Own Topaz Video AI 7? Your Options After the Switch to Topaz Video

The short answer

If you own Topaz Video AI 7, nothing forces you to change today. Your license still works on two computers, and the app still renders. The question is how long 7.1.5 keeps up with your footage, operating system, and GPU. When it stops, you can subscribe to Topaz Video or move to a tool that still sells a one-time license.

• Topaz Video AI 7.1.5 is the final release. Your perpetual license keeps working for the version you bought.
• The legacy license allows 2 computers at the same time and up to 6 months offline. Topaz Video allows 1 computer and a month offline.
• A Video AI license doesn't activate Topaz Video, and Topaz Video isn't a free upgrade. The Personal plan is $299 a year.
• Topaz says owners aren't required to switch. Staying makes sense until you need a model, a codec, or hardware support that 7.1.5 lacks.

In this guide, you'll learn what your license still covers, the warning signs that it's time to move, and how the three paths compare.

The legacy-license facts come from Topaz's own documentation, read on 11 October 2026. KwaFlux makes a competing app, so we quote Topaz rather than interpret it, and we start with the option that costs nothing: staying.

Contents

1. What happened to Topaz Video AI?
2. What your Video AI license still covers
3. Your three options
4. Step 1: Back up your installer and license
5. Signs it's time to move
6. How to test an alternative alongside Video AI
7. FAQ

What happened to Topaz Video AI?

Topaz Video AI was Topaz Labs' video enhancement app, sold with a perpetual license. On 16 September 2025, Topaz replaced it with Topaz Video, which is subscription-only. Version 7.1.5 is the last Video AI release. Topaz Labs has been part of Adobe since 23 September 2026. Adobe said the Topaz brand and apps would remain and didn't announce changes to licensing.

What your Video AI license still covers

From Topaz's comparison page:

In some ways, the old license is more generous than the new plan. It covers two computers, allows longer offline use, and works on Intel Macs.

Your three options

For the cost over several years, see lifetime vs subscription over three years. For a side-by-side list of alternatives, see Topaz Video AI alternatives compared.

Step 1: Back up your installer and license

Whatever you decide, protect what you own:

1. Sign in to your Topaz account and open the Legacy section.
2. Download the 7.1.5 installer for each platform you use, and store it on a backup drive.
3. Write down your license email and order number.
4. Download the models you use while you're online, so the app can work offline.
5. Save your presets. Export or screenshot your favorite settings.

Sidenote: Before a major macOS or Windows update, check Topaz's community forum for reports on 7.1.5. A final release doesn't get compatibility fixes.

Signs it's time to move

• A new GPU or OS doesn't work with 7.1.5.
• You need a model that is only in Topaz Video, such as the Starlight family.
• New source formats won't import, or exports fail with a codec you now need.
• Your offline window or the two-computer limit no longer fits your setup. For example, you need a third machine.
• You'd rather keep paying once than start a subscription.

If you switch: what KwaFlux keeps from your Video AI license

Many Video AI owners liked what the old license gave them. KwaFlux keeps most of it:

KwaFlux adds parallel exports across your GPUs, AI Beauty, color grading, audio tools, and conversion in the same license. It doesn't run on Intel Macs.

How to test an alternative alongside Video AI

You don't have to uninstall anything to compare:

1. Pick three clips you've already processed in Video AI: a typical one, a hard one, and one with faces.
2. Write down your Video AI settings for each clip: model, scale, and output.
3. Run the same clips through one or two alternatives using their free previews or trials.
4. Compare them at 100% zoom on the same monitor, with the same output size.
5. Check the license terms. How many devices, whether it works on Mac and Windows, and what "lifetime" includes.

In KwaFlux, the steps are: import the clip, open Quality Enhancement, choose AI Video Upscaler or Quality Repair, set the same output size, and render a 1-, 3-, or 5-second preview. You don't need an account.

[Screenshot: the same frame from Topaz Video AI 7.1.5 and a KwaFlux preview, side by side]

If you're on an Intel Mac, KwaFlux won't run, because it needs Apple Silicon. See Mac alternatives for options that support Intel.

Final thoughts

A Video AI 7 license is still a good thing to own: two computers, long offline use, and no renewals. Back it up, keep using it while it fits, and test alternatives before the day it stops fitting, not after. If you want to keep paying once and keep two machines, KwaFlux is the closest match to what you already have.

KwaFlux runs AI upscaling, repair, and restoration on your own computer, with a one-time Perpetual License among its plans and 2 devices per license. AI processing runs locally on your GPU, and media files are not uploaded for processing. It runs on Windows 10 (64-bit, version 1809 or later), Windows 11, and macOS 12 or newer on Apple Silicon. Previews need no account: render a 1-, 3-, or 5-second preview on any clip. You only need to sign in with an active paid plan to export, convert, repair a file, or download a file from a link.

Download KwaFlux · See plans

Related reading: KwaFlux vs Topaz Video · Topaz subscription vs lifetime alternatives

Topaz Labs, Topaz Video, and Topaz Video AI are trademarks of Topaz Labs, LLC. KwaFlux is an independent product and isn't affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Topaz Labs or Adobe. Competitor information comes from the public pages listed above as of the access dates shown and may change.