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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 | Leonardo.Ai | LightX | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 86/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 64/100 480 × 480 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | 78/100 1024×1024 (2.0x · Unwatermarked high-quality JPG · 271.9 KB) · Historical description; output not attached | 86/100 JPEG · Output attached | |
| Object removal | 88/100 2048×2048 (Native full-resolution watermark-free PNG) · Historical description; output not attached | 66/100 JPEG · Output attached | |
| Image generation | 88/100 1024×1024 (Unwatermarked JPEG, 147.5KB, 100% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached | 83/100 JPEG · Output attached |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Leonardo.Ai (Remove Background) Background removal 86/100 Seven-aspect task score Full-size export plus shadow and transparency controls offer flexibility with upfront credit disclosure; login and 40 tokens were required in this run. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-16 | LightX AI Background Remover Background removal 64/100 Seven-aspect task score Clearly labelled tiers allow login-free use, but free output is only 480px with limited fine-hair detail; HD requires login. Tested export 480 × 480 · PNG Historical test · 2026-10-17 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | Web individual and default three-seat team plans; excludes API · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Essential2026-10-20 ↗ 2026-10-20 ↗ USD 12/month USD 120/year Monthly 8,500 Fast Tokens/month; token bank 25,500 Annual 8,500 Fast Tokens/month Rules [1] Premium2026-10-20 ↗ 2026-10-20 ↗ USD 30/month USD 288/year Monthly 25,000 Fast Tokens/month; token bank 75,000 Annual 25,000 Fast Tokens/month Rules [1] Ultimate2026-10-20 ↗ 2026-10-20 ↗ USD 60/month USD 576/year Monthly 60,000 Fast Tokens/month; token bank 180,000 Annual 60,000 Fast Tokens/month Rules [1] 10 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. The app payment panel confirms personal annual prices of $120/$288/$576, differing from earlier rounded monthly equivalents on the marketing site. Public plans permit paid users to buy top-ups without quoting pack prices or per-removal token cost. Unlimited relaxed generation does not establish unlimited removal. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordSelf-serve cancellation in account settings Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ Official app annual payment selection ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ | USD web monthly/annual subscriptions and 800-credit pack; excludes API · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Starter2026-10-20 ↗ Free Free Free Card states 6 AI credits/day; comparison table instead says up to 5 credits Background removal outputs low-resolution JPG; export table lists 512px Pro2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99/month USD 59.99/year Annual 1,000 AI credits/month; unlimited background removal/replacement PNG and high resolution; export table lists 4096px Monthly 1,000 AI credits/month; unlimited background removal/replacement PNG and high resolution; export table lists 4096px 800 AI credit pack2026-10-20 ↗ USD 9.99 · one-time payment Usage / one-time Usage / one-time 800 general AI credits Advertised lifetime validity 4 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Monthly $9.99 verified; promotional annual total $59.99 and non-expiring 800-credit pack $9.99. The free card still says 6 daily credits while the table says up to 5. Free removal is low-resolution JPG; Pro provides unlimited high-resolution PNG removal. Earlier INR and current USD observations do not imply identical regional pricing. 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 ↗ Monthly pricing and feature comparison ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ |
| Free & trial allowance on the test date | 150 free daily tokens; each 25MP full-resolution background removal costs 40 tokens (3 free full-res cutouts/day) | Free guest 480×480 export; registered users receive daily free AI credits for advanced editor tools |
| Cancellation & refunds | Self-serve cancellation in account settings | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Remove Background dialog transparently lists resolution tiers (25MP/50MP) and 40-token cost before execution | Exact resolution limits are displayed right below the Download HD and Download Standard buttons |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Edge error MAD: 0.164 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 25.541 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.870% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.410% (Lower is better) | Edge error MAD: 0.228 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 50.793 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.890% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 1.303% (Lower is better) |
| Fixture findings | Fine curls were well retained with semi-transparency enabled; the result is specific to this mode and fixture. | Complete subject contours and convenient previews; this free export was only 480px and smoothed fine hair. |
| Original historical observation | With Semi-transparency enabled, Leonardo.Ai's Remove Background preserves fine outer curls exceptionally well—achieving 99.87% foreground recall, SAD(k)=25.541, and mad_band=0.164 at full 2048×2048 resolution. | LightX cleanly segments the portrait silhouette (99.89% foreground recall) and offers instant backdrop color previews on the result page (02_workspace.png), though the 480×480 guest resolution cap pixelates fine flyaway curls. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Creators needing ultra-high curly hair recall (99.87%) and direct integration with Canva Magic Layers or AI generation workflows | Users needing quick, unwatermarked small transparent thumbnails or icons (480×480) without signing up |
| Result & output evidence | ||
| Delivery capabilities | ||
| Recorded export specifications | 2048 × 2048 · PNG · No watermark in test | 480 × 480 · PNG · No watermark in test |
| Historical specification note · not an official maximum | 2048×2048 (100% native RGBA PNG, supports up to 25MP/50MP) | 480 × 480 (Guest Standard tier, 5.5% pixel retention) |
| Watermark observation | No Watermark | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Sequential uploads in Library | Commercial API (https://www.lightxeditor.com/api/) + full web editor |
| Recorded free-tier dimensions | 2048 × 2048 | 480 × 480 |
| Attached file dimensions | 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 480 × 480 · PNG |
| Speed & reliability | ||
| Timing observation | Network-observed server wait: 7.5s · End-to-end reference: 9s | Network-observed server wait: 5.85s · End-to-end reference: 7.5s |
| 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 | Account required in this test | No login in this test |
| Sign-in methods | Free login via Google, Apple, Microsoft, or Email | No login required for 480×480 Standard PNG; Google / Facebook / Email login required for 1920×1920 HD |
| Manual adjustment | Can open directly in Canvas Editor or Canva Magic Layers | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Clean configuration dialog with Resolution (25MP/50MP), Shadow (None/Drop/3D), Background (Transparent/Color/Image), and Semi-transparency toggles. | Explicitly labels exact pixel limits (480×480 vs 1920×1920) directly beneath the two download buttons with zero hidden watermarks. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Leonardo Interactive Pty Ltd (Canva Group) | AndOr Communications Pvt. Ltd. (LightX) |
| Recorded origin | Sydney, Australia | New Delhi, India |
| Domain history record | 2022–Present | 2017–present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by Leonardo Interactive Pty Ltd (Sydney, Australia; part of Canva Group), with built-in Edit in Canva / Magic Layers integration. | Developed by AndOr Communications Pvt. Ltd. (New Delhi, India), creator of the globally popular LightX mobile photo editor with tens of millions of downloads. |
| External reputation record | Flagship generative AI suite deeply integrated with Canva. | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | No third-party services listed in this record; this is not proof that none exist. | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Natively supports 25MP–50MP cutouts without client-side pre-downscaling, returning an exact 2048×2048 RGBA PNG. | Performs HTTPS cloud segmentation and triggers direct local download for Standard resolution without intrusive browser permissions. |
| Retention statement | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record | Explicit retention period unconfirmed; inspect policy record |
| Evaluation basis | ||
| Pricing transparency | 34 / 40 Requires a free login; free accounts receive 150 daily tokens (01_landing.png), clicking Remove Background on an uploaded image clearly displays resolution tiers (Up to 25 MP / 50 MP) and the 40-token cost (02_workspace.png), and delivers a full 2048×2048 true-Alpha PNG download (03_download.png). | 28 / 35 Supports direct unauthenticated image upload on the landing page (01_landing.png) and clearly displays two download buttons side by side: "Download HD (Resolution upto 1920 x 1920 px)" and "Download Standard (Resolution upto 480 x 480 px)" (02_workspace.png). Clicking Download Standard immediately exports a 480×480 unwatermarked RGBA PNG without login, while clicking Download HD opens a "Log In to Continue" modal (03_download.png). |
| Interaction restraint | 19 / 20 Clean configuration dialog with Resolution (25MP/50MP), Shadow (None/Drop/3D), Background (Transparent/Color/Image), and Semi-transparency toggles. | 25 / 30 Explicitly labels exact pixel limits (480×480 vs 1920×1920) directly beneath the two download buttons with zero hidden watermarks. |
| Background & reputation | 22 / 25 Operated by Leonardo Interactive Pty Ltd (Sydney, Australia; part of Canva Group), with built-in Edit in Canva / Magic Layers integration. | 18 / 20 Developed by AndOr Communications Pvt. Ltd. (New Delhi, India), creator of the globally popular LightX mobile photo editor with tens of millions of downloads. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13 / 15 Natively supports 25MP–50MP cutouts without client-side pre-downscaling, returning an exact 2048×2048 RGBA PNG. | 11 / 15 Performs HTTPS cloud segmentation and triggers direct local download for Standard resolution without intrusive browser permissions. |
| Task quality | 53 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.164 · Global SAD(k)=25.541 · Foreground recall 99.87% / Background leak 0.410% | 34.6 / 65 Achieves a very high 99.89% foreground recall, but because the free guest export is capped at 480×480 (only 23.4% of the 2048px master width), fine outer hair curls suffer heavy downsampling loss when evaluated against the 2048×2048 Ground-Truth alpha (mad_band = 0.2280, SAD = 50.793k, bg_leak = 1.303%) (34.6/65). |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 True Alpha channel (8/8); Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (100% native RGBA PNG, supports up to 25MP/50MP) | 10 / 20 Delivers a clean, unwatermarked RGBA PNG for free without login, but caps guest resolution at 480×480 (retaining 5.5% of original pixels) (10.0/20). |
| Processing speed | 12.5 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 7.5s (API mode: async_queue; network upload 1.5s / end-to-end 9s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 12 / 15 Cloud background removal completed in ~5.85s for the 2048×2048 master (12.0/15). |
