remove.bg is closing on December 1, 2026: what to do now
By the IsraModel AI team · Published
remove.bg’s standalone website shuts down on 1 December 2026 at 9:00 CET (08:00 UTC, 3:00 a.m. in New York and midnight in Los Angeles). Here is what ends that day according to remove.bg’s own FAQ, what to save while you still can, and what to use instead for single photos, batches, marketplace images and the API.
25 free credits to start
The dates that matter
remove.bg has been part of Canva since 2021. Its FAQ sets out the timeline:
- Until the shutdown: subscriptions keep working normally and your account data stays accessible.
- From November 1: if a monthly plan renews on or after November 1, that final renewal is free.
- December 1, 9:00 CET: the website and accounts are no longer accessible, unused pay-as-you-go credits expire, the self-service API stops accepting requests, and the Photoshop plugin and the other integrations are discontinued. Annual plans end, and unused time after that date is refunded pro rata to the original payment method, with nothing for you to do.
- Not affected: enterprise API contracts continue as normal.
Source: remove.bg’s FAQ, checked October 26, 2026.
What it means for you, by how you use remove.bg
- You remove a background now and then on the website. remove.bg sends you to Canva’s Background Remover, which it says uses the same technology. Canva’s help center lists it under paid plans; its feature page offers a limited number of free high-resolution downloads to try it.
- You have an annual or monthly subscription. Both keep running until the shutdown and then end on their own. Annual subscribers get the refund automatically. A monthly plan can be cancelled earlier from the remove.bg dashboard.
- You bought pay-as-you-go credits. They expire on December 1. remove.bg recommends using them before then.
- You use bulk editing or the desktop app. remove.bg points you to Canva’s bulk background removal, in the browser or the Canva desktop app. On Canva that runs on paid plans, up to 50 images per folder, one folder at a time.
- You call the API. The self-service API moves to Leonardo.ai, also owned by Canva. Your remove.bg key does not carry over: you open a Leonardo account and create a new key. See remove.bg API alternatives for what changes in the code and what other APIs charge.
- You use the Photoshop plugin or another integration. remove.bg suggests Affinity, which is free, although its background removal needs a Canva Pro subscription. Photoshop, Figma and PowerPoint also have their own remover; see what replaces each plugin.
A checklist for the weeks before the shutdown
- Export your invoices and the credit usage report from the Account page. remove.bg says you will not be able to download them afterwards, and your accountant will still want them.
- Save anything you can only reach through your account. The account itself closes with the website.
- Spend your credits on the photos that matter. Start with the images you would need at full resolution, such as marketplace main images and print.
- List every place remove.bg runs. Scripts, Zapier or Make automations, store plugins, Photoshop and Figma. remove.bg’s integrations page lists plugins for Photoshop, Figma, GIMP, Sketch and PowerPoint, a desktop app, a command-line tool and automations through Zapier and Make. Anything that calls the self-service API needs a replacement.
- Choose a replacement for each job, using the list below.
- Test it on your hardest photos while remove.bg still works. Hair, lace, glass, a white product on white and anything shiny. Compare the edges against a black background, where leftover pixels show.
What to use instead, job by job
- A photo now and then: our free background remover needs no account and runs in your browser, so the photo is not uploaded and there are no credits to expire. Commercial use is allowed.
- A batch of product photos: up to 20 at a time in the bulk background remover, downloaded together as one ZIP, as many rounds as you need. Canva’s bulk removal takes up to 50 images per folder on its paid plans.
- Marketplace images: the same tool exports a pure white background (255,255,255), or a square Amazon main image with the product filling about 85% of the frame and at least 1,000 pixels a side. Check a finished image with the Amazon image checker.
- An API: Leonardo.ai charges $0.1047 per image according to its migration guide. Photoroom, Pixelcut, Claid and Picsart are compared in remove.bg API alternatives. We do not offer a background-removal API.
- Plugins and the desktop app: see remove.bg plugin alternatives.
- A product photo in a scene or on a model: a cutout is only the first step. IsraModel AI turns the same phone photo into studio and lifestyle shots, and the free plan includes 25 credits a month. Paid plans are on the pricing page.
Questions
When exactly does remove.bg shut down?
On 1 December 2026 at 9:00 CET (08:00 UTC, 3:00 a.m. in New York and midnight in Los Angeles), according to remove.bg’s FAQ. From that moment the website and accounts are no longer accessible.
Will I get a refund for my remove.bg subscription?
Annual plans: yes, a pro rata refund for unused time after the shutdown, to the original payment method, with no action needed. Monthly plans end at the shutdown, and a final renewal on or after November 1 is free.
What happens to unused remove.bg credits?
Unused pay-as-you-go credits expire on December 1, 2026. remove.bg recommends using them before the shutdown.
Can I download my remove.bg invoices after the shutdown?
No. remove.bg asks you to export your credit usage report and invoices from the Account page before December 1, because they cannot be downloaded afterwards.
Is Canva’s background remover the same as remove.bg?
remove.bg’s FAQ says Canva’s Background Remover uses the same background-removal technology. Canva’s help center lists it under paid plans, with up to 50 images per folder in bulk.
Is there a free replacement that needs no account?
Yes. The IsraModel AI background remover is free, needs no sign-up and runs in your browser, up to 20 photos at a time. It exports transparent PNGs, white JPGs and Amazon-ready squares, and commercial use is allowed.