How to Restore Old Photos for Free
Updated October 2026
You can restore old photos for free, but free means different things: a few AI restorations, a free trial, or manual editing with no AI. A practical free route is to scan the print with a free scanner, run it through a tool that gives free credits, such as photorestore.io on the web or Jobim on iPhone, then fix leftover spots in Snapseed.
Free allowances vary, and some providers do not publish their limits, so the question is what each tool lets you do before it asks for money. Here is what we could verify.
We make Jobim, and it appears below with its real free allowance. Facts about other tools come from their own pages and App Store listings as of October 2026. Where a page does not state a limit, we say so instead of guessing.
Restore a photo free in Jobim
Free to download on iPhone, with starter credits for your first restorations. A free account adds a small watermark when saving.
What is free in each tool
| Tool | What is free | Where the limit starts | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobim (iPhone) | Free download. New accounts get 3 starter credits to use on restore, enhance or colorize. | After the credits, you need a credit pack or subscription. Saved images from a free account carry a small Made with Jobim watermark. | Restoring and colorizing on the phone |
| photorestore.io (web) | Its page says 2 free credits each month with a verified account, and downloads have no watermark. | One credit per restoration, colorize or upscale. Paid plans give more credits. Photos are resized to 2048 pixels on the long edge. Working photos are deleted after 24 hours, though its processor, Runware, may keep temporary copies for up to 7 days. | A couple of photos a month |
| Topaz Labs photo restoration (web) | The page says to start online now with no watermarks. | The page does not state free limits. Check the credits before you upload. | Higher-end results |
| Perfect Corp online restoration (web) | The page describes the tool as free. | The page does not state limits or paid features. | A quick one-off try |
| PhotoScan by Google Photos (iPhone) | Free scanner with glare removal and automatic cropping. | It scans and does not restore. The listing shows its last update in November 2022. | Digitizing prints |
| Photomyne (iPhone) | Free download with a free trial of the membership. | AI scratch and tear repair uses AI credits. A membership is listed at $59.99 a year. | Scanning a whole album |
| Snapseed (iPhone) | Everything. The listing says no subscriptions, purchases, ads or watermarks. | It has no AI restoration. You do the repair by hand. | Spot fixes and color tweaks |
A free restoration workflow that takes about 10 minutes
- Scan the print. PhotoScan or Photomyne handles glare; or lay the print flat in even light and photograph it straight on.
- Save the scan and never edit it. Work on a copy.
- Run the copy through an AI restorer with free credits: Jobim on iPhone or photorestore.io on the web. Restore first, then colorize if it is black and white.
- Fix leftover specks and stains by hand with Snapseed's Healing tool.
- Compare with the original at full size and save the version you like.
What Jobim's free allowance is, and is not
Jobim is free to download. In the app's backend configuration, each new account gets 3 starter credits, and the enhancement tools show a cost of 1 credit per photo, so the starter credits cover about three photos.
When the credits run out you can buy a credit pack or subscribe. The App Store lists in-app purchases from $3.99 to $19.99, and the paywall shows the current plans and whether a free trial applies to you. Free accounts get a small Made with Jobim watermark when saving or exporting an image. Subscribers get clean exports.
So the honest summary is: Jobim is free to try on a few photos, not free to use without limit.
What free tools cannot do
- Rebuild missing detail. AI restoration fills in plausible detail. If a face was torn away or washed out, the result is a reconstruction.
- Work well from a bad scan. Glare, shadows and a tilted phone shot cap the result. A clean scan matters more than the tool.
- Guarantee privacy. Read what happens to uploads. photorestore.io's page says working photos are deleted after 24 hours, and also says its processor, Runware, may keep temporary copies for up to 7 days. Read each tool's privacy policy. For tools that say nothing, assume your photo is uploaded to a server.
When free is not enough
Heavy damage such as large missing areas, severe mold or fire damage often needs hand retouching. A professional restorer costs money but can paint missing areas back in. Our comparison of AI and professional restoration covers when each is worth it.
Frequently asked questions
How can I restore old photos for free on my iPhone?
Scan the print with a free scanner such as PhotoScan, restore the copy with an app that gives free credits, such as Jobim, and finish by hand in Snapseed, which is free. Expect limits on the AI step.
Is there a free online old photo restoration tool?
Several web tools offer some free use. photorestore.io's page lists 2 free credits a month with no watermark on downloads. Others, such as Topaz Labs and Perfect Corp, do not state free limits on their pages, so test one photo first.
Do free photo restoration tools add watermarks?
It varies. Jobim adds a small Made with Jobim watermark to saves from free accounts. photorestore.io says its downloads have no watermark. Snapseed adds none.
Is it safe to upload family photos to a free restorer?
Only upload what you are comfortable sending to a server. Look for a stated deletion policy, and keep your original scan.
Sources
Keep going
Related restoration guides:
Restore your photo in seconds with Jobim
Upload the old photo, tap once, and Jobim rebuilds faces, colors and detail with AI — right on your iPhone.
Free allowances and limits change often. Facts about other tools come from their own pages and App Store listings as of October 2026. AI restoration cannot recover detail a photo never captured. Keep your original scan.