Top 6 AI Colorizing Tools to Bring Old Photos to Life

Runbo Li's Portrait
Runbo Li
·
Co-founder & CEO of Magic Hour
· 4 min read
Colorize

As of August 2025, these are the AI colorization tools I’d recommend to creators, photographers, and marketers who want fast, accurate, and realistic results.
After testing more than a dozen platforms over two weeks, I narrowed it down to six that deliver the best balance of quality, speed, and ease of use. Each has a clear use case - I guarantee at least one will fit yours.


Best AI Colorize Tools at a Glance

Tool

Best For

Modalities

Platforms

Free Plan

Batch Processing

API Access

Magic Hour

Cinematic color & creative edits

Photo, Video

Web

Limited

No

No

Palette.fm

Quick customization

Photo

Web

Yes

No

No

DeepAI

Developer integration

Photo

Web, API

Yes

No

Yes

ImageColorizer.com

Professional photographers

Photo

Web

Limited

Yes

No

MyHeritage InColor

Historical restoration

Photo

Web, Mobile

Limited

No

No

Colourise.sg

Free, instant results

Photo

Web

Yes

No

No


1. Magic Hour

MH

Magic Hour

Pricing

  • Free plan available, paid from $12/month

Pros

  • High-quality, cinematic tones
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Works for both stills and video frames

Cons

  • Premium needed for high resolution
  • Slower processing on large files

Magic Hour is more than just a photo colorizer - it’s a creative AI platform known for cinematic AI video generation, but its photo colorization capabilities impressed me the most. It uses advanced tonal mapping and lighting models to produce natural colors with a subtle, film-like finish.

Evaluation:
If you care about style as much as accuracy, Magic Hour is hard to beat. It consistently produced the most visually striking results in my testing.


2. Palette.fm

PALETTE

Palette.fm

Pricing

  • Free with watermark, premium from $9/month

Pros

  • Multiple filter options
  • High-res output in paid tier
  • Simple drag-and-drop UI

Cons

  • Free plan has watermarks
  • No batch processing

Palette.fm makes colorization simple: drag, drop, choose a filter, and download. It’s especially good for quick turnaround projects where you still want some creative control.

Evaluation:
Palette.fm is my go-to for speed and light customization. I wouldn’t use it for archival restoration, but for modern content it’s excellent.


3. DeepAI

DEEP AI

DeepAI

Pricing

  • Free plan available, API credits from $5/100 calls

Pros

  • API for developer integration
  • Free to use, no signup
  • Consistent output

Cons

  • Limited resolution on free plan
  • UI feels outdated

DeepAI offers a free online colorizer and a developer API. It’s less polished visually, but the backend model is solid, producing natural, consistent results.

Evaluation:
If you’re building a product or workflow that needs automated colorization, DeepAI’s API is the standout choice.


4. ImageColorizer.com

Image Colorizer

Image Colorizer

Pricing

  • Limited free use, subscription from $129/year

Pros

  • Natural color reproduction
  • Batch processing support
  • Manual adjustments possible

Cons

  • Paid tier needed for high-res
  • Slower on very large files

ImageColorizer.com focuses on high-quality, realistic tones and supports batch uploads. That makes it great for professionals working with large archives.

Evaluation:
For genealogists and history buffs, this is the most accurate historical tool I’ve tested.


5. MyHeritage InColor

c

MyHeritage InColor

Pricing

  • Limited free use, subscription from $129/year

Pros

  • Great for historical archives
  • Enhances fine details
  • Integrated into MyHeritage

Cons

  • Expensive for full access
  • No custom color settings

Part of the MyHeritage suite, InColor is specialized for restoring historical photos with AI. It enhances details while colorizing.

Evaluation:
For genealogists and history buffs, this is the most accurate historical tool I’ve tested.


6. Colourise.sg

c

Colourise

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

  • 100% free
  • Fast processing
  • No registration required

Cons

  • Limited quality controls
  • Inconsistent results for complex images

A free, no-login-needed colorizer built in Singapore, optimized for Asian facial features.

Evaluation:
Perfect for quick, casual projects without sign-ups or payments.


How I Chose These Tools

I tested each platform with the same set of 20 black-and-white images, including portraits, landscapes, and archival scans. I evaluated:

  • Accuracy (color realism)
  • Speed (upload to download)
  • Customization (filters, manual tweaks)
  • Output quality (resolution, artifacts)
  • Value for money (pricing vs. features)

Tools that failed in color realism or were too slow didn’t make the cut.


Market Trends in AI Colorization

As of 2025, two trends stand out:

  1. Video integration - Platforms like Magic Hour now offer both still and moving image colorization.
  2. Domain-specific AI - Tools like MyHeritage InColor focus on historical restoration, while Colourise.sg optimizes for regional facial features.

I expect more hybrid tools that combine restoration, enhancement, and creative filters in one package.


Final Takeaway

The only real way to find “your” tool is to try two or three on the same image and compare results.


FAQ

Q: What’s the most accurate AI colorize tool?
A: For overall realism, Magic Hour and ImageColorizer.com ranked highest in my tests.

Q: Can AI colorization handle old, damaged photos?
A: Yes - MyHeritage InColor is designed for this use case, though manual retouching may still help.

Q: Are free AI colorizers worth using?
A: For casual projects, yes. Colourise.sg is surprisingly good for a free tool, but paid plans usually give higher resolution and better tones.

Q: Can I batch process with AI tools?
A: ImageColorizer.com supports it; most others require one-by-one uploads.


Runbo Li's Portrait

About Runbo Li

Co-founder & CEO of Magic Hour
Runbo Li is the Co-founder & CEO of Magic Hour. He is a Y Combinator W24 alum and was previously a Data Scientist at Meta where he worked on 0-1 consumer social products in New Product Experimentation. He is the creator behind @magichourai and loves building creation tools and making art.