If you've used remove.bg for quick cutouts, product photos or a background-removal API call in a script, there's a deadline coming up.
What's happening
According to remove.bg's official FAQ, the standalone remove.bg website will no longer be available from 1 December 2026, 9:00 CET (16:00 in Malaysia, UTC+8):
- Background removal moves to Canva. remove.bg points users to Canva's Background Remover.
- The self-service API moves to Leonardo.Ai. Enterprise API contracts aren't affected.
- Pay-as-you-go credits expire on 1 Dec. Use them up or accept losing them.
- Subscriptions: annual plans end on 1 Dec with a pro-rata refund for the unused time. If your monthly plan renews on or after 1 Nov, that last renewal is free.
- Export your usage reports and invoices before 1 Dec. Do this one now if you expense the tool.
The 3 alternatives, by what's actually free
I compared the free tiers on each official pricing page (checked 28 Oct 2026). Limits change, so check again before you commit.
1. Clipdrop: the best truly free option
- Free plan: 20 background removals per 24 hours. You also get 20/24h each for Cleanup (remove objects), Upscaler and Relight, and 50/24h for Text Remover.
- Pro: 1,000 background removals per 24h, in high resolution.
- Good for: occasional cutouts when you don't want to pay anything. 20 a day covers most people who used remove.bg a few times a week.
2. Photoroom: built for product photos, but no free plan
- Free: there's no ongoing free plan, only free trials of the paid plans.
- Pro: MYR 12.50/month billed yearly, as shown for Malaysia. Prices vary by region.
- Good for: online sellers who need white backgrounds, scene shots and batch product images, rather than one-off cutouts.
3. Canva: the official successor
- Free: you can try the Background Remover for free, with a limited number of free HD downloads. Canva doesn't publish the exact number.
- Pro: RM250/year. Canva can also remove backgrounds in bulk.
- Good for: former remove.bg users who want the "official" path, and anyone who drops the cutout straight into a design (poster, thumbnail, listing image).
Quick decision
| If you… | Use |
|---|---|
| need a few free cutouts a day | Clipdrop |
| sell products online and do batches | Photoroom |
| already design in Canva, or want remove.bg's official successor | Canva |
| call the remove.bg self-service API | Leonardo.Ai (remove.bg's stated path) |
Before 1 Dec checklist
- Export invoices and usage reports from your remove.bg account.
- Spend or write off leftover PAYG credits.
- If you're on an annual plan, look out for the pro-rata refund.
- If you use the API, plan the switch to Leonardo.Ai, or confirm you're on an Enterprise contract (unaffected).
I keep an up-to-date comparison, with sources, on PickAI: remove.bg alternatives on PickAI. Rankings there aren't paid.
Sources: remove.bg FAQ, Clipdrop pricing, Photoroom pricing, Canva Background Remover and pricing pages, all checked 28 Oct 2026.
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