Best free remove.bg alternatives (open source, 2026)
Updated · 20 repos compared · data refreshed nightly from GitHub
The best free remove.bg alternative for most people is rembg (25k GitHub stars, MIT license). ComfyUI-RMBG works on a Mac according to its README. All 20 options below are open source and run on your own computer or server, so there's no subscription.
remove.bg (remove image backgrounds) is a paid, closed-source product. The open-source projects below do the same job and run on your own computer or server. Stars and activity come straight from GitHub.
Top picks
Rembg is a tool to remove images background
- Needs:
- Hardware not stated in its README
- Trade-off
- Better than remove.bg: the biggest community (25k stars), a permissive MIT license. Worse: you install and run it yourself instead of remove.bg's hosted app.
A ComfyUI custom node designed for advanced image background removal and object, face, clothes, and fashion segmentation, utilizing multiple models including RMBG-2.0, VRMBG-3.0, FeyNoBg, Finegrain Bo
- Needs:
- works on Mac (per README)
- Trade-off
- Better than remove.bg: very active development. Worse: you install and run it yourself instead of remove.bg's hosted app.
Comparison
✓ yes · ✗ no · – not stated in the README. Hardware details are read from each README and may be incomplete.
remove.bg vs open source: what you give up
- Setup. remove.bg is ready as soon as you sign up. These projects need installing, usually with Python, Node or Docker.
- Hardware. Most READMEs don't state hardware needs; heavier models run much faster with a GPU. 1 says it runs on a regular CPU. 4 mention Mac support.
- Polish and support. Paid products usually have a smoother interface, managed updates and customer support. Open source gives you privacy, no usage limits and no monthly bill.
- Maintenance. 13 of 20 were updated in the last 30 days.
- License. 14 of 20 use a standard open-source license (MIT, Apache, GPL and similar). Check the license before commercial use.
How we picked
Projects that describe themselves as a remove.bg alternative come first, then projects that do the same job, ranked by how well they match and by GitHub stars. Projects that need a paid API key, and projects from remove.bg's own company, are left out. Stars and activity are verified with the GitHub API every night; hardware details come from each README. Full method.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to remove.bg?
Yes. We list 20 free, open-source GitHub projects that do the same job as remove.bg. The most popular are rembg, HivisionIDPhotos and X-AnyLabeling.
What is the best open-source remove.bg alternative?
It depends on your setup. Best overall: rembg. Mac users: ComfyUI-RMBG. Compare GitHub stars, license and hardware needs in the table on this page.
Can I run a remove.bg alternative on a Mac?
Yes. According to their READMEs, ComfyUI-RMBG, Ai-Object-Isolation-Toolkit and MODNet-BGRemover run on macOS.
Do I need a GPU to replace remove.bg?
Most READMEs don't state hardware needs. 1 says it runs on a regular CPU, including MODNet-BGRemover.
Are these remove.bg alternatives really free?
Yes. All 20 are open source on GitHub, and projects that need a paid API key are left out. 14 use a standard open-source license such as MIT, Apache or GPL; check the license before commercial use.