Upscaler reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 187 Reddit reviews across 29 subreddits and 59 posts to rank the best Upscaler brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/StableDiffusion, r/n64, r/midjourney, r/SegaSaturn, r/visualnovels. Top-rated brands include RetroTink (4.5/5), Retrotink (4.3/5), Supir (4.4/5).
Stats
Reviews187
Subreddits29
Posts59
Brands84
Products35
187 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
RetroTink
4.5
(13)
"Money no object, get a quality component cable, and a Retrotink 4k. It looks spectacular."
"The Retrotink 4K is your best choice."
"Get an S video Cable from insurrection industries and get a retrotink 4k. Those combined are the best off the shelf solution."
"Best is the RetroTink 4k. I personally have the RT 5x Pro, as I don't need a 4k resolution."
"RetroTINK-5X for a better but more expensive option."
"Honestly, if you have OCD about the image get the RetroTink 2x or 2x Pro."
"The 2x-pro is a decent choice, but if you want visual quality similar to what an emulator could give you, I would go with the 5x or 4k CE."
"I honestly recommend the base model, the 2X Pro. Set the RT2X to pass through, and you have a decent plug and play picture!"
"Without modification, retrotink 4k with an svideo cable. Either OEM or insurrection industries."
"Retrotink. I use the 5x which is good for my 32in IPS monitor. You probably want the 4k."
#2
Retrotink
4.3
(12)
"RetroTink is the way to go in my experience."
"If you want the best and fanciest, retrotink."
"The only upscaler worth the money is a Retrotink. Everything else is junk."
"If you want a quality product that you know will work get a RetroTINK."
"You can use something like a RetroTINK-5X/4K, which will give you more scaling and filtering options."
"Retrotink"
"A retrotink plus this works pretty well."
"Just save some money or sell silent hill 2 and get a retrotink."
"The cheapest options RetroTink sells are about 60$."
"Technically speaking you’d be hard pressed to ‘get it right” in terms of look for an HDTV outside of things like retrotink and other similar scalers."
#3
Supir
4.4
(10)
"SUPIR is the best (at least for photorealistic) as it uses SDXL to add detail."
"SUPIR is great"
"For really small low quality pictures Supir is unbeatable (with lowest settings for creativity)."
"The best upscaler I've used in comfy is SUPIR."
"Ive pretty much solely used SUPIR since it's come out."
"SUPIR with any checkpoint of anime."
"SUPIR would probably do the job, it is currently the best AI upscaler."
"You can probably use either SUPIR or Flux CN upscale"
"Supir from the sdxl generation or flux with the tile ttplanet nodes"
"Have a negative recommendation - I've tried a couple including SUPIR in the upscaling workflow, and the LoRa picked up a strong bias for producing 'SUPIR skin'."
#4
Topaz Labs
4.7
(9)
"Other than that, I think the state of the art is Topaz Labs and Magnific, but that's not free."
"But it definitely is the best upscaler."
"I have to agree, whatever model Topaz is using is the standard to beat."
"I use topaz. Its really good"
"The best upscaler is topaz."
"Topaz Gigapixel is the best for accurate upscaling."
"Topaz Labs Gigapixel"
"I used Gigapixel with great success about a year ago."
"Not free but very good."
#5
Topaz
4.4
(9)
"I use Topaz and it is amazing."
"[Topaz Video AI](https://www.topazlabs.com/topaz-video-ai/ref/985/), for sure."
"I trialed Gigapixel AI and Photo AI from Topaz and Gigapixel does a better job of retaining these qualities."
"Topaz Gigapixel AI has a lot of settings that let you control that kind of thing."
"BEST (IMO) would be Topaz Gigapixel AI. But it's not free ;)"
"I've heard good things about Topaz, but then saw some things saying the built-in upscaler in Photoshop does a comparable job."
"My recommendation would be [Topaz Photo AI](https://www.topazlabs.com/topaz-photo-ai) it's not cheap but it's extremely good."
"Topaz is the best shot at improving it."
"Topaz has a free trial so you can give it a shot to see if it's worth it."
#6
Upscayl
4.3
(9)
"Been using Upscayl for quite some time now and I love it!"
"This is not fot A1111 but I'm loving to use Upscayl."
"Give Upscayl a try. It's free and it is awesome!"
"Upscayl. Free and open source for Windows."
"Upscayl is pretty good"
"I still like upscayl but im basic lol"
"Upscayl works pretty nice and is open source."
"I like Upscayl."
"Https://www.upscayl.org/"
#7
RetroTINK
5.0
(5)
"The best upscaler currently on the market is the RetroTINK 4K Pro, then the 4K CE, then the 5x Pro with the PixelFX Morph tied for 3rd maybe"
"I'm using the Retrotink 5X Pro and it's very good"
"As others have said the best upscaler is the RetroTINK 4k Pro with the 4K CE coming in second and the 5x Pro coming in third."
"5x pro is great love it for my n64, og xbox, and ps2. I have 1440p monitors and its perfect."
"Best possible method for a modern display would be getting the Retro GEM HDMI mod for your N64, setting the GEM to output either 240p or 720p over HDMI ... and have that signal going into a RetroTINK-4K Pro"
#8
Rad2x
4.0
(6)
"I can't say enough good things bout the Rad2X. Really solid and looks great."
"I'd recommend the RAD2X, but if you have more consoles... getting the Retrotink 2X mini... or Retrotink 2X pro is more beneficial."
"If you want one that's just for saturn I recommend a rad2x from retro gaming cables."
"You'd probably do best with a Rad2x cable."
"Rad2x. if you want something a little more robust, retrotink2x pro."
"There are no good options under $30. RAD2X is the cheapest okay option at about $50."
#9
Magpie
4.6
(5)
"Before finding out Magpie I used my old monitor with 1280x1024 res. It was nice but incomparable to Magpie."
"Magpie+Anime4k is a game-changer holy crap. No longer do I have to settle for blurry CGs."
"Ever since i started using Magpie, I've enjoyed VN's much more"
"I tend to use Magpie with Anime4K Denoise + FSR."
"I use upscaler (Magpie, Anime4k is pretty good)."
#10
Ultimate SD
5.0
(4)
"Ultimate SD upscaler with tiled controlnet works best for me."
"Ultimate SD Upscale with NMKD_siax 200k upscale model."
"Ultimate sd upscaler. Can go up to 4x with no artifacts."
"Ultimate SD [tiled] Upscale script with a good finetuned model is better than any AI upscale I have found."
#11
Lossless Scaling
4.8
(4)
"Try Lossless Scaling"
"It works great and has different scaling algorithms and options."
"I use Lossless Scaling with Anime4K. There's no reason to not use an upscaler if you are already playing fullscreen."
"Lossless scaling is a $7 option, I use it sometimes since I already bought it for other games"
#12
mClassic
3.6
(5)
"Here's an example of mClassic in action:"
"I personally love mine, I use in conjunction with the pixelfx N64digital."
"I love mClassic, but definitely don't get it for the N64. I'd go with a good upscaler/line-doubler and RGB cable."
"Absolutely essential for the Switch in my opinion as a PC gamer."
"The Mclassic does next to nothing. Get HDMI mod, or a Retrotink, or literally anything else..."
#13
Retrotink 5x
4.7
(3)
"Get a true upscaler like a Retrotink 5x. Thats the sweet spot for value for money."
"Watch My Life in Gaming’s video on the Retrotink 5X."
"I went the retro tink 5x route with a RGB mod."
#14
Retrotink 2x
4.3
(3)
"Get a Retrotink 2x as others have said."
"I'd look at the retrotink 2x, retrotink 5x, or the retro gem instead if I were you."
"For the money, a Retrotink 2X or RAD2X is better."
#15
Magnific
4.3
(3)
"I know people don't want to hear or admit it, but Magnific is the best upscaler for a while now, although it's pretty expensive."
"Magnific or Flux Enhancer"
"I like Magnific"
#16
Analogue
4.3
(3)
"Or you could cop one of the new Analogue 3D console, no soldering, no adapters just straight up 4k."
"Analogue 3D."
"If you want to keep it simple, once more stock is available, grab an Analogue 3D"
#17
R-ESRGAN
4.0
(3)
"R-ESRGAN 4x+"
"I like to use 2 of them together: Upscaler 1: 4x_NMKD-Siax_200k, Upscaler 2: R-ESRGAN 4x+ Anime6B."
"If you're using Automatic1111 you can try using 2 different upscalers."
#18
Ultimate SD Upscale
5.0
(2)
"UltimateSDupscale is pretty sick"
"2X upscale with UltimateSD Upscale."
#19
GBS-C
5.0
(2)
"The cheapest of which is the GBS-C which you can get from aliexpress for around 70-80$"
"A GBS-C outputting 1080p is the best budget option for the PS2 IMO."
#20
Ultrasharp
5.0
(2)
"Ultrasharp works on everything 1.5 and SDXL and I see little reason to ever switch to a different one."
"For textures, I personally use UltraSharp I haven't found a better upscaler yet."
#21
Nomos
5.0
(2)
"The best upscale models for photos are Nomos8k_atd_jpg and FaceUp(Sharp) (for portraits)."
"My fav rn: https://openmodeldb.info/models/4x-Nomos8kDAT."
#22
OSSC
4.5
(2)
"Finally I broke down and got the OSSC, and I love it."
"The OSSC handles 24 kHz just fine."
#23
LDSR
4.5
(2)
"LDSR still king."
"Generally LDSR is best quality but it's extremely slow."
#24
Puredark
4.5
(2)
"I'd just pay the 5 bucks for the enb compatible dlss from puredark."
"I'd say its worth it to do a one off purchase on patreon and get ALL the upscalers/framegen mods off of Puredark."
#25
FSR
4.0
(2)
"I use the built in FSR upscaling which typically looks really good."
"Try FSR, works on any type of video."
#26
Eon Super 64
4.0
(2)
"I own the Super 64 and the mClassic."
"I have this, works well together with the eon super64."
#27
ESRGAN
4.0
(2)
"ESRGAN, 4xUltrasharp, FoolHardy Remacri, SUPIR, NMKD, NOMOS..."
"Are good upscale models for my purposes."
#28
GBS Control
4.0
(2)
"GBS Control, aka GBS-C. It'll handle RGBs, component, and VGA input."
"The cheapest option that even comes close to that is the GBS-Control but only if you build it yourself."
#29
RetroScaler 2x
4.0
(2)
"The retroscaler2x (retrotink clone) is a pretty good cheap alternative."
"The RetroScaler 2x is basically a clone of the RetroTINK 2X."
#30
Kaico
4.0
(2)
"I have heard good things about this one, but instead I went with Kaico Linedoubler."
"A kaico passthrough or line doubler is very much like the EON super 64 adapter."
#31
PureDark
2.5
(2)
"There's a version on PureDark's Patreon that supports ENB."
"Don't use PureDarks Upscaler. Use the other modders, he updates his constantly."
#32
RT4K
5.0
(1)
"Rt4k is the current defacto."
#33
Steam
5.0
(1)
"Use lossless scaling on steam. It’s a game changer"
#34
McBoaty Node Set
5.0
(1)
"McBoaty Node Set (Upscaler, Prompter, Refiner)"
#35
Ivory Tower Collections
5.0
(1)
"I would say that's a pretty good product and worth the price."
#36
Shutter Encoder
5.0
(1)
"You can give a try to Shutter Encoder which is free without any limitations."
#37
Retrorgb
5.0
(1)
"I would recommend Retrorgb youtube channel, he has several videos explaining upscalers."
#38
Krea
5.0
(1)
"This is the one I use. And its free."
#39
NVIDIA Shield Pro
5.0
(1)
"Drop cable, go with YTTV and get an NVDIA Shield Pro."
#40
Shaker AI
5.0
(1)
"The image upscaler feature is fantastic, and it's free now."
#41
UpscaleVideo.ai
5.0
(1)
"It runs on Windows and Mac, costs less than Topaz (~5x), handles de-noising, de-blurring, 10-bit video, and outputs up to 16K resolution."
#42
4x Ultrasharp
5.0
(1)
"The good old 4x Ultrasharp, still do wonder."
#43
Juggernaut
5.0
(1)
"Juggernaut XI works great for me"
#44
8x NMKD-Superscale
5.0
(1)
"Works great for me."
#45
EEON
5.0
(1)
"I rock this with the EEON Super 64 and am really happy with the results."
#46
RT5x
5.0
(1)
"Get an RT5x, unless you're using composite, then upgrade to RGB."
#47
RetroTINK-2x Pro
5.0
(1)
"I recommend a retrotink-2x pro ($140) or 5x pro if your budget allows ($325)."
#48
Anime4K GAN
5.0
(1)
"I personally use Anime4kGAN (S) Restore Soft, its the best for a crisp image."
#49
TSR
4.0
(1)
"TSR felt to me like had a better image stability."
#50
Fatal Anime
4.0
(1)
"I like 4x fatal anime."
#51
AnimeSharp
4.0
(1)
"I like 4x animesharp( brighter) and fatalanime5g( darker) at 0,35 denoise."
#52
FreeU
4.0
(1)
"FreeU v2 is enough."
#53
Scunet
4.0
(1)
"I like scunet, its fast and does a good enough job."
#54
Topaz Video Enhance AI
4.0
(1)
"Topaz totally depends on the footage and you may have to pick your battles - upscale vs denoise or do them as separate passes."
#55
Image Upscaler
4.0
(1)
"Img Upscaler lets you upscale up to 20 images/month free of charge."
#56
Aiarty
4.0
(1)
"Take a look at Aiarty, it's designed to upscale images generated with AI."
#57
mpv Upscale 2x AnimeJanai
4.0
(1)
"Check this one mpv-upscale-2x_animejanai I'm using it for cartoons."
#58
Nero AI Video Upscaler
4.0
(1)
"Nero AI Video Upscaler?"
#59
Proteus
4.0
(1)
"Try output res - 2160p"
#60
SSim Super Resolution
4.0
(1)
"I find SSimSuperRes decent enough for upscaling live action and even animation."
#61
SUNNATCH
4.0
(1)
"The simplest and most cost-effective solution is an RCA/Composite + S-Video upscaler from Amazon."
#62
Real ESRGAN
4.0
(1)
"Maybe try looking into mobile deployment like tflite."
#63
nmkd 4x SIAx 200k
4.0
(1)
"I used the nmkd ones, especially 4x_siax_200k, they give nice texture."
#64
AliExpress
4.0
(1)
"I bought this one : https://a.aliexpress.com/_mOKw9lu"
#65
Grass Valley
4.0
(1)
"We use the Grass Valley ADVC G2 for upscaling VHS DVD, Beta, miniDV etc."
#66
4x FFHQDAT
4.0
(1)
"I've had some surprisingly good results with 4xFFHQDAT."
#67
SD3
4.0
(1)
"I think a diffusion upscale would work best and slightly enhance and clarify details."
#68
4x Nomos8k
4.0
(1)
"I'd recommend the 4xNomos8k_atd_jpg for realistic images."
#69
Waifu2X
4.0
(1)
"Use Waifu2X. It's specialized for that."
#70
4x R-ESRGAN Anime 6B
4.0
(1)
"4xR-ESRGAN-Anime-6B works well for most things, and 4x-UltraSharp tends to work well with a variety of styles too."
#71
Hyperkin
4.0
(1)
"Hyperkin adaptor works for me."
#72
Carby
4.0
(1)
"Carby + Retrotink"
#73
Community Shaders + ReShade
4.0
(1)
"I've been playing around with the viability of Community Shaders + ReShade."
#74
Retrotink 2X Mini
4.0
(1)
"I use the 2x mini, which hasn’t been in stock for awhile, but that has been such a huge upgrade over composite."
#75
mcable
4.0
(1)
"If you pair this with a good hdmi like an mcable or proper 4k hdmi highspeed you can and/or grab those sharpening ones upscalers."
#76
Siax
4.0
(1)
"Irl: Siax. Anime: 5000g. Go-to-it-just-works: foolhardy."
#77
Remacri
4.0
(1)
"Give Remacri a try, too."
#78
Retrotink 2x Pro
4.0
(1)
"I use svideo into a retrotink 2x pro into an mClassic and find it looks great."
#79
Nero
4.0
(1)
"I knoe Nero Image Upscaler is free and easy to use."
#80
DaVinci Resolve Studio
4.0
(1)
"DaVinci Resolve Studio has an upscale, not sure how it compares to any of the others."
#81
PD
4.0
(1)
"I have the same spec machine and I use PD’s (paid) upscaler for ENB."
#82
Anime4K
4.0
(1)
"Anime4k or CuNNy-16x16c-NVL-DN for me."
#83
LG
3.0
(1)
"LG is next best but I wouldn't touch a non-OLED LG."
#84
Mayflash HDMI Adapter
3.0
(1)
"The cheapest decent option I've found is the Mayflash HDMI adapter, but it isn't an upscaler."
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