Phoenix Upscaler
phoenixlabs.space
What it is
Phoenix Upscaler is software for restoring and enlarging older video recordings, including tapes, DVDs, film scans, and phone clips. It reduces noise, corrects interlaced motion, and rebuilds detail lost through compression. Processing can stay on your computer, without uploading video files. Standard, Enhanced, and Generative modes provide different restoration approaches, while Auto, VHS, Film, Faces, and Max presets provide starting points. MP4, MOV, MKV, and AVI are listed as supported formats. The desktop product runs on Windows and Linux; a web option is also listed. Upscaling reaches 4x, with output up to 4K, plus denoising and face recovery. The $129.00 USD once plan installs on three of your computers, removes the watermark, accepts any clip length, and includes updates. A free trial handles clips up to 60 seconds with a watermark. Cloud Restore uses datacenter GPUs and shows its per-job charge before payment.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Phoenix Upscaler restores degraded video by reducing noise, correcting interlacing and rebuilding detail lost through compression.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Purpose
- Phoenix Upscaler restores and upscales old video, including tapes, DVDs, film scans and phone clips.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Trial
- The free trial restores clips up to 60 seconds with a watermark; Generative mode requires a licence.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- 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.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- API and agents
- Cloud Restore and Phoenix Motion expose an API and MCP server usable from Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor with spending limits.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Cloud alternative
- Cloud Restore runs the restoration on datacenter GPUs and charges per job, with the exact dollar price shown before payment.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- 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.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Cloud retention
- Cloud uploads are used for the restore job and are typically deleted automatically within 48 hours.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Cloud workflow
- Cloud Studio requires no account or subscription, shows the dollar price before payment, and refunds failed jobs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Company founding
- The reviewed official pages do not state a founding year.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Company headquarters
- The reviewed official pages do not state a headquarters location.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Documentation
- The Upscaler guide includes installation, supported formats, presets, quality modes, hardware setup and troubleshooting procedures.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Enhanced mode
- Enhanced mode performs neural restoration using paired frames to keep motion consistent and requires no extra setup.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- File preservation
- Restores create a new output file and leave the original source untouched.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Formats
- The product page lists MP4, MOV, MKV and AVI as supported file formats.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- 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.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- 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.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- 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.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Independent discussion: cloud modes
- The Reddit description distinguishes Standard desktop-matching restoration from Enhanced and Studio Max diffusion processing on datacenter GPUs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- Independent discussion: cloud option
- The Reddit post describes Cloud Restore as pay-per-job, usable from Macs, AMD or Intel PCs, Chromebooks and phones.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- Independent discussion: local processing
- A DataHoarder commenter characterized Phoenix Upscaler as a local desktop tool for VHS, camcorder and degraded home video restoration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- Independent discussion: no account
- The Reddit description says Cloud Restore needs only an email for the receipt rather than an account or subscription.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- Independent discussion: pricing
- The same Reddit discussion describes the desktop purchase as $129 with future updates included and no subscription.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- Independent discussion: refund
- The Reddit description states failed cloud jobs are refunded automatically.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- Independent limit: alternatives
- The Reddit thread mentions Topaz, SeedVR2 and Uni Converter as competing options for queueing or bulk processing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- 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.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- 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.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
- Known limitation
- Phoenix states it cannot recover detail that was never recorded, genuinely out-of-focus imagery or very small faces with no source detail.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Licence terms
- The desktop licence is perpetual, non-transferable, limited to the buyer's own use and activatable on up to three computers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Limits
- Phoenix says it cannot recover details the camera never recorded or fix footage that is genuinely out of focus.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Local privacy
- Desktop restoration runs on the user's computer and the video is not uploaded; the app only contacts the internet for licence validation and updates.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Local processing
- Restoration runs on the user's own computer and video files are not uploaded.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Maker identity
- The product pages identify the maker as Phoenix Labs and state that Phoenix Upscaler and Cloud Studio are its products.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Presets
- Auto, VHS, Film, Faces and Max presets select restoration behavior for different source types.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Progress recovery
- Generative restores save completed chunks so users can resume after closing the app or a failure.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Refund policy
- Desktop purchases can be refunded within 14 days, while failed cloud jobs are automatically refunded and correctly delivered jobs are generally non-refundable.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Requirements
- The page lists Windows 10/11 64-bit or Linux, 8 GB RAM minimum and a modern GPU with 4 GB VRAM minimum.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Restoration
- It removes noise, fixes interlaced motion and rebuilds detail lost to compression.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Restoration modes
- The app offers Standard, Enhanced and Generative quality modes.Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Resume support
- Generative jobs are chunked and can resume from completed chunks after an interruption or application restart.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- SDKs
- The reviewed official pages describe an API and MCP server but do not name a client SDK or downloadable SDK package.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Security disclosure
- The privacy policy says Lemon Squeezy handles payment details and Phoenix does not store card data; no formal compliance certification is stated.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Self-hosting
- The official material describes local desktop execution and vendor-hosted cloud processing, without offering a self-hosted server distribution.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Standard mode
- Standard mode cleans, deinterlaces and scales without neural detail processing and can run on systems without a usable GPU.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Storage requirement
- Long jobs can create several gigabytes of working files, which are placed on the largest fixed drive the application finds.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Supported footage
- The guide lists MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI, WMV, MPG and VOB inputs, covering phone clips, tapes, DVDs, film scans and archived recordings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
- Trial limitation
- The Upscaler trial is limited to 60-second clips and adds a watermark; Generative processing requires a licence.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
Plans and prices
Cloud Standard $2.99, paid once from $2.99 per job; exact total varies by clip length and quality denoise · deinterlace · 2× upscale Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
Cloud Enhanced $5.99, paid once from $5.99 per job; exact total varies by clip length and quality AI detail reconstruction · cloud GPU processing Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
Desktop app $129, paid once one-time purchase Windows/Linux · local processing · activation on up to three computers · unlimited local restores · updates included Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
Phoenix Upscaler $129, paid once $129 once Install on 3 of your own computers · No watermark · Any clip length · Upscale up to 4K · Every update included Read 7 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
Cloud Studio Max Price not published exact total shown before payment Enhanced restoration · 4× output scale · up to 4K Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixlabs.space
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Local processing keeps video files on your computer
- Supports MP4, MOV, MKV, and AVI
- Upscales up to 4x and output up to 4K
- Presets include VHS, Film, Faces, and Max
- Trial available for clips up to 60 seconds
Limits
- No free plan
- Generative mode requires a licence
- Desktop use requires at least 8 GB RAM
- Generative mode needs higher-memory GPUs
Who it suits
It suits people restoring personal or archival footage who want local processing on Windows or Linux. Users needing Generative mode should have the specified higher-memory NVIDIA or AMD GPU.
Verdict
Phoenix Upscaler combines restoration modes, presets, local processing, and broad desktop format support. The free trial is limited, and Generative restoration has additional licence and hardware requirements.
Where Specifiction places it
- AI Video Restoration Software#4 of 258.7
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