Professional portraits
The best AI headshot generator is the one that still looks like you
Batch size and price are easy to compare. Likeness is not. This guide gives you a four-part scorecard, consent rules for the photos you upload, and plain answers on cancellation, refunds and generation limits.
Disclosure: ZeroTwo publishes this page and sells an image generation product. We have not run a matched test of every service named here, so there is no ranking.
Blank scorecard, one per tool
- Likeness
- Unwanted changes
- Usable-output rate
- Cost per accepted image
A template to fill in with your own photos. These bars are empty on purpose: no results are shown here.
Who should choose what
There is no single winner for every person. Here is how we would decide, including the cases where ZeroTwo is not the right pick.
- Choose a dedicated headshot service if
You want one batch and no prompt writing
Dedicated services generally ask you to upload a set of selfies and return a batch. Photo counts, turnaround, price and refund terms differ by vendor and change, so read each vendor's own page before paying.
- Choose ZeroTwo if
You want to steer the result yourself
You upload a clear reference photo, write the brief, and try the same brief on more than one image model. The trade-off: likeness depends on your reference photo and prompt, and nothing here guarantees it.
- Book a photographer if
Likeness has to be certain
Some employers, regulated roles and platforms set their own photo rules, and a real session is the safest answer to them. Ask before you swap the photo on a profile that matters.
Dedicated services to check on their own sites (we make no claims about their current terms): Aragon AI, HeadshotPro, BetterPic, Secta Labs, PhotoAI.
Score every tool on four things, in this order
Do this with your own face and a rule you set in advance. It works for any generator, including ours.
1. Likeness
Show the result next to your reference photo to someone who knows you, without saying which is which. Would they say it is you?
2. Unwanted changes
Check skin texture, apparent age, teeth, glasses, hairline, jewellery and ears against the reference. Anything the model invented counts against it.
3. Usable-output rate
Accepted headshots divided by headshots generated. Decide your accept rule before you look at results, and keep it the same across tools.
4. Cost per accepted image
Everything you paid for the test, divided by the number of headshots you accepted. Include any plan you had to buy to run it.
Illustrative arithmetic, not a measurement
If a tool generates 30 headshots and you accept 6, its usable-output rate is 20%. If you spent a total of S on the test, your cost per accepted image is S divided by 6. A tool that hands you 200 images but only 2 you would use has not given you 200 headshots. For the editing side of keeping a real face, see identity-preserving photo-editing methods.
What to upload, and whose photo it is
Only upload photos of yourself, or of someone who has said yes to it. Make a headshot that looks like the person, not an improved stranger.
Input that helps likeness
- Sharp, recent, front-facing
- Soft daylight, no harsh shadows
- No filters or beauty modes
- Glasses as you normally wear them
- One subject per photo
- A second angle for ambiguous features
Retention and deletion
ZeroTwo keeps content you store until you delete it, delete your workspace, or retention is required for security, fraud prevention, backups or legal reasons. You can ask for deletion by contacting the address in the privacy notice. Ask any other service for its retention and deletion terms in writing before you upload a face.
Models worth running on the same brief
Three vendors, one brief, one reference photo. We are not ranking them: your face decides which one wins.
Flux Pro
Black Forest Labs
A different vendor from the other two, so a failure in one is less likely to repeat in all three.
GPT Image
OpenAI
Listed in ZeroTwo as GPT Image 1.5 and GPT Image 1. Worth running if your brief is long and specific about clothing and background.
Imagen 4
Google
Run it on the same brief and look closely at skin tone and lighting against your reference.
ZeroTwo's image catalogue also lists Flux Pro 2, GPT Image 1 Mini, Nano Banana and Qwen Edit, among others. The catalogue changes; the image generation page and the model picker in the app show what is available now. For a broad comparison of general image tools, see best AI image generators.
A five-step test you can run in an afternoon
Pick two or three reference photos
Recent, sharp, front-facing, soft daylight, no filters, no sunglasses, nobody else in frame. The model can only be as faithful as what you give it.
Write the brief once
Clothing, background, framing and lighting in a few lines, plus an explicit instruction to keep your face, hair and age unchanged. Reuse the exact text on every tool you test.
Run the same brief on more than one model
Generate a fixed number per model, for example ten, so the usable-output rate is comparable.
Score before you choose
Apply the four-part scorecard above to every output, then pick. Reject anything that fails the likeness check even if it looks polished.
Export the highest resolution and check it at profile size
Look at the finished image at thumbnail size, because that is how most people will see it.
Cancellation, refunds and limits are three different questions
Pricing pages often blur them. Here is where ZeroTwo stands on each, and the question to put to any headshot service.
| Topic | ZeroTwo | Ask any service |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellation | You can cancel from your account settings. Cancelling stops future renewals; paid features stay active until the end of the period you already paid for. | Where do I cancel, and what happens to my images and access afterwards? |
| Refunds | ZeroTwo has a strict no-refund policy. Exceptions are narrow: where the law requires one, or for a verifiable duplicate charge. | What are the exact refund conditions, and do they change once I have generated images? |
| Generation limits | Image runs draw from your plan's monthly credit pool, alongside other models and tools. Unlimited fast-model chat is separate from metered tasks like images. | How many images does my plan produce, and what happens when I run out? |
Source: ZeroTwo's refund policy and pricing page. Nothing here is a statement about any other service.
| Plan | Monthly price | Image generation | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited image generations | 100 free credits to start, then +20 bonus credits every day you log in |
| Plus | $14.99 | Image generation included | 1,650 monthly credits |
| Pro | $29.99$26.99/mo billed annually | Image generation included | 3,500 monthly credits |
| Ultra | $120 | Image generation included | 14,000 monthly credits |
Free starts with 100 free credits, adds 20 bonus credits every day you log in, and needs no card. We do not publish how many images a credit buys; check your usage in the app.
Questions people ask before uploading a face
Which AI headshot generator should I use?
It depends on what you value. Dedicated headshot services suit a one-off batch from selfies with no prompt writing. A general image tool such as ZeroTwo suits people who want to steer the result and compare several models on the same reference photo. We have not run a matched test of every service, so use the scorecard on this page on your own photos before paying for anything.
How many photos do I need to upload?
It varies by tool, so check each vendor's own page. With a general image model you typically start from one or a few clear reference photos and a written brief. Sharp, recent, front-facing photos in soft light give the model the most to work with.
Are AI headshots acceptable on LinkedIn or at work?
Platform and employer rules differ and change. Check the profile-photo rules of the platform you are using and ask your employer if your role is regulated. The practical test is the same everywhere: the photo should look like you today.
What happens to the photos I upload to ZeroTwo?
ZeroTwo's privacy notice says it keeps content you store until you delete it, your workspace is deleted, or retention is required for security, fraud prevention, backups or legal reasons. Some AI providers behind a model may handle submitted content under their own policies, which ZeroTwo shows in-product where applicable. Read the privacy notice before uploading, and ask any other service the same questions.
Does ZeroTwo guarantee a perfect likeness?
No. Likeness depends on the model, your reference photo and your prompt. That is why the page recommends scoring outputs against your reference and rejecting anything that does not look like you, rather than trusting a model name.
What does image generation cost on ZeroTwo?
Free is $0 with limited image generations. Plus is $14.99/month and Pro is $29.99/month ($26.99/month billed annually). Image runs draw from your monthly credits, so heavier use needs a larger allowance. See the pricing page for the current plans.
Related guides
- Identity-preserving photo editingThe editing techniques behind keeping a real face while changing clothes, background or lighting.
- Best AI image generatorsThe broad model comparison, if you are choosing a general image tool rather than a headshot workflow.
- Image generator from textHow to write prompts when you start from a description instead of a reference photo.
- Best AI photo editorsRetouching and fixing a photo you already have.
Editing many photos at once? See best AI photo batch editors.