I Tested 4 AI Headshot Apps. Here's What Actually Happened.

I was skeptical. I'd seen the AI headshot trend going around, and most of the example images I'd seen online looked like they were generated by someone who had read about humans but never actually seen one. But the tools have improved dramatically in the past year, so I decided to actually test them properly.

I used the same source photo — a decent selfie taken by a window — and ran it through four different AI headshot services. Here's what I found.

What I was testing for

• Does my face still look like me?
• Does it look like an actual photo or obviously AI-generated?
• Is the lighting natural or weird?
• Would I be comfortable using this on a real LinkedIn profile?
• How long did it take? How much did it cost?

Tool 1: The "free trial" trap

The first tool I tried had prominent "free" branding. After uploading my photo, it generated 4 images — all watermarked, and all requiring a $35 subscription to download. The results weren't bad, but the face had been altered in a way that made me look noticeably different. Sharper jaw, brighter eyes. It looked like a polished version of someone slightly different from me.

My verdict: Not worth it unless you specifically want a more idealized, retouched version of yourself rather than an accurate professional photo.

Tool 2: The slow one

This one required uploading 10-20 photos and waiting 24-48 hours while it trained a custom model on your face. The results were genuinely impressive — the best facial accuracy of the group. But the wait time killed it for me. If you need a headshot for a job application today, a two-day turnaround isn't useful.

Tool 3: The artistic one

Good for creative portfolios and social media, but every single output looked like a painting or a movie poster. Nothing that would pass as a real corporate headshot. If you're a designer or photographer building a personal brand, this might be exactly what you want. For LinkedIn, it's wrong.

Tool 4: Rembrandt Lens

Generated multiple styles in under 12 seconds each. The results kept my face accurate — not airbrushed into something else — with proper studio lighting applied. The Executive style in particular looked indistinguishable from something taken in an actual studio with a grey backdrop. I showed it to three colleagues without telling them it was AI. All three assumed it was a professional photo.

One-time payment, no subscription. That alone puts it ahead of most of the competition.

What I learned

The quality gap between the best and worst AI headshot tools is enormous. The main things to look for: does it preserve your facial features accurately (not "enhance" them beyond recognition), does the lighting look natural, and is the pricing honest? A lot of these services rely on subscription models that cost more per year than an actual photographer.

If you're going to use one, use one that generates fast results, keeps your face accurate, and charges you once.