ihategray vs palette.fm
Palette.fm makes a good colorizer. Their free tier is a 500×500-pixel watermarked preview, and the real thing costs $72 a year. ihategray exists for everyone who just wants their photos back in color — full resolution, no watermark, no account, and nothing uploaded anywhere.
| ihategray | palette.fm | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free tier, then $72/year |
| Free download size | Full resolution | 500 × 500 pixels |
| Watermark on free downloads | None | Yes |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Photos uploaded to a server | Never — on-device | Yes — cloud processing |
| Works offline | Yes, after first visit | No |
| Batch colorizing | 20 photos at once | One at a time on free tier |
| Style filters & prompt tuning | No — one honest result | Yes, 21+ filters |
Palette.fm's free downloads are 500×500 pixels with a watermark; their annual plan is $72/year for full-resolution, watermark-free colorizations (per their pricing page and independent reviews). If you want fine-grained style control and prompt tuning, palette.fm's paid tier is genuinely good at it — that is what the money buys. If you just want your black-and-white photos in color, full-size and free, that is what ihategray is for.
Questions
What is the best free palette.fm alternative?
ihategray colorizes black-and-white photos free at full resolution with no watermark. Unlike palette.fm, it runs entirely on your device — no uploads, no account, and it works offline after your first visit.
Why does palette.fm watermark free downloads?
Their free tier is a preview: 500×500 pixels with a watermark. Removing the watermark and getting full resolution requires a paid plan — $72 a year for the annual subscription.
Can I colorize photos without uploading them?
Yes. ihategray downloads an AI model to your browser once (about 220MB), then colorizes every photo on your device. Open DevTools, watch the Network tab: zero requests while processing.
When is palette.fm worth paying for?
If you want to art-direct the result — 21+ style filters, prompt-based color tweaks, fine control over skin and fabric tones — their paid tier is built for that. ihategray gives you one honest colorization, free.
Nothing here yet. One day, one company gets this spot.
I am in no hurry.