remove.bg vs CodeFormer
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. remove.bg starts at $9/mo and CodeFormer starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Automatic background removal
- Hair and edge detection
- Bulk desktop app
- Developer API
- Photoshop and Figma plugins
- Face restoration for old photos
- Fixes faces in AI-generated images
- Browser playground
- Replicate API
- Local Docker setup
| Feature | remove.bg | CodeFormer |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | One-click AI background removal for photos, with an API | Open-source face restoration model for old and AI-generated photos |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $9/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Made by | Kaleido (Canva) | Shangchen Zhou (sczhou) |
| Based in | Austria | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
remove.bg starts at $9/mo and CodeFormer starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
2 plans
Free
Free
- Preview-resolution downloads
- Limited free images
Subscription
$9/mo
- Starting price for 40 credits/mo
- Full-resolution downloads
- Larger credit packs available
1 plan
Pay per run
About $0.0056 / run
- Billed by Replicate per prediction
- Runs on Nvidia L40S GPUs
- Cost varies with input
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
remove.bg
- Very accurate cutouts
- Fast, no editing skills needed
- Widely integrated API
- Full-res downloads cost credits
- Credits fairly pricey
- Only does background removal
CodeFormer
- Runs in a few seconds per image
- Costs about half a cent per run
- Code can be run locally for free
- Non-commercial license only
- Focused on faces, not whole-image repair
- Hosted version bills per run
Which one should you choose?
Choose remove.bg if you want:
- Very accurate cutouts
- Fast, no editing skills needed
- Widely integrated API
Watch out: full-res downloads cost credits.
Choose CodeFormer if you want:
- Runs in a few seconds per image
- Costs about half a cent per run
- Code can be run locally for free
Watch out: non-commercial license only.
remove.bg vs CodeFormer FAQ
What is the difference between remove.bg and CodeFormer?
remove.bg: One-click AI background removal for photos, with an API. CodeFormer: Open-source face restoration model for old and AI-generated photos. Both are image tools.
Is remove.bg or CodeFormer cheaper?
remove.bg starts at $9/mo and CodeFormer starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do remove.bg and CodeFormer have free plans?
remove.bg: Yes. CodeFormer: No.
Who makes remove.bg?
remove.bg is made by Kaleido (Canva), based in Austria.
Who makes CodeFormer?
CodeFormer is made by Shangchen Zhou (sczhou).
Which should I choose, remove.bg or CodeFormer?
Choose remove.bg if you value very accurate cutouts and fast, no editing skills needed. Choose CodeFormer if you value runs in a few seconds per image and costs about half a cent per run.