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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 | Cutout.pro | Adobe | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 81/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 77/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | 87/100 750×750 (PNG · 1.46x Free Preview) · Historical description; output not attached | 88/100 2048×2048 (4.0x Unwatermarked JPG) · Historical description; output not attached | |
| Object removal | 73/100 510×510 (No-Login Free PNG); 2048×2048 HD (1 Credit) · Historical description; output not attached | 89/100 2048×2048 (Full-Res Unwatermarked PNG) · Historical description; output not attached | |
| Image generation | 87/100 1024×1024 (Unwatermarked JPEG, 667KB) · Historical description; output not attached | 90/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | |
| Photo restoration | 68/100 JPEG · Output attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Cutout.Pro Background removal 81/100 Seven-aspect task score This signed-in run delivered full size for free without a subscription block; hair handling is good, but the login requirement appears late. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-16 | 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 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Web image removal: free, all expanded monthly tiers and packs; API priced separately · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits 2,400 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 108/month — Monthly 2,400 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 5,600 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 239/month — Monthly 5,600 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 10,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 399/month — Monthly 10,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 15,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 549/month — Monthly 15,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 25,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 859/month — Monthly 25,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 50,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 1,599/month — Monthly 50,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 75,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 2,299/month — Monthly 75,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 150,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 4,049/month — Monthly 150,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 250,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 5,749/month — Monthly 250,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 1,000,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 20,000/month — Monthly 1,000,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 2,000,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 34,000/month — Monthly 2,000,000 credits/month; removal 1 credit/image Rules [1] 30 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 4.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 30 credits; removal 1 credit/image Rules [2] 300 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 39 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 300 credits; removal 1 credit/image Rules [2] 900 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 79 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 900 credits; removal 1 credit/image Rules [2] 3,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 199 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 3,000 credits; removal 1 credit/image Rules [2] 30,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 1,399 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 30,000 credits; removal 1 credit/image Rules [2] 5,000,000 credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 37,500 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 5,000,000 credits; removal 1 credit/image Rules [2] 25 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. High-volume tiers expanded; removal costs 1 credit/image, other operations differ. Taxes are not stated on the cards. Cancellation, sources & verification recordDowngrade, upgrade or cancel anytime; advertised 14-day money-back guarantee subject to terms. Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ | 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 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Signed-in accounts on the web background-remover page exported consecutive 2048×2048 images labeled 'Full Image 2048 x 2048, free'; API and other tools bill 1–2 Credits per image | Quick web background removal & full-res download are free without login; generative AI features in Firefly use Generative Credits |
| Cancellation & refunds | Downgrade, upgrade or cancel anytime; advertised 14-day money-back guarantee subject to terms. | Self-serve cancellation in Adobe Account (monthly plans cancel anytime; annual billed-monthly plans subject to Adobe terms) |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Login prompt appears on clicking 'Free Download'; full 2048×2048 resolution is stated right below the button | File formats (JPG/PNG/WEBP) and 50MB limit are disclosed directly inside the upload dropzone |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Edge error MAD: 0.1118 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 43.538 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.740% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.082% (Lower is better) | 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) |
| Fixture findings | Full-size output with strong subject retention; fine outer curls have slightly hard edges. | Hair and subject are largely retained; some background remains between curls. |
| Original historical observation | Delivers full 2048×2048 resolution (4.69MB PNG) with mad_band=0.1118, SAD(k)=43.54, bg_leak=0.082%, and 99.74% foreground recall. | 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). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Users who don't mind a one-click Google login in exchange for free 2048×2048 full-resolution PNG exports | Designers and everyday users who value Adobe's enterprise privacy standards and want a zero-login 2048×2048 full-res PNG |
| 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 (Clicking Free Download after one-click Google sign-in directly exports full 2048×2048 PNG) | 2048×2048 (Guests directly download full 2048×2048 PNG without sign-in; supports files up to 50MB) |
| Watermark observation | None | None |
| Batch & API | Desktop app and commercial API support batch processing | Batch workflows available via Photoshop, Lightroom, or Creative Cloud APIs |
| 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: 3.25s · End-to-end reference: 6.29s | Network-observed server wait: 7.75s · End-to-end reference: 11.98s |
| 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 | Account required in this test | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | Guests can upload & preview; downloading requires Google / Facebook OAuth or email login | No login required for background removal and full-res PNG download; Adobe sign-in only needed for Generative Fill in Firefly |
| Manual adjustment | Manual erase / adjustment recorded in the historical flow | Seamlessly opens in Adobe Firefly canvas for Remove brush & Generative Fill |
| Interaction observations | Guests can upload and preview; clicking 'Free Download' triggers a sign-in modal (-2 pts), after which full-resolution PNG/JPG downloads directly without paywall popups. | 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). |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | The legacy Adobe Express background-remover URL now redirects to the upgraded Adobe Firefly visual pipeline (/products/firefly/features/remove-background.html). |
| Operator | LibAI Lab / Cutout.Pro (shared infrastructure with PromeAI) | Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) |
| Recorded origin | Founded in Hangzhou, China / Global Operations | San Jose, California, USA |
| Domain history record | Launched 2021 | Domain registered 1986 / Firefly pipeline 2023–2026 |
| Background & reputation assessment | LibAI Lab / Cutout.Pro (visual AI team behind Cutout.Pro & PromeAI, launched 2021) with strong global traffic. | Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE, creator of Photoshop, Creative Cloud, and Firefly), global authority in digital imaging. |
| External reputation record | Popular suite for e-commerce, ID photos, and portrait cutouts; offering free full-res 2048×2048 web downloads after login is high value. | 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. |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Google Analytics · Google Ads Conversion | Adobe Experience Platform / Alloy |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Page explicitly states uploaded files are discarded automatically after 60 minutes; includes Google Ads / Analytics trackers. | 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. |
| Retention statement | Claims deletion within 60 minutes; deletion not independently verified | Claims deletion within 4 hours; deletion not independently verified |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 32 / 40 Landing headline says 'Free Batch Image Background Remover' without mentioning login upfront, but the result view explicitly states 'Full Image 2048 x 2048, free' and delivers the full 2048×2048 watermark-free PNG (4.69MB) immediately after Google sign-in. | 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. |
| Interaction restraint | 16 / 20 Guests can upload and preview; clicking 'Free Download' triggers a sign-in modal (-2 pts), after which full-resolution PNG/JPG downloads directly without paywall popups. | 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). |
| Background & reputation | 21 / 25 LibAI Lab / Cutout.Pro (visual AI team behind Cutout.Pro & PromeAI, launched 2021) with strong global traffic. | 25 / 25 Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE, creator of Photoshop, Creative Cloud, and Firefly), global authority in digital imaging. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13 / 15 Page explicitly states uploaded files are discarded automatically after 60 minutes; includes Google Ads / Analytics trackers. | 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. |
| Task quality | 46.8 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.1118 · Global SAD(k)=43.538 · Foreground recall 99.74% / Background leak 0.082% | 39.1 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.1235 · Global SAD(k)=49.851 · Foreground recall 99.85% / Background leak 0.442% |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 True Alpha channel (8/8); Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (Clicking Free Download after one-click Google sign-in directly exports full 2048×2048 PNG) | 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) |
| Processing speed | 13 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 3.25s (API mode: async; network upload 1.18s / end-to-end 6.29s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 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) |
