See your options side by side
Choose one task and 2–4 tools. Compare pricing, output, test results and trust.
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 | Icons8 | Pixlr | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 73/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 68/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | 66/100 1024 × 1024 · PNG | 88/100 2048×2048 (PNG · 4.0x Super Scale) · Historical description; output not attached | |
| Object removal | Not tested in topic | 90/100 2048×2048 (Native Full-Res No Watermark PNG/JPG/WebP) · Historical description; output not attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Image generation | Not tested in topic | 92/100 1024×1024 (Unwatermarked PNG, 1.38MB) · Historical description; output not attached | Compare in task topic → |
| Photo restoration | Not tested in topic | 69/100 JPEG · Output attached | Compare in task topic → |
Select at least 2 tools to compare
You can also filter a task page first, then compare your shortlist.
Browse this task →| Criterion | Icons8 Background Remover Background removal 73/100 Seven-aspect task score Trial limits are disclosed upfront, with full-size output and batch support without login; only three free trials and a notification prompt limit convenience. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-17 | Pixlr Remove BG Background removal 68/100 Seven-aspect task score Free login-free export produces a 2048px file, but processing downsizes first and enlarges the mask; overlay promotions and ZIP-only downloads add friction. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-15 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Icons8 web background remover: monthly, annual and prepaid, excluding API · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Minimum prepaid package2026-10-20 ↗ USD 10 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time Minimum charge $10; at the listed $0.20/image this equals 50 images; use anytime Limited2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9/month USD 90/year Monthly 100 images/month; unused credits roll over Annual 100 images/month; unused credits roll over Prepaid $502026-10-20 ↗ USD 50 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 250 images at the listed $0.20/image; use anytime Prepaid $1002026-10-20 ↗ USD 100 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 500 images at the listed $0.20/image; use anytime Prepaid $2002026-10-20 ↗ USD 200 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1,000 images at the listed $0.20/image; use anytime 9 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Prepaid entry confirms a $10 minimum and $50/$100/$200/custom choices. Displayed discounted prices are retained. Reviewed general terms assign applicable taxes to the user but do not specify background-remover subscription refund/cancellation details, which remain unconfirmed. 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 ↗ Minimum prepaid charge and amount choices ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ Relevant official terms excerpts ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ | All web monthly/annual tiers and five credit top-up packs · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Plus2026-10-20 ↗ USD 2.49/month USD 23.88/year Monthly 80 AI credits/month; not a dedicated removal count Rules [1] Annual 960 general AI credits/year, valid for one year Rules [2] Premium2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99/month USD 95.88/year Monthly 1,000 AI credits/month; not a dedicated removal count Rules [1] Annual 12,000 general AI credits/year, valid for one year Rules [2] Ultra regular2026-10-20 ↗ USD 24.99/month USD 239.9/year Monthly 5,000 AI credits/month; not a dedicated removal count Rules [1] Annual 60,000 general AI credits/year, valid for one year Rules [2] Ultra MAX2026-10-20 ↗ USD 49.99/month USD 479.9/year Monthly 10,000 AI credits/month; not a dedicated removal count Rules [1] Annual 120,000 general AI credits/year, valid for one year Rules [2] 200 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 3.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 200 general AI credits; pack expiry not separately verified 500 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 6.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 500 general AI credits; pack expiry not separately verified 1,000 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 1,000 general AI credits; pack expiry not separately verified 2,000 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 16.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 2,000 general AI credits; pack expiry not separately verified 5,000 AI credits2026-10-20 ↗ USD 30.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 5,000 general AI credits; pack expiry not separately verified 13 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. All four annual charges were confirmed at checkout. Ultra $239.90/year and Ultra MAX $479.90/year differ from rounded monthly equivalents multiplied by 12. The feature FAQ advertises free removal and batch ZIP export without quantifying free counts/limits. Removal credit conversion and top-up expiry are not separately stated in reviewed pages. Tax depends on billing address. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordPage states cancellation is available anytime; refund details unverified. Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ Official annual checkout summaries for all four plans ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ · Capture 4 ↗ Official free removal and batch explanation ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | Anonymous visitors get 3 free demo background removals at full resolution; additional images cost $0.20/image or $9/mo | Free guest saves up to daily browser quota; Pixlr Plus/Premium unlocks unlimited saves |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. | Page states cancellation is available anytime; refund details unverified. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Disclosed upfront in the landing page hero subtitle ("Try it with 3 demo removes") | Client-side pre-downscale is not disclosed in the UI (detected via CDP network payload inspection) |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Edge error MAD: 0.1653 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 52.608 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.070% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.260% (Lower is better) | Edge error MAD: 0.1373 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 51.148 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.640% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.120% (Lower is better) |
| Fixture findings | Clean subject contours and free full-size output in the record; the finest flyaway hairs are cut sharply. | The export is 2048px, but hair has blocky cuts and jagged gaps; inspect carefully for detailed cutouts. |
| Original historical observation | Clean main subject and inner curl separation (99.07% foreground recall) with slightly firmer outer flyaway cutoffs (mad_band=0.1653) at full 2048×2048 native resolution. | Because segmentation runs on a heavily compressed upload and a 22KB mask upscaled to 2048px, curly hair edges appear blocky and hard-clipped (mad_band=0.1462, SAD(k)=51.1, bg_leak=0.816%). |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Designers needing 1–3 full-resolution 2048×2048 unwatermarked cutouts without creating an account | Simple hard-edged objects (boxes, cars, icons) needing sub-second processing where fine hair detail is not required |
| 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 (Unwatermarked 2048×2048 RGBA PNG within 3 free guest demo removals) | 2048×2048 nominal output (⚠️ CDP packet inspection reveals browser downscales/compresses 6.63MB input to 0.127MB before upload, then upscales a 22KB low-res mask back to 2048×2048) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark | None |
| Batch & API | Batch upload up to 500 images, REST API, Mac app, and Figma/Photoshop plugins | Supports uploading multiple images at once and exporting as a single ZIP |
| 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: 7.4s · End-to-end reference: 10.2s | Network-observed server wait: 0.78s · End-to-end reference: 1.3s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-17 · anchor_bgremove_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-10-15 · 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 | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | No login required for 3 full-res demo images; supports Email / Google / GitHub sign-in | No login required for free ZIP download |
| Manual adjustment | Not verified | Built-in Fine Tune brush (Draw/Erase) in the web workspace |
| Interaction observations | Triggers a browser notification permission prompt during upload to alert when background processing completes, but allows direct 2048×2048 unwatermarked export within the 3-image demo quota without forced signup. | Landing page displays a promotional modal overlay on entry (-4 pts), though guest ZIP download works without login. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Icons8 LLC | Pixlr Pte. Ltd. (Inmagine Group) |
| Recorded origin | New York, USA (Global Distributed Team) | Singapore / Malaysia (founded in Sweden 2008) |
| Domain history record | 2012–Present | Launched 2008 |
| Background & reputation assessment | Developed by Icons8 LLC (founded in 2012 by Ivan Boyko, creator of Pichon, Lunacy, Smart Upscaler, and Generated Photos). | Pixlr (Inmagine Group / 123RF ecosystem, founded 2008), veteran browser photo editor. |
| External reputation record | Not verified | Classic browser editor with ultra-low subscription pricing ($1.99/mo), but its web BG remover trades hair edge precision for bandwidth savings via client pre-compression. |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Not verified | Google Analytics · AdSense / Programmatic Ads |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Supports batch drag-and-drop up to 500 images (JPG/PNG/WebP) via the ai-cdn.icons8.com async pipeline, plus native Mac app, Figma/Photoshop plugins, and REST API. | Fast 0.78s server response, but client-side pre-compression sacrifices high-frequency hair detail. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 29 / 35 The landing page (01_landing.png) explicitly states "Try it with 3 demo removes" in the hero subtitle. Anonymous guests can upload and download full 2048×2048 unwatermarked RGBA PNG cutouts (02_workspace.png) for up to 3 demo images before hitting the "$0.20 per image / $9 per month" paywall (03_download.png). | 22 / 40 Allows guest export of a 2048×2048 PNG inside a ZIP archive, but does not disclose that the image is pre-compressed in the browser and segmented using a low-resolution mask before upscaling back to 2048×2048. |
| Interaction restraint | 24 / 30 Triggers a browser notification permission prompt during upload to alert when background processing completes, but allows direct 2048×2048 unwatermarked export within the 3-image demo quota without forced signup. | 14 / 20 Landing page displays a promotional modal overlay on entry (-4 pts), though guest ZIP download works without login. |
| Background & reputation | 19 / 20 Developed by Icons8 LLC (founded in 2012 by Ivan Boyko, creator of Pichon, Lunacy, Smart Upscaler, and Generated Photos). | 22 / 25 Pixlr (Inmagine Group / 123RF ecosystem, founded 2008), veteran browser photo editor. |
| Engineering & privacy | 12 / 15 Supports batch drag-and-drop up to 500 images (JPG/PNG/WebP) via the ai-cdn.icons8.com async pipeline, plus native Mac app, Figma/Photoshop plugins, and REST API. | 13 / 15 Fast 0.78s server response, but client-side pre-compression sacrifices high-frequency hair detail. |
| Task quality | 38.6 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.1653 · Global SAD(k)=52.608 · Foreground recall 99.07% / Background leak 0.260% | 39 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.1373 · Global SAD(k)=51.148 · Foreground recall 99.64% / Background leak 0.120% |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 True Alpha channel (8/8); Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (Unwatermarked 2048×2048 RGBA PNG within 3 free guest demo removals) | 12 / 20 True Alpha channel (8/8); Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 nominal output (⚠️ CDP packet inspection reveals browser downscales/compresses 6.63MB input to 0.127MB before upload, then upscales a 22KB low-res mask back to 2048×2048) |
| Processing speed | 10 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 7.4s (API mode: async; network upload 1.6s / end-to-end 10.2s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 15 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 0.78s (API mode: sync_json; network upload 0.2s / end-to-end 1.3s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
