Real-ESRGAN xinntao/Real-ESRGAN

Reference AI super-resolution model for real-world photos and anime, with a Python script and portable Vulkan executables.

Creator kit + Compare GitHub ↗ Install guide (official) ↗

Real-ESRGAN at a glance

Checked 16 Oct 2026

Real-ESRGAN is the model family most free upscalers build on (Upscayl, Video2X, chaiNNer). It offers 4x general and anime models, a Python script with optional GFPGAN face enhancement and tiling for low VRAM, and portable realesrgan-ncnn-vulkan binaries for Windows, Linux and macOS that need no CUDA. Code and released weights are BSD-3-Clause. It is a command-line tool with no GUI. Development has stopped: last commit Aug 2024, last release Sep 2022, binary Apr 2022.

Cite this pageRepoQuarry. “Real-ESRGAN.” Checked 16 Oct 2026. https://repoquarry.dev/projects/real-esrgan

How much of Topaz Gigapixel does it replace?

4 of 6 jobs. Command-line 4x upscaling of files or folders, anime models, and optional GFPGAN face enhancement; no GUI.

Photo upscaling up to 16x Partial replacement

Face recovery on blurry or low-res faces Partial replacement

Recover and redefine low-quality or compressed images Not covered

Upscaling art Partial replacement

Batch upscaling of many images Partial replacement

Photoshop and Lightroom plugin Not covered

For recover and redefine low-quality or compressed images, Photoshop and Lightroom plugin, see other Topaz Gigapixel alternatives. You may also need to build an interface, an API server and hosting yourself.

Facts, with sources

Every answer links to where we found it. We read the documentation; we did not install it.

Report a correction

QuestionAnswerSourceChecked

Runs on my machine? Yes, portable executable or Python script This executable file is portable and includes all the binaries and models required. No CUDA or PyTorch environment is needed. github.com · Real-ESRGAN#portable-executable-files-ncnn ↗ today

Code licence BSD-3-Clause github.com · LICENSE ↗ today

Model weights licence Weights ship in the repo's releases; no separate licence stated, so the BSD-3-Clause repo licence applies github.com · LICENSE ↗ today

Commercial use Yes, BSD-3-Clause; the optional --face_enhance step uses GFPGAN, which includes non-commercial parts --face_enhance Whether to use GFPGAN to enhance face. Default: False github.com · Real-ESRGAN#python-script ↗ today

Paid services needed? None required github.com · Real-ESRGAN#readme ↗ today

Hardware Portable build runs on Intel, AMD or Nvidia GPUs via Vulkan; tile option reduces GPU memory executable files for Intel/AMD/Nvidia GPU github.com · Real-ESRGAN#portable-executable-files-ncnn ↗ today

Operating systems Windows, Linux, macOS portable builds You can download Windows / Linux / MacOS executable files for Intel/AMD/Nvidia GPU. github.com · Real-ESRGAN#portable-executable-files-ncnn ↗ today

Setup effort Easy, unzip portable binary and run from the command line; Python route needs PyTorch ./realesrgan-ncnn-vulkan.exe -i input.jpg -o output.png -n model_name github.com · Real-ESRGAN#portable-executable-files-ncnn ↗ today