M
MStable Diffusion vs Upscayl
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
S
Choose Stable Diffusion if…
- you need an API to build on
- you work on Self-hosted
- you're in its core audience: developers, researchers
U
Choose Upscayl if…
- you want open source you can self-host or audit
- you work on Windows, macOS, Linux
- you're in its core audience: photographers, graphic designers
Side by side
Feature Stable Diffusion Upscayl
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price—$24.99/mo
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
Cost per generated image—$0.083
Trains AI on your contentYes, unless you opt outNo
Data retentionKept as long as reasonably necessary, including while account is activeInputs up to 1 day; generated outputs 180 days or until deleted
PlatformsWeb, API, Self-hostedWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux
CategoryImage GeneratorsUpscalers & Enhancers
CompanyStability AI LtdUpscayl. AI Corp
Based inUnited Kingdom—
Founded——
Part of——
Key features
S Stable Diffusion
- Text-to-image with the Stable Diffusion 3.5 suite
- SD 3.5 Flash and Turbo variants for faster, cheaper generation
- SDXL 1.0 available from 0.9 credits per image
- Platform API with credit-based billing
- Self-hosted deployment under a license
- Custom model training on the Enterprise plan
U Upscayl
- AI image upscaling up to 16x
- Multiple selectable upscaling models
- Batch upscaling of many images
- Double upscaling for extra enlargement
- AI face enhancement and detail recovery
- Color accuracy preservation for printing
- Text-to-image generation in several styles
- Cloud processing up to 256MP or 512MP
Plans and prices
From each vendor's site. Prices change — confirm before buying.
Stable Diffusion
Community LicenseFree
API credits$0.01 per credit
Enterprise LicenseCustom
Upscayl
DesktopFree
Cloud Free Trial$0
Pro$24.99
BusinessNot listed
CustomCustom
Strengths and limitations
Stable Diffusion
- Free Community License for organizations under $1M annual revenue
- 25 free API credits for new accounts
- Choice of model sizes at different per-image costs
- Organizations above $1M annual revenue need a custom-priced Enterprise License
- API is pay-per-credit, with no flat monthly plan listed
Upscayl
- Desktop app is free and open source
- Runs on Linux, macOS and Windows
- Cloud credits roll over on Pro
- Free trial with 10 cloud credits
- Cloud usage is credit-based
- Credits are lost and history is deleted after cancelling
- Business and annual prices not listed on pricing page
- No API mentioned
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Built from each vendor's public website; we haven't tested them hands-on. Editorial policy