Disclosure: XPortrait is our product. We try to be honest about where competitors beat us. If anything here is inaccurate, email h@xportrait.ai and we will update it.
If you need a professional headshot for LinkedIn, a resume, or a company "About" page, AI generators now produce results that are hard to distinguish from a studio shoot — at a fraction of the price. But the tools differ a lot on price, realism, turnaround time, and how they handle your training photos.
This guide compares five tools we hear about most often, based on hands-on testing in early 2026.
TL;DR — which one to pick
| If you want… | Pick |
|---|---|
| Fastest turnaround and lowest entry price | XPortrait (our product) |
| Largest variety of styles and outfits | Aragon |
| Cheapest acceptable result | HeadshotPro |
| Most photo-realistic for executive/PR use | BetterPic |
| Couples or matched team shots | Secta |
Full comparison
| XPortrait | Aragon | HeadshotPro | Secta | BetterPic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $19 | $35 | $29 | $55 | $45 |
| Photos delivered | 100+ | 40 | 120 | 300 | 200 |
| Turnaround | ~20 min | 60–90 min | ~2 hr | ~90 min | 60–120 min |
| Training photos required | 8–12 | 12+ | 15–20 | 15+ | 15+ |
| Free preview before paying | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Prices verified May 2026. Always check vendor sites for current promos.
Where each tool wins
XPortrait — fastest turnaround, lowest entry price
We optimized for one thing: deliver a usable LinkedIn-quality headshot in under 30 minutes from 8–12 photos. Free preview means you do not pay if likeness is off.
Where we lose: fewer outfit and background styles than Aragon, and we do not currently support multi-person shots — if you need a couples photo, use Secta.
Aragon — biggest style library
Around 200 background and outfit combinations including editorial looks. Slower and pricier than us, but the most flexible if you want corporate, casual, and creative styles in one pack.
HeadshotPro — cheapest acceptable quality
Lowest cost-per-image in this list. Quality is noticeably below BetterPic and Aragon on close inspection (some uncanny-valley artifacts around hair and ears in our tests), but for a small profile thumbnail it is fine.
Secta — strong multi-person support
If you need a couples photo, family photo, or matched team headshots that look like they were shot in the same session, Secta is the only tool in this comparison that handles it well.
BetterPic — most photo-realistic
In informal blind tests, BetterPic outputs were mistaken for studio photos at the highest rate. If your photo will be printed, scaled, or scrutinized (book jackets, press kits, executive bios), the higher price is worth it.
How to choose
- Decide your quality floor. Public-facing executive use → BetterPic. LinkedIn thumbnail → any of these work.
- Pick by your tightest constraint. Tight deadline → XPortrait. Tight budget → HeadshotPro. Multi-person → Secta.
- Always use the preview or refund policy. Likeness can fail on under-represented features; do not pay for a full pack before checking.
What none of these do well yet
- Prescription-tinted glasses — all five tools struggle.
- Hijab and other religious head coverings — coverage varies; test before buying.
- Very curly or textured hair — improving but still inconsistent across all tools.
Methodology
We ran the same 10 source selfies through each tool using the cheapest paid tier. We rated results on likeness, skin and hair artifacts, lighting realism, and outfit fit. We plan to re-run this comparison quarterly.