Agenticum · Thoughts · 5 min read

Free AI Image Enhancers in 2026: What 'Free' Really Includes for UAE and Saudi Users

Three tools give you a free way to start enlarging a photo in 2026, and each one means something different by 'free'. Let's Enhance offers 10 free credits, with watermarked results; Upscayl Desktop requires a compatible graphics card; Microsoft Photos Super resolution requires a Copilot+ PC. Below, we compare the free options and explain which processing details are confirmed and which you should check.

Nikolay Zuykov · Agenticum · 30 October 2026

What a free AI image enhancer can and cannot fix

These tools offer image upscaling. Upscayl says it can improve low-resolution and pixelated images, but cannot remove blur or adjust focus. Microsoft says the model behind its Super resolution feature is not generative. It does not create new content. It fills in missing detail and improves the clarity of the image you give it.

What Upscayl can't fix: a blurred photo or one with the wrong focus.

Three tools, three meanings of 'free'

The table compares Let's Enhance, an open-source desktop app (Upscayl) and a feature of the Photos app on Windows (Microsoft Photos Super resolution). It sums up what each free option includes and its main limits.

Tool	What the free option includes	Main limits
Let's Enhance (free tier)	10 credits when you sign up, no card needed. 1 credit processes 1 image. Accepts input up to 24 MP or 50 MB	Output capped at 8 MP. Results carry a watermark until you buy a subscription or a pay-as-you-go bundle
Upscayl Desktop	A free, open-source app for Windows, macOS and Linux. Download it once and keep using it for free	Needs a Vulkan-compatible graphics card and will not work with most integrated graphics or CPUs. Cannot de-blur or adjust focus
Microsoft Photos Super resolution	A feature of the Photos app, which is a free download from the Microsoft Store. Enhancement levels of 1x, 2x, 4x or 8x	Copilot+ PCs only (Snapdragon, AMD or Intel). Still images only, not video. Asks you to download a model package first

The fine print behind 'free'

Let's Enhance

New users get 10 free credits when they sign up, and at 1 credit per image that is 10 images. The free tier accepts input files up to 24 MP or 50 MB, but the result is capped at 8 MP. Paid personal plans raise that cap to 256 MP. Images made with free credits carry a watermark. Let's Enhance says that buying a subscription or a pay-as-you-go bundle removes the watermark, including from images you already enhanced with free credits.

Upscayl Desktop

Upscayl is a free, open-source upscaler for Windows, macOS and Linux. It is built on Real-ESRGAN and Vulkan, and its backend is released under the AGPLv3 licence. You download it once and it stays free. The catch is hardware. Upscayl's FAQ says it needs a Vulkan-compatible graphics card and will not work with most integrated graphics or CPUs. Upscayl also sells a separate cloud service called Upscayl Cloud. Its free trial gives 10 credits, and to get it you log in and fill out a trial application.

Microsoft Photos Super resolution

Microsoft first previewed Super resolution in October 2024. It can enlarge an image up to 8x its original size using the PC's NPU. The feature works only on Copilot+ PCs and is now available on Snapdragon, AMD and Intel models. The first time you use it, Photos asks you to download a model package. It works on still images only, not video. If your PC is not a Copilot+ PC, this option is not available to you.

Where your photo is processed, and why it matters under UAE data law

Before you send a sensitive image to Let's Enhance or Upscayl Cloud, ask the vendor where it processes and stores the images.

Upscayl Desktop needs a compatible graphics card in your own computer. Microsoft's support page says the Super resolution model runs locally on your device and your data is not sent to any external services or servers.

This matters because of what the photos show. In the UAE, the Personal Data Protection Law is Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021. It sets requirements for sending personal data across borders and sharing it for processing. A photo of an employee, a customer or an ID document, uploaded to a cloud enhancer abroad, may fall under those requirements. If your company operates in Saudi Arabia, ask your legal adviser which Saudi rules apply before you send such images outside the Kingdom.

This is general information, not legal advice.

When free stops being enough: paid tiers in USD, AED and SAR

If the 10 watermarked images you get on sign-up are not enough, Let's Enhance has three personal plans. The table shows monthly prices, with separate columns for annual and monthly billing.

Plan	Credits per month	Billed annually	Billed monthly
Starter	100	$9 / AED 33.05 / SAR 33.75	$12 / AED 44.07 / SAR 45.00
Pro	300	$24 / AED 88.14 / SAR 90.00	$32 / AED 117.52 / SAR 120.00
Max	500	$34 / AED 124.87 / SAR 127.50	$45 / AED 165.26 / SAR 168.75

Upscayl Cloud Pro is listed at $24.99 for 300 credits a month (AED 91.78; SAR 93.71). The pricing page offers monthly and annual billing, but we could not confirm which option the listed $24.99 price applies to. Check the selected billing option before paying. For that reason we have left it out of the table above.

We converted the prices at the official pegs: 3.6725 AED per US dollar, as listed by the Central Bank of the UAE, and 3.75 SAR per US dollar, the rate the Saudi Central Bank maintains.

How to choose in four steps

Do you have a Copilot+ PC? If yes, try Super resolution in Microsoft Photos. Photos is a free download from the Microsoft Store, Microsoft says the model runs locally, and it enlarges images up to 8x.
If not, does your computer have a Vulkan-compatible graphics card? If yes, try Upscayl Desktop. It is free to keep using and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
If not, do you only need a few images and can you accept a watermark and an 8 MP output limit? If yes, use the 10 free Let's Enhance credits you get on sign-up. If you need more or larger images without a watermark, look at the paid plans above.
Do the images show people, ID documents or anything confidential? If yes, check where they will be processed before you choose. Microsoft says Super resolution runs locally and does not send your data to external servers. For any other tool, ask the vendor first.