# waifu2x — Enhance Image & Video Quality

> AI-powered image and video enhancer for scaling and denoising. (iPhone/iPad app by 宜 谢.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waifu2x/id1286485858 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [宜 谢](https://appshunter.io/developer/1263778688)
- Category: Graphics & Design, Photo & Video
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 933 App Store ratings · 230 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 213 MB
- Languages: American English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified, China), Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
- Released: 2017-09-19
- Data updated: 2026-09-09
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waifu2x/id1286485858/reviews.md

## What is waifu2x?

This app can scale and/or denoise images using various advanced on-device AI algorithms. Note that this app is not affiliated with the original waifu2x project.

Privacy is one of the top priorities of this app. Your files will never leave your device to be processed. Additionally, we don't collect any personal information because there are no ADs even if you only use free models. Therefore, if you encounter any problems, please send us a feedback email or create a GitHub issue so that we can work together to fix them.

Try additional models and custom models on your own images for free before you purchase!

Highlight features:
1. Unlimited number of imported images.
2. Supports both SRCNN and CUnet models from the original waifu2x project.
3. Supports Real-ESRGAN models for both illustrations and photos.
4. Supports Real-CUGAN models for anime illustrations. Also supports customizable intensity.
5. Supports Anime4K models for anime videos.
6. Supports custom Core ML models. Import any model to process images for your specific needs.
7. Custom scale modes. You have options to scale images up to 128x, 1.5x, fixed size and more.
8. Supports multiple ways of importing images: the album, files, folders, drag and drop, other apps, Shortcuts.
9. Supports images with alpha channel.
10. Multiple output formats: PNG, JPEG, HEIF, WebP.
11. Multiple processing backends. You can choose between highest quality or highest speed.
12. Write output images directly to an external path (including network drives like SMB).
13. End-to-end support for 16-bit color and color spaces. Color accuracy will not be compromised after processing.
14. Highly optimized RAM usage. You can easily produce images that don't even fit inside your device RAM.
15. Supports deleting or replacing original images if they come from the album.
16. Supports downscaling images before processing, which is useful while processing some photos.

Source code of core function is available on GitHub:
https://github.com/imxieyi/waifu2x-ios

Usage of images in screenshots is granted by the original author Kurumi:
https://twitter.com/0115_kurumi

The primary app icon is illustrated by Kapuru:
https://twitter.com/KaPuRu_0410

## Key features

- AI-powered scaling and denoising
- Supports multiple AI models (SRCNN, CUnet, Real-ESRGAN, Real-CUGAN, Anime4K)
- Customizable AI models and scale modes
- Unlimited image imports
- Multiple import and output formats
- On-device processing for privacy

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Two tips | $1.99 | one-time |
| Three tips | $2.99 | one-time |
| Additional Models | $6.99 | one-time |
| Additional Models for Mac | $6.99 | one-time |
| Custom Models | $8.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of waifu2x?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Fantastic app
- 🚀 Quick upscaling
- 💡 Convenient one-time purchase
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 👍 Excellent quality results
- 👍 Stable and reliable performance

**Cons**

- 💰 Paid models required for best results
- ⏱️ Slow processing speed for some users
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or issues with newer devices
- 💰 Perceived as 'greedy' by some users for paid features

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Difficulty downloading or accessing paid models
- Inconsistent performance on certain devices

**Most requested features**

- Add more upscaling models
- Improve processing speed and efficiency
- Provide more customization options
- Add support for video upscaling

## Recent user reviews (10 of 230)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waifu2x/id1286485858/reviews.md

### 5/5 — BEST POSSIBLE IPHONE QUALITY!!!!

*2026-06-30, version 7.2.12*

Honestly I am very impressed! I have been using this for about 2 years and honestly I have never used a better quality upscale. It’s like 8k but on mobile devices. I am so thankful for this app.

### 5/5 — まとめて高画質化できるのは素晴らしい！

*2026-06-03*

高画質化したい画像が大量にある時に、一遍にまとめて高画質化できるのは最高です。
他の画質向上アプリでは一遍に高画質化はできません。
広告が無いのも素晴らしい限りです。
いずれ有料プランに課金してみようと思います。

### 5/5 — ❤️

*2026-05-26*

OMGMGMGMG ITS THE BEST APP EVER THANK YOU

### 5/5 — すごく良い！

*2026-04-19*

画質が悪かったりする画像を加工して即座に解像度も良くて良いものにしてくれて無料なのがとても素晴らしい！今の所良い点しか無い！

### 5/5 — 前はweb版をつかってましたが

*2026-01-19*

アプリになっていたのですね。
2倍に拡大するのにあっという間でした。きれいだし 
すごい。

### 5/5 — Magic

*2026-01-13*

This app is awesome !

### 5/5 — 要望

*2025-10-23*

ショートカットと組み合わせて使っています。
もし可能なら「画像読み込み→変換（固定された設定）→アルバムに保存」をノンストップに実行できるようにしてほしいです。

### 5/5 — 手軽に高画質化する場合に便利

*2025-10-18*

複数の画像をまとめて高画質化する場合は重宝します。バックグラウンド動作に対応していないけれどその短所を差し引いても使えます。ただしiPhone8のような古い端末では遅くなるので素直に新しい端末に変えることをお勧めします。

### 1/5 — スクロールできなくなった

*2025-09-27*

画像選択時にスクロールできない
スクロールできても選択した画像の順番がめちゃくちゃになるんですが

**Developer response:** ご報告いただいた問題はこちらでも確認し、現在調査中です。 応急処置となりますが、24時間以内に自動適用される回避策を準備しております。

ご迷惑をおかけしますが、もう少々お待ちいただけますと幸いです。

### 3/5 — Greedy

*2025-09-24, version 7.2.10*

Greedy dev, charging for features free in the version they ripped and called their own. Super entitled in their dev replies, maybe if they weren’t  I’d consider supporting it anyway lol. Dev is charging you a convenience fee for something that’s free. If you don’t mind that, it technically works. Speed is ok but that’s by no fault of the “magic” since again this is repackaged FOSS. (not to take away from the effort they put into this gui, they did do work). $7 if you want to use any real upscaling model. Worth it perhaps, but in my opinion the M chips just aren’t fast enough to justify charging for it.

Edit: I’ve softened my stance a little. I paid the $7 more out of curiosity than anything. It’s still not worth it. The models are good and it does work, speed is…. Fine, unimpressive (m4, but on an air). I wish I had realized that unlike waifu2x proper, there is no interpolation here. 

Now honestly, that’s more inconvenient than disappointing. Part of why my stance has softened is that getting waifu2x or any upscale (gan models etc) is a pain in the neck on Mac. They’re also highly unstable so, this does get points for so far having been very stable. 

The lack of rife/interpolation is less of an issue because I’ve not had an issue using interpolation software on Mac like I have video upscalers. Your other options would be software that cost $100 or more typically. So for $7 as a convenience fee? Meh. It’s fine. Slow, but acceptable as I’ve said, but god it is slow (if you know, you know, these scalers are always glacial even on proper GPUs)… but fine. Ram usage is good, description doesn’t lie about it being optimized. 

I do however think that charging extra to use custom models is still a bit greedy. Why charge? No reason but $$$ Whatever though, dev is allowed to earn their bread too.

## Frequently asked questions about waifu2x

### What does this app do?

This app uses advanced on-device AI algorithms to scale and denoise images and videos. It allows you to enhance the quality of your media, making them sharper and clearer.

### What are the key features of this app?

Key features include support for various AI models like SRCNN, CUnet, Real-ESRGAN, Real-CUGAN, and Anime4K, unlimited image imports, custom scale modes, and on-device processing for enhanced privacy. It also supports multiple import and output formats.

### How much does this app cost?

The app is free to use with the option to purchase additional models and custom features. You can try additional models and custom models on your own images for free before making a purchase.

### Is this app compatible with my device?

While specific OS version requirements are not detailed, the app is designed for mobile devices and utilizes on-device processing. It supports various import methods like album, files, folders, and drag and drop, suggesting broad compatibility.

### What are common use cases for this app?

Common use cases include enhancing old or low-resolution images, improving the quality of anime illustrations and photos, upscaling images for better detail, and denoising videos to remove grain or noise.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 7.2.12 — 2025-09-29

Fixed the issue that the image picker is not scrollable while selecting images.

### 7.2.11 — 2025-09-18

Fixed the issue that importing images from other apps doesn't work on iOS/iPadOS 26.

### 7.2.7 — 2024-04-22

Added an option to automatically save output images to album.

### 7.2.6 — 2024-01-16

Fixed error while loading directories in some cases.

### 7.2.5 — 2023-10-20

Fixed the issue that downscale factor cannot be changed on iOS 17.

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## More apps by 宜 谢

- [EPGPlayer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epgplayer/id6743997976)

All apps by 宜 谢: https://appshunter.io/developer/1263778688

## Related topics

[waifu2x](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/waifu2x) · [image enhancer waifu2x anime](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/image-enhancer-waifu2x-anime) · [core image tools](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/core-image-tools)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-09.*