Restory vs MyHeritage: Complete Comparison 2026

Quick Verdict

Restory and MyHeritage serve overlapping but fundamentally different purposes. One is a dedicated photo restoration app. The other is a genealogy platform with photo tools added as supplementary features.

Choose Restory if you want a focused, purpose-built photo restoration toolkit with six specialized AI features and flexible pay-per-use pricing. Restory is designed specifically for restoring old photographs, and every aspect of the app reflects that focus.

Choose MyHeritage if you are already invested in the MyHeritage genealogy ecosystem and want photo tools integrated with your family tree research. MyHeritage's photo features are convenient additions to a broader platform, particularly Deep Nostalgia, which brought widespread attention to photo animation technology.

The core question is whether you need a dedicated restoration tool or a genealogy platform that happens to include some photo features. The answer depends entirely on your goals.

Feature Comparison

Understanding what each platform offers requires looking at both the breadth and the depth of their photo-related tools.

Feature	Restory	MyHeritage
AI Photo Enhancement	Yes (4 coins)	Yes (Photo Enhancer)
Face Restoration	Yes (5 coins)	Limited
Scratch Removal	Yes (5 coins)	No dedicated tool
Colorization	Yes (4 coins)	Yes (In Color)
Generative Fill / Recreate	Yes (6 coins, Premium)	No
Photo Animation (video)	Yes (10-15 coins)	Yes (Deep Nostalgia)
Genealogy / Family Tree	No	Yes (core feature)
DNA Testing Integration	No	Yes
Historical Records Search	No	Yes
Languages Supported	32	42
Platform	iOS	iOS, Android, Web

MyHeritage is primarily a genealogy platform. Family tree building, DNA testing, historical record searches, and family network features are the core product. Photo tools were added over time as supplementary features, with Deep Nostalgia generating significant viral attention when it launched. The platform offers Photo Enhancer for improving image quality, In Color for colorizing black-and-white photographs, and Deep Nostalgia for animating faces in still photos.

These photo tools are competent within their scope. Deep Nostalgia in particular remains one of the most emotionally impactful photo animation tools available, creating eerily realistic subtle movements in historical portraits. However, the range of photo restoration tools is limited compared to dedicated apps.

Restory is exclusively focused on photo restoration. The six AI tools each target a specific restoration challenge. Colorize handles black-and-white to color conversion. Enhance improves resolution and clarity. Restore Faces reconstructs degraded facial features. Remove Scratches repairs physical damage. Recreate uses generative AI to fill in missing or destroyed sections of photographs. Bring Photos to Life creates animated videos from still images, similar in concept to Deep Nostalgia but implemented independently.

The depth of specialization matters. MyHeritage's Photo Enhancer is a capable general-purpose tool, but it does not distinguish between different types of photo degradation. Restory's approach of offering separate tools for enhancement, face restoration, and scratch removal means each tool can be optimized for its specific task, typically producing better results on photographs that have multiple types of damage.

A detailed look at Restory's capabilities is available on the features page.

Pricing Comparison

The pricing comparison between these two platforms is complicated by the fact that MyHeritage is a full genealogy platform, while Restory is a focused photo app.

Restory Pricing:

• Free tier available (limited usage)
• Weekly plan: EUR 9.99 (50 coins)
• Annual plan: EUR 39.99/year (200 coins, includes 3-day free trial)
• Coin packs (one-time purchase): 50 coins for EUR 7.99, 200 coins for EUR 24.99, 500 coins for EUR 44.99

MyHeritage Pricing:

• Free basic account with very limited photo features
• Complete plan: approximately $189/year (includes all features)
• Photo features may require a paid subscription
• Individual photo operations may have per-use limits even on paid plans
• Deep Nostalgia has free tier limitations

The cost difference is substantial. If you only need photo restoration, paying approximately $189/year for MyHeritage's Complete plan to access photo tools is significantly more expensive than Restory's EUR 39.99/year annual plan or a one-time coin pack purchase.

To be fair, MyHeritage's pricing includes far more than photo tools. The genealogy features, historical record access, DNA matching, and family network tools provide genuine value for users interested in family history research. If you are already paying for MyHeritage for genealogy purposes, the photo tools are a convenient bonus.

But if photo restoration is your primary or sole need, Restory's pricing model is dramatically more economical. A EUR 7.99 coin pack gives you 50 coins, enough for roughly 12 enhancements or 10 face restorations. A one-time purchase with no recurring commitment. MyHeritage does not offer a comparable photo-only pricing option.

Restory's coin system also provides complete transparency. You see the exact cost of each operation before you confirm. There are no usage limits buried in subscription tier documentation, no "you have used your daily allowance" messages, and no ambiguity about what you are paying for.

Pricing as of March 2026. Prices may vary by region and are subject to change.

Photo Restoration Quality

Quality assessment requires looking at each type of restoration task individually, because the apps handle different tasks with different levels of competence.

Enhancement: Both platforms offer photo enhancement, and both produce noticeable improvements on low-resolution or blurry images. MyHeritage's Photo Enhancer uses AI to upscale and sharpen photos, and the results are generally good for moderate degradation. Restory's Enhance tool is comparable in quality for standard enhancement tasks, with the advantage of being tuned specifically for the types of degradation found in historical photographs.

Colorization: Both platforms offer colorization, and this is an area where both perform well. MyHeritage's In Color feature gained wide recognition for producing natural-looking colorizations. Restory's Colorize tool delivers similar quality, with AI trained specifically on historical photographs to produce period-appropriate color palettes. Both handle skin tones and natural scenes competently. For best results with either tool, see our guide on colorizing black and white photos.

Face Restoration: Restory has a significant advantage here. The dedicated Restore Faces tool is built specifically for reconstructing facial details in old or degraded photographs. MyHeritage does not offer an equivalent dedicated face restoration tool. The Photo Enhancer provides some facial improvement as part of general enhancement, but it is not the same as a purpose-built face restoration model trained on the specific challenges of degraded facial features.

Scratch and Damage Removal: This is another area where Restory clearly leads. The Remove Scratches tool addresses creases, tears, spots, water stains, and surface scratches that accumulate on physical photographs over decades. MyHeritage does not offer a dedicated scratch or damage removal tool. If your photos have physical damage, MyHeritage's tools cannot address it.

Generative Fill: Restory's Recreate feature has no equivalent in MyHeritage. When portions of a photograph are missing or destroyed, generative fill can reconstruct the missing content intelligently. This capability can save photographs that would be completely unsalvageable by any other means.

Animation: Both platforms offer photo animation. MyHeritage's Deep Nostalgia created the category and remains one of the most recognizable implementations. The animations are subtle and emotionally resonant, primarily focused on facial expressions and head movements. Restory's Bring Photos to Life feature offers similar capability, creating animated video clips from still photographs. Both produce compelling results, and preference between them is largely subjective.

Ease of Use

The user experience of these two platforms reflects their very different scopes and audiences.

MyHeritage is a comprehensive genealogy platform. The photo tools are located within a larger ecosystem that includes family trees, DNA results, historical records, and social features. For users already familiar with the platform, accessing photo tools is straightforward. For new users who come to MyHeritage solely for photo restoration, the experience can feel overwhelming. The platform has a lot of functionality, and finding and using the photo-specific tools requires navigating through a broader interface.

The photo tools themselves are well-designed when you find them. The workflow for enhancement, colorization, and Deep Nostalgia is intuitive and the results preview is clear. However, the overall experience is that of using a feature within a larger platform, not a dedicated tool built around your specific need.

Restory is focused entirely on photo restoration. When you open the app, you see your six restoration tools. You select a photo, choose a tool, see the coin cost, and confirm. The entire interface revolves around the restoration workflow with nothing extraneous. The app supports 32 languages, ensuring accessibility for a global audience. While MyHeritage supports 42 languages for its overall platform, the practical language experience within photo tools may vary.

For users who want to restore photos and nothing else, Restory's focused approach means fewer clicks, less navigation, and a clearer path from photo to result. There is no need to create a family tree or set up a genealogy profile. You download the app, import a photo, and start restoring.

Pros and Cons

Restory

Pros:

• Six specialized AI tools purpose-built for photo restoration
• Dedicated face restoration for superior portrait results
• Generative fill for missing or destroyed photo sections
• Dedicated scratch and damage removal tool
• Flexible coin-based pricing with one-time purchase options
• Focused user experience with no genealogy overhead
• 32 languages supported
• EUR 39.99/year annual plan for dedicated restoration
• Photo animation feature

Cons:

• iOS only (no Android or web version)
• No genealogy features for family history research
• No cloud storage or family sharing built in
• Smaller brand recognition compared to MyHeritage
• Recreate feature requires Premium tier

MyHeritage

Pros:

• Comprehensive genealogy platform with DNA, records, and family trees
• Deep Nostalgia is a well-known and emotionally impactful animation tool
• Available on iOS, Android, and web
• Photo Enhancer and In Color produce good results
• Large established user base and strong brand recognition
• 42 languages supported across the platform
• Photo tools integrate with family tree data

Cons:

• Not a dedicated photo restoration tool
• No scratch or damage removal capability
• No generative fill for missing photo sections
• No dedicated face restoration tool
• Full platform subscription (~$189/year) is expensive for photo features alone
• No pay-per-use option for photo tools
• Photo features are secondary to the genealogy focus
• Interface can be overwhelming for users who only want photo restoration

Final Verdict

The choice between Restory and MyHeritage is clearer than most comparisons in this space because the apps serve fundamentally different primary purposes.

If you are a genealogy enthusiast who is already using or considering MyHeritage for family tree research, DNA testing, and historical record searches, the built-in photo tools are a valuable bonus. Deep Nostalgia in particular adds an emotional dimension to family history work that few other tools replicate. The Photo Enhancer and In Color features are competent supplements to your broader genealogy workflow.

If your primary goal is photo restoration, Restory is the better choice by a significant margin. The six specialized tools cover the full spectrum of restoration challenges, from basic enhancement to generative reconstruction of missing photo sections. The pricing is a fraction of what a MyHeritage subscription costs, and the focused interface means you spend your time restoring photos rather than navigating a genealogy platform.

For users working on preserving family archives, the ideal approach may involve both platforms: MyHeritage for the genealogy context, family tree connections, and record research, and Restory for the actual restoration work on the photographs themselves. A Restory coin pack at EUR 24.99 alongside a MyHeritage subscription gives you the best of both worlds.

If you are new to photo restoration and want to learn more about the process, our comprehensive guide on how to restore old photos walks through everything from assessing damage to choosing the right tools. And if restored family photos are meant as a gift, our article on the gift of memories offers inspiration for presentation ideas.

Ready to see what dedicated photo restoration can do? Try Restory free and experience the difference that specialized AI tools make.

Get started with Restory today