The Topaz Alternative
Pay Per Video, Not Per Year
Topaz Labs retired perpetual licenses in October 2025 — staying current now means a subscription of roughly $199/yr. Imagera enhances video in your browser for a few credits per clip: exact cost shown before you enhance, credits that never expire, and automatic refunds when a job fails.
From 10 credits (~$0.31) per 5-second clip · No subscription required
What Changed in October 2025
Topaz built its name on buy-once licenses. That option is gone for new customers — and a wave of long-time users started looking for a way to pay only for what they actually enhance.
Perpetual licenses retired
In October 2025, Topaz Labs stopped selling one-time perpetual licenses. The buy-once-own-forever option that built its reputation is gone for new customers.
Credit packs you keep forever
Imagera credit packs are one-time purchases that never expire. Buy a pack today, enhance a clip next month or next year — your balance waits for you.
Around $199 a year to stay current
Staying on Topaz Video AI now means a recurring subscription of roughly $199/yr — the same bill whether you enhance one clip or one hundred.
Pay per video, not per year
With Imagera you pay credits per clip. Enhance three videos this year, pay for three videos. Skip a quiet month and it costs you nothing.
Trial exports carry a watermark
Topaz lets you test before subscribing, but trial exports are watermarked — you cannot actually use the result until you commit to the plan.
No watermarks, ever
Every video you enhance with Imagera downloads clean, in full quality, with commercial rights included. You pay a few credits for the clip — that is the whole deal.
The Cost Math, Upfront
Per-clip pricing in credits, by quality tier. The studio shows this exact number for your clip length before you commit — a ~$199/yr subscription costs the same whether you enhance one clip or one hundred.
1024p output
10 credits / 5 sec
Fast processing, good for previews and quick tests
30-second clip: 60 credits
1536p output
20 credits / 5 sec
Balanced quality and speed - perfect for most use cases
30-second clip: 120 credits
2048p output
40 credits / 5 sec
Maximum quality, best results for professional use
30-second clip: 240 credits
Credit packs start at $4.99 for 100 credits, never expire, and never auto-renew. If an enhancement fails, the credits come back to your balance automatically — you only pay for results. Full pack and plan options on the pricing page.
Before & After
Drag the slider — real enhancements from the same studio you would use. No watermark on the result you download.
AI Video Enhancement
See the dramatic quality improvement with AI restoration
Low Light Restoration
Brighten dark footage while preserving natural detail
How Pay-Per-Video Works
Four steps in the browser — the exact cost appears at step two, before anything is charged.
Upload your video
Drag a clip into the browser studio — MP4, MOV, AVI, or WEBM. No install, no GPU, works on any device.
See the exact cost
Pick a quality tier and the studio shows the precise credit cost for your clip length before you commit. No estimates, no meter running.
Enhance
Cloud GPUs upscale, denoise, and recover detail. If a job fails, the credits come back to your balance automatically.
Download — clean
Full-quality result with commercial rights and no watermark. Your original aspect ratio is preserved exactly.
Creators Who Made the Switch
“I used Topaz Video AI for a year but my laptop GPU could barely handle it. Imagera does the same thing in my browser in seconds. No more overnight renders.”
David Chen
YouTube Creator · Topaz Video AI → Imagera
“Gigapixel AI gave great results but I could not justify $99 for occasional upscaling. Imagera lets me upscale a few images a month for under $2.”
Maria Santos
Photographer · Topaz Gigapixel → Imagera
“I run a Chromebook — Topaz was never an option. Imagera lets me upscale product photos in my browser. Game changer for my workflow.”
Alex Turner
E-commerce Seller · No Topaz option → Imagera
Rebecca Mitchell
Marketing Lead, Imagera AI
Rebecca Mitchell leads marketing at Imagera AI, helping creators discover the power of AI-driven content creation. With expertise in digital marketing and creator economy, Rebecca connects 150K+ creators with tools that transform their creative workflows.
Want the feature-by-feature breakdown?
This page covers the pricing model. Our full Topaz vs Imagera comparison covers upscaling quality, video features, hardware requirements, and where Topaz is still the better fit — honestly.
Read the full comparisonComing from Gigapixel? Stills work the same way.
The same never-expiring credits power the AI Image Upscaler and Super Resolution studios — pay per image, exact cost upfront, up to 4x super-resolution in the browser.
Open the Image UpscalerImagera enhances video in your browser pay-per-video: from 10 credits (~$0.31) per 5-second segment, exact cost shown before you enhance, credits that never expire, automatic refunds on failed jobs, and no watermarks — no ~$199/yr commitment.
What is Pay-Per-Video Enhancement?
Pay-Per-Video Enhancement A billing model where you buy a credit pack once and spend credits only on the clips you actually enhance — instead of a recurring subscription that bills whether you use the tool or not. Imagera credit packs never expire and start at $4.99 for 100 credits.
Topaz Labs retired perpetual licenses in October 2025 and moved to ~$199/yr subscriptions, which is why many Topaz users now look for pay-per-use enhancement.
Pay-Per-Use Questions, Answered
Everything Topaz switchers ask about credits, costs, and output
Video enhancement starts at 10 credits (~$0.31) per 5-second segment at 1024p, 20 credits at 1536p, and 40 credits at 2048p. A 30-second clip at the recommended 1536p tier is 120 credits. The studio shows the exact credit cost for your clip before you click Enhance — and there is no monthly fee on top.
No. Credit packs are one-time purchases that stay in your account until you use them. There is no use-it-or-lose-it clock and no renewal date. That is the structural difference from a ~$199/yr subscription, which costs the same whether you enhance one clip or one hundred.
They come back automatically. If a job errors out, the credits for that job are refunded to your balance without a support ticket. You only pay for results that actually render.
Yes. In October 2025 Topaz Labs retired perpetual (one-time purchase) licenses and moved to subscription pricing of roughly $199 per year. The change drew sustained pushback in creator communities from people who had chosen Topaz specifically to avoid recurring fees. Imagera’s pay-per-video credits are the closest modern equivalent of the model those users preferred: pay once, use whenever.
Never. Every enhanced video you download is clean, full quality, and includes commercial rights. If you landed here searching “Topaz free trial watermark” — yes, Topaz’s trial exports carry a watermark until you subscribe. Imagera has no watermarked tier: you pay credits for the clips you process and keep the unmarked result.
No. Imagera runs entirely in your browser — all processing happens on cloud GPUs. There is nothing to install and no system requirements; it works the same on a MacBook Air, a Chromebook, an iPad, or a workstation. Topaz Video AI requires a dedicated desktop GPU and a multi-gigabyte install.
We keep a full, honest side-by-side on the <a href="/topaz-alternative" class="text-purple-400 underline underline-offset-2">Topaz vs Imagera comparison page</a>. Short version: Topaz still wins for 8K output, offline processing, and frame-by-frame professional control. Imagera wins on access (browser-based, any device) and economics (pay per video, credits never expire, exact cost upfront).
Yes. The same credit balance powers the <a href="/image/image-upscaler" class="text-purple-400 underline underline-offset-2">AI Image Upscaler</a> and <a href="/image/super-resolution" class="text-purple-400 underline underline-offset-2">Super Resolution</a> studios — useful if you also relied on Gigapixel. One pack covers video enhancement, image upscaling, and 25+ other tools.
Three quality tiers: 1024p (10 credits per 5 seconds), 1536p (20 credits — recommended), and 2048p (40 credits), with AI detail recovery, noise reduction, and no cropping — your aspect ratio is preserved exactly.
Credit packs start at $4.99 for 100 credits with no recurring obligation — enough for several clips at the entry tier. Monthly plans exist for heavy users who want credits at a better rate, but they are optional: pay-per-use packs never expire and never auto-renew.
Enhance Your Next Video
Without a Subscription
Upload a clip, see the exact credit cost, and download a clean full-quality result — credits never expire and failed jobs refund automatically.
From 10 credits (~$0.31) per 5-second clip · No subscription required
Q:What is this page about?
A: Imagera as the pay-per-video Topaz alternative: enhance video in the browser for credits per clip instead of a ~$199/yr subscription. Full feature comparison at Topaz vs Imagera.
Q:What changed at Topaz?
A: In October 2025 Topaz Labs retired perpetual licenses and moved to subscription pricing of roughly $199/year — triggering sustained pushback from creators who bought Topaz to avoid recurring fees.
Q:How much does one video cost on Imagera?
A: From 10 credits (~$0.31) per 5-second segment at 1024p; 20 credits at 1536p; 40 credits at 2048p. A 30-second clip at the recommended tier is 120 credits. The exact cost is shown before you enhance.
Q:Do credits expire?
A: Never. Packs start at $4.99 for 100 credits, never auto-renew, and failed jobs are refunded automatically — you only pay for results.
Q:Where do I start?
A: The Video Enhancer studio for clips, or the Image Upscaler if you are replacing Gigapixel.
Last updated: June 2026 | 5 frequently asked questions
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