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Rachel Rozen

Networking Coach | Founder of Connection Catalyst | Professional Speaker | Workshop Facilitator | CHIEF Member | Empowering Professionals to Connect & Thrive | Avid Book Devourer

December 31, 2024

When I was about three years old, I took a tumble down the carpeted stairs of my home, turned sharply into the basement, and landed face-first on the stone fireplace. After cleaning myself up, I looked in the mirror and saw my front teeth discolored—one black, one brown. From that moment on, I hated to smile.

For years, I avoided smiling in photos. Even after losing those baby teeth, getting a retainer, and wearing braces, I still struggled to embrace my smile. Pictures were my nemesis. But over time, I had to reteach myself how to love my smile. Now, it’s the first thing I look at in a photo, and I’ve come to realize just how powerful a great picture can be—especially when it comes to networking and building connections.

For many people, a professional headshot feels like a small detail, but it carries immense weight in the world of networking. Much like my smile journey, your headshot is often the first thing people notice about your LinkedIn profile or professional presence online. It’s your digital handshake—a way to convey approachability, confidence, and professionalism in a single frame.

Your headshot should:

• Show your genuine personality (yes, smiles make a difference!).
• Be clear and focused on your face to foster a sense of connection.
• Reflect your personal brand in a polished, professional way.

When your headshot exudes warmth and authenticity, it sets the stage for stronger first impressions and opens the door to meaningful connections.

Having a professional headshot has become a must-have in today’s online world. Whether it’s for LinkedIn, a personal website, or social media, a great headshot helps you look polished and creates a strong first impression. It’s also a key part of building your personal brand.

But let’s face it—hiring a professional photographer isn’t always easy. It can be expensive, time-consuming, and not everyone has access to one. That’s where AI headshot generators step in to make things simple.

These tools allow you to create a professional-looking headshot using just a few pictures from your phone or computer. It’s fast, affordable, and perfect for anyone who wants a great photo without the hassle of a traditional photoshoot.

However, with so many tools available online, it can be hard to decide which one to use. I tested some of the best AI headshot generators, including ProPhotos, Secta, Studioshot, and TryitOn. In this article, I’ll share my experience and help you find the right one for your needs.

Rank: Champion

Secta Labs AI lets you create 300 high-quality images quickly and easily. Simply upload at least 25 images, and you'll receive your results in less than an hour. With 13 editing options, you can customize your images by changing backgrounds, outfits, and more. Choose from 102 styles to achieve any look you desire. In addition, Secta Labs AI offers an extra feature, the Shook app, where you can copy the style, look, and feel of a photo, and even a face swap feature. Plus, with a 30-day money-back guarantee, there’s no risk. All of this is available for just $49!

Outcome Evaluation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was so impressed with the results! Secta Labs AI captured my face really well, with lighting that felt natural—not too bright or too dark. I also appreciated the variety of backgrounds and styles they offered. The expressions looked very natural, and the details in the skin texture, hair, and clothing were spot on. It didn’t feel overly perfect, but realistic, which I prefer. Even my body size was captured accurately. Overall, they delivered exactly what I was looking for in AI headshots, so I gave them a 5-star rating.

Outcome Evaluation

The initial setup was very easy, requiring minimal information, and the minimalist design made it user-friendly. Uploading photos was also simple, and I loved the feature that automatically detects my face even in photos with multiple people—no need to crop manually! I really commend them for this. On top of that, they provide helpful tips and video guides to ensure the best quality headshots.

I received the results in less than an hour.

One of my favorite features was being able to customize my headshots. They offer 13 different options, which is awesome! I could change my hairstyle, background, clothing, add glasses, and even adjust the lighting to get the perfect look. This is definitely what makes Secta Labs stand out from the competition. It's not just a headshot; it feels like having your own personal studio.

I loved the variety of headshot styles available! It’s so exciting to try them all—I can’t believe there are 102 styles. That’s such a huge selection, and I think it’s one of their strongest advantages over competitors. This AI generator is super addictive and enjoyable, with results that are truly surprising. With just one generation, you can receive 20 to over 120 headshots per style!

Downloading Images

Secta Labs did a very good job here, as the download process for images is very convenient. You can download them one by one, use a checkbox to select multiple, or even download all images with just one click. This makes it much easier to get all your images at once.

Rank: 2nd Place ProPhotos offers a seamless AI-powered headshot experience, generating up to 100 high-quality images from just 7 to 20 input photos. With a fast turnaround time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, you can quickly receive your results. The platform provides one image editing option, the AI Background Customizer, and offers a wide variety of styles, including 40 different outfits and background choices. While there's no information on a money-back guarantee, ProPhotos has a tiered pricing structure: the Basic plan starts at $39, the Premium plan at $49 (the one I selected), and the Professional plan priced at $59.

Outcome Evaluation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The results were good overall. ProPhotos AI didn’t quite capture the exact details of my face in some of the photos, and the lighting on my face was a bit dark in others, but some turned out fine. The expressions looked natural, though a few parts of the face had too much detail, while the skin texture was too smooth or slightly overdone. Personally, I prefer a less perfect look for a more realistic feel. The body size was inconsistent in the results—some were thin, some were just right, and others appeared a bit overweight. The backgrounds and styles were fine, but I think more variation would make it even better. Overall, it’s good enough, which is why I gave it a 4-star rating.

The initial setup is very easy and user-friendly. I liked their orange color as it’s very lively. The upload process is simple, and they also provide tips and video guides to help get the best results. One thing I noticed, though, is that if you upload multiple faces, you have to manually crop them, which can be time-consuming for customers if there are many faces uploaded.

Initial Set-up

Uploading

I received the results in 90 minutes.

They currently only offer one customization option, which is disappointing. I didn’t get to try it because they don’t offer a free trial, and you have to pay first to test it out. I wouldn’t recommend this to those who love personalizing their headshots, as they only offer one customization option at the moment.

AI Background Remover

The generated photos don't meet the 20 styles they mentioned, there are fewer than 20, similar to the ones shown in the pictures. Also, once you get your results, you can't choose other styles like you can with other competitors, where there are many options like different professions, places, themes, etc. I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for more options. It would be great if, after receiving the results, they allowed you to choose and generate new images with different styles. This way, you could use the service not just for one type of headshot, but also for other occasions or business purposes.

The images need to be downloaded manually, one by one. This means that if you have 100 images, you need to click 100 times before you can download them. I would recommend adding an option to download all images in one click.

I didn't find any extra features on their website.

Rank: 3rd Place

TryitOn offers an AI-powered headshot experience, allowing you to generate up to 100 high-quality AI headshots from 10 to 20 input images. With a quick turnaround time of just 1 hour and 30 minutes, you can expect fast results. The platform provides 5 image editing options—Recreate, Expand, Enhance, Upscale, and Human Edit, giving you flexibility in refining your images. While there are 13 available styles to choose from, it's important to note that they don't offer a redo or refund. Pricing is affordable, with a single package available for $21.

Outcome Evaluation: ⭐⭐⭐

The results weren’t exactly what I expected. TryIt On didn’t capture my face accurately—it didn’t quite show my true features. My nose looked too big, my face was too round, and the overall look didn’t feel very realistic. If you didn’t know me, you might think the images were okay, but for me, they weren’t really usable. That’s why I gave them a 3-star rating.

The initial setup is super easy—no extra information is required. You just need to name your photoshoot, and you're immediately guided on how to achieve the best results. Big thumbs up for that! However, I noticed they don’t have video guides available, which would be especially helpful for beginners.

As for uploading photos, it can be a bit time-consuming since you need to manually crop your images to focus on your face. I didn’t like this aspect. It would be better if they had automatic face detection and cropping technology, similar to what some competitors offer.

Good Close Ups

I received the results in 1 1/2 hours.

They offer five customization features, which is great, and they even provided free credits so I could try them out. You can check out the results I tested below.

As for their background changer, I’d say it’s just okay—it’s still a bit obvious that the image has been edited. I wasn’t a fan of their clothing change feature since it made my body look more masculine. Their expand feature is somewhat okay, but the hands didn’t turn out well. On the other hand, their hair changer delivered good results.

However, it would be even better if they added more customization options, like what some competitors offer, to make images even more personalized.

Expanded View

I really love the variety of styles—they truly impress me in this AI headshot generator. I counted their available styles, and there are 13 in total. However, this is fewer compared to Secta AI, which offers 102 styles.

One downside is that once I receive the results, there’s no option to use a style generator that allows me to create more images with other styles to try them out. Although this is still better compared to others that don’t offer any options at all.

The images need to be downloaded manually, one by one. This means that if you have 100 images, you need to click 100 times before you can download them.

Rank: 4th Place

The service delivers 100 headshots with a turnaround time of 1 to 2 business days. To get started, you'll need to upload between 12 and 25 images. You can customize your headshot with four basic editing options: face, hair, outfit, and background, with 9 styles available to choose from. Although they don’t offer refunds since the process is done manually, the pricing is reasonable, with options starting at $29.25 for Small, $36.75 for Normal (which I chose), and $44.25 for Premium.

Outcome Evaluation: ⭐⭐⭐

When I analyzed the results, I didn’t look like myself. My nose seemed too big, my face was too round, and my body and face size looked a bit fuller in most of the images. The texture of the image was also too smooth—I prefer a less smooth texture for a more realistic look, not too perfect. It also looked like glamour shots. They only provided two styles, and it would have been better if there were more variations so that customers would have more options for their headshots, making it more versatile. As of now, I can't really recommend it, as the results aren’t usable for me, so I gave it a 2-star rating.

Their initial setup is easy, requiring minimal information, and the design is minimalist and clean.

They also provide tips on how to get good results, but they don’t have a video guide like some other competitors. The upload process is simple, and it automatically detects images with multiple people, advising users to remove them, which is a helpful guide for customers to ensure better results.

I received the results in less than 1 day.

Customization Features

They offer four basic editing options, which is fewer compared to their competitors.

Their customization features are free, with unlimited edits, which is great since some others charge for this. I tried their outfit changer, and it took quite a while to get the result—about 1 to 2 days. I wouldn't recommend this to people who are in a hurry to use their headshots, as 1 to 2 days is a long wait, and one of the main reasons people choose AI headshots is to save time.

Here are the results of their Hair and Outfit Edits. I received 16 images per edit, but I only kept the first six to avoid making the screen too large.

The hair changer is okay, but I didn't notice much change. As for the outfit changer, the results aren't that great. Some parts, like around the neck, are incomplete, and the body size in the results isn't accurate.

Out of the 9 available styles, only 2 are selectable. With 100 headshots, it would be better if they offered more options. This way, users could maximize the use of their headshots and have more variations to choose from.

The images need to be downloaded manually, one by one. This means that if you have 100 images, you need to click 100 times before you can download them.

I didn't find any extra features on their website.

Each AI headshot generator had its strengths, but Secta Labs AI stood out as the clear winner. It excelled in image quality, customization, extra features, and an impressive variety of styles. Its user-friendly interface and a convenient download-all option made the process seamless. Plus, the 30-day money-back guarantee added peace of mind.

In second place was ProPhotos AI. While it produced high-quality images, it didn’t quite capture my exact facial features. Some images felt overly polished, with smooth skin textures and average styles. Customization options were limited, and downloading images manually was a hassle. The lack of a clear money-back guarantee was also a downside.

Tryiton AI came in third. The results missed the mark on capturing my facial features and felt unrealistic. While they offered a decent variety of styles, customization options were limited, and downloading images one at a time made the process inconvenient.

Lastly, Studioshot AI produced images that felt more like glamour shots but failed to resemble me accurately. Body proportions were inconsistent, and the limited styles and basic customization options left much to be desired. However, the free unlimited edits were a nice touch, despite the disappointing lack of refunds or guarantees.

Secta Labs ultimately delivered the best results and user experience among all the tools I tried.

In the world of networking, your headshot can be a powerful tool. A great photo conveys confidence, builds trust, and invites meaningful connection—digitally and in person. Whether you’re ready to splurge on a professional photographer or try one of these AI-powered tools, remember that your headshot is your digital introduction. Make your smile count!