FrameLatheCompare
People still search “Topaz Video AI.” The current Topaz app is Topaz Video, sold only as a subscription. The older perpetual Topaz Video AI line ended at v7.1.5 and is no longer sold.
FrameLathe is the same job on a different machine: the GPU already in the Windows PC, a folder queue, no upload. Drop files, pick Quick / Full / Best possible, Review a wipe in the morning. Vendor packaging below is as of 18 September 2026. Check Topaz. FrameLathe does not publish a price. We do not invent quality-score wins.
Snapshot
| Topaz Video | FrameLathe | |
|---|---|---|
| The job | Desktop enhancer with a model catalog | Overnight folder queue |
| Where it runs | Local GPU, plus cloud rendering for some Starlight models on Personal | Always this GPU. No cloud rendering SKU |
| Footage leaves the machine | Local is the default. Personal Starlight Mini/Sharp/HQ/Fast 2 requires cloud rendering | Never |
| Overnight batch | Not how they pitch the product | First-class: drop a folder → Quick / Full / Best possible. A quit mid-row resumes from a checkpoint |
| Morning after | Their app | Approve / Flag a wipe or difference view. History keeps the recipe, not the video |
| Network | Monthly auth. Cloud credits on the SKU | EULA §7 allowlist. The app does not phone home to render |
| Packaging (18 Sep 2026) | Personal: $59/mo, $39/mo on a 12-month commitment, or $299/year. Pro: $74/mo on annual commitment, or $699/year | No subscription. No cloud credits. Price unpublished — waitlist |
| Best for | Their models, Mac, plugins, or Starlight in the cloud | A box of tapes overnight, media that stays on disk |
What Topaz actually sells now
Unlimited local rendering is on the Personal and Pro SKUs. Those subscriptions also include monthly cloud credits (25 on Personal, 100 on Pro). A Personal licence still has to send some Starlight work to Topaz’s cloud. Authentication is monthly; docs allow up to a month offline if models are already downloaded.
If you already own discontinued Video AI 7.1.5, Topaz says you keep that version. It is not a free upgrade to Topaz Video.
Adobe announced a definitive agreement to acquire Topaz Labs on 25 June 2026, expected to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approval. That is Adobe’s announcement, not a FrameLathe legal claim.
What FrameLathe actually ships
Windows desktop. Local GPU. Footage is not uploaded. Catalog presets: Denoise, Export Ready, Remaster (temporal 4K on NVIDIA CUDA), Smooth 60, Clean 8K behind More…. There is no Remaster+CUDA SKU and no cloud GPU to burst to. The catalog is not the ceiling: Model Hub lets you run your own weight on Upscale, Denoise, and Matting, while Colorize stays first-party and face restore and object removal are not offered. The app can sit in the tray overnight and recap what finished. The loop is drop → queue → Review, where the wipe can be exported as a comparison MP4. Read getting started or join the waitlist.