The Reality of "Free" AI Headshot Generators
In today’s digital world, having a professional headshot is essential for personal branding, job applications, LinkedIn profiles, and more. However, not everyone has the time or resources to hire a photographer. I initially hoped that AI would make creating high-quality headshots easier than ever and I planned to write this article recommending the top five apps to help you do that.
Unfortunately, I discovered that there’s no such thing as a free lunch—or a free headshot generator. Below is my review of several apps and websites advertised as "free" but with hidden catches or poor results.
Blinkheadshots.ai
This platform claimed to work with .heic files, but they never loaded properly. While it altered my glasses and hair length it added wrinkles like crow's feet (who needs that?). My facial features remained largely unchanged however. Although you could preview the images, you had to pay to download them, even though they advertised their services as free.
Canva Headshot Generator
My experience with Canva's headshot generator was incredibly disappointing. It produced a visibly blurry image, made my hair unnaturally long, and gave me crossed eyes. Needless to say, it didn’t meet the mark for professional use.
Artguru.ai
Though it advertised a free daily headshot generation feature, Artguru actually redirects you to another website—Pica-ai.com—where images are not free, and you can't preview them before paying.
Pica-ai Photo Enhancer
I also tried the photo enhancer option on Pica-ai, but it didn’t change anything about my uploaded headshot that I could notice. It was a bizarre and underwhelming experience.
Neural.love AI Photo Studio
Neural.love promotes itself as a free headshot generator, but once you dive in, you quickly learn that you need to purchase credits to get anything useful.
Remini App
The Remini app markets itself as free, but it only offers a one-week free trial before automatically charging $9.99 per month. The web version is free, but it only provides a basic photo enhancer—no better than what I could achieve using my iPhone’s native editing tools.
Kahma.io
Kahma.io advertises as free, but it’s really just a free trial. After that, it costs $24.99 for a single photo shoot or $99.99 per month for ongoing access.
Photoroom
Photoroom offers a similar bait-and-switch. It has a seven-day free trial, after which it charges $12.99 for a one-time photo shoot or $99.99 per month.
Adobe Photoshop Generative Fill
I even tried Adobe Photoshop's generative fill option to change my casual outfit and background into a more professional look. No matter what prompts I used, the results were disappointing and didn’t achieve the polished appearance I was aiming for.
My Conclusions
After trying numerous “free” AI headshot generators, I found that many either fail to deliver quality results or come with hidden costs. If you're looking for a truly professional headshot, you might still be better off investing in a real photographer—or carefully reading the fine print of AI apps before you invest your time.
