remove.bg Is Shutting Down: What Actually Happens to Your Paid Credits?
If you've used remove.bg for more than a month, chances are you've bought credits — maybe a small pack for occasional product photos, maybe an annual API subscription for your startup. Now that remove.bg has announced it will shut down on December 1, 2026, the obvious question is: what happens to the money you already spent?
This guide walks through everything we know about the credit policy, what to do with your remaining balance, how to migrate your API workflow, and which free alternatives let you stop thinking about credits entirely.
The Shutdown Timeline
remove.bg's parent company, Kaleido, announced the sunset in a notice to registered users. Here's the confirmed timeline as of this writing:
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2025 | New credit purchases and API subscriptions paused (already passed) |
| October 2026 | Final user notice sent; account download window opens |
| December 1, 2026 | Service fully offline. All accounts, API keys, and image history deleted. |
What Happens to Unused Credits?
This is the question everyone is asking. According to remove.bg's published shutdown FAQ:
What this means for different users
Free users with zero credits: Nothing changes. You can keep using the free tier until shutdown, then switch to a free alternative. No action needed except finding a replacement.
Pay-as-you-go credit packs (one-time purchases): There is currently no refund mechanism for one-time credit packs. The recommendation is to batch-process all your pending images now while credits still work. If you have hundreds of credits left, process every product photo, headshot, and graphic you've been putting off.
Monthly or annual API subscribers: This group has the strongest case for a prorated refund. remove.bg's support page notes that annual subscribers should contact billing support directly. Many users report success asking for refunds on the unused portion of annual plans, especially in EU jurisdictions where consumer protection law requires proportional refunds for discontinued services.
How to request a refund
- Log into your remove.bg account and note your subscription renewal date and amount.
- Email
[email protected]with the subject line "Shutdown Refund Request — [your email]." - Clearly state: your plan type, next billing date, and the number of months remaining.
- If you're in the EU, reference the Digital Services Act and consumer right to proportional refund for discontinued services.
- If you paid via Stripe, also open a dispute claim for the unused portion — this often gets attention faster.
What Happens to Your Images and Account History?
Any images you've already downloaded to your local computer are yours forever — the shutdown only affects the remove.bg service itself. But images stored in your remove.bg account history (the browser-based gallery of past cutouts) will be deleted when the service goes dark.
Do this now: Log into your remove.bg account, go to your history, and download any cutouts you don't already have saved locally. The download window will likely stay open until shutdown, but there's no reason to wait — accounts sometimes get deactivated early if the infrastructure is shut down in stages.
API Users: Migrating Before December 1
If your application calls the remove.bg API, your code will break on December 1. The migration path depends on your stack:
| Your setup | Recommended replacement |
|---|---|
| Server-side API calls (Node, Python, PHP) | Use a client-side approach: process images in the user's browser with ONNX-based models. No server, no API key, no per-image cost. |
| Batch server processing (e-commerce catalogs) | Switch to an open-source self-hosted model like rembg or U2-Net, run on your own GPU or CPU. |
| WordPress / Shopify plugins | Most plugins now support alternative backends. Look for plugins that process locally or support multiple AI engines. |
| No-code tools (Zapier, Make) | Replace the remove.bg step with a browser-based upload that triggers a webhook to your own processing endpoint. |
Free Alternatives with No Credit System
The best time to switch is now, while you still have working credits to compare quality. Here's what to look for:
1. Browser-based processing (zero cost, zero signup)
Tools like SmartImgKit's Background Remover run AI models directly in your browser. There is no credit system because there is no server cost — your computer does the work. This means:
- No per-image fees, ever.
- No API keys to manage.
- Images never leave your device (better for privacy).
- No watermarks on free tier output.
2. Open-source self-hosted options
If you're a developer who needs API-level control, rembg (Python) and U2-Net are mature open-source alternatives. You can run them on your own infrastructure and pay only for compute.
3. Freemium desktop apps
Apps like PhotoRoom and Cutout Pro still offer free tiers, but they reintroduce the credit-based model you're trying to escape. Use them only if browser-based quality isn't sufficient for your use case.
Step-by-Step: Switching This Weekend
You don't need a big migration project. Here's the fastest path:
- Download your remove.bg history today — don't wait.
- Process any pending images with your remaining credits before they expire.
- Bookmark SmartImgKit and run a comparison: upload the same product photo to both tools and compare edges, especially around hair and fine details.
- Update your bookmarks and any internal links your team uses.
- API users: start testing the local-browser approach on a staging environment now. You have time, but don't leave it to November.
Stop counting credits.
Try free background removal that runs entirely in your browser — no signup, no watermark, no shutdown date.
Remove a background now →Frequently Asked Questions
Will remove.bg refund my unused credits?
As of October 2026, no blanket refund has been announced. Annual API subscribers have the best chance of a prorated refund by contacting support directly. One-time credit pack purchases are unlikely to be refunded — spend them before shutdown.
Is December 1, 2026 a hard deadline?
Yes. The remove.bg website, API, and all associated services will be taken offline on that date. After that, existing API keys will return errors and the web interface will no longer be available.
Can I export my remove.bg API workflow to another tool?
The API request format differs between providers, so you'll need to update your integration code. However, if you switch to browser-based processing, you can eliminate the API entirely — the processing happens on the client side.
What if I have remove.bg credits on a team account?
Team account admins should coordinate with their members to batch-process all pending work before shutdown. The admin can also attempt a refund request on behalf of the team, though success depends on the billing relationship.
This article will be updated as remove.bg publishes more shutdown details. Bookmark it and check back in November.