Comparison · facts checked 6 November 2026

PixelUp vs Fotor

Fotor is a full online editor with an AI enhancer inside it. PixelUp does one thing. That difference shows in how each is priced and what the free tier actually lets you download.

Try PixelUp free Fotor AI Photo Enhancer

Side by side

Each row quotes what the two services publish about themselves. Where Fotor does not publish a figure, we say so instead of guessing.

	PixelUp	Fotor
Free use	PixelUp12 free credits on sign-up, enough for two full runs with the HD download included. Sign-in is an email code, no password.	FotorA free Basic plan with limited credits, ads, one generation at a time and normal-quality export. The pricing table marks Basic as not watermark-free, while the enhancer page says downloads have no watermark; the two pages disagree.
How you pay	PixelUpPay per run or subscribe. Credit packs from $9.99 for 400 credits (about 66 runs at 1K). Weekly $4.99, monthly $12.99, yearly $49.99. One run is 6 credits at 1K, 10 at 2K, 16 at 4K.	FotorSubscriptions: Pro $8.99 a month or $39.99 a year with 100 credits a month; Pro+ $19.99 a month; Max $39.99 a month. Credit packs are also sold.
Limits on paid plans	PixelUpNo daily cap; credits are spent per run.	FotorPro has a cap of 200 uses per AI feature per day, after which extra uses cost 1 credit each. Pro+ is described as unlimited.
Download resolution	PixelUpUp to 4K on the long edge (about 4096 pixels), as JPG or PNG, with no watermark on any download.	FotorUpscaler offers 2x free and 4x on paid plans. Marketing says "up to 4K or 8K" on one page and "HD or 4K" on another; no pixel cap is published.
Tools on the web	PixelUpEnhance, unblur, upscale, old-photo restore, colorize, face enhance, background removal and object erase, all on the web.	FotorEnhancer, unblur, sharpen, upscaler, photo restoration, colorize, retouch, background remover, object, person, watermark and text removal, plus a full design editor.
Preview before paying	PixelUpFull-size before/after preview after every run; you only pay credits per run, never a subscription to see the result.	FotorYes, a before/after slider in the editor before you apply and download.
Batch	PixelUpOne photo per run.	FotorBatch enhancer for up to 50 images on paid plans.
Ads	PixelUpNone.	FotorShown on the free Basic plan.

Fotor details are from its public pricing and help pages on 6 November 2026 and can change; check its site for current terms. PixelUp details are from our own pricing. Neither company sponsors this page.

Choose Fotor if

You want a full editor with templates, text and design tools around the enhancer.
You process many photos a day and a 200-a-day cap is fine.
You need batch processing of dozens of images at once.

Choose PixelUp if

You want to fix a few photos without a subscription or ads.
You want 4K and PNG on the cheapest option, with no watermark question.
You want the 15-second single-purpose flow rather than an editor.

Our verdict

Fotor is the better pick if you also need design and layout tools. If you only need photos fixed, PixelUp is simpler, has no ads, no daily caps, and lets you buy exactly the runs you use.

Questions people ask

Is Fotor's enhancer really free?

There is a free Basic plan with limited credits and ads. Whether a free download carries a watermark is stated differently on Fotor's enhancer page and its pricing table as of 6 November 2026, so test it before relying on it. PixelUp's free credits produce a normal HD download with no watermark.

What is cheaper for ten photos a month?

PixelUp: ten runs at 1K are 60 credits, which the $9.99 pack covers six times over, or one $4.99 week. Fotor: the $8.99 Pro month, or the $39.99 year.

Does Fotor limit paid users?

Fotor's help centre states a 200-uses-per-day cap per AI feature on Pro, with extra uses charged in credits. PixelUp has no daily cap; each run spends its credits.

Can I do batch jobs on PixelUp?

Not yet on the web. One photo per run, about 15 seconds each.

See the difference on your own photo

Two free runs, no card

Try PixelUp free