PeelPixel

PeelPixel / remove.bg shutting down

remove.bg is shutting down on December 1, 2026

The standalone website and self-serve API close at 9:00 a.m. CET (3:00 a.m. ET). Here is what remove.bg itself says, and what to do before then.

  • Credits, invoices and plugins: what ends that day
  • Official sources, cited below
  • A no-upload alternative you can try on this page

or drop it here, or paste with Ctrl+V

Your photo is processed on this device and never uploaded.

Background

Free downloads are up to 1000 px with a small watermark. Pro gives full resolution, no watermark and batch ZIP downloads.

Batch is a Pro feature

The free version handles one image at a time, so we're cutting out the first one now. Pro processes a whole folder and gives you one ZIP.

See Pro

The official date and what it means

According to remove.bg’s FAQ (the page is titled “remove.bg is moving to Canva”), from December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CET the standalone website will no longer be available. Background removal moves into Canva. The API page says developer access moves to Leonardo.Ai, which Canva also owns, and that the self-serve API stops accepting requests that day. Enterprise API contracts continue as normal.

This is a consolidation into Canva, not the end of the underlying background-removal technology. What ends is the separate website, the self-serve API, and the plugins.

Credits, subscriptions and invoices

From the same FAQ:

  • Pay-as-you-go credits. Unused credits expire on December 1, 2026. remove.bg recommends using them before then. The FAQ does not say they transfer to Canva or Leonardo.Ai.
  • Annual subscriptions. They work until December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CET, then end automatically. Unused time after that date is refunded pro-rata to the original payment method. No action is required to get the refund.
  • Monthly subscriptions. They work until the same time, then end. Any final renewal on or after November 1 is free. You can cancel earlier from the remove.bg dashboard if you want to.
  • Account data, invoices and usage reports. Your account stays accessible until that timestamp. After that, the website and accounts will not be accessible. Download invoices and the credit usage report from your Account page first. You will not be able to download them afterward.

API, Photoshop and other plugins

Enterprise API contracts are not affected. Self-serve API users need a new integration; remove.bg points them to Leonardo.Ai and a migration guide. The Photoshop plugin will not be available after December 1, 2026. remove.bg suggests Affinity, also part of Canva, which includes the same background-removal technology but requires a Canva Pro subscription for that feature. Other integrations and plugins are discontinued on the same date.

What to do before December 1

  1. Use remaining pay-as-you-go credits on images you still need, or accept that they expire.
  2. Download invoices, the credit usage report, and any processed images you may need again.
  3. List every place remove.bg runs for you: the website, a Photoshop plugin, a desktop or phone app, Zapier or Make, or an API key in a script.
  4. If you need an API or a plugin, start that migration now. PeelPixel is not an API or plugin replacement.
  5. If you only used the website for one-off cutouts, try the tool at the top of this page on a few of your hardest photos, then compare it with typical upload-based tools.

Where PeelPixel fits

PeelPixel is a free, no-account background remover that runs in your browser. Your image is not uploaded. After the first use it works offline. That matches the old “open a site, drop an image, download a PNG” job. It does not replace Canva as a design app, and it does not replace a hosted API.

Like any automatic remover, it can struggle with hair, glass and low-contrast edges. Check the result at full size before you use it. PeelPixel is not affiliated with remove.bg, Canva or Photoroom.

Questions

Is remove.bg shutting down?

The standalone website will no longer be available from December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CET, according to remove.bg’s FAQ. Background removal moves into Canva. The underlying technology is not being deleted, but the separate site, self-serve API, and plugins are ending.

What happens to unused credits?

Unused pay-as-you-go credits expire on December 1, 2026. remove.bg recommends using them before then. The FAQ does not say they transfer to Canva or Leonardo.Ai.

Will I get a subscription refund?

Annual plans work until December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CET, then end automatically. Unused time after that date is refunded pro-rata to the original payment method, with no action required. Monthly plans also end at that time, and any final renewal on or after November 1 is free.

What about the API and Photoshop plugin?

Enterprise API contracts continue as normal. The self-serve API stops accepting requests on December 1, 2026; self-serve users are directed to Leonardo.Ai. The Photoshop plugin and other integrations are discontinued that day.

Is PeelPixel a full replacement?

For the everyday job of dropping an image on a website and downloading a transparent PNG, yes. It runs in your browser and never uploads the photo. It is not an API or plugin replacement, and it is not a Canva or Photoroom design suite.