9 tools compared · checked 26 September 2026
The best photo restoration software in 2026
One-click AI restorers, Photoshop and the free manual option — how you pay, where it runs and who it suits, from each vendor's own pages. Every example on this page is a real restoration.
- 9 tools
- Free & paid
- AI and manual
- Real examples
Updated by the Kenerate AI team
On this page
Quick answer
What is the best photo restoration software?
The best photo restoration software for most people restoring a handful of family photos is a one-click AI tool such as Kenerate AI's Phota Enhance, which needs no subscription required and adds no watermark. MyHeritage suits family-tree users and Remini suits phone users. For full manual control, use Photoshop's Photo Restoration filter or the free GIMP Heal tool.
Key facts
- Tools compared
- 9
- Fastest
- One-click AI (under a minute)
- One-click AI
- Kenerate (Phota Enhance) · MyHeritage · Remini · VanceAI
- Free manual option
- GIMP Heal tool
- Checked
- 26 September 2026
Checked 26 September 2026
Photo restoration software compared
Where it runs, how you pay and who it suits. Plans change — confirm on each vendor's site.
| Software | Runs on | How you pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenerate AI (Phota Enhance) | Web, any device | One-time credit packs, no subscription required | Occasional restorations without a plan |
| Adobe Photoshop — Photo Restoration filter | Desktop (Photoshop) | Photoshop subscription | Retouchers who also want manual control |
| MyHeritage Photo Repair & Enhancer | Web, iOS, Android | A few free uses, then a MyHeritage subscription; free results watermarked | Family historians building a tree |
| Remini | iOS, Android, web | Weekly or monthly plans | Phone users enhancing faces |
| VanceAI Photo Restorer | Web + Windows app | Free trial credits; Starter monthly plan | Batch restoration on Windows |
| Let's Enhance (Old Photo mode) | Web + API | Free trial credits (watermarked); Starter subscription | Very large prints |
| Hotpot.ai | Web | Free for non-commercial use; paid per image for commercial use | Quick free tries |
| Picsart Photo Restoration | Web, mobile, desktop | Free tool; Pro/Ultra plans | People already editing in Picsart |
| GIMP (Heal tool) | Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) | Free, open source | Manual, pixel-level spot repairs |
The list
The 9 tools, one by one
One verified detail for each, with a link to the source.
1. Kenerate AI (Phota Enhance)
Web, any device · One-time credit packs, no subscription required
Repairs scratches, stains and fading, sharpens faces, restores faded colour prints; 2048 px output, no watermark.
Best for: Occasional restorations without a plan
2. Adobe Photoshop — Photo Restoration filter
Desktop (Photoshop) · Photoshop subscription
A Neural Filter with photo-enhancement, face-enhance and scratch-reduction controls; entered beta in 2022.
Best for: Retouchers who also want manual control
3. MyHeritage Photo Repair & Enhancer
Web, iOS, Android · A few free uses, then a MyHeritage subscription; free results watermarked
Photo Enhancer launched June 2020; Photo Repair (scratches, tears, stains) May 2021; In Color colorizer February 2020.
Best for: Family historians building a tree
4. Remini
iOS, Android, web · Weekly or monthly plans
Its App Store listing covers repairing old, blurry and scratched photos.
Best for: Phone users enhancing faces
5. VanceAI Photo Restorer
Web + Windows app · Free trial credits; Starter monthly plan
Removes scratches, tears, creases and stains, fixes fading, sharpens faces; optional colorizing.
Best for: Batch restoration on Windows
6. Let's Enhance (Old Photo mode)
Web + API · Free trial credits (watermarked); Starter subscription
Old Photo is one of its enhancement modes; up to 256–512 MP on paid plans.
Best for: Very large prints
7. Hotpot.ai
Web · Free for non-commercial use; paid per image for commercial use
Removes scratches, sharpens colours and enhances faces; free output carries a non-commercial licence.
Best for: Quick free tries
8. Picsart Photo Restoration
Web, mobile, desktop · Free tool; Pro/Ultra plans
Fixes scratches, blur and fading automatically; colorizing is a separate tool.
Best for: People already editing in Picsart
9. GIMP (Heal tool)
Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) · Free, open source
Heal samples a source area and blends it into the damaged area, taking the surroundings into account.
Best for: Manual, pixel-level spot repairs
At 100%
What a one-click restoration looks like
Real Phota Enhance results, zoomed in on the damage.
Decide
How do I choose photo restoration software?
Step 1: Scan the print well first
Scan at 300 ppi for 4×6 and 5×7 prints, 400–600 ppi if you'll enlarge them, and keep the untouched scan.
Step 2: Decide how much control you need
One-click AI tools (Kenerate, Remini, MyHeritage) for speed; Photoshop or GIMP when you want to fix every scratch by hand.
Step 3: Check how you pay
One-time credits for a few family photos; a subscription only if you restore every week.
Step 4: Test the same photo in two tools
Compare faces at 100% — does the person still look like themselves?
How it works
How it works in the app
Step 1
Add the image to upscale
Open Image Upscaler and upload a photo, or pick one from your library or a link.
Step 2
Pick an upscaler and mode
Choose one of the upscalers, then Precise for a faithful copy, Creative for extra detail or Restore for old photos.
Step 3
Click Upscale
Press Upscale to create a sharper, larger copy of your image.
Step 4
Compare and download
Slide between the original and the upscaled result, then download the full-resolution file.
See it in the app
Open Image Upscaler and upload a photo, or pick one from your library or a link.
FAQ
Photo restoration software — FAQ
What is the best photo restoration software?
For most people restoring a handful of family photos, a one-click AI tool is best: Kenerate's Phota Enhance outputs 2048 px with no subscription required, MyHeritage suits genealogy users, and Remini suits phone users on a plan. For full manual control, Photoshop's Photo Restoration filter plus healing tools is the professional choice; GIMP is the free manual option.
Link to this answerWhat is the best free photo restoration software?
GIMP is completely free for manual repairs. Hotpot.ai offers free restorations for non-commercial use. Kenerate, VanceAI, Let's Enhance and MyHeritage give some free credits or uses to try before paying.
Link to this answerCan AI colourise black-and-white photos too?
Some tools do it as a separate feature — MyHeritage In Color, VanceAI and Picsart offer colorizing. Kenerate's Phota Enhance keeps black-and-white photos black-and-white but restores the colour of faded colour prints.
Link to this answerIs Photoshop better than AI tools for restoration?
Photoshop gives the most control and the Photo Restoration filter speeds up the start, but a heavily damaged photo can still take hours by hand. AI tools finish in under a minute; check faces and fine detail either way.
Link to this answerDo restoration tools keep my photos private?
Policies differ by vendor. On Kenerate, uploads and results are saved to your own private history.
Link to this answerIn depth
Behind the restoration boom
Why AI restoration spread so fast, what it's actually doing, and the archivists' rule — with sources.
On this page
Why AI restoration took off
MyHeritage's Photo Enhancer processed a million photos in about ten days after it launched in June 2020 [1]; the company later added Photo Repair for scratches and tears, licensed from the DeOldify project [2]. Google made Photo Unblur free for every Google Photos user in 2024 [3]. Restoration went from a specialist retouching job to a one-tap feature in four years.
What the AI is actually doing
Face-restoration research such as GFPGAN rebuilds eyes, skin and hair from a learned “face prior” [4]; scratch and stain removal is inpainting, filling damaged areas from their surroundings [5]. Both are educated guesses — excellent for family albums, but compare faces with the original before you print.
Keep the original scan
Archival guidelines keep master scans untouched: FADGI says dust removal and colour restoration belong on a separate copy, never the master file [6]. Whatever tool you choose, restore a copy.
By the Kenerate AI teamLast updated and reviewed
We make Kenerate AI, one of the tools listed. Every other tool is described from its own website and linked so you can check.
Sources: Kenerate AI (Phota Enhance) · Adobe Photoshop — Photo Restoration filter · MyHeritage Photo Repair & Enhancer · Remini · VanceAI Photo Restorer · Let's Enhance (Old Photo mode) · Hotpot.ai · Picsart Photo Restoration · GIMP (Heal tool)
Restore a photo in under a minute
Phota Enhance — 2048 px output, no subscription required, no watermark.
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