I've been avoiding taking pictures of myself for so long that when someone asked me for a professional headshot, I had nothing to share. But then I thought - "Hey, this is perfect! I can finally test all these AI tools !"

Since I know some of you might be in the same boat, I thought I'd share what I learned after spending a day testing free AI profile picture generators. Grab a coffee and let me save you some time!

The Mission

Here's what I was looking for:

• A professional-looking profile picture

• Using only free tools

• Nothing too complicated

• Something that actually looks like me (spoiler: harder than you'd think!)—but you can be the judge.

I started by asking Perplexity for the best free AI LinkedIn profile photo generators.

Tools I Tested

Supawork AI

• Gets pretty personal - asked for my age (rude!)

• Results: Well... it doesn't look like me and it's not what I asked for.

• Verdict: Free but misses the mark by a mile

AI Ease

• Website: ai-ease.com

• Experience: Super quick process

• Results: Unfortunately, speed doesn't equal quality

• Verdict: Free but not worth your time

 Fotor

• Website: fotor.com

• Experience: Looks promising until...

• Results: I never got to see any - they want $20/month

Napheadshots

• Website: napheadshots.com

• Verdict: Not free.

  HeadshotPro

• Website: headshotpro.com

• Verdict: Not free.

Vidnoz

• Website: vidnoz.com

• Experience: Free and simple.

• Results: The pictures look nothing like me.

After getting a bit frustrated (and wondering if I have a face no AI can love 😄), I turned to YouTube guides for help. Here's what I tried next:

Artflow

• Asked for 5 reference photos

• Took a few hours and came back with Gal Gadot?!

Aragon.ai

• Looked promising but - surprise! - not free

Canva's Tools

• I have a paid account, but none of the apps gave me good results.

The Unexpected Winner: Remini

I stumbled upon Remini through a YouTube video. Here's the scoop:

• It's a paid app BUT

• There's a one-week free trial

• And - surprise! - it actually works!

Friendly Tips From My Journey

• This is a classic case of "it takes 5 seconds"—except it rarely does unless you find the right tool. There are countless "easy and free" tools, but most fall short of expectations. 

• Start with a decent selfie—even AI needs something to work with.

• It's not as easy as some content creators make it seem. (Or maybe it's just my face.)

• AI is not good at creating glasses.

Did I miss anything?

Have you found a free AI tool that actually works? Or had an experience that made you laugh? Drop it in the comments! I'd love to update this guide with more options that could help others who, like me, suddenly need a professional photo.

Btw, this is my favorite picture I got from this process