Updated 16 September 2026
remove.bg is shutting down. Here is where to go.
On 1 December 2026 the standalone remove.bg site closes and its background removal moves into Canva, which has owned it since 2021. Unused credits expire the same morning, and the API moves to Leonardo.Ai. If you used remove.bg for the simple thing, drop an image in and get a transparent PNG out, this page is about what to use instead.
- Standalone site closes
- 1 December 2026, 09:00 CET
- Unused credits
- Expire at that same moment
- Where it goes
- Background removal moves into Canva
- The API
- Moves to Leonardo.Ai, also Canva-owned
The options, plainly
We build one of these, so read the table with that in mind.
| Tool | Cost | Runs on | API | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| removebg.fyiours | Free, unlimited | Your browser | No API | One-off cuts at full resolution, private images |
| Canva | Paid plan | Canva's servers | Via Canva | You already design in Canva |
| Leonardo.Ai | Paid, per call | Their servers | Yes, the official API path | You had a remove.bg API integration |
| rembg (self-hosted) | Free, your infra | Your own machine | You host it | Batch jobs and pipelines you control |
If you just want the transparent PNG
That is what this site does. A matting model downloads to your browser once, then every cut runs on your own hardware. No account, no watermark, no credits, no upload. Because nothing is metered, there is no reason to limit resolution, so you get the full-size file. The code is MIT-licensed and on GitHub.
There is no hosted API, so if you were calling remove.bg from code, see below.
If you were calling the API
Leonardo.Ai is the official migration path for the remove.bg API. If you would rather not depend on a vendor, rembg self-hosts the same class of model, and this site's source shows how to run one client-side so the work happens in your users' browsers instead of on your bill.
Questions
Is remove.bg really shutting down?
The standalone remove.bg website is being discontinued on 1 December 2026 at 09:00 CET. The background removal itself is not disappearing, it is being folded into Canva, which has owned remove.bg since 2021. What goes away is the separate site you visit, and the separate account and credits attached to it.
What happens to my unused remove.bg credits?
Credits expire at the shutdown moment, 1 December 2026 at 09:00 CET. If you hold pay-as-you-go credits, spend them or check your billing settings well before that date rather than on the day.
What replaces the remove.bg API?
API background removal moves to Leonardo.Ai, another Canva company, from 1 December 2026. If you have a production integration calling the remove.bg API, that migration is the supported path and you should plan it now.
Is removebg.fyi free, and is there a catch?
It is free with no account, no watermark, no credits and no upload limit, because there is no server doing the work. The model runs in your own browser on your own hardware, so the only cost of a cut is your own electricity. The code is open source under the MIT licence.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. The model downloads to your browser once and every cut after that happens locally. The images never leave your device, which also means it keeps working with the network off.
Does it work on things other than people?
Yes. It is a general matting model, not a person segmenter, so products, cars, animals, furniture, plants and graphics all work. Hair and fur are the hard cases and it handles them reasonably; a refine brush is there for the edges it misses.
Shutdown dates are as announced by remove.bg and reported in September 2026. We are not affiliated with remove.bg, Canva or Leonardo.Ai. If the dates move, this page is wrong until we fix it. Check their FAQ for the current position.