bgbuster vs remove.bg: which background removal API should you use?
remove.bg confirmed on its own pricing page that the standalone remove.bg website and API will no longer be available from December 1, 2026 — background removal is moving into Canva for consumers, and API pricing moves to Leonardo.Ai. If you're picking a background-removal API to build on today, that timeline matters more than any feature comparison.
remove.bg's standalone API is shutting down December 1, 2026.
bgbuster vs remove.bg: feature and pricing comparison
| bgbuster | remove.bg | |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone API status | Actively developed, standalone product with no planned shutdown. | Shutting down December 1, 2026. remove.bg's own pricing page directs API customers to Leonardo.Ai for future pricing. |
| Pricing model | Pay-per-credit, no subscription. From €0.003/image. Credits never expire. | €9/month for 40 credits (€0.225/credit) on subscription, or a €3 one-time pack for 3 credits (€1/credit) — one-time credits expire at shutdown on Dec 1, 2026. |
| Authentication | X-Api-Key header | X-API-Key header |
| Endpoint & request shape | POST /images/remove-background for a plain removal, or POST /images/edit to chain it with resize, rotate, flip, and color adjustments in one call | POST https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg with image_file (or image_url), size fields |
| Output formats | PNG or WebP | PNG (up to 10MP), JPG, WebP, or a JPG+alpha-matte ZIP (up to 50MP) |
| Scope | Background removal plus resize, rotate, flip, blur, brightness/contrast/saturation, and trim, composable in one /images/edit call | Background removal with crop, position, and background-color/image compositing parameters on the same endpoint |
| Free tier | Preview and test through the web app before buying credits | First 50 API calls per month, while the standalone API is still available |
Which one should you choose?
Anyone integrating a background-removal API today who wants a standalone, actively maintained product — with resize, rotate, and color adjustments available in the same request — rather than a migration project in the next few months.
Existing remove.bg users already planning their move to Canva or Leonardo.Ai who want to keep using remove.bg's specific output formats (like the ZIP alpha-matte) until the shutdown.
- 1
Sign up with an email or a social login — no credit card required.
- 2
Buy a credit pack. Credits never expire, and you'll need a balance before the API accepts requests.
- 3
From the dashboard, go to API Keys and click Create API key.
- 4
Authenticate your requests
Send the key in the X-Api-Key header on every request to api.bgbuster.com.
Sourcing notes
All remove.bg facts above were read directly from remove.bg's own /api and /pricing pages in September 2026, including the shutdown notice, the Dec 1 2026 date, and the pay-as-you-go/subscription prices. Confirm current status on their site, since a migration like this can shift.
remove.bg's request field names (image_file, size) come from the sample cURL command published on their own API docs page — they differ from bgbuster's (input, format) since these are separate, unrelated APIs.
See remove.bg's own API page