Phoenix Upscaler
Phoenix Upscaler is a desktop video restoration app for old recordings such as tapes, DVDs, film scans, and phone clips.
What Phoenix Upscaler is
Phoenix Upscaler is a desktop video restoration app for old recordings such as tapes, DVDs, film scans, and phone clips. It reduces noise, corrects interlaced motion, and rebuilds detail lost through compression. Restoration can run on your computer without uploading video files. Choose Standard, Enhanced, or Generative quality modes, or use presets including Auto, VHS, Film, Faces, and Max.
The product lists MP4, MOV, MKV, and AVI support, denoising, face recovery, and upscaling up to 4x, with output up to 4K. Windows and Linux use requires Windows 10/11 64-bit or Linux, at least 8 GB of RAM, and a modern GPU with at least 4 GB of VRAM. Generative mode needs a one-time setup and an NVIDIA GPU with at least 8 GB or an AMD GPU with at least 16 GB. The free trial restores clips up to 60 seconds with a watermark; Generative mode requires a licence. The listed plan costs $129, paid once and covers three of your own computers, removes the watermark, accepts any clip length, and includes updates. Cloud Restore instead runs jobs on datacenter GPUs and shows the charge before payment.
Good
- Processes video locally without uploading files.
- Supports MP4, MOV, MKV, and AVI.
- Offers Standard, Enhanced, and Generative modes.
- Upscales up to 4x, with output up to 4K.
- Paid plan includes updates and installation on three computers.
Watch out
- No free plan; trial clips are limited to 60 seconds.
- Trial output has a watermark.
- Generative mode requires a licence and stronger GPU.
- Requires at least 8 GB RAM and a modern GPU.
Who it suits
Phoenix Upscaler suits people restoring older video from tapes, DVDs, film scans, or phone clips. It may also suit users who prefer local processing and have hardware that meets the listed requirements.
Verdict
Phoenix Upscaler offers local restoration, multiple quality modes, and a limited trial before purchase. Check the stated system and GPU requirements, particularly for Generative mode, before choosing it.
Plans and prices
From Phoenix Upscaler's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Standard | $2.99, paid once | denoise · deinterlace · 2× upscale · from $2.99 per job; exact total varies by clip length and quality |
| Cloud Enhanced | $5.99, paid once | AI detail reconstruction · cloud GPU processing · from $5.99 per job; exact total varies by clip length and quality |
| Desktop app | $129, paid once | Windows/Linux · local processing · activation on up to three computers · unlimited local restores · updates included · one-time purchase |
| Phoenix Upscaler | $129, paid once | Install on 3 of your own computers · No watermark · Any clip length · Upscale up to 4K · Every update included · $129 once |
| Cloud Studio Max | — | Enhanced restoration · 4× output scale · up to 4K · exact total shown before payment |
The facts
Each one read from Phoenix Upscaler's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Activation data
- For licence activation, the app sends a licence key and device identifier to Lemon Squeezy, but does not send video files, contents or filenames.checked 7 Oct 2026
- API and agents
- Cloud Restore and Phoenix Motion expose an API and MCP server usable from Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor with spending limits.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Cloud alternative
- Cloud Restore runs the restoration on datacenter GPUs and charges per job, with the exact dollar price shown before payment.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Cloud deletion
- Cloud uploads are used for the single job and are typically deleted within 48 hours; Phoenix says they are not viewed, shared or used for model training.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Cloud retention
- Cloud uploads are used for the restore job and are typically deleted automatically within 48 hours.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Cloud workflow
- Cloud Studio requires no account or subscription, shows the dollar price before payment, and refunds failed jobs.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The Upscaler guide includes installation, supported formats, presets, quality modes, hardware setup and troubleshooting procedures.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Enhanced mode
- Enhanced mode performs neural restoration using paired frames to keep motion consistent and requires no extra setup.checked 15 Oct 2026
- File preservation
- Restores create a new output file and leave the original source untouched.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Formats
- The product page lists MP4, MOV, MKV and AVI as supported file formats.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Generative mode
- Generative mode uses diffusion-based detail reconstruction, is substantially slower and requires a one-time setup plus at least 8 GB of GPU memory.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Generative requirements
- Generative mode requires an NVIDIA GPU with at least 8 GB or an AMD GPU with at least 16 GB after a one-time setup.checked 7 Oct 2026
- GPU support
- Official guidance says Standard and Enhanced work with modern AMD, Intel or NVIDIA GPUs, while Generative supports 8 GB or larger NVIDIA cards and 16 GB or larger AMD cards after setup.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent discussion: cloud modes
- The Reddit description distinguishes Standard desktop-matching restoration from Enhanced and Studio Max diffusion processing on datacenter GPUs.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent discussion: cloud option
- The Reddit post describes Cloud Restore as pay-per-job, usable from Macs, AMD or Intel PCs, Chromebooks and phones.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent discussion: local processing
- A DataHoarder commenter characterized Phoenix Upscaler as a local desktop tool for VHS, camcorder and degraded home video restoration.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent discussion: no account
- The Reddit description says Cloud Restore needs only an email for the receipt rather than an account or subscription.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent discussion: pricing
- The same Reddit discussion describes the desktop purchase as $129 with future updates included and no subscription.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent discussion: refund
- The Reddit description states failed cloud jobs are refunded automatically.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent limit: alternatives
- The Reddit thread mentions Topaz, SeedVR2 and Uni Converter as competing options for queueing or bulk processing.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent limit: batch workflow
- In the surrounding Reddit discussion, users seeking hundreds of queued upscales emphasized that large batches can take a very long time and often need per-video tuning.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent limit: hardware and memory
- Reddit participants reported that high-resolution video upscaling can encounter GPU memory errors and may require splitting footage into shorter clips.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company founding
- The reviewed official pages do not state a founding year.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company headquarters
- The reviewed official pages do not state a headquarters location.checked 15 Oct 2026
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