Best Photo Background Removers on Desktop, Mobile, and Online

We often need image background removers to create ID/passport photos or memes out of an existing photo, and we expect them to be simple with refined edges. Read the following reviews to find the best image background removers on desktop, mobile, and online.

Part 1. What Do We Need for the Best Image Background Remover

1. Edge quality is king

This is by far the most important factor about picture background removers. The best background remover should avoid jagged edges, weird halos, chopped-off limbs, or the AI just giving up when the background is a similar color. It would be great if it can auto-delete backgrounds clearly, and even better if it provides manual refinement as well.

2. Speed and simplicity

We prefer one-click results that don't need a bunch of manual cleanups. Fast processing also matters a lot. Bonus points if you can quickly fix the mask with a brush when the AI screws up.

3. Clean, full-res output

No one wants low-res previews or forced watermarks. Background removers for PNG with transparent output at the original resolution are the baseline.

4. Generous free plans

We need generous free plans that actually give usable high-res results and reasonable, transparent pricing for the full version.

Part 2. Top 3 Desktop Image Editors for Removing Backgrounds

1. Adobe Photoshop

Removing a background is easy peasy for Photoshop. The Remove Background feature can automatically create a cutout, and the Select and Mask tools let you refine areas more precisely. After removal, you can change to a new background by placing a background layer beneath the image.

How to remove a background:

Step 1Open your image in Photoshop and select the image layer in the Layers panel.

Step 2Go to the Window tab on the top bar, and check Properties to open the Properties panel.

Step 3Under Quick Actions, click Remove Background. Photoshop will automatically detect the main object and remove the background, leaving the area transparent.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, iPad, web version available

Free limit: 7-day full trial.

Price: US$22.99/month for the Photoshop plan.

Best for: Auto-removal in a click with AI-refined edges

2. GIMP

GIMP is freeware for removing photo backgrounds. You need to use Foreground Select and Paths to create manual cutouts. It's not as automatic as Photoshop, but it gets the job done and costs nothing.

How to remove a background:

Step 1Open your image in GIMP.

Step 2In the Layers panel, right-click the image layer and choose Add Alpha Channel. This step matters because it will make deleted areas transparent instead of filling them with the current background color.

Step 3In the top bar, select Tools > Selection Tools > Foreground Select. Outline the object or person you want to keep. You can draw it roughly; precision is not necessary at this step.

Step 4Press Enter. GIMP will switch to the foreground-selection preview.

Step 5Check the Preview mask option. Paint a few strokes over the subject you want to keep, then press Enter to convert the detected foreground into a selection.

Step 6Go to the Select tab. In the dropdown, click Invert to select the background instead of the subject.

Step 7Press the Delete key to erase the selected background. Then go to Select > None to exit the selection mode.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Free limit: Completely free and open source.

Price: Free.

Best for: Budget users who want a desktop freeware

3. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is an excellent SVG background remover that can get the job done without converting SVG into pixels, making it a better fit when you want to keep your artwork editable. For a raster image placed in Illustrator, the Remove Background feature auto-detects the subject and make the background transparent. For SVG artwork with a background of separate vector objects, you can select and delete those background shapes.

How to remove a background:

Step 1Open your SVG file in Adobe Illustrator.

Step 2Click the Selection Tool (the black arrow) on the left toolbar, or press V on your keyboard.

Step 3Click the background you want to remove. If clicking selects the entire SVG instead of just the background, double-click the artwork to enter Isolation Mode. You can then select individual shapes inside the SVG.

Step 4Click the background shape or object again to select it, then press Delete on your keyboard.

Step 5When the background is removed, go to File > Save As and choose SVG to save your edited image, so the rest of the artwork will stay as editable vector graphics.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, iPad, web version available.

Free limit: 7-day full trial.

Price: US$22.99/month for the Illustrator plan, billed annually.

Best for: Removing separate vector background elements, keeping the SVG artwork editable and scalable.

Part 3. Top 3 Online Photo Background Removers

1. AVAide Background Eraser

AVAide Background Eraser includes both automatic and manual cutout in one go, giving you detailed control while keeping the process simple. Just upload a photo and click the button, then refine the edges if needed. It can remove backgrounds from JPG, PNG, or GIF, and export as PNG. You can also use it as an excellent ID/passport photo background remover, because it lets you make the picture background white/red/blue.

How to remove a background:

Step 1Click Choose a Photo to upload your image.

Step 2After AVAide automatically detects and erases the background, you can use the Keep brush or the Erase brush to refine the selection area manually, with a real-time preview.

Step 3The output background is transparent by default, but you can go to the Edit panel to choose a colored background or add another image as the background. You can also crop/rotate/flip the photo if needed.

Step 4When you finish editing, click Download.

Free limit: Completely free with no watermark and no account required.

Price: Free

Best for: Fast, casual background removal; turning a portrait into a passport photo.

2. Adobe Express

Adobe Express is a convenient free image editor that can remove backgrounds. Its online background-removal tool accepts JPEG, JPG, PNG, and WebP files up to 40 MB and automatically creates a transparent PNG. After removal, you can change the background color, or add a template as a new background, and transfer it to the online editor for detailed adjustments. It supports files up to 40 MB at a time.

How to remove a background:

Step 1Open Adobe Express and click Upload. Select a photo from your device.

Step 2In the right panel, click Remove Background. Adobe Express will automatically detect the subject and remove the background.

Step 3Check the result. If necessary, add a custom background or click Open in Editor for further editing.

Free limit: The background-removal tool is free.

Price: Free plan available; Premium is a paid subscription.

3. Photopea

Photopea is a free browser-based image editor with Photoshop-like editing tools. It provides a single-click background-removal option along with rich editing features, making it useful when you want both automatic removal and detailed editing in the same website.

How to remove a background:

Step 1Open Photopea in your browser.

Step 2Click Open from Computer and select the image whose background you want to remove.

Step 3Click Select in the top menu, then choose Remove BG. It is primarily a Premium feature, but you can use it for free after a short ad. Photopea will automatically detect the main object and remove the background.

Step 4Click File > Export As to save the image. Choose PNG to preserve the transparent background.

Free limit: Free version available with ads; a paid plan is available for an ad-free experience.

Price: Free with ads.

Best for: Quick background removal and detailed editing in the same workflow.

Part 4. Best 2 Photo Background Remover Apps on iPhone/Android

1. Photoroom

Photoroom is particularly well suited to product photography, e-commerce images, and quick mobile cutouts. It's an AI image background remover that combines automatic background removal with templates, background replacement, shadows, and other product-image tools.

How to remove a background:

Step 1Open Photoroom. Tap Start from Photo at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2Select a photo from your Gallery/Photos.

Step 3Then Photoroom automatically erases the background using AI. No extra steps needed.

Platforms: iOS, Android, web

Free limit: Free plan available with limited features and a monthly export limit.

Price: Free tier; paid plans vary by region and billing cycle.

Best for: Quick AI background removal on Android/iPhone.

2. Pixelcut

Pixelcut works especially well for quick mobile cutouts and social media photos. It focuses on simple, clean background removal and gives you full HD transparent results even on the free plan.

How to remove a background:

Step 1Open the Pixelcut app and tap the plus button.

Step 2Choose a photo from your camera roll or take a new one.

Step 3Tap Remove Background. The AI does the rest automatically. You can download the transparent PNG right away or keep editing.

Platforms: iOS, Android, web

Free limit: Unlimited free HD exports with no watermark

Price: Free tier available; Pro plan unlocks more tools and bulk image background remover.

Best for: Fast, free high-quality background removal for sharing on social media.

Part 5. Comparison of the 8 Background Removers

Part 6. FAQs about Removing Image Backgrounds

Do these tools support transparent PNG export?

Yes. All the recommended tools can export PNG files, making image background transparent and preserving only the main object.

Which tool is best for passport or ID photos?

AVAide Background Eraser and Adobe Express are convenient because they let you remove the background and quickly apply a white or colored background. Photoroom also works well for this on mobile.

After removing the background, will the quality of the picture be degraded?

Removing a background doesn't necessarily reduce the quality of your picture, as long as you download the result at the original or a high resolution.

By Jane Pineda on Sep 18, 2026