Background Removal API

Remove.bg Alternative — PixelAPI

Migration guide

remove.bg's self-serve API stops on 1 December 2026. Switch in 5 minutes.

remove.bg has announced that its website closes and its self-serve API stops accepting requests on 1 December 2026 (the developer API moves to Leonardo). Existing API keys will stop working. PixelAPI's background removal API is a drop-in replacement: $0.018 per image, full resolution, transparent PNG, and 300 free trial credits with no card.

remove.bg	PixelAPI
POST https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg	POST https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/image/remove-background
Header `X-Api-Key`	Header `Authorization: Bearer <key>`
`image_file` (upload)	`image` (upload)
`image_url`	`image_url`
`size=full`	Always full resolution
`bg_color` / `bg_image_url`	Use Replace Background (colour, gradient or AI scene)
Response: PNG bytes	Response: `job_id`; fetch `GET /v1/image/{job_id}` → `output_url` (usually ready in about 3 seconds)

import time, requests
H = {"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_PIXELAPI_KEY"}          # was: {"X-Api-Key": "..."}
r = requests.post("https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/image/remove-background",
                  headers=H, files={"image": open("photo.jpg", "rb")})   # was: image_file
job = r.json()["job_id"]
while True:                                                  # remove.bg returned the PNG directly;
    j = requests.get(f"https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/image/{job}", headers=H).json()   # PixelAPI returns a job
    if j["status"] in ("completed", "failed"): break
    time.sleep(1)
open("cutout.png", "wb").write(requests.get(j["output_url"]).content)

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Looking for a remove.bg alternative? PixelAPI is built for developers who need dependable background removal plus the rest of a product-photo toolkit, behind one API key.

Quick comparison

Feature	remove.bg	PixelAPI
Background removal price	Self-serve API stops 1 Dec 2026	$0.018 per image
Free tier	varies	300 credits, no card
Other image tools bundled	Single-purpose background removal — no upscale, no edit, no related tools.	One key for background removal, upscale, object and text removal, image edit, virtual try-on and more
API auth	API key	API key
Output format	Transparent PNG	Transparent PNG
Cold starts	varies	None — always warm
GST invoice (India)	varies	Yes — registered Indian business

Why teams switch from remove.bg to PixelAPI

remove.bg has the best-known brand and high accuracy. PixelAPI matches the quality at one-twentieth the cost while bundling 14 other AI image tools you'd otherwise pay separately for.

Code sample (drop-in replacement)

curl -X POST https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/image/remove-background \
  -H "X-API-Key: $PIXELAPI_KEY" \
  -F "image=@product.jpg"
# response: { "output_url": "https://...transparent.png", "credits_used": 10 }

If you're migrating from remove.bg: same input format (image upload), same output format (transparent PNG URL), simpler pricing.

When remove.bg might still be the right choice

Single-purpose background removal — no upscale, no edit, no related tools.

Try PixelAPI free

300 free credits, no credit card. Run your own quality benchmark on 100 of your real images, compare to remove.bg's output, and decide.

Try free — 300 credits, no card Background Removal API docs See pricing