kitio.aiCivitai vs Upscayl
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Civitai has the lower starting price: about $10 a month, against $25 for Upscayl.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Model and LoRA downloads
- On-site generator
- LoRA trainer
- Prompt and settings sharing
- Bounties
- Batch upscaling
- Multiple AI models
- Custom model import
- Offline processing
- Cross-platform
| Feature | Civitai | Upscayl |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Community hub for sharing and running open image models and LoRAs | Free open-source desktop app for AI image upscaling |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $10/mo | $24.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Civitai | Upscayl |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Civitai has the lower starting price: about $10 a month, against $25 for Upscayl.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Bronze
$10/mo
- 10,000 Buzz / month
- 3 private models
- 8 images per job
- Monetize 10 model versions / month
Silver
$25/mo
- 25,000 Buzz / month
- 10 private models
- 10 images per job
- Monetize 25 model versions / month
Gold
$50/mo
- 50,000 Buzz / month
- 100 private models
- 12 images per job
- 20% bonus Buzz on purchases
3 plans
Free Trial
Free
- 10 credits included
- Desktop app is free and open source
Pro
$24.99/mo
- 300 credits per month
- Unused credits roll over
- Upscale up to 256MP
- 6 months unlimited storage
Business
Custom
- Custom amount of credits
- Priority email and chat support
- Unlimited storage
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Civitai
- Largest library of open models
- Prompts shown with every image
- Free downloads
- Lots of mature content to filter
- Quality varies widely
- Buzz system is complex
Upscayl
- Free and unlimited locally
- Simple interface
- Works offline
- Needs a Vulkan-capable GPU
- Can invent details on faces
- No editing tools
Which one should you choose?
Choose Civitai if you want:
- Largest library of open models
- Prompts shown with every image
- Free downloads
Watch out: lots of mature content to filter.
Choose Upscayl if you want:
- Free and unlimited locally
- Simple interface
- Works offline
Watch out: needs a vulkan-capable gpu.
Civitai vs Upscayl FAQ
What is the difference between Civitai and Upscayl?
Civitai: Community hub for sharing and running open image models and LoRAs. Upscayl: Free open-source desktop app for AI image upscaling. Both are image tools.
Is Civitai or Upscayl cheaper?
Civitai has the lower starting price: about $10 a month, against $25 for Upscayl.
Do Civitai and Upscayl have free plans?
Civitai: Yes. Upscayl: Yes.
Who makes Civitai?
Civitai is made by Civitai, based in United States.
Who makes Upscayl?
Upscayl is made by Upscayl.
Which should I choose, Civitai or Upscayl?
Choose Civitai if you value largest library of open models and prompts shown with every image. Choose Upscayl if you value free and unlimited locally and simple interface.