Background Removal API and Self-Hosted Model

Use the managed Pro API for the strongest results on hair, fur, and complex edges, or run the open-weight model on your own hardware for full data control.

Pro Model (Cloud API)

Best quality for hair, fur, and complex edges.

  • Managed infrastructure
  • Highest precision
  • Hardware accelerated
  • Pay-per-image
Get API key

Host it yourself

Open-weight model · Apache-2.0

  • No API key required
  • Unlimited processing
  • Runs offline
  • Self-hosted on your hardware
Learn More

Open-weight model quick start: run with Docker using docker run -p 80:80 withoutbg/app:latest, or install via Python with pip install withoutbg. Apache-2.0 license. View source on GitHub at https://github.com/withoutbg/withoutbg

How to run withoutBG

Pick the managed Pro API or self-host the open-weight model on your stack.

Pro Model (Cloud API)

Pro model

Managed REST API · Frankfurt, DE · p95 ≈ 1.95 s · AWS Inferentia

Pro model cloud API background removal

Send an image, get back a PNG with the background removed or an alpha matte. New accounts receive 50 free credits.

  • Frankfurt, DE (EU). TLS encryption in transit.
  • RAM-only processing. Images discarded after the response. No disk writes, caches, or backups.
  • Customer uploads are never used for model training.

OverviewPricingDocs

Get API key

Host it yourself

Apache-2.0

Run inference on your network when uploads to a cloud API are not an option.

macOS desktop background removal app

macOS App

  • Native desktop app with drag-and-drop
  • Inference runs locally on your Mac
  • Works offline after install
Get macOS app
macOS local headless server for background removal

macOS Local Server

  • Headless HTTP service for GIMP, Blender, and local tools
  • Same API schema as Docker and the cloud endpoint
  • Compiled for Apple Silicon, ~2–3× faster than CPU
Get macOS server
GIMP 3 plugin for local background removal

GIMP Plugin

  • Remove backgrounds from the GIMP 3.0 Tools menu
  • Calls a local withoutBG server on localhost
  • Attaches the alpha matte as an unapplied layer mask
View GIMP docs
Docker web UI and API service for background removal

Docker

  • Web UI: one docker run command, inference on port 80
  • Headless API: same /v1.0/image-without-background schema as cloud
  • Images stay on your network, nothing leaves the container
View Docker docs

Specs and limitations

Specifications, security, training data, and known limitations for the API and open-weight models.

Security and privacy

  • Open-weight: Run locally; no API calls required. Full control over image data.

  • API: Frankfurt, DE (EU). TLS in transit. RAM-only processing; images discarded after the response. No disk writes, caches, or backups.

  • No customer training: Uploads are never used to train or fine-tune models. Processing buffers zeroed after response.

  • Logging: Timestamp, endpoint, duration, status, request size, API key hash. No image bytes or perceptual hashes.

  • Analytics: No cookies on the web UI. Ahrefs (privacy-friendly). In-house CAPTCHA for abuse prevention.

Training data

  • Public photos: Unsplash/Pexels under permissive licenses; we created alpha mattes. withoutBG100 dataset

  • Licensed sets: Purchased image sets with explicit derivative rights.

  • Synthetic renders: Randomized lighting/camera with ground-truth mattes from the render pipeline.

  • Studio captures: Hair, translucency, shadows. Dataset guide

  • Scale: ~60K image/matte pairs after QA (2025-10-01), expanding.

Limitations

  • API input cap: Maximum 10 MB per image (JPEG, PNG, WebP, TIFF, BMP, GIF).

  • Open-weight latency: Depends on your CPU/GPU and image resolution. No fixed SLA.

  • Subjective boundaries: When foreground vs. background is ambiguous, multiple valid cutouts exist. Future release will bias toward nearest-camera subjects.

FAQ

Common questions about the API Model, open-weight model, pricing, and privacy.

Is it really free?

Open-weight model: Apache-2.0. Commercial use, modification, and redistribution permitted at no cost. API Model: freemium, 50 free credits on signup, then pay-as-you-go.

  • Open-weight: self-host with Python, Docker, or the macOS app. No API key, no outbound data.
  • API Model: credit packs for occasional use or optional monthly subscription. Cancel any time. See pricing.
  • No subscription lock-in on either option.

API Model or open-weight model?

Both share the same API schema. Pick by deployment needs, not by integration work.

  • API Model (Pro): managed REST API in Frankfurt, DE. Stronger on hair, fur, and complex edges. p95 ≈ 1.95 s server-side.
  • Open-weight (Apache-2.0): runs on your hardware. Images never leave your network. CPU or GPU. No SLA.
  • Start with the API for quick integration; switch to self-hosted at any time using the same /v1.0/image-without-background endpoint.

How fast is it?

API Model: p95 ≈ 1.95 s server-side in Frankfurt, DE on AWS Inferentia. End-to-end time adds upload, TLS handshake, queue, and download.

  • Open-weight: latency depends on your CPU/GPU and image resolution. No fixed SLA. Typical range on Apple Silicon: 0.3–2 s.
  • API: processing starts as soon as the upload completes. The demo on /api-model/remove-background shows your real measured latency per call.

Do you store or train on my images?

No. API images are processed in RAM and discarded after the response. Open-weight inference requires no API calls at all when run locally.

  • API storage: no disk writes, thumbnails, caches, or backups. RAM-only; buffer zeroed after response.
  • Region: Frankfurt, Germany (EU). TLS in transit.
  • Logs: metadata only: timestamp, endpoint, duration, status, request size, API key hash. No image bytes or perceptual hashes.
  • Training: customer uploads are never used to train or fine-tune models. See privacy policy.

How do I self-host?

Three lines of Python or one Docker command. Apache-2.0, no API key required.

  • Python: uv add withoutbg (or pip install withoutbg). See Python docs.
  • Docker: docker run -p 80:80 withoutbg/app:latest starts a local web UI. The headless service exposes the same /v1.0/image-without-background API as the cloud. See Docker docs.
  • macOS: native desktop app and headless server for Apple Silicon, with or without internet. See macOS app.
  • Model weights are hosted on Hugging Face in ONNX format.

Supported by

NVIDIA Inception Program
AWS Activate Program