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Test scope & comparison notes
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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 | Freepik | media.io | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 84/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 62/100 2000 × 2000 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | Not tested in topic | 78/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | Compare in task topic → |
| Object removal | 76/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | 71/100 JPEG · Output attached | |
| Image generation | 86/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | 75/100 JPEG · Output attached |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Freepik / Magnific AI Background Remover Background removal 84/100 Seven-aspect task score Free full-size output without login or popups gives clean background removal; the tested guest allowance was only one use per day. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-17 | Wondershare Media.io AI Background Remover Background removal 62/100 Seven-aspect task score Signed-in free Wondershare accounts export an unwatermarked transparent PNG for 1 credit (99.72% foreground recall), but guest use is blocked, curly hair edges retain background residue, and free-queue server wait was 26.1s. Tested export 2000 × 2000 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-21 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Individual web subscriptions at the current Magnific destination; excludes Teams and separate API · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Premium2026-10-20 ↗ USD 20/month USD 174/year Monthly 20,000 general credits/month Annual 240,000 general credits/year; valid for a year without monthly resets Rules [1] Premium+2026-10-20 ↗ USD 45/month USD 405/year Monthly 45,000 general credits/month Annual 600,000 general credits/year; valid for a year without monthly resets Rules [1] Pro Starter2026-10-20 ↗ USD 110/month USD 990/year Monthly 112,500 general credits/month Annual 1,500,000 general credits/year; valid for a year without monthly resets Rules [1] Pro high volume2026-10-20 ↗ USD 280/month USD 2,520/year Monthly 300,000 general credits/month Monthly price before tax; credits do not establish removal counts Annual 4,000,000 general credits/year; valid for one year, no monthly resets Rules [1] 8 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Both individual Pro volumes and all annual charges are verified. Auto-refill was not enabled; the public pricing page does not quote top-up unit prices, free removal limits or per-removal credit cost, so those remain unconfirmed. Prices exclude VAT/local taxes. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel auto-renewal anytime in account subscription settings Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ Official subscriptions and annual checkout ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ · Capture 4 ↗ · Capture 5 ↗ · Capture 6 ↗ | Media.io membership plans (Free Trial / Standard / Premium monthly and annual); USD · 2026-10-21 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Trial2026-10-21 ↗ Free Free Free 5 signup credits for new accounts (image upscaling costs 2 credits/run, allowing 2 free unwatermarked 2x PNG exports); pricing table also lists 3 daily check-in credits and 1 GB cloud storage. Standard Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 10.99/month — Monthly 100 credits/month + 5 daily check-in credits (up to 100 images or 10 videos/month), watermark-free exports, and 20 GB cloud storage. Rules [1] Standard Annual2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 71.88/year Annual Billed annually at USD 71.88/year (USD 5.99/month equivalent); 100 credits/month + 5 daily check-in credits, watermark-free exports, and 20 GB cloud storage. Rules [2] Premium Monthly2026-10-21 ↗ USD 19.99/month — Monthly 400 credits/month + 10 daily check-in credits (up to 400 images or 40 videos/month), Turbo speed, watermark-free exports, 50 GB cloud storage, and 15% off extra credits. Rules [1] Premium Annual2026-10-21 ↗ — USD 119.88/year Annual Billed annually at USD 119.88/year (USD 9.99/month equivalent); 400 credits/month + 10 daily check-in credits, Turbo speed, watermark-free exports, and 50 GB cloud storage. Rules [2] 5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The official pricing page lists Free Trial (5 free signup credits in the workspace where upscaling costs 2 credits/run, plus 3 daily check-in credits on the pricing table), Standard (USD 10.99/month or billed annually at USD 71.88/year, displayed as USD 5.99/month, with 100 credits/month + 5 daily check-in credits), and Premium (USD 19.99/month or billed annually at USD 119.88/year, displayed as USD 9.99/month, with 400 credits/month + 10 daily check-in credits and 15% off extra credits). Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel auto-renewal anytime; the official pricing page states a 7-day money-back guarantee, and uploaded/generated files are automatically deleted within 7 days. Media.io official monthly/annual pricing and comparison table ↗ · 2026-10-21 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | 1 free guest cutout per day without login; subsequent attempts require signing in or subscribing | New free accounts receive 5 signup credits and can claim 3 free credits daily via the header gift icon; background removal costs 1 credit per image |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancel auto-renewal anytime in account subscription settings | Cancel auto-renewal anytime; the official pricing page states a 7-day money-back guarantee, and uploaded/generated files are automatically deleted within 7 days. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Daily 1-image guest quota limit is disclosed upon attempting a second upload | Generate button clearly labels 'Generate 1' and top header shows remaining credit balance before submission |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Edge error MAD: 0.0992 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 46.249 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.660% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.015% (Lower is better) | Edge error MAD: 0.1365 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 50.021 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.720% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.290% (Lower is better) |
| Fixture findings | The tested curls look clean against three backgrounds without obvious color residue; findings cover this portrait only. | Subject torso is well preserved (99.72% foreground recall), but outer curly hair strands exhibit visible background residue (mad_band = 0.1365, background leak = 0.290%) (37.6/65). |
| Original historical observation | Freepik / Magnific preserves full 2048×2048 native resolution and achieves 99.66% foreground recall with virtually zero background leakage (0.015%), keeping fine outer curls natural without harsh plastic clipping. | High foreground recall (99.72%) and unwatermarked RGBA PNG delivery, but peripheral curly hair retains visible background fragments (MAD_band = 0.1365, bg_leak = 0.29%) and free-queue server wait was 26.08s. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Designers needing a quick, zero-signup, native 2048×2048 unwatermarked portrait cutout once per day | Existing Wondershare account holders needing occasional unwatermarked cutouts of simple-edge subjects |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test | 2000 × 2000 · PNG · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048 × 2048 (Native 1:1 original resolution) | 2000×2000 (from 2048×2048 PNG via upload confirm modal; 2048×2048 retained on JPEG input) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | No watermark (native RGBA transparent PNG) |
| Batch & API | Single-image quick cutout (batch workflow available inside AI Suite) | Single-image web workspace with one-click handoff to MediaAgent refinement or image-to-video animation |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | 2000 × 2000 |
| Attached file dimensions | 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 2000 × 2000 · PNG |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 5.19s · End-to-end reference: 7.87s | Network-observed server wait: 26.08s · End-to-end reference: 26.08s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-17 · anchor_bgremove_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-21 · 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 1 free full-res cutout/day (Google / Apple / Email login for additional credits) | Requires Wondershare account sign-in (supports email code or Google OAuth) |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Uploading the test image immediately executes background removal on the landing workspace and triggers a direct browser download of the full-resolution RGBA PNG on clicking Download (02_workspace.png / 03_download.png) with zero pop-up ads or dark patterns. | Requires login before accessing the workspace, displays a persistent 50%-off subscription banner and an AI ad promo card above the creation list, and opens an 'Edit Uploaded Image' confirm modal on large PNG uploads (which outputs 2000×2000, whereas JPEG uploads retain 2048×2048); however, clicking the download icon directly saves the transparent PNG without extra paywall popups. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | The former Freepik feature and pricing pages currently redirect to Magnific; historical test identity and date are preserved. | Not verified |
| Operator | Freepik Company S.L. / Magnific AI | Publicly Listed Multimedia Software Giant AI Flagship (Wondershare, 300624.SZ) |
| Recorded origin | Málaga / Murcia, Spain | Shenzhen, China / Vancouver, Canada |
| Domain history record | 2010–present (Freepik founded 2010; acquired Magnific AI in 2024) | Publicly operating online service |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by Freepik Company S.L. (founded in 2010 in Málaga, Spain), a global leader in design assets that acquired Magnific AI in 2024. | Operated by Wondershare Technology (300624.SZ), a publicly listed multimedia software company with established global presence. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Processes images via encrypted HTTPS multipart API (freepik.removal.ai) with clean browser permissions. | Submits cloud async jobs via POST vapi.media.io/v1/ai/create/mai_fs and polls POST /v1/ai/result/batch (server_s = 26.08s); workspace explicitly states free users' creations are kept for 7 days, and the page loads Sensors Data, Google Analytics, and Facebook Pixel. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 38 / 40 Visiting Freepik AI Background Remover (https://www.freepik.com/ai/background-remover) 301-redirects to Magnific AI (https://www.magnific.com/ai/background-remover) stating "Freepik is now Magnific" (01_landing.png). Guest visitors receive 1 free full-resolution cutout per day without logging in (a second attempt prompts "You have reached your daily limit"). | 20 / 35 Requires free Wondershare account sign-in (grants 5 signup credits plus 3 daily free credits claimable via the header gift icon). The generate button explicitly shows 'Generate 1' (1 credit per cutout) and exports an unwatermarked RGBA PNG within free credits, though guest trial without login is blocked. |
| Interaction restraint | 19 / 20 Uploading the test image immediately executes background removal on the landing workspace and triggers a direct browser download of the full-resolution RGBA PNG on clicking Download (02_workspace.png / 03_download.png) with zero pop-up ads or dark patterns. | 18 / 30 Requires login before accessing the workspace, displays a persistent 50%-off subscription banner and an AI ad promo card above the creation list, and opens an 'Edit Uploaded Image' confirm modal on large PNG uploads (which outputs 2000×2000, whereas JPEG uploads retain 2048×2048); however, clicking the download icon directly saves the transparent PNG without extra paywall popups. |
| Background & reputation | 24 / 25 Operated by Freepik Company S.L. (founded in 2010 in Málaga, Spain), a global leader in design assets that acquired Magnific AI in 2024. | 18 / 20 Operated by Wondershare Technology (300624.SZ), a publicly listed multimedia software company with established global presence. |
| Engineering & privacy | 14 / 15 Processes images via encrypted HTTPS multipart API (freepik.removal.ai) with clean browser permissions. | 11 / 15 Submits cloud async jobs via POST vapi.media.io/v1/ai/create/mai_fs and polls POST /v1/ai/result/batch (server_s = 26.08s); workspace explicitly states free users' creations are kept for 7 days, and the page loads Sensors Data, Google Analytics, and Facebook Pixel. |
| Task quality | 47.7 / 65 Strong full-resolution matting accuracy: trimap boundary MAD is 0.0992, SAD is 46.249k, foreground recall reaches 99.66%, and background leak is only 0.015%, cleanly separating intricate curly hair strands and sweater contours (50.6/65). | 37.6 / 65 On our 2048×2048 ground-truth matte (evaluated on the 2026-10-21 same-run 2000×2000 RGBA PNG export): boundary MAD_band = 0.1365 (19.1/35), global SAD_k = 50.021 (7.7/15), MSE = 0.006244, Grad_err = 0.03018, foreground recall = 99.72%, and background leak = 0.290% (10.8/15). Main portrait torso is preserved, but outer curly hair strands exhibit noticeable background residue and haloing (37.6/65). |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 Delivers a true native 2048×2048 unwatermarked RGBA PNG (3.86MB) for free without login (20/20). | 19 / 20 Clean unwatermarked RGBA PNG export (8/8); canonical 2048×2048 PNG upload exports at 2000×2000 (10,664,626 bytes, 95.37% pixel retention) after the upload crop confirmation dialog, while 2048×2048 JPEG input retains full 2048×2048 (11.0/12). |
| Processing speed | 11.8 / 15 Server-side inference completed in 5.19s for the 2048×2048 master image (12.8/15). | 3 / 15 2026-10-21 same-run CDP network timing: 26.08s server wait from POST /v1/ai/create/mai_fs (r4) to terminal POST /v1/ai/result/batch (r29) in the free queue (26.08s end-to-end, async_verified) (3.0/15). |
