud plans.
8. OpenPixels apps for Windows, Mac and Android: versions and limits.
9. OpenPixels, ort.js: WebGPU or the processor.
10. OpenPixels, pixels-engine: the apps' engine, with no graphics card acceleration.
11. OpenPixels, Options.svelte: sizes and the 40-megapixel ceiling.
12. OpenPixels models: each model's licence, size and checksum.
13. OpenPixels interface text: free, never uploaded, offline, batch, and which features the apps do not have yet.
14. OpenPixels on GitLab: README (a mobile-first web app) and licences.
15. Upscayl v2.15.0, interface text: every setting in the desktop app.

Try this Upscayl alternative on your own photo.

Beyond being an Upscayl alternative, it enlarges photos in the browser, takes them to 4K, fixes pixelated images, and comes as software for Windows, Mac and Android.

Before you choose an Upscayl alternative.