Removing the background from an image was a demanding operation in the past. It required advanced design skills and hours of editing time to obtain flawless results. Well, thanks to the revolutionary AI technology, that’s no longer the case.

AI background removal tools are tools developed to automatically separate subjects from their backgrounds in images. They are designed to make our editing tasks significantly easier, by automating the tedious process of manually making tweaks and isolating subjects. These programs rely on machine learning models, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNN), to detect edges, colors and shapes to distinguish between the foreground and background.

AI background removers are used across various industries. E-commerce businesses rely on them to deliver professional-looking product photos with clean, uniform backgrounds. Professionals in graphic design, advertising and photography use them to streamline their workflow, educators and remote workers – to create polished presentations and virtual meeting visuals, marketers and content creators – to produce visually appealing graphics and come up with engaging social media campaigns.

If you need to eliminate or alter the original image background, we’ve compiled a list of 10 AI tools designed to perform this task. We take a look at their main features, their advantages and disadvantages, their price, and hopefully help you find the right solution for your needs.

Remove.bg

Remove.bg is a dedicated solution to remove image background. You can use it as an online tool, a desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux, an Android app, as well as a Photoshop or GIMP plugin. The platform uses artificial intelligence to detect foreground layers and isolate them from the background and additional algorithms to improve fine details and prevent color contamination. No matter if you’re looking to eliminate the background from portraits, products, animals, cars or graphic materials, the tool will get the job done automatically and within seconds.

With Remove.bg you can make the image background transparent or simply swap it for a new one. In that sense, the website gives you the possibility to browse and choose from a large collection of photos, to add a solid color or upload your own picture. In addition, you can blur the background of your original image, erase or restore a specific part of the image or add a realistic shadow. It’s worth mentioning that the platform allows you to upload only JPG and PNG files, with a maximum file size of 22 MB and a maximum resolution of 50 megapixels.

Using Remove.bg is extremely simple. All you have to do is upload your file and let the AI do its magic. Once the original background is cut out, you can make other edits from the right side of the screen or directly download the picture. The layout is simple and clear, so you won’t encounter any navigation problems.

Pros

• Intuitively-designed platform.
• It precisely cuts out the edges, even in the case of pictures with intricate details.
• The diverse possibilities to adjust the image background.
• The Magic Brush to easily delete or restore elements in a picture.

Cons

• The strict limitations of the free account.
• The support for just two image formats.

Price

The website offers a free account, which provides 1 credit to edit and download a single photo in high resolution. You can also freely preview images up to 0.25 megapixels on the website. There are three paid plans to choose from:

• Pay as you go: $0.90/image
• Subscription plan: $0.20/image
• High-volume solutions: Custom plan for over 100,000 images/year.

Erase.bg

Erase.bg is a website especially developed for AI background removal. The platform uses advanced algorithms to automatically eliminate the background from a large variety of image categories, including logos and signatures. The tool makes it possible to not only remove, but also change the background using a wide range of ready-to-use templates. You can choose between numerous patterns and solid colors, upload a custom image, as well as generate an AI background with the aid of text prompts. To boost productivity, the platform enables you to remove image backgrounds in bulk.

Erase.bg supports JPG/JPEG, PNG, HEIC and WebP as input formats, with a maximum resolution of 5,000 x 5,000 pixels and a maximum file size of 25 MB. As far as the actual editing process goes, it doesn’t get any simpler. All you have to do is upload your photo, and then wait a couple of seconds for the software to modify it. Once processed, the platform will display a side-by-side comparison of the original and modified image. You can then use the Edit button from the right side to replace the background with one of the multiple options. Next click the Download button.

Pros

• Ease of use.
• The numerous options to replace the background.
• Support for multiple image formats.
• The possibility to download HD images without paying a subscription.

Cons

• It lacks additional editing features to make adjustments and improve the overall aspect of your photos.

Price

Erase.bg comes with a free version, which provides 3 free credits and 3 free downloads. There are two paid plans:

• Pro: $5/month
• Enterprise: Custom plan.

Photoroom

Photoroom is an AI photo editor you can try directly on the web or via its mobile apps for iPhone and Android. Why should you consider this all-round editor for this specific operation? The reason is simple: it provides a multitude of AI photo background editing tools and bulk processing capabilities. Photoroom makes it possible to transform the original background into a transparent PNG, to change it with a new one, as well as generate a realistic background using artificial intelligence.

The platform allows you to upload a new background image or choose a unique one from its extended library, which contains textures, patterns, art, scenes and nature visuals. At the same time, you can add any preferred color and even create a distinctive black & white background while preserving the vivid colors of your subject. Additionally you have the option to blur the image background, with the possibility to adjust the blur strength. The options are quite extensive.

Besides these features, Photoroom offers the opportunity to further customize your photos. The tool lets you insert numerous graphics, including a logo and emojis, add curved text, apply an AI shadow effect, add an outline, enhance the colors and sharpness or resize your pictures.

Pros

• No sign-up required.
• One of the quickest tools to remove the background from a picture.
• A comprehensive list of background images to choose from.
• A good amount of image editing/enhancement tools.
• Watermark-free exports in the free version.

Cons

• You can download images only in standard resolution in the free plan.

Price

Photoroom is available with a free version, which includes the background removal feature and up to 250 exports without a watermark per month. If you need more than basic features, you’ll have to upgrade to one of the paid subscriptions:

• Pro: $89.99/year
• Teams: $89.99/year – 3 seats included
• Enterprise: Custom price

Adobe Express

Adobe Express is a versatile photo editing and graphic design software available online or on your mobile devices (iPhone and Android). The web-based platform is packed with a multitude of creative and design features, including one to cut out the photo background with the aid of AI. This operation can be done by anyone, regardless of the editing skills. Simply upload your photo (JPG/JPEG or PNG file up to 40 MB) and watch as its background automatically becomes transparent in a few seconds. You can then download the new image as a PNG with a clear background, share it or open it in the editor for further adjustments.

Adobe Express gives you the opportunity to place your new image on a new background. You can add a preferred color, select from hundreds of royalty-free wallpapers and images structured in multiple categories or upload your own picture. You can go further and erase certain areas from the photo, insert or remove objects, add shapes and other graphic elements. The editor enables you to apply tons of filters and effects, make color adjustments, reduce the opacity or crop the image freely, based on aspect ratios and numerous shapes. You can even animate your subject and turn your still image into an interesting short clip.

Pros

• It produces precise results as long as the main subject doesn’t overlap with other elements in the photo.
• It’s simple to use for this particular task.
• The vast library to select a new background for your photo.
• The ample editing and content creation options.
• You can download high-res, watermark-free images in the free plan.

Cons

• It may struggle in more complex situations and not be able to retain every detail of the main subject.
• No direct option to remove backgrounds in bulk.
• Limited support for input formats.

Price

Adobe Express comes with a free plan for individuals who need basic editing tools and access to a limited number of templates, stock photos and fonts. The feature to eliminate the background is free to use for a limited time. There are two paid plans for those looking for extended features:

• Premium: $9.99/month
• Teams: $4.99/person/month

Clipping Magic

Clipping Magic is a more advanced alternative to remove the background from an image. This browser-based tool places at your disposal an AI-based Auto-Clip feature, trained on millions of real world photos, to perform automatic background removal. At the same time, the platform is equipped with a Smart Editor, which enables you to manually refine the results of the automatic edit. The editor includes Hair, Scalpel and Edges tools to successfully deal with hair and recover details along the edges. You can also erase any undesired parts and bring back any lost foreground.

Clipping Magic allows you to keep the background transparent or replace it with any other color. The website has batch processing capabilities and offers other features to edit your images. You can perform color corrections, adjust the white balance, crop, resize, rotate, straighten photos and add diverse shadows and reflections to your pictures. The tool lets you upload JPEG, PNG, BMP and GIF files, with a resolution up to 25 megapixels and a file size of up to 30 MB. You’ll also find options to export an SVG of the outline of your cut and a TIFF with the clipping path embedded for further retouching in Photoshop.

Pros

• The Smart Editor, which you can use for accurate cutouts.
• It gives you the chance to step in and make adjustments if the automatic removal isn’t perfect.
• The multiple features to further optimize and retouch your pictures.

Cons

• Using the manual tools requires editing knowledge.
• No option to replace the original background with another image, only with colors.
• In the free version you can only download a size-limited preview, which is practically unusable.

Price

Clipping Magic allows you to upload and edit as many pictures as you want. You’ll be able to see a full-size preview, but you won’t be able to download the high-resolution image or remove the watermark. In order to do that, you’ll have to subscribe to one of the three paid plans:

• Light: $3.99/month, 15 credits/month
• Standard: $7.99/month, 100 credits/month
• Pro: $19.99/month, 500 credits/month

Clipdrop

Clipdrop by Jasper is an AI-powered editing software equipped with lots of interesting features. The platform allows you to remove and change image background, to eliminate, replace or fix any part of your photo with Generative Fill, clean up your pictures by automatically removing objects, people or text. At the same time, you’re free to upscale your images 2x or 4x, relight them, resize them for social media or uncrop them to any aspect ratio.

Clipdrop lets you delete the image background and replace it with a new one by using text prompts. All you have to do is describe the scene, and then the software will automatically generate it for you. Extracting the main subject from a photo is straightforward. Here are the simple steps to follow:

1. Click, paste or drop your file(s) – you can upload up to 10 files simultaneously.
2. Click on the Remove Background button.
3. Hit the Download button from the top right corner.

Pros

• Intuitive, hassle-free background removal.
• It’s quite fast in processing images.
• The ability to generate 4 variants of an AI background using textual instructions.
• Generous free version, including many AI features and watermark-free downloads.

Cons

• It’s the only tool in the list that doesn’t let you freely test the background replacement feature.
• No built-in background templates.
• Downloading images in HD resolution is available only for Pro users.

Price

Clipdrop offers a free edition with diverse features, including background removal. If you’d like to replace the background, access other AI features or download HD images, you’ll have to upgrade to the Pro edition for $11/month.

YouCam

YouCam is an AI-based tool designed to edit, enhance and generate photos and videos. You can retouch images directly on the website, as well as on the Android and iPhone apps. The online version, the one we tested, comes with an intuitive interface, with the features on the left sidebar and a large preview area in the center. All the saving and sharing options are in the top right corner. Basically, you should be able to quickly familiarize yourself with how everything works.

YouCam uses object recognition and segmentation to automatically detect the subject in a given picture and eliminate the background. The software can not only cut out, but also replace image background. You can change it with a white, black or other solid color or with a new photo from the built-in templates or your own library. The platform also allows you to blur the original background according to your needs, erase objects and perform numerous image enhancements.

It’s worth mentioning that YouCam is compatible with a variety of image formats, including JPG/JPEG, PNG, TIFF and GIF.

Pros

• Easy to navigate and use.
• It does a good job dealing with intricate details and edges.
• Plenty of AI editing features to further improve your pictures.

Cons

• A rather scarce library of pictures for background replacement in comparison to other tools.
• You can’t download watermark-free photos without subscribing.

Price

YouCam uses a credit model. In the free version, you get 2 credits + 5 more if you sign up. 1 image may cost 1 or 2 credits, depending on the feature used (removing the background will consume 1 credit). You can get more credits by choosing a subscription. Below we’ve listed some of the credit options, you can find more on the website:

• 40 credits – $2.50/month
• 100 credits – $5.87/month
• 200 credits – $6.67/month
• 500 credits – $16.58/month
• 1,000 credits – $29.08/month

Cutout.pro

Cutout.pro is another alternative that leverages AI technology to create and edit visual content. The software places at your disposal a diversity of tools for AI removal and cutout operations, photo and video enhancements, as well as art generation. You can use it to automatically delete the background from photos and videos, to erase people, objects or skin imperfections from portraits, make precise face cutouts, increase image resolution and quality, colorize black & white photos or generate images among others.

Cutout.pro is available as a browser-based platform, a desktop program and a mobile app. The website supports various image formats such as JPG, PNG or WebP with no more than 16 MB and no larger than 16 megapixels (e.g. 4096 × 4096 pixels). Using it to extract a person, pet or product from a picture is quite intuitive. Once you upload a photo, the software will automatically eliminate the background and display a useful side-by-side comparison view. You can then download the result or make changes. It’s possible to add a new background color or picture from the available presets and also apply a blur effect.

Pros

• It delivers good removal results, with smooth edges.
• Sufficient options to change the background.
• You can export watermark-free, full-resolution images with the free account.

Cons

• The platform became unresponsive several times during our tests.
• Editing the photo background with textual descriptions doesn’t really work.

Price

Cutout.pro uses a credit model and provides a free account, with free previews forever. You’ll get 5 credits if you register and another 5 if you share the platform with your friends (1 credit = 1 image background removal). There are two paid plans:

Subscription Plan

• 100 credits/month: $9.90
• 200 credits/month: $16.90
• 400 credits/month: $29.00
• 800 credits/month: $49.00
• 1,200 credits/month: $69.00

Pay as you go

• 10 credits: $4.99
• 100 credits: $39.00
• 300 credits: $79.00
• 1,000 credits: $199.00
• 10,000 credits: $1399.00

Fotor

Fotor is a cool alternative that can be used as a photo editor, graphic design tool and collage maker. You’ll find it available as an online platform, a mobile app and a desktop solution for Windows and Mac users. If you’re dealing with multiple images, the mobile and desktop versions are the ones you should be interested in. This is because they support batch background removal.

Fotor uses AI technology to automatically cut out the background from your photos. The process is super simple, as your only task is to upload the image (there’s support for JPG/JPEG, PNG and WebP formats). The software will then remove the background without the need for user intervention. You may step in only if you’re dissatisfied with the initial result. In this case, grab the Magic Brush and restore or erase specific components in the picture.

According to your preferences, you can leave the background transparent, make it white, black or any other color, change it by selecting from a wide array of pre-designed backgrounds with diverse scenes. If all these options don’t suit your needs, feel free to take things further and generate a custom AI background using text prompts. You can additionally apply a blur effect to highlight the subject of the photo.

Pros

• The variety of options to change the image background.
• The numerous possibilities to edit photos using both classic and AI tools.
• One of the most affordable subscription-based tools.

Cons

• Photos without a clear distinction between the foreground and the background may cause issues.
• You can only download a preview image of 500 x 312 pixels in the free version.

Price

Fotor offers a free basic version, with limited access to the editing tools (the AI background remover tool is free to use). To eliminate the restrictions you can upgrade to one of the two paid plans:

• Pro: $2.66/month
• Pro+: $5.99/month

Wondershare Pixcut

Wondershare Pixcut is a tool particularly built for AI-based removal tasks. You can perform such operations on the web, through its Windows and Mac programs, its Android app or directly in Figma or Shopify via its plugin. The software allows you to erase image background, leave it transparent or replace it with something else. In that sense you can use a solid color, a background image from the modest library or add a custom photo.

Wondershare Pixcut lets you upload any image in JPG/JPEG, PNG, BMP or GIF format with a maximum file size of 15 MB. The platform comes with a simple, clear design that streamlines the process. Everything is done automatically – your single job is to add the image. The tool will then isolate the foreground from the background and provide a before and after view. If necessary, you can manually erase/restore components in the image, apply a shadow effect, as well as choose a custom size.

Pros

• The task is easy to accomplish.
• It efficiently extracts the main subject from the photo in uncomplicated scenes.
• You can remove not only the background, but also watermarks, objects and text.

Cons

• It’s rather slow when it comes to uploading and processing high-res photos.
• It struggles to preserve hair details when removing the background.
• You can only download standard quality images (408 x 612 pixels) in the free plan.
• Limited range of background colors and images and editing features.
• Steep pricing.

Price

Wondershare Pixcut uses a credit model (1 image = 1 credit). There is a free version, which enables you to eliminate the background from 5 images and download them in standard quality. There are two paid plans:

Subscription Plan

• 50 credits: $6.99/month
• 80 credits: $9.99/month
• 200 credits: $18.99/month
• 500 credits: $45.99/month
• 1,000 credits: $89.99/month

Pay as you go

• 5 credits: $4.99
• 10 credits: $8.99
• 80 credits: $28.99
• 200 credits: $49.99
• 500 credits: $99.99