{
    "title": "Topaz Video AI Alternatives 2027: 11 Paid, Free & Open-Source",
    "url": "https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/topaz-video-ai/",
    "summary": "The best Topaz Video AI alternatives in 2027 are HitPaw Video Enhancer (VikPea) (best overall, $124.99/yr), TensorPix (best free plan) and QualityScaler (best open source, MIT). Topaz Video AI itself starts at $299/yr. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 13 Nov 2026; 8 more are compared below, including 3 with a free plan and 2 open source.",
    "tool": {
        "name": "Topaz Video AI",
        "starting_price": "$299/yr",
        "free_plan": "No",
        "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
        "pricing_url": "https://www.topazlabs.com/pricing"
    },
    "task": "AI video upscaler / enhancer",
    "prices_checked": "2026-11-13",
    "date_modified": "2026-11-13",
    "alternatives": [
        {
            "name": "HitPaw Video Enhancer (VikPea)",
            "type": "Free plan + paid",
            "starting_price": "$124.99/yr",
            "free_plan_limit": "Free licence previews only; exporting needs a paid plan or credits",
            "best_for": "Editors wanting 8K upscale with perpetual option",
            "difference": "VikPea upscales to 8K with 10+ models, adds Seedance 2.5, Kling and VEO 3 video generation, and sells a $437.99 perpetual licence; Topaz Video is subscription-only.",
            "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
            "pricing_url": "https://www.hitpaw.com/purchase/buy-hitpaw-vikpea.html",
            "website": "https://www.hitpaw.com/video-enhancer.html",
            "zekai_score": 6,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/hitpaw-video-enhancer/"
        },
        {
            "name": "UniFab",
            "type": "Free",
            "starting_price": "$129.99 one-time",
            "free_plan_limit": "30-day free trial, full access, no watermark",
            "best_for": "Lifetime-licence 4K to 16K upscaling",
            "difference": "UniFab upscales to 4K, 8K and 16K with four models (Equinox, Kairo, Vellum, Titanus) on a lifetime licence, plus a FabCloud version for PCs without an RTX GPU.",
            "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
            "pricing_url": "https://unifab.ai/video-upscaler-ai.htm",
            "website": "https://unifab.ai/video-upscaler-ai.htm",
            "zekai_score": 5.5,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/unifab/"
        },
        {
            "name": "TensorPix",
            "type": "Free plan + paid",
            "starting_price": "$5.5/mo billed yearly",
            "free_plan_limit": "Free forever: weekly login credits, 720p input, 1 GB storage, files deleted after 30 days",
            "best_for": "Browser video enhancing on a free tier",
            "difference": "TensorPix runs in the browser on cloud credits, accepts inputs up to 720p on the free plan and 4K on paid, and offers API access from Premium; Topaz renders locally without credits.",
            "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
            "pricing_url": "https://tensorpix.ai/pricing",
            "website": "https://tensorpix.ai",
            "zekai_score": 8.4,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/tensorpix/"
        },
        {
            "name": "VideoProc Converter AI",
            "type": "Free",
            "starting_price": "$89.95 one-time",
            "free_plan_limit": "Free trial download; trial limits not stated on store page",
            "best_for": "Upscaler plus converter in one licence",
            "difference": "VideoProc bundles Super Resolution, frame interpolation and stabilisation with a converter, compressor, downloader and screen recorder under one lifetime licence; Topaz Video only enhances.",
            "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
            "pricing_url": "https://www.videoproc.com/store.htm",
            "website": "https://www.videoproc.com/ai-video-enhancer/",
            "zekai_score": 7.6,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/videoproc-converter-ai/"
        },
        {
            "name": "AVCLabs Video Enhancer AI",
            "type": "Paid",
            "starting_price": "$39.95/mo",
            "free_plan_limit": "No free plan",
            "best_for": "Upscaling with object removal and colour fixes",
            "difference": "AVCLabs combines upscaling with object removal and colour enhancement and sells a separate $9.95-a-month cloud edition; Topaz Video cloud rendering draws on monthly credits.",
            "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
            "pricing_url": "https://www.avclabs.com/purchase.html",
            "website": "https://www.avclabs.com/video-enhancer-ai/",
            "zekai_score": 6.6,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/avclabs-video-enhancer-ai/"
        },
        {
            "name": "Aiarty Video Enhancer",
            "type": "Paid",
            "starting_price": "$99/yr",
            "free_plan_limit": "No free plan",
            "best_for": "Local upscaling with lifetime licence",
            "difference": "Aiarty raises video to 4K and up to 120 fps, adds HDR edits, and sells a lifetime licence with free updates on 3 PCs; Topaz stopped selling perpetual licences in September 2025.",
            "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
            "pricing_url": "https://www.aiarty.com/ai-video-enhancer/buy.htm",
            "website": "https://www.aiarty.com/ai-video-enhancer/",
            "zekai_score": 7.8,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/aiarty-video-enhancer/"
        },
        {
            "name": "DaVinci Resolve Studio",
            "type": "Free",
            "starting_price": "$236 one-time",
            "free_plan_limit": "Free version edits up to 60 fps; Super Scale is Studio-only",
            "best_for": "Editing suite with built-in Super Scale",
            "difference": "Resolve Studio includes Super Scale upscaling to 4K and 8K from HD inside a full editor, colour and audio suite for one payment; Topaz Video is an enhancement app that plugs into editors.",
            "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
            "pricing_url": "https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve",
            "website": "https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve",
            "zekai_score": 9.2,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/davinci-resolve/"
        },
        {
            "name": "Pixop",
            "type": "Paid",
            "starting_price": "Not checked",
            "free_plan_limit": "No free plan",
            "best_for": "Broadcast-scale managed video enhancement",
            "difference": "Pixop FILE is a managed SaaS with a REST API and Pixop Prime is a licensed pipeline with about 600 ms real-time latency, aimed at broadcasters; Topaz is a single-user desktop app.",
            "price_checked": "2026-11-13",
            "website": "https://www.pixop.com/",
            "zekai_score": 8,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/pixop/"
        },
        {
            "name": "QualityScaler",
            "type": "Open source",
            "starting_price": "Free (self-hosted)",
            "free_plan_limit": "No limit (self-hosted)",
            "licence": "MIT",
            "best_for": "Free offline Windows video upscaling",
            "difference": "QualityScaler is a Windows-only MIT-licensed app that upscales video and photos offline and auto-selects NVENC, AMF or QSV encoding; Topaz Video also runs on Mac.",
            "repository": "https://github.com/Djdefrag/QualityScaler",
            "zekai_open_source_page": "https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/qualityscaler/",
            "last_release": "2026-08-26",
            "zekai_score": 7.8,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/qualityscaler/"
        },
        {
            "name": "Video2X",
            "type": "Open source",
            "starting_price": "Free (self-hosted)",
            "free_plan_limit": "No limit (self-hosted)",
            "licence": "AGPL-3.0",
            "best_for": "Scriptable open-source video upscaling",
            "difference": "Video2X version 6.4.0 offers a Qt6 GUI with task queue plus command-line batch processing, and bundles RIFE frame-interpolation models; it is AGPL-3.0 where Topaz is closed source.",
            "repository": "https://github.com/k4yt3x/video2x",
            "zekai_open_source_page": "https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/video2x/",
            "last_release": "2025-01-24",
            "zekai_score": 6.9,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/video2x/"
        },
        {
            "name": "REAL Video Enhancer",
            "type": "Open source",
            "starting_price": "Free (self-hosted)",
            "free_plan_limit": "No limit (self-hosted)",
            "licence": "AGPL-3.0",
            "best_for": "Open-source upscale and interpolation GUI",
            "difference": "REAL Video Enhancer is an AGPL-3.0 desktop GUI for upscaling and frame interpolation with Flatpak packaging on Linux, and its macOS build is labelled very limited support.",
            "repository": "https://github.com/TNTwise/REAL-Video-Enhancer",
            "zekai_open_source_page": "https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/real-video-enhancer/",
            "last_release": "2026-01-02",
            "zekai_score": 7.5,
            "zekai_review": "https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/real-video-enhancer/"
        }
    ],
    "faq": [
        {
            "q": "What is the best alternative to Topaz Video AI in 2027?",
            "a": "HitPaw Video Enhancer (VikPea) is the best overall Topaz Video AI alternative on this page ($124.99/yr). For no cost, TensorPix has a free plan (Free forever: weekly login credits, 720p input, 1 GB storage, files deleted after 30 days). To self-host, QualityScaler is open source (MIT)."
        },
        {
            "q": "Is there a free version of Topaz Video AI?",
            "a": "No. Topaz Video AI has no free plan; paid plans start at $299/yr, checked on 13 Nov 2026."
        },
        {
            "q": "Is there a 100% free alternative to Topaz Video AI?",
            "a": "Yes. QualityScaler, Video2X, REAL Video Enhancer are open source and free to self-host. HitPaw Video Enhancer (VikPea), UniFab, TensorPix, VideoProc Converter AI, DaVinci Resolve Studio have a free plan with limits, shown in the table."
        },
        {
            "q": "What is cheaper than Topaz Video AI?",
            "a": "UniFab starts at $129.99 one-time, against $299/yr for Topaz Video AI, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 13 Nov 2026."
        },
        {
            "q": "How much do Topaz Video AI alternatives cost for a team of 5?",
            "a": "If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 13 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is TensorPix $27.50/mo, Aiarty Video Enhancer $41.25/mo, HitPaw Video Enhancer (VikPea) $52.10/mo, against Topaz Video AI $124.60/mo for Topaz Video AI. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size."
        },
        {
            "q": "Which is better, HitPaw Video Enhancer (VikPea) or Topaz Video AI?",
            "a": "VikPea upscales to 8K with 10+ models, adds Seedance 2.5, Kling and VEO 3 video generation, and sells a $437.99 perpetual licence; Topaz Video is subscription-only. Choose HitPaw Video Enhancer (VikPea) if you want a one-off perpetual licence plus colourisation and generative models, and accept credit-based exports. Stay with Topaz Video AI if your pipeline relies on Topaz plugins inside After Effects or DaVinci Resolve and unlimited local rendering of Starlight models."
        },
        {
            "q": "Why are people leaving Topaz Video AI?",
            "a": "The documented reasons are: Topaz CEO announced Topaz Studio on 17 September 2025 and stated that perpetual licences would no longer be available for its products, moving new buyers to subscriptions (17 Sep 2025); Topaz's pricing page says Personal licences cover personal use and commercial use for organisations under $1M annual revenue; larger organisations need Topaz Video Pro at $699 a year (13 Nov 2026). Each is sourced in the section above."
        }
    ],
    "publisher": "Zekai (zekaiwork.com) — independently reviewed; prices read on vendor pages on the dates shown.",
    "licence": "Free to quote with a link to https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/topaz-video-ai/. Bulk copying or republishing the dataset is not permitted."
}