Short answer
On our partial results, Collov AI kept the room closest to the original while keeping the frame (room 01 drift 11.0, $0.45 per photo). Roomagen is the cheapest tool that also kept the frame ($0.40 per photo, drift 15.3). Whatever you pick, check every output against the original before it goes on the MLS.
$0.45/photo. Lowest architecture drift on room 01 and kept the frame.
Room 01 drift 15.3. The free output had a watermark (heavy tiled + badge).
On room 01, the only free output we downloaded with no watermark at the original resolution (1280x960).
Human + AI, 24-48 hours (rush: 24 h +$6, 12 h +$12 per image). Not tested on our rooms yet.
| # | Tool | Room 01 drift / framing | $/photo | Free output (our test) | "Virtually staged" disclaimer option | Commercial-use licence stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Collov AI | 11.0 Pass | $0.45 | A watermark (logo) · 1200x896 | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 |  Roomagen | 15.3 Pass | $0.40 | A watermark (heavy tiled + badge) · 2400x1792 | ? | ? |
| 3 |  REimagineHome | 16.2 Pass | $0.63 | A watermark (tiled + badge) · 2336x1760 | ? | ? |
| 4 |  Apply Design | 17.2 Pass | $15 | No watermark · 2400x1792 | ? | ? |
| 5 |  TINTY | 18.1 Fail | $2.25 | A watermark (tiled) · 1248x832 | ? | ? |
| 6 |  Pedra | 27.1 Fail | $0.33 (€0.29) | A watermark (badge) · 2048x1536 | ? | ? |
| 7 |  virtualstaging.ai | 28.2 Fail | $1.25 | No watermark · 1280x960 | ✓ | ✓ |
| – |  MeltFlex | Unknown alignment failed; unaligned 48.5 not comparable | $0.21 (€0.19) | A watermark (tiled meltflexai.com), on an on-page preview (download paywalled) · 1195x896 | ? | ✓ |
Before you put a staged photo on the MLS
- Disclose that the photo is virtually staged and keep or show the unaltered original where your MLS requires it.
- Do not let the tool change walls, windows, doors, steps or fixtures. Example from our tests, Collov AI on room 05: Framing passes and drift is low (21.4) because the automatic check only looks at the top 65% of the frame. It misses the biggest change: the two steps up to the bay are gone. Misrepresentation risk.
- Check the frame: TINTY, Pedra and virtualstaging.ai cropped, zoomed or rotated room 01.
Rules differ by MLS and state: virtual staging MLS rules and disclosure guide (not legal advice).
Architecture drift runs from 0 to 100, lower is better (how much walls, windows and doors changed after aligning the output to the original). Differences of about 3 points or less are within measurement noise. Framing fails if the tool cropped, zoomed, shifted or rotated the photo beyond our thresholds. Editor realism ratings are one person's 1-5 ratings, not blind. Details: methodology. Partial results: 1 of 10 rooms scored for most tools (Collov AI also has rooms 02-05, Pedra rooms 02-06 and Roomagen room 02. The leaderboard still compares room 01 only.). Prices from vendors' public pages, checked 19 October 2026; EUR converted at the ECB rate (1.1253, 2026-10-16). Nobody paid for a placement, and affiliate links never change the order.