HeadshotDB · Prices checked October 18, 2026
What a headshot costs: AI generators, free tools, studios and photographers
The cheapest AI headshot package costs $29 (HeadshotPro, Headshot Kiwi, AI Headshots (aiheadshots.ai)), and the median entry price across 8 AI services is $35. Per image, packages run as low as 24¢. A one-image business headshot at JCPenney costs $74.98 with the session fee, and a short photographer session has a median of about $159.
AI headshot generators
These services generate new images of you from selfies you upload. Prices are one-time unless marked monthly. “Per image” is the package price divided by the number of headshots it includes.
| Service | Cheapest package | Images | Per image | Best per-image deal | Says it doesn't train on your photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HeadshotPro | Cheapest package ·$29 | Images ·30 | Per image ·97¢ | Best per-image deal ·78¢ ($39 for 50) | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Yes |
| Aragon | Cheapest package ·$35 | Images ·40 | Per image ·88¢ | Best per-image deal ·75¢ ($45 for 60) | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Yes |
| BetterPic | Cheapest package ·$35 | Images ·20 | Per image ·$1.75 | Best per-image deal ·65¢ ($39 for 60) | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Not stated |
| InstaHeadshots (now Magic Studio) | Cheapest package ·$59 | Images ·50 | Per image ·$1.18 | Best per-image deal ·— | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Not stated |
| Secta Labs | Cheapest package ·$49 | Images ·200+ | Per image ·25¢ | Best per-image deal ·— | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Not stated |
| Headshot Kiwi | Cheapest package ·$29 | Images ·40 | Per image ·73¢ | Best per-image deal ·24¢ ($59 for 250) | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Not stated |
| PortraitPal | Cheapest package ·$35 | Images ·20 | Per image ·$1.75 | Best per-image deal ·75¢ ($45 for 60) | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Yes |
| AI Headshots (aiheadshots.ai) | Cheapest package ·$29 | Images ·30 | Per image ·97¢ | Best per-image deal ·78¢ ($39 for 50) | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Yes |
| Photo AI (photoai.com) | Cheapest package ·$19/mo | Images ·Credits (see source) | Per image ·— | Best per-image deal ·— | Says it doesn't train on your photos ·Not stated |
Several services show a crossed-out “regular” price next to a sale price; we list the price you’d actually pay on October 18, 2026.
Free and general-purpose AI tools
General-purpose AI tools can make a headshot from a selfie for free within a daily limit. None of them publish how many free images you get, and none are built to keep your likeness.
| Tool | Free tier | Paid tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini | Free tier ·No numeric limit published | Paid tiers ·AI Plus $4.99/mo · AI Pro $19.99/mo · Ultra $99.99/mo |
| Adobe Firefly headshot generator | Free tier ·free daily generations (count not stated) | Paid tiers ·Firefly Standard $9.99/mo · Firefly Pro $19.99/mo · Firefly Pro Plus $49.99/mo · Firefly Premium $199.99/mo |
| Fotor AI headshot generator | Free tier ·Free with daily limits (count not published) | Paid tiers ·— |
| Picsart | Free tier ·Credits only | Paid tiers ·Pro $10.50/mo · Ultra $40/mo |
Studios and photographers
| Provider | Option | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| JCPenney Portraits (Lifetouch) | Option ·Business headshot - 1 digital image | Price ·$59.99 | What you get ·1 |
| Option ·Business headshot - 3 digital images | Price ·$79.99 | What you get ·3 | |
| Option ·Digital Album | Price ·$134.99 | What you get ·all session images (typically 15-20 captured) | |
| Option ·Perks Club | Price ·$39.99 | What you get ·— | |
| Snappr | Option ·Value | Price ·$89 | What you get ·'a set number of edited photos' (count not stated) |
| Option ·All-inclusive | Price ·$169 | What you get ·Every photo from the shoot, edited | |
| Option ·Pro membership | Price ·$49 | What you get ·— | |
| Picture People | Option ·$185 Pre-Paid Package | Price ·$185 | What you get ·Full session of high-res digital images + 6 portrait sheets (8x10 or smaller) |
| Option ·$250 Pre-Paid Package | Price ·$250 | What you get ·Full session digital images + 8 sheets + 1 framed portrait |
JCPenney charges a $14.99 session fee per person on top of the image price. Snappr adds a 15% service fee to its hourly rate. For independent photographers, our ERAS headshot price survey found $149–$250 for a short session (median $159).
What the price doesn't tell you
- Generated vs. photographed. AI generators produce new images that resemble you. A photographer, or a retouched photo of you, shows your actual face. That matters wherever someone checks the photo against you in person: ERAS programs use the photo to recognize applicants at interviews.
- Some uses ban edited or AI photos outright. US passports and visas forbid filtered or edited photos, and Upwork prohibits AI-generated profile photos. See the photo spec registry.
- Per image vs. minimum spend. Packages are cheap per image, but you pay for 20 to 250 images when most people use one or two.
Where DIY Headshots fits
We charge $1 per headshot: a guided photo from your phone, retouched without changing your face. That’s more per image than a 250-image AI package. It’s also the only option here where one headshot costs $1 and is a real photo of you. DIY Headshots isn’t in the tables above, because we don’t rank ourselves in our own data.
Headshot cost FAQ
- How much does an AI headshot cost?
- Across 8 AI headshot services whose own pricing pages we read on October 18, 2026, the cheapest package was $29 and the median entry price was $35. Packages include 20 to 250 images.
- What is the cheapest AI headshot per image?
- Headshot Kiwi's Executive package works out to about 24¢ per image ($59 for 250). Most entry packages cost 25¢ to $1.75 per image.
- How much is a headshot at JCPenney?
- JCPenney Portraits lists a one-image business headshot at $59.99 plus a $14.99 session fee per person, $74.98 in total (session fee waived for Perks Club members).
- How much does a photographer charge for a headshot?
- For a short single-look session, the studio packages we've priced (ERAS residency headshots, October 2026) cost $149–$250 with a median of $159. Prices vary widely by city.
Sources and method
Every price was read from the provider’s own pricing page on October 18, 2026, and each provider name links to it. We couldn’t read a price from Try It On AI, Dreamwave, ProfileBakery, ChatGPT (OpenAI), Canva AI headshot generator, Lifetouch or Glamour Shots because the page blocked automated reading or didn’t list one, so they’re left out instead of estimated. See the methodology.