Shutdown guide · Updated September 2026 · Facts below are from remove.bg's own pages.
remove.bg Is Shutting Down on December 1, 2026 — What to Use Instead
The standalone remove.bg website stops being available on December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CET. If background removal is part of your workflow, here is exactly what was announced, what changes for you, and one alternative that never uploads your photos anywhere.
What actually changes on December 1, 2026
- The remove.bg website goes away as a standalone tool. Web-based background removal moves into the Canva platform — where Background Remover is a Canva Pro (paid) feature, not part of Canva's free plan.
- Self-service API requests stop that day. Developers are directed to Leonardo.Ai (also Canva-owned), which has published a migration guide.
- Existing Enterprise API contracts are not affected, per their FAQ.
- Credits and subscriptions: remove.bg has not published what happens to unused pay-as-you-go credits or subscriptions at shutdown — we won't speculate. If you hold credits, check their help center before the date.
The honest comparison: Deback vs remove.bg
| Deback | remove.bg (until Dec 1, 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost for basic use | Free — unlimited basic background removal, full-resolution PNG, no watermark | Free low-resolution previews (up to 0.25 megapixels); full resolution requires credits or a subscription |
| Account needed? | No — open the page and go | No for web previews; yes for high-resolution downloads and API access |
| Where your photo is processed | On your device. The AI model downloads to your browser and runs locally — image bytes never leave your machine | On remove.bg's servers — you upload the photo, they process it remotely (temporary storage auto-deleted per their policy) |
| Speed | Slower per image (your device's processor, typically tens of seconds) — the price of privacy | Seconds (server GPUs) |
| Batch / API | Not yet — one image at a time | Yes, via paid credits/API (migrating to Leonardo.Ai) |
| After Dec 1, 2026 | Still here, still free | Standalone site gone; functionality inside Canva (Pro) and Leonardo.Ai |
Sources: remove.bg FAQ ("remove.bg is moving to Canva") and API page banner; canva.com/pro/background-remover. Accessed September 2026. Plans and pricing change — verify before deciding.
If you're migrating off remove.bg, do this before December
- Inventory your workflow. Are you using the website occasionally, or the API in production? The website path and the API path lead to different replacements.
- API users: read Leonardo.Ai's migration guide (parameter mapping table) and test the new endpoint well before the cutoff — don't migrate on November 30.
- Website users: try the replacement on your real images now, not the week the old tool disappears. Check edge quality on hair, fur, and product shots — the cases every tool finds hardest.
- Decide what your photos are worth. Every mainstream alternative processes uploads on its servers. If you handle client photos, ID documents, unreleased products, or anything sensitive, an on-device tool removes the entire category of "what happens to my upload" questions.
- Follow the full migration guide. The step-by-step walkthrough — switching your web workflow, API options, and an honest comparison of where each replacement wins — is on our remove.bg shutdown migration guide.
If you need batch processing or design templates
That's the one workflow Deback doesn't do yet (one image at a time, no API). The honest picks: PhotoRoom for batch + seller templates, Leonardo.Ai for the official API migration path, Pixelcut for mobile-first quick edits. Our full alternatives comparison covers each factually — including the rows where they beat us.
Why Deback exists for exactly this moment
Server-side AI costs money per image — that's why remove.bg needed credits, subscriptions, and ultimately a parent company to absorb it. Deback inverts the economics: the AI runs on your device, so each image costs us effectively nothing, and the basic tool can stay free indefinitely. No account to create before a shutdown strands it, no credits to lose, no upload to wonder about.
We're independent — not affiliated with remove.bg, Canva, or Leonardo.Ai. Our full remove.bg alternatives comparison covers the other options factually if you want the wider field.
Try the private replacement
Free background removal that runs on your device — no account, no upload, no credits to expire.
A note on trademark use
remove.bg is a trademark of its respective owner. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by remove.bg. Product names appear here only to describe the shutdown and compare alternatives factually.