Local Photo Upscaler 1.1.5 on a Mac: a library of sample photos marked Denoised, Sharpened and 4×, with their pixel sizes — Mac App Store screenshot of the current Mac version (1.1.5). The headline at left was added for the App Store listing. The pictures are sample photos, not customer results.

Requirements

A Mac with Apple M1 or later
macOS 15.2 or later

Intel Macs are not supported.

One purchase for Mac, iPhone and iPad

Local Photo Upscaler is a universal purchase: the iPhone, iPad and Mac versions share one App Store listing. Buy it once ($9.99 in the U.S.) on any of them, then download it on your other devices signed in to the same Apple Account. There is no separate Mac price, subscription or in-app purchase, and Family Sharing is included.

Already bought it on your iPhone or iPad? Open the Mac App Store with the same Apple Account and download it without paying again.

How to upscale a photo on a Mac

Open the app and choose a photo from Photos, or open an image file.
Pick Upscale, Denoise, Sharpen or Faces. To work through several photos, select them and apply one tool; they are processed one after another.
Compare the result with the original using the slider, at the same size.
Save the new copy to Photos or share it. The original is not changed.

Processing time depends on your Mac, the photo size and the mode. This site has not published a Mac speed test, so try a few of your own photos first.

What is the same, and what is different

The Mac version has the same four modes (Upscale, Denoise, Sharpen, Faces), the same comparison slider, and the same limits, including the roughly 17-megapixel output cap. On Mac you can open image files as well as choosing from Photos. Selected photos in a batch are processed one after another on your device.

Photos and videos on a Mac

Local Video Upscaler is a separate $9.99 app for low-resolution video. On a Mac it needs macOS 26 or later. The Local Upscaler: Photo + Video bundle includes both apps for $14.99 in the U.S. Apple lists the bundle for iPhone, iPad and Mac, and its Mac compatibility is macOS 26.0 or later. Photo also needs Apple silicon (M1 or later), so on a Mac the bundle suits an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 26 or later. If your Mac cannot run macOS 26, choose Photo by itself.

Get the bundle on the Mac App Store$14.99 US · Photo + Video · macOS 26+ and Apple silicon

Already own one of the apps? Apple’s Complete My Bundle may credit an eligible earlier purchase; Apple shows your price. Compare Photo, Video and the bundle.

Free and paid Mac alternatives

If you already use a full editor, Pixelmator Pro ($49.99 once on the Mac App Store) and Photomator include on-device Super Resolution. Topaz Gigapixel ($149 a year) is the heavier tool for big prints and batches.

Upscayl is a free, open-source desktop image upscaler for macOS, Windows and Linux. Local Photo Upscaler is a focused one-time-purchase option with four enhancement modes and an iPhone/iPad workflow as well.

Compare hardware requirements, editing controls and purchase terms for your own job. These are documented feature differences, not a measured quality or speed ranking. See the full buying comparison.

Mac questions

Do I have to buy it again for my Mac?

No. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac on the same Apple Account.

Does it run on Intel Macs?

No. It needs a Mac with Apple M1 or later and macOS 15.2 or later.

Does it work offline on a Mac?

Yes. Enhancement runs on the Mac itself and does not upload your photos.

Is the Photo + Video bundle available on Mac?

Yes, Apple lists it for Mac. On a Mac, Video needs macOS 26.0 or later and Photo needs Apple silicon (M1 or later).

Upscale photos on your Mac, offline.