Cutaway and remove.bg solve the same problem from opposite directions: one is source-available software you can own outright for $24, the other is a subscription at $9/mo (40 credits) run entirely on someone else's servers.
Head to head
| Cutaway | remove.bg | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24 once | $9/mo (40 credits) — $108/yr |
| Images | Unlimited | 40/month, then buy credits |
| Resolution | Full, always | Full res costs 1 credit per image |
| Privacy | 100% local — nothing uploaded | Every image uploaded to their servers |
| Offline | Yes — models ship in the installer | No |
| Batch processing | Yes, built in | Paid API / desktop app with credits |
| Source code | Open (MIT) | Closed |
What Cutaway does well
- Drag & drop batches — Single images or whole folders — JPG, PNG and WebP.
- Before / after preview — Checkerboard view of the transparent result, per image.
- Flexible output — Transparent PNG, white/black, or any custom background color.
- Batch export — Pick a folder, hit one button, watch the progress bar.
What remove.bg still does better
There's a real reason remove.bg costs what it does: a bigger team, broader integrations and dedicated support behind it. If that ecosystem is genuinely what you need, it's worth paying for.
Which one should you pick
If your workflow depends on remove.bg's specific integrations or you'd rather not run anything yourself, stay put — that's a legitimate call. If you're comfortable owning the tool and want to stop paying $9/mo (40 credits) for a job your own hardware can do, Cutaway pays for itself and then some: $24 pays for itself in under 3 months — then it's free forever.
Try Cutaway — $24, once
Local AI background removal — unlimited images, full resolution, nothing uploaded.