GFPGAN develops algorithms for restoring real-world faces in images, with its repository focused on practical face-restoration research.
The Best Real-ESRGAN Alternatives in 2026
Looking for something like Real-ESRGAN? Here are 24 alternatives, ranked by how closely they match it on purpose, features and platforms. Of these, 1 are free or have a free plan and 18 are open source.
Real-ESRGAN develops algorithms for general image and video restoration.
Top picks at a glance
Quick comparison
| # | Alternative | Pricing | Open source | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Face Restoration | — | Yes | — |
| 2 | Waifu2x | — | Yes | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 3 | QualityScaler | — | Yes | Windows |
| 4 | Tiler | — | Yes | — |
| 5 | AI Generation | — | Yes | — |
| 6 | Final2x | — | Yes | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| 7 | Pixel Art Fixer | — | Yes | — |
| 8 | Rembg | — | Yes | — |
| 9 | Photoshop UI | — | Yes | — |
| 10 | Csprite | — | Yes | Linux, Windows |
All Real-ESRGAN alternatives
This repository includes waifu2x and tools for converting 2D video into stereo 3D video.
QualityScaler upscales images and videos with AI, with project documentation covering features and usage.
Tiler assembles a composite image from a collection of smaller images used as tiles.
This Krita plugin adds image generation, inpainting, and outpainting to painting and editing workflows, with optional text prompts.
Final2x provides image super-resolution on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with options to use built-in or custom models.
Pixel Art Fixer converts images into grid-aligned pixel art using image processing without requiring a model.
Rembg is a tool to remove images background.
PhotoGIMP adjusts the GIMP 3 layout for people familiar with Photoshop.
Csprite provides a pixel-art editor for Linux and Windows, with repository details covering sprite editing and drawing.
Create digital art from scratch with Krita, a free, open-source application available across platforms.
PyDPainter is a pixel art painting program written in Python, inspired by classic Deluxe Paint software.
GIMP Plugin
github.com/manu12121999/RemoveBG-GIMPRemoveBG-GIMP is a plugin for removing image backgrounds through remove.bg, with separate files for GIMP 2.10 and GIMP 3.
Stable Diffusion WebUI
github.com/continue-revolution/sd-webui-segmen…This extension adds Segment Anything support to Stable Diffusion WebUI.
GLORP converts raster pixel art into optimized SVG files while preserving clean edges and colors, according to its project page.
Minimator
github.com/maxwellito/minimatorMinimator provides a minimalist drawing editor with horizontal and vertical lines and quarter-circle shapes.
PyDPainter
pydpainter.orgDraw and edit pixel art with PyDPainter, a Python-based graphics program.
GLORP
zack-gphom.itch.io/glorp-pixel-to-svgGLORP converts raster pixel art into optimized SVG vector files, with a desktop app and a web version listed on its project page.
The GIMP Resynthesizer suite adds texture synthesis plugins to the GIMP image editor.
Upscayl offers free, open-source AI image upscaling software for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
LazPaint offers a cross-platform image editor with raster and vector layers, built with Lazarus and Free Pascal.
Palettum recolors images, GIFs, and videos with a custom palette using either a web app or command-line tool.
mini-img-editor is a WebGL photo editor with effects, filters, and cropping tools.
Magic Copy is a Chrome extension that extracts a foreground object from an image and copies it to the clipboard using Meta’s segmentation model.
Alternatives to similar tools
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Alternatives are suggested from the purpose and features described in our listings. Different pages for the same product appear once. Read each description to check whether it fits your task. How we choose alternatives · Suggest an alternative
























