3 Free Photo Background Removal Software

Removing the background from the photo, i.e., cracking, is one of the most common graphical problems. I’ll show you how to do it for free in seconds.

Imagine taking a perfect photo, but the whole thing is disturbed by not-so-favorable surroundings. The next shot you take is never as good as the first one. What if you could cut out the background and replace it with something else?

The second example is closer to eCommerce and content marketing. In eCommerce, investment outlays are huge, and it is worth looking for savings wherever possible. So some people decide to use free image repositories (if you want to know where to find free photos and graphics, check out our article). The downside of such aggregates, however, is the limited choice. Sometimes a content marketer finds a photo that would be great, but the background is inappropriate.

I remember when removing the background from a photo was a job for a professional graphic designer only. Sparring, i.e., precise cutting of the background was troublesome, and even the automatic functions of Photoshop did not cope well enough.

Today, you can easily do it even in free programs. I’ll show you three tools: the first two you can use only in your browser, and the last one will allow you to cut out the background from photos also with your smartphone.

Remove background from photo in Icons8 Background Remover

Icons8 Background Remover is a simple tool that helps you quickly remove the background from images. You just upload a picture, and the tool automatically erases the background, leaving just the main object. You can then download the image in a high resolution and use it for your projects, like marketing materials, presentations, or product photos.

Pros of Icons8 Background Remover:

• It’s easy-to-use, you just upload your image, and it does the work for you.
• Automatic background removal, so you don’t need to do it manually.
• The tool works with different image formats, so you can upload JPEG, PNG, and WebP.
• Since it’s a web-based tool, there’s no need to download or install any software.

Cons of Icons8 Background Remover:

• Sometimes, the tool might not work perfectly, especially with complex backgrounds or detailed edges.
• The free version is limited and lets you process only 3 images for free.

Remove background from photo in Remove.bg

Remove.bg is a tool that revolutionized photo background removal. It works magically and quickly became quite popular. Over time, however, the company limited free features to encourage users to upgrade to the premium version. The application copes not only with cutting out the background. You can also instantly add a new background to your photo.

Pros of Remove.bg:

• It’s great for cutting out the background from photos with people;
• It has mastered background removal of objects, animals, and cars from photos;
• It works quickly and achieves good results;
• A diverse collection of well-chosen backgrounds.

Cons of Remove.bg:

• The free version has very cumbersome limitations. You can download only one photo per month and 50 previews for free;
• Before you get to work, you need to set up an account.

Remove the background from a photo in Sticker Mule

Sticker Mule is the twin brother of Remove.bg. They have a lot in common and work similarly, but Sticker Mule is still completely free. The company adopted a different business model: selling stickers, pins, and packaging. Background removal (Trace) is one of the additional free tools.

Pros of StickerMule.com:

• Free;
• Removes the background from photos of objects and people quickly and efficiently;
• Vast gallery of backgrounds.

Cons of stickermule.com:

• Before you get to work, you need to set up an account;
• You can download 5 images per day.

Removing the background from a photo in PhotoRoom

PhotoRoom is an application that runs on a different engine. The developers designed it as a mobile app for iOS. Later, they prepared an Android version, and now there is also a browser version.

You can remove the background from a photo without a computer at hand. The application copes not only with cutting out the background. You can also instantly add simple animations, shadows, or strokes. You will also find a lot of suggestions for a new background. Unfortunately, in the free version, the app adds its logo. And you don’t have access to all templates.

Pros of PhotoRoom:

• You can achieve good results for free;
• Lots of additional editing options;
• You do not need to have a computer at hand;
• You don’t need to sign up.

Cons of PhotoRoom:

• Non-transparent watermark in the free version;
• The photos lose sharpness at the edges.

Test

Let’s do a quick test of all three tools. I found a photo of the guy sitting in his office with a laptop and a coffee at Pexels.com and milled it through the programs. It is what the original photo looks like:

And after removing the background in all programs:

And with new background:

Results

Effect

The undeniable winner is Remove.bg. It didn’t cut out the desk and put the best and the most realistic background. The other programs took a different approach to the photo: StickerMule left only a man with a laptop and a mug, and PhotoRoom left a small piece of a desk.

The truth is that Remove.bg also left a piece of shadow that looked very unsightly, but the app offers the possibility to use a magic eraser, and with one click I removed this shadow.

Interface

In terms of smoothness and ease of use, if I had to pick a winner, I would hesitate.

PhotoRoom launched instantly, and the first seconds of working with the program were smooth. No need to log in, the dashboard started right away, and the photo was without the background 15 seconds after launch. The interface and fluidity are not perfect, though. It is not optimized for large-screen computers, choosing a background is cumbersome, and the editor is slow.

Remove.bg, in turn, required creating an account and confirming the email address, and only then I could start working. It took me about a minute and a half. However, working with Remove.bg is much more pleasant. The application runs smoothly. It is effortless to select various options from the menu.

StickerMule gave me a negative experience. I created an account, waited for an email, and asked for a resend several times – and nothing. I finally lost my patience and changed my email address to a different one. Here, too, I had to click “resend” twice. It finally arrived, and I was able to start. The interface is smooth, but there are no options other than background selection and cropping.

Premium version pricing

Remove.bg offers two types of plans: subscription and one-time payments. For $9 a month, you can download 40 photos, while a one-time fee of $9 will allow you to download 10 photos. If you pay annually, you’ll get a 10% discount.

The advantage of subscribing is that unused credits roll over to the next month until you accumulate 5x more credits than your monthly plan. They will be at your disposal as long as you keep your subscription active. 

Sticker Mule does not have a premium version.

PhotoRoom Pro costs around $9.5 per month or $47 per year, but the price depends on your country and currency. You can check the final price in the menu of the app. It allows you to create higher-quality images and remove the logo. It also provides access to many more templates and custom backgrounds.

Conclusion

Going into this test, I wanted to make a ranking and pick the winner. Now, after testing all the programs, I couldn’t choose.

I achieved the best effect in Remove.bg. It also has the smoothest interface but requires creating an account and confirming the email address. And Remove.bg imposes heavy restrictions on the free user. You can only download one photo per month in full resolution and 50 in lower resolution.

PhotoRoom has a mobile app. You can get started immediately without signing up. Unfortunately, the web app works slowly and is not adapted to desktops. I think it would be better to use it on the phone. However, the most significant disadvantage, excluding many users, was the watermark: big and clear in the lower right corner.

Creating an account with StickerMule was tiring and annoying. The quality is acceptable but not the best. But its advantage is reasonable restrictions: you can download 5 files a day in the original resolution, and they do not have a watermark. 

So as you can see, it’s hard to pick an undeniable winner. Each program is suitable for different needs. But most importantly, no matter which one you choose, everything happens instantly, with just a few clicks. You don’t need expensive software or specialist knowledge. 

These tools are not 100% free because they have limitations, but they disappear when you buy the premium version. For such value and making life easier, these few dollars seem like a reasonable price. Especially when, for example, you run an online store and you want to remove the background from hundreds of product photos.