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Test scope & comparison notes
These are recorded facts, not a unified ranking. Tested tiers and scope are not consistently recorded. Read pricing with its date and timing with its conditions. Privacy observations reflect visible flows and statements, not a security audit.
Cross-task capability coverage across selected products
Each product is scored independently per task edge; switch tasks below while keeping shared products selected| Task edge | Adobe | inPixio | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 77/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 60/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | 88/100 2048×2048 (4.0x Unwatermarked JPG) · Historical description; output not attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Object removal | 89/100 2048×2048 (Full-Res Unwatermarked PNG) · Historical description; output not attached | 71/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | |
| Image generation | 90/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | 82/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Adobe Firefly (Express) BG Remover Background removal 77/100 Seven-aspect task score Free full-size export without login opens the Firefly editor; the subject is retained, but gaps between curls need cleanup. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-16 | inPixio Remove Background Background removal 60/100 Seven-aspect task score The preview retains the subject, but free and HD restrictions are disclosed late; repeated dialogs, account gating and a watermarked preview hinder export. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-16 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | US individual Firefly web free feature and four monthly subscriptions; excludes student/business, full Creative Cloud and other regions; includes four generative credit add-on subscriptions · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Firefly web background remover2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Official feature page describes free removal; single JPG/PNG/WebP input up to 50MB Count and free export specification are not stated; subsequent generative editing may require separate credits Firefly Standard2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99/month — Monthly 2,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts Rules [1] Firefly Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 19.99/month — Monthly 4,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts Rules [1] Firefly Pro Plus2026-10-20 ↗ USD 34.97/month — Monthly 10,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts First-year promotion advertised through October 21; regular price USD 49.99/month. Renewal and eligibility follow the offer terms. Rules [1]Firefly Premium2026-10-20 ↗ USD 139.91/month — Monthly 50,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts First-year promotion advertised through October 21; regular price USD 199.99/month. Renewal and eligibility follow the offer terms. Rules [1]2,000 generative credit add-on2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99/month — Monthly 2,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts 7,000 generative credit add-on2026-10-20 ↗ USD 29.99/month — Monthly 7,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts 10,000 generative credit add-on2026-10-20 ↗ USD 49.99/month — Monthly 10,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts 50,000 generative credit add-on2026-10-20 ↗ USD 199.99/month — Monthly 50,000 generative credits/month; not removal counts 9 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Four US individual Firefly monthly plans and four credit add-on subscriptions are listed. Pro Plus/Premium first-year promotions end October 21, with regular prices separately shown. Official pages do not quantify daily free removal counts or regional tax amounts. Generative credits concern other AI features and do not establish a payment requirement for free removal. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordSelf-serve cancellation in Adobe Account (monthly plans cancel anytime; annual billed-monthly plans subject to Adobe terms) Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ US individual Firefly subscriptions ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Official generative credit add-on subscriptions ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ | Current official purchase-page free, monthly, annual and all five credit packs · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Current purchase page: 50 AI credits/month, 5 HD downloads/month, no watermark Feature FAQ still says free users cannot save or download HD results, conflicting with the purchase page Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 8.95/month USD 69.95/year Monthly 100 AI credits/month; 100 HD downloads/month No watermark; web and desktop; all features Annual 100 AI credits/month; 100 HD downloads/month No watermark; web and desktop; all features Ultimate2026-10-20 ↗ USD 12.95/month USD 89.95/year Monthly 250 AI credits/month; unlimited HD downloads No watermark; web and desktop; all features Annual 250 AI credits/month; unlimited HD downloads No watermark; web and desktop; all features 200 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.95 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 200 general AI credits; applicability to removal is unspecified Rules [1] 500 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 22.95 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 500 general AI credits; applicability to removal is unspecified Rules [1] 1000 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 43.95 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1000 general AI credits; applicability to removal is unspecified Rules [1] 2000 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 79.95 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 2000 general AI credits; applicability to removal is unspecified Rules [1] 5000 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 149.95 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 5000 general AI credits; applicability to removal is unspecified Rules [1] 10 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The recheck preserves a conflict: official purchase cards list 5 free HD downloads/month without a watermark, while the feature FAQ says free users cannot save or download HD. Free HD availability is therefore not guaranteed. AI credits cover AI backgrounds/generation, not established removal counts. Purchase cards state a 30-day money-back guarantee, subject to refund eligibility terms. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordThe page allows cancellation/plan changes anytime and advertises a 30-day money-back guarantee, subject to terms. Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ · Capture 4 ↗ Feature FAQ statement about free HD ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Plan comparison reached through official purchase entry ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Quick web background removal & full-res download are free without login; generative AI features in Firefly use Generative Credits | Top bar displays '0 — GET FREE AI CREDITS'; watermark-free HD saving requires an inPixio subscription |
| Cancellation & refunds | Self-serve cancellation in Adobe Account (monthly plans cancel anytime; annual billed-monthly plans subject to Adobe terms) | The page allows cancellation/plan changes anytime and advertises a 30-day money-back guarantee, subject to terms. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | File formats (JPG/PNG/WEBP) and 50MB limit are disclosed directly inside the upload dropzone | Disclosed only after upload and clicking 'Download image' via a blocking modal |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Edge error MAD: 0.1235 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 49.851 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.850% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.442% (Lower is better) | Edge error MAD: 0.1177 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 57.403 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.700% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.024% (Lower is better) |
| Fixture findings | Hair and subject are largely retained; some background remains between curls. | Strong subject retention and a quick observed response; translucent merging remains around the outer curls. |
| Original historical observation | Very high foreground hair preservation (fg_recall=99.85%) in a 9.23MB 2048×2048 PNG, though a small patch of bookshelf background remained inside left curly hair gaps (bg_leak=0.442%, mad_band=0.1235, SAD(k)=49.85). | Backend API (api-online.inpixio.com/v3/photo/removebg) is fast (2.02s) and generates a 2048×2048 mask (99.70% foreground recall), but outer frizzy hair strands exhibit noticeable semi-transparent webbing (mad_band=0.1177, SAD(k)=57.40). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Designers and everyday users who value Adobe's enterprise privacy standards and want a zero-login 2048×2048 full-res PNG | Existing subscribers of Avanquest / inPixio Photo Studio desktop and web plans |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · Check watermark record |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048×2048 (Guests directly download full 2048×2048 PNG without sign-in; supports files up to 50MB) | 2048×2048 (web app supports up to 2048px, but free tier stamps an 'inPixio' watermark and blocks saving/downloading without account registration & subscription) |
| Watermark observation | None | Forced dark-pill '▶ inPixio' logo watermark in bottom-right corner (verified in 02_result.png) |
| Batch & API | Batch workflows available via Photoshop, Lightroom, or Creative Cloud APIs | Single image on web (FAQ notes 30-image batch is mobile-app only) |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | 2048 × 2048 |
| Attached file dimensions | 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 2048 × 2048 · PNG |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 7.75s · End-to-end reference: 11.98s | Network-observed server wait: 2.02s · End-to-end reference: 23s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-16 · anchor_bgremove_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-16 · anchor_bgremove_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) |
| Repeated tests & reliability | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. | No standardized repetition count, success rate or variability range is recorded. |
| Interaction experience | ||
| Account requirements | No login in this test | Account required in this test |
| Sign-in methods | No login required for background removal and full-res PNG download; Adobe sign-in only needed for Generative Fill in Firefly | Guest download is completely blocked ('Without creating a free account, you will not be able to save or download your image') |
| Manual adjustment | Seamlessly opens in Adobe Firefly canvas for Remove brush & Generative Fill | Right panel includes Restore Background AI, Magic Eraser AI, Shadows, and Outline tools |
| Interaction observations | Removed the legacy mandatory Adobe ID sign-in wall for downloading! Clicking Download immediately saves the PNG while opening firefly.adobe.com/hub in a new tab (-2 pts) alongside a floating chat bubble (-2 pts). | Redirects from www.inpixio.com to online.inpixio.com, stamps a dark '▶ inPixio' watermark in the bottom-right corner, and when clicking 'Download image' pops up a hard barrier: 'Without creating a free account, you will not be able to save or download your image.' |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | The legacy Adobe Express background-remover URL now redirects to the upgraded Adobe Firefly visual pipeline (/products/firefly/features/remove-background.html). | Not verified |
| Operator | Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) | Avanquest Software SAS (Claranova SE, Paris, France) |
| Recorded origin | San Jose, California, USA | Paris, France |
| Domain history record | Domain registered 1986 / Firefly pipeline 2023–2026 | 10+ year desktop & web brand |
| Background & reputation assessment | Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE, creator of Photoshop, Creative Cloud, and Firefly), global authority in digital imaging. | Avanquest Software SAS (Paris, France, subsidiary of Claranova SE; long-standing consumer software publisher whose aggressive free-to-paid conversion funnels draw mixed user reviews). |
| External reputation record | Users historically criticized Adobe Express for forcing sign-in before download; our 2026 test confirms the migrated Firefly page now lets guests download full-res PNGs without logging in. | Legacy consumer photo software publisher relying heavily on try-before-paywall web funnels. |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Adobe Experience Platform / Alloy | Google Tag Manager · Cloud.inpixio.com Analytics · CookieYes |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Backed by Adobe Creative Cloud enterprise blob storage (acp-aep-cs-blobstore-prod-va6-data.adobe.io) with signed temporary URLs and strict enterprise privacy commitments. | Synchronously returns a 2048×2048 matte via api-online.inpixio.com/v3/photo/removebg in 2.02s server time; FAQ states uploaded images are processed without data retention. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 4 hours; deletion not independently verified | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 40 / 40 Landing page clearly states 'Remove the background from your image for free' and 'File must be JPEG (JPG), PNG, or WEBP and up to 50MB'; real-machine testing confirms guests download a 2048×2048 full-res PNG (9.23MB) without any sign-in wall. | 0 / 40 Landing page title proclaims 'Image Background Remover - Free & Instant' while burying in a collapsed bottom FAQ that 'you won't be able to save your work or download the final result in HD quality... only available once you subscribe'; in practice it stamps an '▶ inPixio' watermark on the preview and blocks guest download. |
| Interaction restraint | 16 / 20 Removed the legacy mandatory Adobe ID sign-in wall for downloading! Clicking Download immediately saves the PNG while opening firefly.adobe.com/hub in a new tab (-2 pts) alongside a floating chat bubble (-2 pts). | 8 / 20 Redirects from www.inpixio.com to online.inpixio.com, stamps a dark '▶ inPixio' watermark in the bottom-right corner, and when clicking 'Download image' pops up a hard barrier: 'Without creating a free account, you will not be able to save or download your image.' |
| Background & reputation | 25 / 25 Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE, creator of Photoshop, Creative Cloud, and Firefly), global authority in digital imaging. | 18 / 25 Avanquest Software SAS (Paris, France, subsidiary of Claranova SE; long-standing consumer software publisher whose aggressive free-to-paid conversion funnels draw mixed user reviews). |
| Engineering & privacy | 15 / 15 Backed by Adobe Creative Cloud enterprise blob storage (acp-aep-cs-blobstore-prod-va6-data.adobe.io) with signed temporary URLs and strict enterprise privacy commitments. | 11 / 15 Synchronously returns a 2048×2048 matte via api-online.inpixio.com/v3/photo/removebg in 2.02s server time; FAQ states uploaded images are processed without data retention. |
| Task quality | 39.1 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.1235 · Global SAD(k)=49.851 · Foreground recall 99.85% / Background leak 0.442% | 42.8 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.1177 · Global SAD(k)=57.403 · Foreground recall 99.70% / Background leak 0.024% |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 True Alpha channel (8/8); Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (Guests directly download full 2048×2048 PNG without sign-in; supports files up to 50MB) | 20 / 20 True Alpha channel (8/8); Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (web app supports up to 2048px, but free tier stamps an 'inPixio' watermark and blocks saving/downloading without account registration & subscription) |
| Processing speed | 10 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 7.75s (API mode: async; network upload 0.01s / end-to-end 11.98s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 13 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 2.02s (API mode: sync; network upload 19.46s / end-to-end 23s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
