To turn your dog or cat into a cartoon, you have three options: an AI app does it for free or close to it in a minute, an illustrator draws it for about $40 to $400 CAD, and a figurine turns it into an object for your shelf. Before you upload photos to an app, check two things: whether it keeps them, and whether it uses them to train its AI.
Updated October 7, 2026. Privacy policies and prices read on that date; they change often, so check each tool's page.
The three options at a glance
| Option | Price | Time | What you get | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI app (ChatGPT, Gemini, Lensa, Canva, Picsart…) | Free or subscription | Seconds | A digital image you can redo as often as you like | Your photos: retention, AI training, human review |
| Illustrator | About $39 to $400 CAD (see below) | A few days to a few weeks | A one-of-a-kind drawing, digital or on paper | Included revisions and usage rights |
| Figurine | About $50 to $210 CAD for 3D-printed (price survey) | About 2 to 3 weeks plus shipping | A 3D object | Likeness: ask for a preview before it is made |
Option 1: an AI app (and what it does with your photos)
This is the fastest option. You upload a photo, ask for "cartoon" or "chibi style," and get an image right away. The result is often cute, but it can change your pet's markings or colours: try again until you recognize them.
The real question is what happens to your photos. Here is what the official policies say, read on October 7, 2026:
| Tool | Price | Keeps your photos? | Trains its AI on them? | Can you opt out? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) | Free with limited image creation; Plus at $20 USD a month | Yes, until you delete the chat. A temporary chat is kept up to 30 days. | Yes by default for personal accounts (OpenAI) | Yes: in Settings > Data controls, turn off "Improve the model for everyone." Temporary chats are not used for training. Watch out: giving a thumbs up or down can send the whole conversation to training (OpenAI FAQ). |
| Gemini (Google) | Free with a Google Account; paid plans (subscriptions page) | Yes, in your activity: auto-deleted after 18 months by default (3 or 36 months if you choose). Chats reviewed by humans are kept up to 3 years, even if you delete them. | Yes when "Keep Activity" is on, which is the default if you are 18 or over (Google) | Yes: turn off "Keep Activity" in Gemini Apps Activity, or use a temporary chat (kept 72 hours). |
| Lensa (Prisma Labs) | Free, with in-app purchases | Original photo deleted within 24 hours for art styles; some effects go through Google or OpenAI under their own rules (Lensa policy) | No, according to Lensa: it says it does not use your data to train separate AI products | No named setting; deletion on request by email |
| Canva | Free; Pro at $142 CAD a year (Canva pricing) | Yes, for as long as Canva has "a valid purpose" | Possible: its policy allows analyzing your uploads to train its models. Whether it is on by default: not stated in the official pages we read. | Yes, in your privacy settings (Canva policy) |
| Picsart | Free; paid plans from about $10.50 a month, billed yearly (currency not stated) | Until you delete your account, and up to 3 years after closure in some cases (Picsart policy) | Not stated: the policy mentions "research and development" | No setting found in the policy |
Humans may see your images. At Google, a subset of chats is read by reviewers, including service providers, and Google says it still uses temporary chats to respond and to protect its services. At OpenAI, authorized staff may access content to investigate abuse or provide support; OpenAI asks you not to enter sensitive information you would not want reviewed.
5 habits before you upload a photo
- Frame only your pet. No kids, no friends' faces, no door number, licence plate or papers in view. Gemini, for example, can read text in an image.
- Remove the location. A phone photo can carry the GPS coordinates of where it was taken, often your home (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada). On iPhone, you can remove a photo's location (Apple).
- Turn off training first, not after: an image that has already been used or reviewed cannot always be pulled back.
- Check the policy date. Almost all the ones in this guide changed in 2026.
- Don't post everything. Québec's privacy regulator, the Commission d'accès à l'information, warns that once photos are online you lose control, and they are "very difficult, if not impossible" to get removed (CAI, in French).
Option 2: an illustrator
An artist draws your pet from your photos. You get a unique style, and you deal with a person who can fix a detail. A few public prices in Canada, checked October 7, 2026:
- Digital portrait: from $39 CAD at MyPetraits, delivered within a week according to the site.
- Pencil portrait on paper: $225 to $400 CAD depending on size from Deanna Lee (Vancouver), plus $20 to $35 shipping.
- Quality painted portrait: "$200+," according to pet owners on Reddit (an opinion, not a price list).
Before you order, ask: how many revisions are included, will I see a sketch before the final version, and can I print the drawing on a mug or a card? A former portrait seller advises never paying in full before seeing the final proof (Reddit). Photos you send an artist deserve the same habits: frame your pet, remove the location.
Option 3: a figurine
If you want an object rather than an image, a figurine turns your pet into a cartoon… in 3D. Colour 3D-printed figurines generally cost $50 to $210 CAD in Canada, and pieces made by hand by an artist about $75 to $220 CAD (our dated price survey). To compare the ways they are made, see sculpted vs 3D printed vs AI: how to choose. If you already have an AI image you love, read how to get a real one.
Here too, ask the seller where your photos go, how long they keep them, and whether they post them.
Which one should you choose?
- For fun or a profile picture: an AI app, with training turned off and a well-framed photo.
- For a unique gift to hang on the wall: an illustrator.
- For an object on a desk or shelf: a figurine, with a preview to approve before it is made.
And at Chibiyo?
In full transparency: this guide is published by Chibiyo, a small shop in Québec (pre-launch) that makes 3D chibi figurines of pets, about 8 to 10 cm tall, printed in Québec. AI helps us draw the chibi version and build the 3D model. A person checks every model, and you approve the preview before printing. Your photos are stored in Canada and used only to make your figurine; they are sent to Google Gemini and Meshy to generate the model (processing may happen outside Québec and Canada), never posted without your separate consent, and deleted about 30 days after delivery. Price: $89 CAD, shipping included in Canada (founders' price: $79 for the first 100 figurines, until November 30 at the latest; regular price after that: $89).
FAQ
How do I turn a photo of my dog into a cartoon for free?
Upload a clear photo to an AI app such as ChatGPT or Gemini, which both have a free version, and ask for a cartoon style. First, turn off AI training in the settings and frame only your pet, with no people or address in view.
Does ChatGPT keep the photos of my pet?
Yes, until you delete the conversation. For a personal account, OpenAI may use them to train its models unless you turn off "Improve the model for everyone." A temporary chat is not used for training and is kept up to 30 days.
Does Gemini use my photos to train its AI?
Yes when "Keep Activity" is on, which is the default if you are 18 or over. A subset of chats is read by humans and kept up to 3 years. You can turn the setting off or use a temporary chat.
How much does a drawn pet portrait cost in Canada?
About $39 CAD for a simple digital portrait, and $225 to $400 CAD for an artist's pencil portrait (public prices checked October 7, 2026). A quality painted portrait often costs $200 or more.
Is it risky to upload my pet's photo to an AI app?
The pet photo itself is rarely sensitive. The risk comes from what surrounds it: GPS location hidden in the file, an address, children or papers in the background. Frame your pet, remove the location and check the training settings.