# Upscayl

> Upscayl is an Electron desktop app that enlarges images with Real-ESRGAN-style models (Standard, Lite, High Fidelity, Remacri, UltraSharp, Digital Art) and supports batch folders and custom models. It needs a Vulkan GPU; most integrated GPUs and CPUs will not work. The app is AGPL-3.0, but two bundled models (UltraSharp, Remacri) are CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0. It cannot fix out-of-focus or heavily blurred photos and has no dedicated face-recovery model. Last app release v2.15.0 (Dec 2024); commits continue.

- Repository: https://github.com/upscayl/upscayl
- Official docs: https://docs.upscayl.org/
- Checked: 2026-10-16

## What it replaces
- Topaz Gigapixel: Photo upscaling up to 16x, Upscaling art, Batch upscaling of many images (partial). Upscaling and batch folders with a Digital Art model; no face recovery, generative models or Photoshop/Lightroom plugin.

## Facts, with sources

| Question | Status | Answer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on my machine? | Confirmed | Yes, desktop app runs on your GPU | https://github.com/upscayl/upscayl#-faq | 2026-10-16 |
| Code licence | Partial | AGPL-3.0 (copyleft) | https://github.com/upscayl/upscayl/blob/main/LICENSE | 2026-10-16 |
| Model weights licence | Partial | Mixed; bundled UltraSharp and Remacri are CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0, High Fidelity (HFA2k) is CC-BY-4.0 | https://openmodeldb.info/models/4x-UltraSharp | 2026-10-16 |
| Commercial use | Partial | AGPL app; avoid the non-commercial UltraSharp and Remacri models for commercial work | https://openmodeldb.info/models/4x-Remacri | 2026-10-16 |
| Paid services needed? | Confirmed | None required; a separate hosted Upscayl Cloud exists | https://upscayl.org/ | 2026-10-16 |
| Hardware | Confirmed | Vulkan-compatible GPU required; most integrated GPUs and CPUs do not work | https://github.com/upscayl/upscayl#-installation | 2026-10-16 |
| Operating systems | Confirmed | Windows 10+, macOS 12+, Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, Snap, DEB, RPM) | https://github.com/upscayl/upscayl#-installation | 2026-10-16 |
| Setup effort | Confirmed | Easy, installer or portable download; Homebrew cask on macOS | https://github.com/upscayl/upscayl#-windows | 2026-10-16 |

GitHub: 50628 stars, 2599 forks, last push 2026-10-05, archived: no.
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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/projects/upscayl). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.