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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 | MyEdit | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 77/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 67/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | 88/100 2048×2048 (4.0x Unwatermarked JPG) · Historical description; output not attached | 67/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | |
| Object removal | 89/100 2048×2048 (Full-Res Unwatermarked PNG) · Historical description; output not attached | 57/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | |
| Image generation | 90/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | 88/100 JPEG · Output attached | |
| Photo restoration | Not tested in topic | 54/100 JPEG · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
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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 | CyberLink MyEdit Background Remover Background removal 67/100 Seven-aspect task score The preview shows detailed hair, but a CyberLink account is demanded at download; this guest run obtained no export and free access is limited. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-17 |
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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 ↗ | Web image/video free, monthly, annual and both credit-pack classes; excludes audio-only subscriptions · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Free watermark-free transparent PNG/blurred-background downloads; one new-background download/day A free account is required to download; premium backgrounds require subscription. Daily transparent-cutout cap is not quantified Creator Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 18/month USD 84/year Annual 500 credits/month Monthly 500 general AI credits/month Studio Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 22/month USD 108/year Annual 800 credits/month Monthly 800 general AI credits/month Free User Pack · 502026-10-20 ↗ USD 12 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 50 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Free User Pack · 1002026-10-20 ↗ USD 20 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 100 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Free User Pack · 2002026-10-20 ↗ USD 36 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 200 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Free User Pack · 5002026-10-20 ↗ USD 70 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 500 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Free User Pack · 10002026-10-20 ↗ USD 120 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1000 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Free User Pack · 20002026-10-20 ↗ USD 200 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 2000 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Free User Pack · 50002026-10-20 ↗ USD 400 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 5000 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Premium User Pack · 502026-10-20 ↗ USD 6 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 50 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Premium User Pack · 1002026-10-20 ↗ USD 10 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 100 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Premium User Pack · 2002026-10-20 ↗ USD 18 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 200 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Premium User Pack · 5002026-10-20 ↗ USD 35 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 500 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Premium User Pack · 10002026-10-20 ↗ USD 60 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1000 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Premium User Pack · 20002026-10-20 ↗ USD 100 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 2000 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] Premium User Pack · 50002026-10-20 ↗ USD 200 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 5000 general AI credits; total calculated as count × published unit price Rules [1] [2] 19 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The feature FAQ confirms watermark-free transparent PNG/blurred-background downloads with a free account; replacing with a new background allows one free download per day, while premium backgrounds require a subscription. The pricing table says Limited without quantifying daily transparent-PNG limits. General AI credits or the one-daily replacement limit are not applied to transparent cutouts. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ Current plans and free limits ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Removal download and free-use rules ↗ · 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 | Guests can preview for free; logging into a CyberLink account grants 1 free unwatermarked download per day |
| Cancellation & refunds | Self-serve cancellation in Adobe Account (monthly plans cancel anytime; annual billed-monthly plans subject to Adobe terms) | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | File formats (JPG/PNG/WEBP) and 50MB limit are disclosed directly inside the upload dropzone | Login requirement is disclosed only after clicking "Download No Watermark" |
| 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: 0.1303 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 48.335 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.560% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.007% (Lower is better) |
| Fixture findings | Hair and subject are largely retained; some background remains between curls. | Natural hair transitions with little residue; watermark-free download required login in this test. |
| 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). | MyEdit delivers top-tier curly hair matting (MAD 0.1303, 0.007% green leak) with crisp semi-transparent strands, but blocks guest downloads behind a CyberLink login modal. |
| 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 | Users with a CyberLink account who need 1 high-precision portrait hair cutout per day |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test |
| 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 (Full-res canvas layer; login required for 1 free daily download) |
| Watermark observation | None | No watermark (login required to export) |
| Batch & API | Batch workflows available via Photoshop, Lightroom, or Creative Cloud APIs | Single-image web editor; batch processing via PhotoDirector desktop |
| 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: 6.2s · End-to-end reference: 8s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-16 · anchor_bgremove_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-17 · 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 | CyberLink email/password, Google, Facebook, or Apple login |
| Manual adjustment | Seamlessly opens in Adobe Firefly canvas for Remove brush & Generative Fill | Not verified |
| 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). | Allows guests to upload and wait 6.2s for cloud matting and backdrop previews, then gates the final download behind account login. |
| 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) | CyberLink Corp. (TWSE: 5203) |
| Recorded origin | San Jose, California, USA | New Taipei City, Taiwan |
| Domain history record | Domain registered 1986 / Firefly pipeline 2023–2026 | 2022–present (Parent founded 1996) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE, creator of Photoshop, Creative Cloud, and Firefly), global authority in digital imaging. | Developed by CyberLink Corp. (TWSE: 5203, founded 1996, maker of PowerDirector and PhotoDirector). |
| 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. | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Adobe Experience Platform / Alloy | Not verified |
| 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. | Cloud inference returns a tight 1728x1928 RGBA cutout aligned onto the 2048x2048 Fabric.js canvas, with file export tied to an authenticated session. |
| 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. | 19 / 35 The landing page (01_landing.png) claims "Transparent and blurred results download free with no watermark" and displays a blue "Download No Watermark" button in the workspace (02_workspace.png); however, clicking it as a guest immediately triggers a mandatory "Sign in With a CyberLink Account" modal (03_download.png). |
| 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). | 17 / 30 Allows guests to upload and wait 6.2s for cloud matting and backdrop previews, then gates the final download behind account login. |
| Background & reputation | 25 / 25 Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE, creator of Photoshop, Creative Cloud, and Firefly), global authority in digital imaging. | 19 / 20 Developed by CyberLink Corp. (TWSE: 5203, founded 1996, maker of PowerDirector and PhotoDirector). |
| 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. | 7 / 15 Cloud inference returns a tight 1728x1928 RGBA cutout aligned onto the 2048x2048 Fabric.js canvas, with file export tied to an authenticated session. |
| 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% | 52.5 / 65 Outstanding matting accuracy on the 2048x2048 ground-truth anchor: transition-band MAD = 0.1303, global SAD = 48.335k, foreground recall 99.56%, and near-zero chroma-green background leak (0.007%) (52.5/65) |
| 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) | 5 / 20 Generates a full 2048x2048 RGBA cutout layer in the workspace, but unauthenticated guests are blocked from downloading without logging in (5.0/20) |
| 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) | 11.5 / 15 Cloud matting inference completes in ~6.20s for a 2048x2048 input (11.5/15) |
