A remove.bg API alternative.

remove.bg is one of the best-known background removal APIs, mature and with plenty of options. Its self-service API stops taking requests on 1 December 2026, and users are being moved to Leonardo.ai's API. Enterprise contracts carry on. If you're moving anyway, Verbier costs less per image at both volumes below and takes up to 32 images in a call.

Verbierremove.bg
Free allowance
50 images a month at full size, no watermark, no card
50 calls a month at preview size (0.25 MP) source
Per image, about 1,000 a month
$0.009 (Starter: $9 for 1,000 a month)
$0.158 (1,200 a month for $189) source
Per image, about 10,000 a month
$0.0049 (Pro: $49 for 10,000 a month)
$0.099 (10,000 a month for $989) source
Largest result
2,048 px on the long side by default, up to 8,192 px (about 45 MP) with max_side; 2× upscale for small photos
50 MP as JPG or WebP; transparent PNG up to 10 MP source
Many images per call
Up to 32 images per call
One per call; 500 a minute at 1 MP, fewer for larger images source
Output
Transparent WebP or PNG, or flat on a colour or photo
PNG, JPG, WebP, or a ZIP of colour and alpha source
Beyond the cut-out
Drop, contact and cast shadows, speck cleanup, 2× upscale, trim, backgrounds with colour matching
Drop, 3D and car shadows, background colour or photo, crop, scale and position source
Your images
Not kept. Only counts and timings are logged
Deleted shortly after; the policy says uploads may be used to train its models source

remove.bg figures from Canva's own pages, checked on 23 September 2026. Prices change; follow the source links for today's.

Choose remove.bg if

  • You have an enterprise contract, which carries on after December
  • You need region of interest, subject-type hints or car shadows
  • You already use Leonardo.ai, where the self-service API is moving

Choose Verbier if

  • You're on the self-service API and need a new home before 1 December 2026
  • You want a lower price per image
  • You want up to 32 images in one call
  • You'd rather your photos weren't kept or trained on

Trying Verbier

Send one request per image, with the photo as a URL or base64 and your key from the dashboard as a Bearer token. The first 50 images each month are free.

curl -X POST "https://api.verbier.dev/v1/cutout?raw=1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VERBIER_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"image_url": "https://example.com/photo.jpg"}' -o cutout.webp

Questions

Is the remove.bg API shutting down?

Its self-service API stops accepting requests on 1 December 2026, according to remove.bg's FAQ, and users are pointed to the Leonardo.ai API. Enterprise contracts continue, and pay-as-you-go credits expire on the same date.

Is Verbier cheaper than remove.bg?

Yes. At about 1,000 and about 10,000 images a month, Verbier's plans cost less per image than remove.bg's self-service subscriptions (prices checked 23 September 2026). Verbier's free 50 images a month are also full size, where remove.bg's free API calls return a 0.25 MP preview.

How do I switch from remove.bg to Verbier?

Point your code at POST /v1/cutout with your Verbier key as a Bearer token, and send the photo as image_url or image_b64 in JSON. Add ?raw=1 to get the image file back, or leave it off for JSON with the image base64-encoded. Shadows, backgrounds and cropping are options in the same request, and the first 50 images a month are free.

Try Verbier freeAll alternatives