Alternative
A free alternative to Remove.bg
Remove.bg was the tool most people learned background removal on. Type the name, upload a photo, get a cutout. That workflow ends on December 1, 2026, when the standalone site closes and the technology moves into Canva. Self-serve API traffic goes to Leonardo.Ai. Pay-as-you-go credits expire on the shutdown date. If you were a daily user, you need a replacement that feels the same, or at least one that does not charge per image.
Open the toolWhy people look for an alternative
- —The standalone site closes December 1, 2026 at 9:00am CET. After that, background removal lives inside Canva, which requires a Canva account and, for full resolution, a Canva Pro subscription.
- —Unused pay-as-you-go credits expire on the shutdown date. There is no refund and no transfer to Canva or Leonardo.Ai.
- —The free tier only outputs low-resolution previews capped at 0.25 megapixels. Full-resolution downloads require credits.
- —The self-serve API is moving to Leonardo.Ai, which requires a new account, new authentication, and a different request format (JSON instead of multipart form data). Background removal there costs $0.1047 per image.
- —There is no video support. Remove.bg processes images only.
The workflow remove.bg used to have
- 01Open Remova in a browser tab.
- 02Drop the image.
- 03Download the transparent PNG in about twenty seconds.
- 04Composite it wherever you need it. No account, no credits, no preview limitation.
The output is a real PNG with alpha at source resolution. If you need full-resolution images and video, and you do not want to migrate to Canva or Leonardo.Ai before the deadline, this covers the same ground.
At a glance
| Feature | Remova | Remove.bg |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free tier with low-res previews, credits from $3 |
| Free tier resolution | Full source resolution | Capped at 0.25 megapixels (around 447×558) |
| Credits system | None | Yes, PAYG credits expire December 1, 2026 |
| Account required | No | No for previews, yes for high-res |
| Video support | Yes, up to 100MB | No |
| Batch processing | Up to 20 images per batch | Up to 500 images per minute on paid plans |
| API access | Free public tier, no key required | Moving to Leonardo.Ai, requires key and $0.1047 per image |
| Still operating | Yes | Standalone site closes December 1, 2026 |
Common questions
Can I still use Remove.bg?
The standalone website is available until December 1, 2026 at 9:00am CET. After that, background removal moves into Canva. You will need a Canva account, and for full-resolution output, a Canva Pro subscription. The free Canva tier does not include full-resolution background removal exports.
What happens to my unused Remove.bg credits?
They expire on December 1, 2026. Remove.bg's own guidance is to use remaining pay-as-you-go credits before the migration date. There is no refund and no transfer to Canva or Leonardo.Ai. Subscription credits are valid only while the subscription is active; cancelling early forfeits them.
What about my Remove.bg API integration?
The self-serve API stops accepting requests on December 1, 2026. It is moving to Leonardo.Ai, which requires a new endpoint, a Bearer token instead of an X-Api-Key header, and JSON request bodies instead of multipart form data. Background removal on Leonardo.Ai costs $0.1047 per image. Enterprise contracts are unaffected.
Does Remova do the same thing?
For images, yes. The cutout quality is comparable because both tools run the same class of open-source segmentation models. The differences: Remova outputs full resolution on the free tier, supports video up to 100MB, and has a manual editor with brush, lasso, and chroma key tools for edge cleanup.
Does Remova have the integrations Remove.bg had?
Remove.bg had plugins for Photoshop, Figma, and Shopify. Remova does not. The workflow is browser-based: download the cutout, then use it in whatever tool you already have. If you relied on the Figma plugin, open Remova in a tab next to Figma and drag the PNG in.
Is Remova's output as good on hair and fur?
Comparable. Both tools use alpha matting on difficult edges. For most portraits and product photos, the result is visually the same. Transparent objects like glass are hard for both.