remove.bg alternatives before it moves to Leonardo.Ai
remove.bg says background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai on 1 December 2026 and its credits expire then. Here are the options to consider.
remove.bg has been the default background remover for years. Its owner, Canva, has announced a change: according to remove.bg, background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai, another Canva company, on 1 December 2026, and purchased credits expire on that date. The API is presented as continuing on Leonardo with extra creative features. If you rely on remove.bg, now is the time to choose where your workflow goes next.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free option | API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leonardo.Ai | Continuing the same integration after the move | See Leonardo’s plans | Yes, announced as the successor |
| Clipdrop | A set of quick image tools with daily free limits | Free daily allowances per tool | Yes, usage-based |
| Photoroom | E-commerce catalogues, batch edits and virtual models | Check regional plans | Yes, billed separately |
| Pixlr | Free browser editing with generative tools | Free editor with limited AI credits | — |
| Canva | Background removal inside a full design workflow | Free plan; AI allowance by plan | — |
| Fotor | Simple photo editing with background removal and batch edits | Free tier | — |
Staying in the Canva family: Leonardo.Ai
The most direct path is the one remove.bg recommends. Its API page says the integration remains similar on Leonardo.Ai and adds upscaling, scene generation and image-to-video. If you call the API from your own software, plan and test the switch well before December, and avoid buying remove.bg credits you cannot use by then.
For online sellers: Photoroom
Photoroom began as a background remover and has become a product-visual platform. Beyond clean cutouts it generates lifestyle scenes, places clothing on virtual models and runs the same edits across thousands of images. Credits, exports and API usage are counted separately, so check your plan before large batches.
Quick tools and API: Clipdrop
Clipdrop bundles background removal and replacement with cleanup, upscaling, relighting and uncropping. Free users get daily limits per tool, the paid plan raises them and unlocks high resolution, and an API is available with usage-based pricing.
Inside an editor: Canva, Pixlr and Fotor
If you remove backgrounds as one step in designing a post, an editor may be simpler. Canva includes background removal alongside templates and brand kits. Pixlr offers a free browser editor with generative tools. Fotor combines background removal with enhancement and batch editing.
Before you switch
- List where you use remove.bg today: manual edits, plugins or API calls.
- Use or let lapse existing remove.bg credits before 1 December 2026.
- Test hard images, such as hair, glass and fine edges, on two alternatives.
- For API users, compare per-image cost and rate limits at your volume.
- Update integrations and documentation before the cut-over date.
Leonardo AIImage & Design
ClipdropImage & Design
PhotoroomImage & Design
PixlrImage & Design
CanvaImage & Design
FotorImage & DesignTools to explore
Sources
Official vendor pages consulted for this analysis in October 2026. Plans, limits and features change: check the vendor’s page before you buy.
- remove.bg API: move to Leonardo.Ai remove.bg
- remove.bg: official site remove.bg
- remove.bg: pricing remove.bg
- Leonardo AI: official site leonardo.ai
- Clipdrop: official site clipdrop.co
- Clipdrop: pricing clipdrop.co
- Photoroom: official site photoroom.com
- Photoroom: pricing photoroom.com
- Pixlr: official site pixlr.com
- Pixlr: pricing pixlr.com
- Canva: product page canva.com
- Canva: pricing canva.com
- Fotor: official site fotor.com
- Fotor: pricing fotor.com