The remove.bg API moves to Leonardo.Ai on Dec 1, 2026. Migrate by changing one URL (scripts, Zapier, Make, n8n)

#python #api #automation #ecommerce

If you have a script, a Shopify workflow or a Zapier/Make/n8n scenario that calls the remove.bg API, put a date in your calendar: remove.bg's API page now says that starting December 1, 2026, background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai (part of Canva). Several reports also say unused pay-as-you-go credits expire on that day, so check your account before then.

You can follow the official path to Leonardo.Ai, self-host an open-source model, or switch to another pay-per-image API. This post shows the last option with a tool I built, and lists the others at the end so you can compare.

Before: a typical remove.bg call

import requests

r = requests.post(
    "https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg",
    data={"image_url": "https://example.com/shoe.jpg", "size": "auto", "bg_color": "ffffff"},
    headers={"X-Api-Key": "<REMOVE_BG_KEY>"},
)
open("shoe.png", "wb").write(r.content)

Option 1: keep your code, change one URL

I built a remove.bg-compatible endpoint: same path (/v1.0/removebg), same form fields (image_file, image_url, image_file_b64, size, format, bg_color, crop, crop_margin, channels, roi, scale, position…), same response (the image plus X-Width, X-Height, X-Foreground-* headers, or JSON with result_b64), and the same error format. Only the base URL and the auth header change:

import requests

r = requests.post(
    "https://digitalni-produkty-pr--removebg-api-dropin.apify.actor/v1.0/removebg",  # changed
    data={"image_url": "https://example.com/shoe.jpg", "size": "auto", "bg_color": "ffffff"},
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer <APIFY_TOKEN>"},                               # changed
)
open("shoe.png", "wb").write(r.content)

It runs on Apify as remove.bg API Alternative. You get the token from a free Apify account. Pricing is $0.005 per image plus a little Apify platform usage while the API server is running (the server starts on the first request and stops after a minute of inactivity). Failed requests are free. What it doesn't do: artificial shadows, and the type hint is accepted but ignored.

Using a client library (Python removebg, Node remove.bg, PHP mtownsend/remove-bg) or curl? The migration guide on GitHub has a copy-paste snippet for each.

Option 2: bulk jobs (thousands of images) on Apify

AI Background Remover takes a list of image URLs and returns a link to each result:

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run = client.actor("digitalni.produkty.pro.zivot/background-remover").call(
    run_input={
        "imageUrls": [
            "https://example.com/shoe.jpg",
            "https://example.com/bag.jpg",
        ],
        "output": "color",           # "transparent" | "color" | "mask"
        "backgroundColor": "#ffffff",
        "cropToSubject": True,
        "paddingPercent": 5,
        "outputFormat": "jpeg",
    }
)
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item["sourceUrl"], "->", item["imageUrl"])

Parameter mapping (bulk Actor)

remove.bg	AI Background Remover
`image_url`	`imageUrls` (a list)
`bg_color=ffffff`	`output: "color"`, `backgroundColor: "#ffffff"`
`channels=alpha`	`output: "mask"`
`crop=true`, `crop_margin`	`cropToSubject: true`, `paddingPercent`
`format`	`outputFormat`: `png`, `jpeg` or `webp`
`size=full`	always full resolution (up to 100 MP)

Not covered yet: direct file uploads (pass a URL instead), background images and shadows.

No-code: Zapier, Make, n8n

Easiest: replace the remove.bg module with an HTTP request module that POSTs the same form fields to the Option 1 URL, with the Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_TOKEN> header. The response is the image file, just like before.

For bulk jobs, Apify has official integrations for all three. Replace the remove.bg module with Apify → Run Actor, choose digitalni.produkty.pro.zivot/background-remover, map your image URL into imageUrls, and read imageUrl from the dataset item in the next step.

Cost (bulk Actor)

$0.005 per image, any resolution, with no subscription and no separate HD credits. Failed downloads are not charged. Under the hood it's ISNet (DIS), an open-source segmentation model, running on CPU at about 3–4 seconds per image.

Other options, to be fair

Leonardo.Ai: the official successor, if you want to stay with the same company.
Self-hosting: open-source models like ISNet, BiRefNet or rembg are free if you run your own server or GPU.
Other APIs: there are several pay-per-image background removal APIs. Test 20–50 of your own photos on two or three services, because edge quality on hair, jewellery and glass varies a lot.

Disclosure: I built both Apify Actors above, and they are not affiliated with remove.bg, Canva or Leonardo.Ai. If you need a remove.bg feature it doesn't have yet, open an issue and I'll look at it.

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