Pick Remove.bg if…
- You specifically need One-click removal or Bulk processing, which Upscayl doesn't ship.
- Your primary use case is Product photos or Profile pictures — Upscayl doesn't list this.
Remove.bg vs Upscayl — which one should you pick in 2026?
Reviewed by Faisal Saleem · no paid placements, ever.
Remove.bg starts at $9/mo — One-click background remover for photos. Upscayl is free — Free open-source AI image upscaler for desktop. Both are image editing & enhancement tools. We compared pricing, features, agent capability, pros & cons, and which workflows each is best for — full head-to-head below.
IN ONE LINE
Both Remove.bg and Upscayl are credible image editing & enhancement options — the right pick depends on your specific use case. See the head-to-head below.
Pick Remove.bg if… vs. Pick Upscaylif…
Pick Upscayl if…
- Budget is a constraint — it has a free tier with no card required.
- You specifically need Open source or Runs offline, which Remove.bg doesn't ship.
- Your primary use case is Photo upscaling or Old photo restoration — Remove.bg doesn't list this.
FULL HEAD-TO-HEAD
Remove.bg vs Upscayl — side-by-side
| TOOL | ||
|---|---|---|
| PRICING MODEL | Freemium | Free |
| STARTING PRICE | $9/mo | Free |
| CATEGORY | Image Editing & Enhancement | Image Editing & Enhancement |
| AI AGENT | No | No |
| EDITOR'S PICK | No | No |
| KEY FEATURES |
|
|
| USE CASES |
|
|
| TAGS | #background#photo#cutout | #upscale#open-source#offline |
| WEBSITE | www.remove.bg | upscayl.org |
PRICING
Remove.bg vs Upscayl pricing
Remove.bg
Freemium · entry tier from $9/mo
2 plans available — see breakdown below.
Upscayl
Free
2 plans available — see breakdown below.
Remove.bg plans
Pay As You Go
On-demand HD removal
$1.99/imageone-time
$1.99 per image
- High-resolution downloads
- No subscription
- Commercial use
- API available
POPULAR
Subscription
Most popular plan (40 credits)
$9per month
40 credits / month
- 40 image credits/month
- HD downloads
- Browser extensions
- Lower per-image cost
Upscayl plans
POPULAR
Free (Open Source)
Free desktop AI upscaler
$0forever
Unlimited local upscales
- Open source app
- Runs locally on your machine
- No internet required
- Batch processing
Upscayl Cloud
Cloud-powered upscaling
$5.99per month
Higher cloud limits
- Faster cloud processing
- No GPU required
- Higher resolution outputs
- Priority queue
USE CASES
What each is best for
Each use case listed by either vendor, with which tool actually covers it.
USE CASE
Remove.bg
Upscayl
- Product photos
- Profile pictures
- Ecommerce
- Design
- Photo upscaling
- Old photo restoration
- Game asset upscaling
- Batch processing
PROS & CONS
Strengths and trade-offs
Remove.bg
Pros of Remove.bg
- Free tier available; paid plans from $9/mo
- One-click removal
- Bulk processing
- API access
Cons of Remove.bg
- No autonomous agent — handles single prompts, not multi-step workflows
- Competition is strong in this space — see Upscayl for comparison
Upscayl
Pros of Upscayl
- Completely free to use — no paid tier required
- Open source
- Runs offline
- Multiple models
Cons of Upscayl
- No autonomous agent — handles single prompts, not multi-step workflows
- Competition is strong in this space — see Remove.bg for comparison
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Remove.bg vs Upscayl — frequently asked questions
Is Remove.bg better than Upscayl?
It depends on your workflow. Remove.bg is focused on assistive features, while Upscayl doesn't include an agent. Neither is currently our Editor's Pick — both are credible options. See the side-by-side table above for specifics.
Is Remove.bg cheaper than Upscayl?
Both tools have similar entry pricing — Remove.bg $9/mo and Upscayl Free. Pricing at higher tiers varies; check the pricing breakdown above.
Does Remove.bg have an AI agent?
No — Remove.bg is built around assistive features (autocomplete, chat) rather than a true autonomous agent. If agent functionality is a hard requirement, neither tool in this comparison ships one.
Does Upscayl have an AI agent?
No — Upscayl focuses on assistive features rather than agents.
What's the difference between Remove.bg and Upscayl?
Both are image editing & enhancement tools. The key differences come down to pricing (Remove.bg: Freemium, from $9/mo; Upscayl: Free, from Free), agent capability (Remove.bg: no, Upscayl: no), and feature focus. Use the comparison table above to weigh which axis matters most for your work.
What's a good alternative to Remove.bg and Upscayl?
Beyond Remove.bg and Upscayl, the strongest alternatives in Image Editing & Enhancement depend on whether you prioritise price, agent capability, or specific features. See our "Remove.bg alternatives" and "Upscayl alternatives" pages for a hand-picked ranking of each.
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Best Remove.bg alternatives
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Best Upscayl alternatives