StagingBench
Room 01 results out (partial, 1 of 10 rooms) · see them

The same 10 rooms.
Every AI stager.

We stage the same 10 rooms in every AI tool. You see the results side by side, with automatic checks for moved walls and windows, and realism ratings from one editor.

Get the first resultsRead the methodology

Last updated · partial results, testing in progress

IndependentRe-tested monthlyScores never for sale
Empty open-plan living room with kitchen, from the StagingBench test set
Same room virtually staged in a modern style
Empty · test room 01Staged
Drag to compare. Left: empty test room 01. Right: one AI staging of the same photo.Room 01 results (partial) →
How we test

A fair test is a boring test. That's the point.

Every tool gets identical inputs and one shot. No cherry-picking, no prompt tricks, no vendor-supplied demos.

1

Same rooms, same settings

Each tool stages the same 10 empty-room photos in its "modern" style with default settings.

  • Unmodified source files
  • First output counts, no re-rolls
  • Free trial or paid plan disclosed
2

Automatic checks

A fixed, documented script compares every result with the original room.

  • Aspect ratio and resolution kept
  • Framing kept (crop, zoom, shift)
  • Architecture drift of walls, windows, doors
  • Time to first result
3

Realism ratings

For now, one editor rates each output next to the original room (not blind). Blind ratings by agents and photographers are planned.

  • Realism
  • Furniture scale
  • Lighting and shadows
The test set

10 real rooms, picked to be difficult

Open-plan layouts, sloped attic windows, bay windows, small rooms and one room that isn't fully empty. All photos are CC0 or public domain, so anyone can re-run the test.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons. Authors and licenses in credits.json.Why these rooms →
Room 01 results · partial

Room 01 results: 8 tools, 1 of 10 rooms

The first test room (open-plan kitchen and living room with a column) staged by 8 tools. These are automatic checks only, on one room. No blind human ratings and no overall score yet, so this is not the final ranking.

Partial results: 1 of 10 rooms. Sorted by architecture drift, lower is better. Framing is a separate pass/fail column: a tool can keep the walls but crop or re-frame the photo, and the reverse. Vendors have a 7-day right of reply on these numbers, and verified factual errors will be corrected. Scores are never paid for. Extra rooms so far (not in this table): Collov AI rooms 02-05, Pedra rooms 02-06, Roomagen room 02, on each tool page.
Room 01 · open-plan kitchen + living · "modern" style
Tested 2026-10-19 · free tiers · first output only
1 of 10 rooms · partial
#ToolArchitecture driftFramingTimeWatermarkOutputFree tierRealism
editor, 1-5
1Collov AIBefore/after →
11.0
raw 9.9
 Pass
99.6% of frame kept
 18.6 s Yes (logo) 1200x896 5 watermarked images 4.2
2RoomagenBefore/after →
15.3
raw 15.5
 Pass
99.7% of frame kept
 ~45 s Yes (heavy tiled + badge) 2400x1792 6 credits advertised (4 seen) 4.2
3REimagineHomeBefore/after →
16.2
raw 15.3
 Pass
99.8% of frame kept
 16 s Yes (tiled + badge) 2336x1760 5 free designs 4.0
4Apply DesignBefore/after →
17.2
raw 13.8
 Pass
99.7% of frame kept
 ~585 s No 2400x1792 1 free credit 4.0
5TINTYBefore/after →
18.1
raw 24.1
 Fail
11% of frame cut
 ~30 s Yes (tiled) 1248x832 3 anonymous uploads/day 4.0
6PedraBefore/after →
27.1
raw 37.6
 Fail
zoomed out 1.3%, 2.5% new at edges
 ~35 s Yes (badge) 2048x1536 6 credits at signup 3.8
7virtualstaging.aiBefore/after →
28.2
raw 40.6
 Fail
zoomed out 1.0%, rotated 0.8°, 2.9% new at edges
 38.7 s No 1280x960 2 credits after email confirmation 3.4
8MeltFlexBefore/after →
48.5
raw 48.5
 Unknown
alignment failed
 ~28 s Yes (tiled meltflexai.com) 1195x896 1 free design (sign-in) –
Architecture drift 0-100 (lower = better), measured after aligning each output to the original frame, differences of about 3 points or less are within measurement noise. Framing passes if ≥ 97% of the original frame is visible, zoom is 0.99-1.02, rotation ≤ 0.5° and ≤ 2% of the image is newly drawn at the edges. ~ = approximate time. Realism is an editor rating (one person, not blind, mean of five 1-5 ratings), not an automated score, reasons are on each tool page. How we measure
Compare all 20 tools · prices checked 2026-10-19

Price per photo, free tier and features, side by side

Facts from each vendor's public pricing and feature pages (no sign-ups), plus what we saw in our own partial tests. Click a column to sort. Unknown means we could not verify it, not "no". Per-photo price list →

Best for… Provisional

Cheapest per photo
MeltFlex
$0.21/photo

Standard (monthly), EUR 19/month; a home-design tool and 'up to' render counts. Tested on room 01 only: alignment failed, so framing is unknown and its drift of 48.5 is the unaligned fallback score. Runner-up: Pedra ($0.33/photo).

Rule: lowest price per staged photo on the cheapest paid plan (USD, monthly billing)

Best free tier
virtualstaging.ai
2 credits, no watermark

The only free output we downloaded with no watermark at the original resolution (1280x960). Apply Design's free image is also watermark-free but you get 1 and it took about 10 minutes. On paper VirtualStagingFlow gives the most free photos (30 credits, about 6), not tested yet.

Rule: among free outputs we downloaded: no watermark, then most free images

Best fidelity so far
Collov AI
drift 11.0 on room 01

Lowest architecture drift on room 01 with framing kept. Caveat: in room 05 Collov removed the two steps up to the bay window, which the automatic check misses. Check every photo.

Rule: lowest room 01 architecture drift among tools that pass framing

Fastest
REimagineHome
16 s on room 01

Fastest measured time to result. Runner-up: Collov AI (18.6 s; 18.6-22 s across its 4 timed rooms). AI HomeDesign claims under 5 s, which we have not tested.

Rule: shortest measured (not approximate) room 01 time

Provisional picks from the data on this site only: public prices checked 2026-10-19 and our partial tests (room 01 for 8 tools, plus a few extra rooms). They will change as testing continues. Nobody paid for a pick.

20 tools · public prices + partial tests
Per-photo price = plan price / staged photos included, monthly billing. EUR converted to USD at the ECB rate. Tested = rooms we have run (of 10).
Partial results
ToolPrice / photo
cheapest plan
Mid plan
per photo
 Free tierWatermark
on free
Max resolutionTurnaroundFeaturesTested
MeltFlexAI $0.21 (€0.19)
Standard (monthly): €19/mo
 $0.19 (€0.17)
Free tier: first staged photo free, no card; free images carry a subtle watermark
 Yes
4K image generations on paid plans
~28 s (our room 01)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi 1 of 10
PedraAI $0.33 (€0.29)
Pro Monthly: €29/mo
 $0.28 (€0.25)
7 image credits + 1 video + 1 virtual tour at signup, no card (our account got 6); free no-signup tool on pedra.ai/free-tools
 Yes
2048 px (Large) on our free download
~35 s (our room 01)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi 6 of 10
RoomagenAI $0.40
Starter: $12/mo
 $0.29
6 one-time credits (3 images), watermarked; '2K on your first edit, then 1K'
 Yes
Free: 2K first edit then 1K; Starter 'HD'; Pro/Business 'Ultra HD' (pixel sizes not stated)
~45 s (our room 01)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi 2 of 10
Collov AIAI $0.45
Standard (monthly): $27/mo
 $0.39
5 free trial images with watermark
 Yes
?
18.6 s (our room 01)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi 5 of 10
REimagineHomeAI $0.63
Essential: $19/mo
 $0.18
5 free designs for new users
 Yes
?
16 s (our room 01)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi 1 of 10
HomaiAI $0.82
Starter: $49/mo
 $0.55
No free trial (homepage demo only)
 ?
4x AI upscale (e.g. 4096x3072) for 2 extra credits
30-60 s per room (vendor claim)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
AI HomeDesignAI $1.17
Pro (monthly): $35/mo
 $0.74
Free to start, no card (photo count not stated on the pages we read)
 ?
?
Under 5 seconds (vendor claim)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
virtualstaging.aiAI $1.25
Starter: $25/mo
 $0.98
Free account, no card; our account got 2 credits after email confirmation
 No
?
38.7 s (our room 01)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi 1 of 10
TINTYAI $2.25
Base: $9/mo
 $1.95
6 previews per photo, 20 a month, plus 3 finished photos once (light watermark); 3 previews/day without an account
 Yes
2K (about 2,500 px long side)
~30 s (our room 01)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi 1 of 10
VirtualStagingFlowAI $2.27
Property pack: $50 one-time
 $2.08
30 free credits (about 6 standard photos), no card
 ?
Full resolution (no pixel cap stated)
instant AI + human review on request
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
ImmoStageAI $3.26 (€2.90)
Solo: €29 one-off
 $0.55 (€0.49)
1 demo listing with 3 staging images, no card
 ?
4K
Under 2 minutes (vendor claim)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
PhotoUpHuman + AI $4.50
On-demand credits: $1.5 per credit
 $2.94
5 free credits (enough for 1 AI staged image)
 ?
?
DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
Apply DesignAI + DIY editor $15
Apply Coins, up to 9: $10 one-time (per coin)
 $12
First image free
 No
?
~585 s (our room 01)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi 1 of 10
StyldodHuman + AI $23
Standard (fewer than 8 images): $23 per photo
 $16
Free trial: 5 free AI designs (via sister product REimagineHome) or a free expert-service trial
 ?
?
24-48 hours (rush: 24 h +$6, 12 h +$12 per image)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
BoxBrownieHuman editors $30
Virtual staging, pay as you go: $30 per photo
 $30
1 free virtual staging edit for new accounts (landing page); new accounts also get 3 image enhancements + 1 day-to-dusk
 ?
?
Under 48 hours
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
StucccoHuman editors $35
Pay as you go: $35 per photo
 $28
None on official pages (a coupon offer is on a third-party site)
 ?
?
24 hours, 7 days a week (12-24 h)
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
roOomyHuman editors $49
Virtual staging (no rework): $49 per photo
 $69
None found
 ?
?
human hours
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
ChatGPT (baseline)General AI · baseline n/a
Go: $8/mo
 n/a
Free plan: 'Limited image creation'
 ?
?
instant AI
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
Gemini (baseline)General AI · baseline n/a
Google AI Plus: $4.99/mo
 n/a
Free with a Google Account
 ?
?
instant AI
 DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
TroltoAI marketing suite n/a
Starter: $59/mo
 n/a
7-day free trial
 ?
?
DcEmRsDuSkRn36ApDsLi Not yet
Dc Declutter / remove furnitureEm Empty-room stagingRs Restyle a furnished roomDu Day to duskSk Sky replacementRn Renovation / wall & floor recolor36 360 or videoAp APIDs "Virtually staged" disclaimer optionLi Commercial-use licence statedGreen = the vendor's page says yes, struck red = says no, grey = not verified. Affiliate programs are the vendors' own. StagingBench uses no affiliate links at the moment. Sources and dates are on each tool page.
Leaderboard

20 tools in the first round

Final scores are published once every tool has been tested on all 10 rooms and every vendor has had its 7-day right of reply. Until then, this shows who's in the queue, partial room 01 checks are shown above.

Round 1 · Virtual staging, "modern" style
20 tools · 10 rooms each · 8 tools done with room 01 · no final scores yet
Testing now · first results November 2026
#ToolTypeFree trialScoreStatus
–REimagineHomeAI5 free designsAfter 10 roomsRoom 01 done
–Collov AIAI5 watermarked imagesAfter 10 roomsRoom 01 done
–Apply DesignAI + DIY editorFirst image freeAfter 10 roomsRoom 01 done
–BoxBrownieHuman editors1 free staging editAfter 10 roomsTesting
–StyldodHuman + AIFree trial designsAfter 10 roomsTesting
–roOomyHuman editorsNo free trialAfter 10 roomsTesting
–StucccoHuman editors1 free photo (coupon)After 10 roomsTesting
–PhotoUpHuman + AI5 free creditsAfter 10 roomsTesting
Baselines (ChatGPT, Gemini) use one fixed public prompt. Virtual Staging AI (virtualstagingai.app) is excluded: not available in the EU.
Our rules

Built to be trusted by agents and vendors

Scores never for sale

No vendor can pay for inclusion, ranking, removal or early access.

Right of reply

Vendors see their results 7 days early and can publish a 150-word response.

Full disclosure

Trial or paid plan, test date and any affiliate link shown next to every score.

Reproducible

Public photos, published weights and a fixed, documented scoring method.

Head-to-head

Popular tool pairs, same test rooms

Side-by-side pages for the pairs agents search most. Numbers come from our own test data only.

Also see the October 2026 best-tools ranking and the MLS disclosure guide.

Monthly results

Get each round's results by email

One email a month with the new leaderboard, the biggest movers and any vendor replies.

  • Side-by-side outputs for all 10 rooms
  • Which tools moved walls, windows or doors
  • No sponsored rankings. Unsubscribe in one click.
FAQ

Questions agents and vendors ask

Who runs StagingBench, and who pays for it?

StagingBench is an independent project. Some links may be affiliate links, which can earn us a commission at no cost to you, and sponsors are always labelled “Sponsor”. Payments never affect scores or rankings. See the disclosure page. Contact: stagingbench@radarmakers.com.

Why do you only count the first output?

Agents usually take the first decent result. Counting only the first output measures what a busy agent actually gets, and stops anyone, including us, from picking the best of many tries.

What is "structural drift"?

AI stagers sometimes move a window, delete a door or bend a wall. Presenting that in a listing can mislead buyers. Our script first aligns the staged image to the original, so a crop or small zoom is reported separately as a framing fail, then compares edge maps of the walls, windows and doors and scores how much the architecture changed.

Do you use free trials or paid plans?

Both, and we always say which. Each tool page shows the plan tested, the test date and whether results came from a trial account.

I'm a vendor. Can I see or dispute my results?

Yes. Every vendor receives its raw outputs and scores 7 days before publication. Factual errors are corrected and re-tested, and you can publish a 150-word statement on your tool page. You can't request re-rolls or see other vendors' results early.

Can I use your test photos?

Yes. All 10 photos are CC0 or public domain. Sources and authors are in the credits file, so you can run the same test yourself.

When are the first results out?

Round 1 is being tested now. First results are planned for November 2026. Subscribe to get them the day they're published.

What is the best AI virtual staging tool right now?

There is no final ranking yet. On our partial results (1 of 10 rooms, automatic checks only), the provisional pick for fidelity is Collov AI: drift 11.0 on room 01. Lowest architecture drift on room 01 with framing kept. Caveat: in room 05 Collov removed the two steps up to the bay window, which the automatic check misses. Check every photo. First full results are planned for November 2026. Nobody paid for a pick.

What is the cheapest AI virtual staging tool?

On public prices checked 2026-10-19, the lowest price per staged photo on a cheapest paid plan is MeltFlex at $0.21 (Standard (monthly), €19/month), then Pedra ($0.33) and Roomagen ($0.40). Cheapest is not best: check the architecture drift results before you choose. Full list on the pricing page.

Which AI virtual staging tool has a free tier without a watermark?

virtualstaging.ai: 2 credits, no watermark. The only free output we downloaded with no watermark at the original resolution (1280x960). Apply Design's free image is also watermark-free but you get 1 and it took about 10 minutes. On paper VirtualStagingFlow gives the most free photos (30 credits, about 6), not tested yet.

Is virtual staging allowed on the MLS?

Generally yes, with conditions: disclose that the photo is virtually staged, keep or show the unaltered original where your MLS requires it, and do not change permanent features such as walls, windows and doors. Rules differ by MLS and state. See our MLS rules and disclosure guide (not legal advice).