Search by photo: which images work best, limits, privacy and price comparison

Search by photo opens on every Prayk page from the camera button next to the search box: you upload an image, the system ranks visually similar listings from the catalogue by match percentage and, when the matches are strong, shows a price range too. This is not an announcement but a practical guide: which image gives the best result, what the limits are, where your photo goes and how to combine it with text search.

We introduced the feature in September; here we do not repeat that, but describe how it works as of October 2026. As of 6 October the catalogue holds over 674,000 listings — the search runs across the photos of exactly these listings.

Three steps and four ways to hand over a photo

The window lists three steps: "Upload a photo", "We find look-alikes", "Compare prices". There are four ways to hand over the photo:

the "Choose photo" button — a file from your computer or phone gallery;
drag and drop — drop the file anywhere in the window and the search starts right away (works on the results screen too);
Ctrl + V — paste a copied image straight into the search box: the window opens with that photo and searches on its own; pasting while the window is already open works as well;
"Take a photo" — an extra button in the phone browser that opens the camera directly.

One search returns at most 24 listings. Every card carries a match percentage: 95% and above is green (practically the same photo), 90–94% blue, anything lower grey. When the best match drops below 78%, the window shows a yellow warning — "No exact match, showing the closest listings". We do not hide the results, but you should know this.

Which photo finds better, limits and privacy

The system looks at the image, not at text: shape, colour, pattern, framing. Therefore:

A catalogue or listing photo — the strongest result; if the same listing exists on Prayk, it usually comes first with 95%+.
A screenshot — works, but crop out the product: the surrounding interface, menus and captions lower the match.
Your own photo — product in the centre of the frame, plain background, one item. A different angle, a cropped or black-and-white shot is still found, but with several items in the frame the system does not know which one you mean.
A poster with text, an advert, a price tag — a weak result: writing is not a signal for visual similarity. Search by words in that case.

When the result is empty, the window's advice is simple: try a photo from a different angle.

Limits and privacy in short:

Formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP; file size up to 8 MB — a larger file is not even sent, the window warns immediately.
20 searches per minute — no obstacle for normal use, cuts off automated requests.
No registration required, the feature is free.
The photo is not stored: the uploaded file is used only for comparison and deleted as soon as the search finishes — it is not written to storage, does not enter any history and does not appear as a listing. The preview lives only in your browser and is cleared when the window closes.
The system may occasionally be temporarily unavailable — the window says so plainly; try again in a few minutes.

Price comparison and the sections where it works best

If at least four listings have a strong match (78%+), an "Estimated market value" card appears above the results: the typical price range and the median, all converted to AZN and taking discounted prices into account. Sale and rent are not mixed — the calculation follows the deal type of the strongest match. With fewer than four strong matches the card does not appear: a figure from a tiny sample would be misleading.

For some photos the system also names the product: the "Product recognised" card shows the brand and model, and the "Where is it cheapest?" link opens all listings of that product in one list. The card appears only when the system is confident; otherwise it makes nothing up.

Where it works best. The strongest results come from sections where product photos resemble each other: Products (over 396,000 listings as of 6 October, including furniture over 38,000 and electronics over 25,000), smartphones (over 17,000) and spare parts (over 55,000). The parts section has its own "Find by photo" button: if you have selected your car's make, the result narrows to parts for that make — just upload a photo of the part whose name you do not know.

In real estate set your expectations right: the photo of a specific listing is found one-to-one, but a general "I want an interior like this" picture gives a weak result — there are many similar rooms and the system does not know which flat you are looking for.

Together with text search and "Check by link"

The most rewarding scenario is to use both in turn. When a word search comes back empty, the results page shows a "Nothing by text? Search by photo" button — the photo finds the item whose name you do not know. The reverse works too: once the system recognises the model or you spot the exact name in the card titles, take that word to the regular search or a section page — the city and price filters are there.

"Check by link" is a separate tool: you paste not a photo but the link of a listing from another site, and the system shows that exact listing's counterpart on Prayk, its copies and the original source (details). The rule is simple: if you have a link — Check by link; if you only have a photo or a screenshot — search by photo. Articles about the other search tools are collected in the news section.