Upscayl
Free, open-source AI image upscaler for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
About
Upscayl is a free and open-source AI image upscaler that runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It uses Real-ESRGAN models with Vulkan GPU acceleration to enhance low-resolution images, supporting batch processing, custom models, and multiple output formats including PNG, JPG, and WebP. The project has grown to over 50,000 GitHub stars, making it one of the most popular open-source creative tools in the AI space.
Unlike cloud-based upscalers, Upscayl processes everything locally on your machine — no uploads, no subscriptions, no credit limits. It ships with several built-in models optimized for photos, digital art, and ultrasharp detail recovery, and users can import custom NCNN models from the community repository for specialized domains like anime and faces. The honest trade-off: it requires a Vulkan-compatible GPU, and local processing is slower than purpose-built cloud APIs for very large batches.
What it can do
- AI upscaling with Real-ESRGAN models at 2x and 4x scale
- Batch processing for entire folders
- Custom NCNN model import for specialized domains
- Multiple output formats (PNG, JPG, WebP)
- Fully local processing with no cloud dependency
Setup
Download the installer for your OS from upscayl.org or GitHub releases, or install via brew install --cask upscayl on macOS. Requires a Vulkan-compatible GPU.
Prerequisites
A Vulkan-compatible GPU; Linux, macOS, or Windows.
Use cases
Works with
Trust score — 8/10
Scored 8/10 (verified tier, metrics-v1). Evidence: Verified via vendor site/docs/GitHub and reputable coverage, wave 59; Trending score 85/100 from researcher assessment.
★ 50,000 GitHub stars
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these sources. Where a claim comes from the provider and couldn't be independently verified, the text says so.