Free in-browser video upscaler (10 files, 5 min) vs an upscale API

Use a free in-browser upscaler when you have up to 10 desktop files of 100 MB and 5 minutes each and you can click through them by hand. Use Sume's video upscale API when the upscale has to run from code, on a clip that already lives at a public HTTPS URL, and the clip is 30 seconds or shorter. Sume charges $0.009 per input second, so the choice is mostly about where the file is and how long it runs, not about price.

The free tool from free.upscaler.video added batch upscaling and two new model families on October 11, 2026. Here are its stated limits next to Sume's.

What did the free upscaler add on October 11?

Its changelog post describes two families, Sharpen (small, fast convolutional networks that restore crisp edges) and Detail (GAN models that recreate fine texture such as hair and fabric), each in three sizes. It says the Detail models run 15 times faster than RealESRGAN with minimal quality difference. Processing is local: the page says it happens in your browser.

What does Sume's video upscale take?

POST /v1/video-upscale-1.0/upscale takes a public HTTPS video_url, a scale_ratio from 1.1 to 4 (default 2), an enhancement_tier of fast, standard or pro (default fast), and an optional duration_seconds from 1 to 30. If you omit duration_seconds, Sume reserves 5 seconds, and the maximum is 30. It is a job: poll /v1/jobs/{id}/status or pass a webhook_url.

The rate card lists $0.009 per input second, so a 10-second clip is $0.09 and a 30-second clip is $0.27. Sume does not run on your machine: the file must be fetchable by URL, which suits clips an agent or pipeline just generated.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/video-upscale-1.0/upscale \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: upscale-001" \
  -d '{
    "video_url": "https://example.com/clip.mp4",
    "scale_ratio": 2,
    "enhancement_tier": "standard",
    "duration_seconds": 12
  }'

Which one fits which job?

Compare the two on the constraints that decide it.

• Pick the browser tool for a one-off batch of long, private files.
• Pick Sume for AI clips that are already online and need upscaling as one step in a pipeline.

What if the clip is longer than 30 seconds?

Cut it into parts of 30 seconds or less with video trim, which costs $0.02 per job and accepts a source up to 1,800 seconds. Upscale each part, then join the parts with Timeline 1.0, which bills per output minute at $0.10.

For a 5-minute file that is 10 trims ($0.20) plus 300 upscaled seconds ($2.70), before the join. That is more work than dropping the file into a browser tool, so for long private footage the free tool is the simpler route. Sume earns its place when the upscale is one call in a larger automated flow.