# CodeFormer

> Free open-source model that rebuilds blurry or damaged faces in photos and upscales the rest of the image. The official demo runs in the browser on Hugging Face, with a slider that trades sharper detail against staying closer to the original face.

- ShipRadar page: https://shipradarai.com/tool/codeformer
- Official site: https://huggingface.co/spaces/sczhou/CodeFormer
- Category: Images & Design
- Price: Free (Free (non-commercial))
- Skill level: Some setup
- Works on: Web
- You get: Images
- Good for: [Edit photos](https://shipradarai.com/do/edit-photos)
- Last checked: 2026-10-18

## ShipRadar verdict

The free pick when a face matters more than the background. If the result starts to look like someone else, push the fidelity slider toward 1 and run it again.

- Best for: One precious portrait where the face is soft or pixelated and you want a say in how much the AI invents.
- Not great for: Torn or stained prints that need patching, and any business use: the license covers non-commercial use only.
- Watch out: Only the Hugging Face, Replicate and OpenXLab demos are run by its authors. Sites such as codeformer.net use the model without permission, so don't pay them.
- Consider instead: https://shipradarai.com/tool/myheritage, https://shipradarai.com/tool/gemini

### Sources
- [CodeFormer on GitHub (license, official demos)](https://github.com/sczhou/CodeFormer)
- [CodeFormer demo on Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/spaces/sczhou/CodeFormer)
- [CodeFormer demo source (fidelity slider)](https://huggingface.co/spaces/sczhou/CodeFormer/blob/main/app.py)

Added by ShipRadar editors as a well-known tool. Published by ShipRadar, an independent guide to AI tools for everyday people: https://shipradarai.com