LOOKSMETER · COMPARISON
Looking for a Umax alternative?
Umax proved everyone wants their face rated. LooksMeter does it in the browser with the full score free, a strict calibration that refuses to flatter, and a one-time report instead of a subscription. Here's the honest comparison.
The honest comparison
Umax made AI face rating viral, and credit where due - it proved people want a number. The differences with LooksMeter are structural rather than cosmetic:
Browser, not app store
LooksMeter runs on any phone or laptop browser. Nothing to install, nothing on your home screen, works on Android and desktop the same as iPhone.
The full score is the free tier
Overall score, tier, percentile and all four categories - free, no account. App raters typically show a teaser and paywall the rest; here the paywall only covers the improvement plan.
One-time payment, not a subscription
The optional report is bought once. Subscription raters bill you weekly for a face that doesn't change weekly.
A scale with meaning
PSL 0.25-8 with defined tiers and a stated distribution, strictness enforced server-side - rather than a 0-100 number with no published calibration.
Why strictness is the actual feature
Every rating app faces the same incentive: flattered users screenshot and share, harsh scores get uninstalled. That's why scores across the category cluster upward until everyone's above average and the number means nothing.
LooksMeter's bet is the opposite one. The rubric anchors most faces in the ordinary bands, hesitation resolves to the lower score by rule, and a deterministic compression sits between the model and your result so generosity can't leak through. A 5.1 from a tool with a ceiling means more than an 85 from a tool without one.
What you get beyond the number
The free tier is the complete diagnosis: where you stand overall and in each of the four categories that make up the score.
The paid report is the prescription - the specific strengths and weaknesses behind each category, improvements ranked by realistic impact with an effort level and timeframe for each, and the potential score they add up to. There's also a separate free Hunter Eye Test scoring the five eye-area markers individually, which no rating-out-of-100 gives you.
Frequently asked
Is LooksMeter a good Umax alternative?
If what you want is an honest facial rating with a breakdown, yes. LooksMeter runs in the browser with no app to install, gives the complete score free - overall PSL rating, tier, percentile, and all four category scores - and the only paid item is an optional one-time report. There's no subscription of any kind.
Is LooksMeter really free?
The full score is. Overall PSL score on the 0.25-8 scale, your tier, your percentile, and the Harmony / Dimorphism / Angularity / Miscellaneous breakdown all come free with no account and no app download. The optional report - per-category strengths and weaknesses plus a ranked improvement plan - is a one-time payment, not a recurring one.
How is a PSL score different from a rating out of 100?
Ratings out of 100 sound precise but hide their calibration - nobody knows what a 72 means or how rare an 85 is. The PSL scale (0.25-8) comes from looksmaxxing communities with defined tiers and a known distribution: most people land 3.0-5.5, scores above 6 are genuinely rare, and LooksMeter enforces that strictness in code rather than leaving it to the model's mood.
Does LooksMeter inflate scores?
The opposite - the calibration is deliberately strict at every band. The scoring rubric assumes most submissions are ordinary, resolves hesitation downward, and a server-side compression caps what the model can hand out regardless of how generous it feels. Rating tools inflate because flattered users share more; we'd rather be the tool people trust than the one that calls everyone a 6.
How much does the LooksMeter report cost?
The full report is a one-time $4.99 launch offer (regular $9.99). No subscription, no weekly charge, no recurring anything - which is the main structural difference from app-based raters that bill on a cycle.
Does LooksMeter store my photo?
No. Your photo is used to generate the score and discarded. It is never saved, sold, or used for training.
Keep reading
Am I attractive?
How an AI attractiveness test reads your face, and how to make sense of the result.
Face rating, explained
What an AI face rating measures, what the score means, and how to read the breakdown.
Looksmaxxing, explained
What the terms mean, softmaxxing vs hardmaxxing, and what actually works.
This page is general information about facial aesthetics terminology, not medical or cosmetic advice. Scores from our tools are AI-generated estimates for entertainment and self-reflection.