Free remove.bg alternatives in 2026, after 1 December
The standalone remove.bg website closes on 1 December 2026 at 09:00 CET, and its self-service API stops accepting requests from that date.
Source: remove.bg FAQ, read on 1 October 2026; its heading now reads "remove.bg is moving to Canva". The closure was reported in early September 2026. What exactly shuts down?
This page lists tools and APIs you can move to, with a link to the source of every competitor fact and price. It is written by LassoCut, which is one of the options listed, so check the sources and test on your own images before you decide.
Updated 1 October 2026 · by Jerome Aupin, founder of LassoCut (one of the tools listed). Prices and features change often: verify them on each provider's own page before you buy.
Start with what you use remove.bg for
A few photos, or a folder
You upload images in a browser and download the result.
Try LassoCut on one image, with no account, on the home page. For a whole folder, use the batch tool in your browser. The other web tools are in the next section.
Code, plugins or automations
You call the API from your own code, a library, the command line, a plugin or Zapier, Make or n8n.
See the migration guide, the API reference and the guides for curl, Python, Node.js and PHP. APIs are compared in the background removal API guide.
How we compared
- Sources only: every price and feature below was read on the provider's own page (or, where noted, a page the provider published), on the date shown next to it. Each fact links to its source.
- No quality benchmark: we have not tested the cut-out quality of the other tools, so this page does not rank them on quality. Test a few of your own images in each one.
- "Not stated" means the source we read does not say; it does not mean the feature is missing.
- Who wrote it: LassoCut, which is one of the tools listed. The sections When another option fits better and the price table say where LassoCut is not the best choice.
What remove.bg itself points to
According to the remove.bg FAQ, Canva owns both of these:
- Single images and bulk batches: background removal inside Canva.
- Larger volumes and automated use: Leonardo.Ai's APIs.
- Photoshop users: Affinity. The FAQ notes that its background removal runs on Canva AI and needs a Canva Pro subscription.
Leonardo.Ai charges $0.1047 per image for background removal, and its API uses a different endpoint, a Bearer token and JSON-only requests, so existing remove.bg calls have to be rewritten. Source: Leonardo's migration guide, read on 27 September 2026.
If you already work in Canva, staying with Canva is the simplest path: nothing new to learn and no new account.
Free remove.bg alternatives compared
Web tools, batch tools and APIs, with what each provider says about free use. We have not tested the quality of these tools; this table only lists what each source said on the date in its data-source (1 October 2026 unless the row says otherwise).
| Tool | Free option | Batch | API | Account needed for free use | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | Not stated in the remove.bg FAQ | Yes: bulk background removal, per the remove.bg FAQ | The remove.bg FAQ points API users to Leonardo.Ai instead | Not stated | People who already design in Canva | remove.bg FAQ |
| Adobe Firefly (Adobe's background remover page) | Yes: its page says you can remove backgrounds "for free with an Adobe account", within daily allowances | For enterprise users, or through the Firefly AI Assistant | Separate developer product: see the API guide | Yes, an Adobe account | People who already use Adobe apps | adobe.com |
| Photoroom | Its page says you can get started for free; limits not stated there | Yes, a batch tool in the browser | Yes: from $0.02 per image (Basic), 10 free production calls | Not stated | Product photos that also need editing; API users | tool, API pricing |
| Pixelcut | Preview results on up to 50 images free; downloading needs a subscription | Yes: up to 10,000 images in one batch | An API is listed on its site | Yes, to download | Very large batches, on a subscription | pixelcut.ai |
| Clipdrop | 20 background removals per 24 hours on the free plan | Up to 10 files at a time | Yes, usage-based pricing | Not stated | A few images a day | tool, pricing |
| Snipmat | Single images at full resolution, no watermark; a free account adds 20 images a day and 50 API credits a month | Up to 10 files free, 100 on Pro | Yes; it says existing integrations swap the base URL and the key | No, for single images | Free full-resolution single images | snipmat.com, pricing |
| Poof | 100 full-resolution images a month, no credit card | Not stated | Yes: the free plan includes an API key; paid plans from $9 a month | Yes | Cheapest API per image at volume | poof.bg |
| Pixian.ai | Web app: 0.25 megapixel, low-priority processing | Not stated | Yes: free to integrate and test; credit packs, price by image size | Not stated | Credit packs instead of a subscription | pixian.ai |
| PicWish | Not stated | Not stated | Yes: 0.5 credit per image; pay-as-you-go credits are permanently valid | Not stated | API users who want credits that do not expire | picwish.com |
| Erase.bg | A web tool | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Photoshop users (a public plugin on GitHub) | erase.bg, GitHub |
| Removal.ai | A free web tool on its home page | Not stated | We did not find its API pricing | Not stated | A quick one-off image | removal.ai |
| Rembg (open source) | Free, MIT licence | Yes: folder processing from its command line | A Python library and an HTTP server you host yourself | No: it runs on your own machine | Developers who want to self-host | GitHub |
| LassoCut | One image free on the home page with no account; 50 free previews a month (up to 10 a day, up to 0.25 megapixel) with a free account | Yes: the batch tool | Yes, compatible with the remove.bg API (docs); one-time credit packs, see pricing | No, for one image on the home page | Existing remove.bg API code, plugins and automations | Pricing |
Erase.bg and Removal.ai rows were read on 27 September 2026, the others on 1 October 2026. "Best for" is our reading of each provider's own description, not a test. AlternativeTo lists more user-suggested alternatives: see its list.
APIs: what 1,000 to 100,000 images cost
Full-size images, at the list prices each provider published. LassoCut sells one-time packs; Photoroom and Poof sell monthly subscriptions, shown here as the smallest monthly plan that covers the volume. Leonardo.Ai is its per-image price multiplied by the number of images.
| Images | LassoCut (one-time pack) | Leonardo.Ai (per image) | Photoroom (monthly) | Poof (monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $39 ($0.039 per image) | $104.70 | $20 a month, Basic plan for 1,000 images ($0.02 per image) | $9 a month, plan for 2,000 images |
| 10,000 | $249 ($0.0249 per image) | $1,047 | Not in our notes: see their pricing | $29 a month, plan for 10,000 images ($0.0029 per image) |
| 100,000 | $1,500 ($0.015 per image) | $10,470 | Enterprise plan above 200,000 images a year: see their pricing | $299 a month, plan for 200,000 images |
Sources, read on 27 September 2026: LassoCut pricing; Leonardo's migration guide; Photoroom's API migration page; Poof's API pricing article (updated 8 September 2026). A subscription is billed every month; a LassoCut pack is paid once.
LassoCut is not the cheapest here. Poof's plans cost less per image than LassoCut's packs at every volume in this table, and Photoroom's Basic plan costs less than LassoCut at 1,000 images a month. LassoCut costs less than Leonardo.Ai's published per-image price at every volume in this table.
Beyond price
| Provider | Subscription? | Works with existing remove.bg API code? | Plugins and integrations |
|---|---|---|---|
| LassoCut | No: one-time packs, credits never expire while the account is open | Yes: same endpoint path and X-Api-Key header; change the base URL and the key (migration guide) | Photoshop, Figma, WordPress and WooCommerce, GIMP 3, Zapier, Make, n8n, a CLI (platforms) |
| Leonardo.Ai | Not covered here | No: different endpoint, Bearer token, JSON only, per its own guide | Not covered here |
| Photoroom | Yes, monthly plans | Its migration page claims the same argument names, so you change the endpoint URL and the key | Used in a public n8n template |
| Poof | Yes, monthly plans | Its article says you switch the API domain to its own | Not covered here |
| Pixian.ai | No: credit packs | Its pricing page does not say | Not covered here |
"Not covered here" means our notes of 27 September 2026 do not say; it does not mean the feature is missing.
When another option fits better
- Lowest price per image: Poof publishes, and FAPIhub states, lower prices per image than LassoCut. See the API guide.
- A bigger free allowance: Poof lists a free plan of 100 images a month. LassoCut gives 50 free previews a month, up to 10 a day (small images, up to 0.25 megapixel); full-size images need credits.
- Free full-resolution images: Snipmat says single images are free at full resolution with no account. LassoCut's free images are previews of up to 0.25 megapixel.
- No cost and no account at all: Rembg is open source and runs on your own machine, if you can install and maintain it.
- A full design editor: Canva and Adobe Express do much more than background removal. LassoCut only removes backgrounds.
- An established brand: Canva and Adobe are well-known brands with large product suites. LassoCut is a new service from a small independent company.
- Buying as an individual: LassoCut sells credits to businesses only. The free preview on the home page is open to everyone.
- Shadows: LassoCut draws a drop shadow and a cast shadow (also used for
3D), but not the car style yet.
Where LassoCut fits
- Existing remove.bg API code: LassoCut is compatible with the remove.bg API. Change the base URL and the key; paths, parameters and response formats stay the same.
- Plugins that stop on 1 December: LassoCut has its own plugins and integrations for Photoshop, Figma, WordPress, GIMP, Zapier, Make (HTTP module until the app is listed in the Make directory) and n8n, on one account and one balance of credits.
- No subscription: you buy a pack when you need it, and purchased credits never expire while your account is open.
- Images not kept: images sent for background removal are processed in memory and discarded.
Our models are not remove.bg's, so edges will not be pixel-identical. Test a sample of your own images first.
Questions
What is the best free remove.bg alternative?
It depends on what "free" has to cover. For full-resolution single images with no account, Snipmat says it offers that (snipmat.com). Clipdrop's free plan lists 20 background removals per 24 hours (clipdrop.co). Adobe's background remover is free with an Adobe account (adobe.com). Rembg is free and runs on your own machine. LassoCut gives one free image on the home page with no account and 50 free previews a month with a free account, but its free images are small previews.
Is there a free remove.bg alternative in HD?
Snipmat says its free single images are exported at the original resolution, with no watermark (snipmat.com). Poof's free plan lists 100 full-resolution images a month through its API (poof.bg). LassoCut's free previews are up to 0.25 megapixel; full-size images cost 1 credit each (pricing).
Photoroom vs remove.bg: which should I use?
The remove.bg self-service plans end on 1 December 2026, so the choice is really what to move to. Photoroom has a batch tool in the browser and an API starting at $0.02 per image on its Basic plan, with 10 free production calls (Photoroom API pricing). Its migration page says it uses the same argument names as the remove.bg API. We have not compared quality.
remove.bg or Canva?
After 1 December 2026 the remove.bg website is no longer available, and the remove.bg FAQ points people to Canva for single images and bulk batches. If you already design in Canva, that is the simplest path. If you need an API, the FAQ points to Leonardo.Ai; other APIs are in the API guide.
Which alternative works with my existing remove.bg API code?
LassoCut is compatible with the remove.bg API: change the base URL and the key (migration guide). Photoroom, Poof and Snipmat each say on their own pages that you change the URL or domain and the key; we have only tested LassoCut. Leonardo.Ai, which the remove.bg FAQ points to, needs a rewrite per its migration guide.
Can I move my remove.bg credits to another service?
Not to LassoCut, and the remove.bg FAQ does not mention moving them anywhere. Unused pay-as-you-go credits expire on 1 December 2026.
Does the remove.bg Enterprise API stop too?
No. The remove.bg FAQ says Enterprise API contracts are not affected. Only the self-service API stops.
Is LassoCut part of remove.bg or Canva?
No. LassoCut is an independent service operated by JAUPIN Design LLC. It implements the publicly documented remove.bg API so existing code keeps working.
How were these prices chosen?
They are the list prices published by each provider, read on the date shown next to each one (27 September or 1 October 2026), with a link to each source. They do not include taxes, discounts or custom contracts. We do not show remove.bg's own prices, since its self-service plans end on 1 December 2026.
remove.bg is a trademark of Canva Austria GmbH. Other names are trademarks of their owners. References are for identification and comparison only.