Model · Topaz Labs · Image-Enhance
Topaz Gigapixel
Industry-standard desktop application for photo upscaling and restoration. The default tool for archival work, photo restoration, and print-sized enlargements where fidelity to the original matters.
- Modality
- Image-Enhance
- License
- Proprietary (Proprietary)
- Released
- September 16, 2025
- Last verified
- September 8, 2026
- Runs locally
- Yes
What you need to run it
- Mac
- Yes. Any Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer) with at least 16 GB (24 GB recommended) of memory. Newer chips are faster, but memory is what decides whether it runs.
- Windows / Linux PC
- NVIDIA works best. A graphics card with at least 6 GB (8 GB recommended) of video memory.
- No graphics card
- Not practical. Too slow without a graphics card or Apple Silicon.
A paid desktop app for Mac and Windows. Basic upscaling runs on an 8 GB Apple Silicon Mac; the generative models need 16 GB and macOS 14+, and large upscales may need 24 GB.
Numbers are for: Topaz Gigapixel desktop app with its generative models (Topaz system requirements page). Based on the maker’s own figures; where the maker gives only a graphics-card figure, the Mac memory is our estimate.
Strengths
- Nine enhancement models covering photos, art, low-res and text — including Wonder 2 and 3, High Fidelity, Recover, Redefine and Face Recovery
- Runs locally as a native macOS / Windows app — no upload required
- Upscales up to 6x, with Lossless Zoom, Restore and Recover Faces modes
- Actively maintained — v1.3.2 (2026-06-17) and v1.3.3 (2026-07-27) added JXL support and Face Recovery v3
Weaknesses
- Subscription-only now: from $12/mo billed annually up to $54/mo — the perpetual licence is gone
- No API — desktop app only; not scriptable for batch pipelines without UI automation
- Slower than cloud-based upscalers on the same hardware
Try it
| Where | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Topaz Labs | product | Subscription; runs locally |
Official sources
- Product site vendor
- Release notes docs
Change log
- — Added hardware requirements (Mac support, memory, NVIDIA). Source: model card / docs (https://docs.topazlabs.com/gigapixel-ai/system-requirements (Topaz docs, legacy page for v8)).
- — Corrected on four counts. Renamed from 'Topaz Gigapixel AI' to 'Topaz Gigapixel' — Topaz dropped the 'AI' suffix. Release date moved from 2018-06-01 to 2025-09-16, the current product's date per the product page's schema markup; the 2018 date predated the current product entirely. Product URL updated from /gigapixel-ai to /gigapixel. Pricing corrected from a one-time licence to subscription-only. Version 1.3.3 shipped 2026-07-27.
- — Initial entry.
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