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Cheapest Inpaint API — $0.005 per Image

The cheapest inpaint API for removing objects, watermarks, logos, and unwanted content from images. One HTTP call. Prompt-guided or mask-guided. $0.005 per image — half the price of Picsart Inpaint. 500 free credits, no credit card. If you have been searching for a cheaper inpaint API, this is it: the same REST endpoint handles object removal, watermark erasure, and magic-eraser-style cleanup at the lowest publicly listed per-image rate.

$0.005 / image 3–8s typical 500 free credits No credit card Prompt or mask guided SOC2-aligned infra
Get an API key (free) Quick start See pricing API docs

Quick start — one API call

Sign up, copy your key from the dashboard, and POST your image with a text prompt describing what to remove. The endpoint returns a generation id; poll until status=completed, then download the inpainted result.

# Remove an object by text prompt
curl -X POST https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/image/remove-object \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "[email protected]" \
  -F "prompt=remove the watermark in the bottom right corner"
# Response: {"generation_id": "uuid", "status": "queued", ...}

# Poll until completed
curl https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/image/UUID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
# Response: {"status": "completed", "output_url": "https://..."}

# Optional: provide a mask (white pixels = area to remove)
curl -X POST https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/image/remove-object \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "[email protected]" \
  -F "prompt=remove the person on the left" \
  -F "[email protected]"
pip install pixelapi
---
from pixelapi import PixelAPI

client = PixelAPI(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")

# Prompt-only (auto mask)
result = client.remove_object(
    image="photo.jpg",
    prompt="remove the watermark in the bottom right corner"
)
result.save("photo_clean.png")

# With explicit mask for pixel-perfect control
result = client.remove_object(
    image="photo.jpg",
    prompt="remove the person on the left",
    mask="mask.png"   # white pixels = area to inpaint
)
result.save("photo_clean.png")
npm install pixelapi
---
import { PixelAPI } from "pixelapi";

const client = new PixelAPI({ apiKey: process.env.PIXELAPI_KEY });

// Prompt-only (auto mask)
const result = await client.removeObject({
  image: "./photo.jpg",
  prompt: "remove the watermark in the bottom right corner"
});
await result.save("photo_clean.png");

// With explicit mask
const result2 = await client.removeObject({
  image: "./photo.jpg",
  prompt: "remove the person on the left",
  mask: "./mask.png"
});
await result2.save("photo_clean.png");
composer require pixelapi/pixelapi
---
<?php
use PixelAPI\Client;

$client = new Client(getenv("PIXELAPI_KEY"));

// Prompt-only
$result = $client->removeObject([
    "image"  => "photo.jpg",
    "prompt" => "remove the watermark in the bottom right corner"
]);
file_put_contents("photo_clean.png", $result->getBody());

// With mask
$result = $client->removeObject([
    "image"  => "photo.jpg",
    "prompt" => "remove the person on the left",
    "mask"   => "mask.png"
]);
file_put_contents("photo_clean.png", $result->getBody());
gem install pixelapi
---
require "pixelapi"

client = PixelAPI::Client.new(api_key: ENV["PIXELAPI_KEY"])

# Prompt-only
result = client.remove_object(
  image: "photo.jpg",
  prompt: "remove the watermark in the bottom right corner"
)
File.binwrite("photo_clean.png", result.body)

# With mask
result = client.remove_object(
  image: "photo.jpg",
  prompt: "remove the person on the left",
  mask: "mask.png"
)
File.binwrite("photo_clean.png", result.body)
go get github.com/pixelapi/pixelapi-go
---
import "github.com/pixelapi/pixelapi-go"

client := pixelapi.New("YOUR_API_KEY")

// Prompt-only
result, err := client.RemoveObject("photo.jpg", "remove the watermark in the bottom right corner", "")
if err != nil { panic(err) }
result.Save("photo_clean.png")

// With mask
result2, err := client.RemoveObject("photo.jpg", "remove the person on the left", "mask.png")
if err != nil { panic(err) }
result2.Save("photo_clean.png")

Pricing — the cheapest inpaint API with public per-image rates

ProviderFree tierPer-image costPublic API pricing
PixelAPI 500 credits, no card $0.005 Transparent, pay-as-you-go
Picsart Inpaint API 200 credits (one-time) $0.0096 Credit-based
Watermarkremover.io 3/month $0.01 (best annual tier) Consumer + limited API
cleanup.pictures Unlimited at 720p See our comparison Not listed publicly
Magic Eraser (Google Photos) Bundled with Pixel / One No public API Consumer only, no REST API
Snapedit 10 credits/month No public API pricing Consumer tool, no REST API

Pricing verified from each rival's public pricing page May 2026. PixelAPI's per-image price is set at exactly half the cheapest mainstream API rival (Picsart Inpaint at $0.0096) per our pricing principle.

What you get back

Inpainted PNG image

The removed object is filled with realistic scene content. Output matches the original image dimensions — no cropping, no letterboxing.

Prompt-guided or mask-guided

Describe what to remove in plain text and the API finds it automatically. Or upload a mask image (white = region to inpaint) for pixel-precise control over irregular shapes.

Generation ID for async polling

Jobs return immediately with a generation_id. Poll GET /v1/image/{id} until status=completed and fetch the result URL. Works cleanly in queued batch pipelines.

Auto-refund on failure

A quality gate checks every output. If the inpainted result is corrupted or blank, credits are automatically refunded — you never pay for a broken result.

What the inpaint API can remove

Anything you can describe in a sentence. Common production use cases:

Watermarks & logos

Remove stock-photo watermarks, copyright stamps, brand overlays from licensed images before final publication.

People & tourists

Clean travel and architecture photos — remove bystanders, tourists, and unwanted figures from otherwise perfect shots.

Timestamps & text overlays

Strip date/time stamps, channel bugs, subtitle burns, and on-screen text from frames or stills.

Vehicles & objects

Remove parked cars, trash bins, cables, scaffolding, or any object cluttering a real estate or product photo.

Skin blemishes & props

Remove studio props, stray hairs, skin spots, and micro-details from portrait and beauty photography.

Power lines & wires

Clean architectural and landscape photos by removing utility poles, power lines, and fencing from backgrounds.

Common workflows

The inpaint API powers these production workflows. Each links to a setup guide:

E-commerce photo cleanup

Strip price tags, props, and distractions from product photos before listing on Shopify or Amazon.

Beauty & cosmetics

Remove background clutter and reflections from bottle and palette shots.

Event photography

Batch-clean venue shots — remove signage, cords, and unwanted attendees.

Fashion & apparel

Remove mannequin stands, pins, and wardrobe clips from catalog images.

Electronics listings

Strip serial numbers, stickers, and cables from device product shots.

Hardware & tools

Remove safety labels, background props, and shadow artifacts from tool photography.

Watches & luxury goods

Remove reflections, holding clips, and display stands from luxury item photography.

Automotive

Remove tire stands, dealership watermarks, and lot markings from vehicle listings.

Art & print media

Clean scanned prints and artwork by removing dust spots, tape marks, and frame edges.

More workflows: all industries →

Integrations & SDKs

Shopify

Auto-clean product images on upload via webhook — watermarks and props removed before listing.

Zapier

No-code trigger: remove objects from new images in Google Drive, Dropbox, or Airtable.

Make.com

Drag-and-drop object removal in Make scenarios — connect to any upstream image source.

Webflow

CMS-triggered cleanup for editorial and product images in Webflow sites.

BigCommerce

Catalog automation — clean product images during the BigCommerce import pipeline.

Magento

Adobe Commerce / Magento 2 plugin pattern for automated object removal on product images.

WooCommerce

WordPress plugin hook to auto-clean uploaded product images in WooCommerce stores.

Wix

Wix Velo integration for removing watermarks and props from Wix product galleries.

Next.js

Server-side image processing in Next.js API routes — clean images before serving to clients.

Comparison vs alternatives

vs cleanup.pictures

PixelAPI offers transparent $0.005/image API pricing vs cleanup.pictures' undisclosed API rate. Full REST docs, 6 SDKs, and SLA-backed uptime for production use.

vs Magic Eraser

Magic Eraser is a consumer mobile feature with no REST API. PixelAPI is API-first: programmable, batchable, and priced per-image for developer workflows.

vs Adobe Firefly Remove

Firefly requires an Adobe subscription. PixelAPI is pay-as-you-go at $0.005/image with no subscription lock-in and no Creative Cloud dependency.

vs Picsart Inpaint API

PixelAPI at $0.005/image is half the Picsart Inpaint rate of $0.0096/image, with the same prompt-guided inpainting quality and a simpler REST interface.

vs Samsung Object Eraser

Samsung Object Eraser is a device-only feature. PixelAPI runs server-side on any device, in any language, with no hardware dependency.

vs Remini Object Remove

Remini targets consumer photo enhancement. PixelAPI is production-grade with async job handling, retry logic, and per-image billing suited for at-scale pipelines.

Rate limits & error handling

Default 60 requests/minute on the free tier, 600 on paid tiers. Exceeding the limit returns HTTP 429 with a Retry-After header. Recommended: exponential backoff starting at 2s, doubling on each retry up to 30s. The Python and Node SDKs handle this automatically.

# Python SDK auto-retries 429 with backoff
from pixelapi import PixelAPI
client = PixelAPI(api_key="...", max_retries=4)
result = client.remove_object(image="bulk.jpg", prompt="remove the watermark")
# auto-retries on 429, raises after max_retries exhausted

Common error codes:

HTTP statusMeaningAction
400Missing or invalid prompt / imageCheck request parameters; prompt must describe a specific object
402Insufficient creditsTop up at /pricing or wait for trial reset
422Vague prompt rejectedUse a specific object description (e.g. "remove the red logo" not "clean image")
429Rate limit exceededRespect Retry-After header; use SDK auto-retry
5xxTransient server errorRetry with exponential backoff; credits are never deducted on 5xx

Note: a 422 is returned (not charged) when the prompt is too vague to produce a safe inpaint. Make prompts specific: name the object, its location, or its color.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest inpaint API for developers?

PixelAPI's inpaint API costs $0.005 per image — half the price of Picsart Inpaint ($0.0096) and cheaper than Watermarkremover.io ($0.01 best rate). The endpoint is POST /v1/image/remove-object. You get 500 free credits with no credit card required to start.

How much does the inpaint API cost per image?

$0.005 per image (5 credits at $0.001/credit). New accounts get 500 free credits — enough for 100 inpainting jobs before paying anything. No credit card required.

How do I remove an object from an image via API?

POST your image to https://api.pixelapi.dev/v1/image/remove-object with your API key and a text prompt. The API returns a generation_id; poll GET /v1/image/{id} until status=completed, then download the inpainted image from output_url. See the Quick Start section above for code in 6 languages.

Do I need to provide a mask image?

No — the mask parameter is optional. When you provide only a text prompt, the API automatically locates the object and generates the removal mask. For pixel-perfect control over exactly which region to inpaint, upload a mask image where white pixels mark the area to remove.

What objects can the inpaint API remove?

Any object describable in text: watermarks, logos, timestamps, people, vehicles, power lines, trash bins, unwanted furniture, text overlays, tourists in travel photos, and more. The prompt-guided approach handles irregular shapes that a fixed rectangular mask would miss.

How fast is the inpainting API?

Most jobs complete in 3–8 seconds depending on image resolution and object complexity. There are no cold-start delays — processing capacity is kept warm 24/7 so your first request of the day is as fast as the thousandth.

Can I use this API to remove watermarks or logos?

Yes. The same POST /v1/image/remove-object endpoint handles watermarks, logos, copyright stamps, and text overlays. Pass a prompt like "remove the watermark in the bottom-right corner" or supply an explicit mask for precise control.

What output does the inpaint API return?

The API returns an inpainted PNG image where the removed object has been filled with realistic scene content. The output matches the original image dimensions — no cropping or aspect-ratio change. Download via the output_url field in the completed job response.

What are the rate limits?

Default 60 requests/minute on the free tier, 600 requests/minute on paid tiers. Higher limits available for batch processing — email [email protected] with your expected volume.

Is there a Python SDK for the inpaint API?

Yes — pip install pixelapi. Official SDKs also available for Node.js (npm install pixelapi), PHP (Composer), Ruby (Gem), Go (go get), and Java/Kotlin. All SDKs handle authentication, polling, retry-on-429, and binary file return automatically.

How does PixelAPI compare to cleanup.pictures for API use?

cleanup.pictures does not publish per-image API pricing publicly. PixelAPI offers transparent $0.005/image pricing, a documented REST endpoint, SDKs for 6 languages, and SLA-backed uptime — making it the better choice for production integrations. See the full comparison.

Can I get an invoice or GST receipt?

Yes. PixelAPI is a registered Indian business. We issue GST invoices — 18% IGST for international clients, CGST/SGST for domestic. Invoice download is built into the dashboard.

Start free — 500 credits, no card Read full API docs Compare all plans