The remove.bg alternative that runs on your Mac.
Sweepcut removes backgrounds from a whole folder of photos on your own Mac. Nothing is uploaded, there are no credits to run out of, and it costs $19 once.
remove.bg closes on 1 December 2026
According to remove.bg, its standalone website closes on 1 December 2026 at 9:00 CET, as its background removal moves into Canva. On the same date:
- unused pay-as-you-go credits expire, and subscriptions end;
- the desktop app, the Photoshop plugin and other integrations are discontinued;
- the self-service API stops accepting requests and moves to Leonardo.ai. Enterprise API contracts continue.
Source: remove.bg, "remove.bg is moving to Canva", read on 22 October 2026.
Why people look for a remove.bg alternative
Your photos leave your computer. remove.bg and Canva both process images on their servers. For unreleased products, client work or photos taken at home, that can be a problem.
You pay per image or per month. remove.bg sells credits or a monthly plan, and Canva's Background Remover needs a paid plan. A catalog that changes every season keeps costing.
Batches are capped. Canva removes backgrounds from up to 50 images per folder, one folder at a time.
Sweepcut vs remove.bg and Canva
remove.bg points its users to Canva, so Canva is in the table too.
| Sweepcut | remove.bg | Canva | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where photos are processed | On your Mac. Never uploaded | remove.bg's servers | Canva's servers, after you upload them |
| Internet | Once, to activate your license | Required | Required |
| Price | $19 once, unlimited images | €3 for 3 credits, or €9 a month for 40 credits | A paid Canva plan |
| Batch size | A whole folder, subfolders included, up to 20,000 images | Desktop app and API, until 1 December 2026 | Up to 50 images per folder, one folder at a time |
| Image size | Full resolution (tested up to 49 MP) | Not checked | Photos under 9 MB; results over 10 MP are downscaled to 10 MP |
| Marketplace sizes | Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, eBay and 5 more, plus custom | Not checked | Not checked |
| After 1 December 2026 | The version you bought keeps working | Website, desktop app and self-service API closed | Continues |
remove.bg prices are as shown in euros on remove.bg/pricing on 22 October 2026. Canva details are from Canva's help centre, read the same day. "Not checked" means we couldn't confirm it, not that the feature is missing.
Nothing leaves your Mac
Sweepcut processes every photo 100% on your Mac, inside the macOS sandbox. Your photos are never uploaded, camera data and GPS location are removed from every export, and there's no account to create. Once activated, it works with Wi-Fi turned off.
Switching from remove.bg
Is remove.bg shutting down?
remove.bg says its standalone website will no longer be available from 1 December 2026 at 9:00 CET, as its background removal moves into Canva. Its desktop app, Photoshop plugin and self-service API also end on that date.
What happens to my remove.bg credits?
According to remove.bg, unused pay-as-you-go credits expire on 1 December 2026, monthly subscriptions end automatically, and annual subscriptions get a pro-rata refund for unused time.
Does Sweepcut have an API?
No. Sweepcut is a Mac app for folders of photos, not an API for automated pipelines. remove.bg points its API users to Leonardo.ai.
Is the cut-out quality the same as remove.bg?
Sweepcut uses Apple's Vision subject detection, the same model as Photos and Preview, not remove.bg's model. Products, people, pets and objects come out clean. For flat logos and items on plain backdrops it offers a second method, cut by colour. Try it on your own photos before you rely on it.
Does Sweepcut work on Windows?
No. Sweepcut is for Macs running macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and it's built for Apple Silicon.
Your catalog, cut out this afternoon.
Secure payment by Gumroad · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple Silicon recommended · Back to Sweepcut