I was looking to level up my professional image without shelling out for a photo shoot, getting a new wardrobe, paying for hair and make-up, never mind getting to a swish studio! I chose AI headshot generators for these reasons and, though I wouldn't say I'll never do a photo shoot, the experience of generating these was as fun as I imagine the real thing.
There's a business reason for headshot generators: "Being seen" is important for marketers because we're so often hidden behind a screen. Unless you're in event marketing, it's likely your partners, clients, and even in-house teams barely know you. Now when you're a freelancer, it's even harder to reach your audience but attaching a selfie, a photo from the weekend, or in my case, an AI image to a post really helps prospects feel like they know you. And I don't need to repeat the know me, like me, trust me rhetoric for sales, do I?
For you, dear reader, I decided to do a roundup of the top platforms for AI headshot generation based on image quality, editing tools, and ease of use. They're in order from best to worst in my opinion and I'd say this list is useful for everyone, not just marketers like me.
My top pick: Secta AI
Why it stands out: Secta AI is my frontrunner. It delivered 300 professional portraits in just 30 minutes. The platform excels in image realism, likeness, and customization options, so I'd say it's a top choice for marketers who want versatility and polish.
Highlights:
Image quality: Excellent realism with natural lighting and sharp details.
Editing features: Offers 14 AI tools for one-click edits, including clothing changes, background swaps, and facial expressions.
Style variety: Over 80 styles to choose from.
Unique feature: "Shook" allows celebrity-style looks and meme-style customizations.
Pricing: Starts at $49 for 300 images.
Refund: Industry-leading 30-day money-back guarantee.
Secta AI provides the longest money-back guarantee in the industry, with a 30-day period for our peace of mind. I'd say this is comforting for AI skeptics, and below is more detailed information about my experience with Secta AI.
The process is simple, you have to fill in a few details but that's it. I really like the clean and minimalist design. Surprisingly, this is the only platform I’ve seen that uses your LinkedIn profile to improve facial accuracy.
Next, you select three styles you prefer. It’s exciting because there are so many options—over 80 styles to choose from! I didn’t include all the screenshots because there are simply too many styles.
Secta’s minimum requirement is 25 images. This felt like a lot but I could see why they request it when I saw the results generated. I gather that the more high-quality images you upload, the better the results will be. They provided guides and videos on how to achieve the best results.
It’s also a smart piece of tech because, after I uploaded my photos, Secta automatically filtered out the low-quality ones.
Turnaround time: I received the results in 30 minutes, and there were 300 images—too many to include here and selecting my favourites was tough!
Editing options: Secta calls their AI editing tools "Remix." I can say this is their edge over competitors.
I counted 14 AI editing tools in November 2024, and I enjoyed using them to customise my image. You can change the background, clothing, expression, and hairstyle with just one click. It's extremely user-friendly, especially compared to my experience with the competitors, where you have to manually paint areas you want to change.
I was also able to choose from viral fantasy styles, photos out in the forest, or in a studio... This was useful because I came to the realisation that I preferred warm backgrounds like city lights and coffee shops, so could adapt the sets to my brand and my website's style.
Verdict: If resemblance and customization are your priorities, Secta AI is worth the $49, but they have a 30-day money-back guarantee should you need it.
Runner-up: Multiverse AI
Why it stands out:
Multiverse AI is a more affordable option, delivering 100 professional-looking headshots for $29. It gave me some usable shots but lacks the finesse and editing depth of Secta AI.
Highlights:
Image quality: Good resolution but struggles with realism and facial likeness.
Editing features: Limited to basic changes like backgrounds and hairstyles, with less natural-looking results.
Turnaround: Fast, with results in under an hour.
Pricing: Budget-friendly at $29 for 100 images.
One of the popular AI headshot generators I’d heard of is Multiverse AI. Multiverse AI asks for only 12-20, photos from you, and their instructions are direct to the point, with no long explanations.
The process of uploading images was easy, but you have to crop them yourself, which is a little time-consuming. It also doesn’t allow multiple people in one image.
I received 100 HQ images in under the estimated 2 hours, but the lack of editing options was disappointing having been spoilt by Secta. Multiverse offers basic features like changing backgrounds, clothing, and hairstyles. I wasn’t thrilled with the results because they felt a little corporate, and they don’t offer many other styles, but they'd be fine for a LinkedIn profile photo.
These are some of my favorite images. They resemble me but the distortion is a bit strange. Also, the smile appears to be enormously exaggerated in several:
Multiverse AI offers very few editing options, and since I didn’t like some of the results, I was hoping to change the clothing, background, and hair on some. You have to paint the areas to change manually though, and it's obvious that the results are edited.
They only offer one pricing option, which is $29 for 100 headshots, as far as I can see, and no money-back guarantee. That said, if you’re looking for purely professional headshots and likely won't need to blow the images up to HD, Multiverse AI is an affordable choice.
Verdict: Great for users seeking budget-friendly, no-frills headshots.
Best for fun: Remini
Why it stands out: Remini is perfect for quick, casual experimentation. Its AI photos are fast and fun, but the results lean more towards retouched glamour than the kind of professional authenticity I'm aiming for. I do like their home page the most of all four tools I trialed! Their tagline drew me in, but I don't believe it tracks with the output.
Highlights:
Image quality: Over-smooth textures and unrealistic lighting.
Styles: Offers a mix of casual and creative looks but lacks professional polish.
Ease of use: Extremely simple process with fast results in under a minute.
Pricing: Flexible subscriptions starting at $4.99 per week.
Remini uses advanced Artificial Intelligence to unblur, restore, and enhance any image. They also offer an AI photos feature for creating professional headshots. The app is so enjoyable to use that many people get hooked on it. I’ll share my experience using the Remini app and show you the quality of images it generates.
Remini is convenient and easy to use—there’s no need to fill out anything, just upload your images. This has been the simplest process of all the ones I’ve tried. The minimum is 8 images, but I uploaded more hoping it would improve the results. After uploading, you’ll choose the styles. One advantage of Remini is that they offer a wide variety of styles to choose from.
I chose the "casual headshot" option, and in less than a minute, I received the results.
They have the fastest image generation because they provide only 15 images per batch, compared to competitors that offer 100-300 images.
At first glance, the images look fine, and if you don’t know me, they might seem reasonable. But when I compare them to my actual appearance, they don't captue my look, facial features, or even my hair colour. The texture is too smooth as well, almost like it’s been retouched, and the poses don't look natural. I can’t use these images because, as an organic marketer, one of my goals is to show something close to the real me.
Nonetheless, if you're just having fun and want to see yourself in different styles, so you're not worried about realism, this could work perfectly. Remini’s very affordable and super easy to use.
Remini also has on-site features, including Enhance Photos, AI Photos, AI Filters, and Enhance Videos.
In-App Purchases: Remini AI works on a subscription package: Remini Pro Weekly at $9.99 per week for enhanced, professional-level features, Remini Lite Weekly at $4.99 per week, and a 1-month subscription at $4.99 for an ad-free experience and its superior tools.
Verdict: It's only $4.99 a month so I consider Remini ideal for casual users or social media experiments, but not for serious professional use.
Most affordable: Fotor AI
Why it stands out: Fotor has the easiest upload process, requiring just one photo. However, the results are far from realistic, and likeness scores are the lowest in this review.
Highlights:
Image Quality: Unrealistic results with overly smoothed skin and generic features (Score: 4).
Editing Tools: Extensive, with a variety of additional photo enhancement features.
Pricing: One-time purchase starting at $19.99 for 20 images.
Based on my research, Fotor is a multi-platform photo editing software and was even called 'Photoshop Lite' by the BBC. Fotor offers easy-to-use editing tools across mobile, desktop, and web, including features like one-tap enhancement, background removal, and AI art generation. In my personal opinion, it's not fair to compare an advanced tool like Photoshop to Fotor.
The process is easy enough—you choose a gender and click to start generating. Their interface has a nice dark theme design, giving it a real studio style. Next, you select 3 to 10 styles. Like Secta AI, they also offer plenty of styles, with a total of 41 options.
They required me to upload one photo, the lowest image requirement to generate professional headshots and you can see this in the output.
I received 41 images in less than 15 minutes. Below are some of the top results from Fotor, which didn’t capture my true facial features at all, I look like a 20-year-old. The vibe and backgrounds are nice, but the AI effect is noticeable, and the skin texture is too smooth, making it look unrealistic.
I presume the output doesn't resemble me because they only require one image, which is very little on which to train the AI.
While the resemblance isn't there, Fotor’s AI editing tools are truly impressive. While I focused mainly on their AI headshot generator, their website is packed with a vast range of additional features, so. no shade on Fotor if you intend to use it to elevate photos.
Fotor only offers a one-time headshot generation, but has packages from $19.99 to $39.99, not a subscription model. Their refund policy, however, descibes a cancellation as though it were a subscription, as of November 2024, which came off as weird.
Verdict: Fotor is best for beginners exploring AI tools but not recommended for professional needs.
My verdict on AI-generated headshots
For polished, professional headshots that truly represent me, Secta AI takes the crown. It's good quality, customisable, and fast, so I'll stand behind it as an excellent choice for marketers and content creators aiming to enhance their online presence.
Multiverse AI is a solid budget alternative, while Remini and Fotor AI cater to casual users. However, I fear that anyone using these will lose faith in the possibilities of AI. If you are happily anti-AI, try those two latter ones for the comfortable confirmation bias!
Interested in the theme of AI in marketing? Write Wiser's resident data expert, Roberto Coronel, and pro-AI writer, Amara Murphy have written extensively on the topic.
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