Alternative to Leonardo.Ai
A free alternative to Leonardo.Ai for background removal
When remove.bg shut down its self-serve API on December 1, 2026, it pointed developers at Leonardo.Ai. Leonardo.Ai is part of the same Canva family, offers background removal as part of a broader AI platform, and works reliably. It also requires a new account, a new authentication system, and charges per image. For teams that just need cutouts, this is more than they asked for.
No signup. No watermark. Processed in about twenty seconds.
Drop an image to try it
PNG, JPG, or WebP. About twenty seconds.
Why people look for an alternative
- —Background removal is $0.1047 per image on Leonardo.Ai.
- —Requires a new account and Bearer token setup. No public tier.
- —The API returns JSON with a URL, adding an extra fetch step.
- —Leonardo bundles image generation and other tools that background removal work does not need.
The simpler request shape
- 01POST the image file directly to /api/proxy/image.
- 02No account, no Bearer token, no API key.
- 03Set transparent=true and max_size=1200 as query parameters.
- 04The response is the PNG bytes directly. No second fetch needed.
For developers migrating from remove.bg, this is a smaller change than moving to Leonardo. The URL changes, the auth header disappears, and the response is already in the right format.
At a glance
| Feature | Remova | Leonardo.Ai |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per image | Free | $0.1047 |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Auth | None | Bearer token |
| Response format | PNG bytes | JSON with URL |
| Rate limit | 30/min per IP | Credit-based |
Common questions
Is Leonardo the only option after remove.bg shut down?
No. It is the officially announced migration path, but the API shape is different and the cost is real. For free-tier usage, a direct HTTP endpoint is simpler.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many teams use the free endpoint for prototyping and production-tested images, and a paid API for guaranteed uptime on high-value requests.
What about SLAs?
Leonardo offers SLAs on paid plans. Free endpoints do not. If uptime matters, the paid path is the right one. If you are prototyping or running moderate volume, the free path is fine.