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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 | playground.com | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 86/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 83/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | 78/100 1024×1024 (2.0x · Unwatermarked high-quality JPG · 271.9 KB) · Historical description; output not attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Object removal | 88/100 2048×2048 (Native full-resolution watermark-free PNG) · Historical description; output not attached | Not tested in topic | Compare in task topic → |
| Image generation | 88/100 1024×1024 (Unwatermarked JPEG, 147.5KB, 100% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached | 90/100 1600 × 1600 · PNG |
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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 | Playground AI (Background Removal) Background removal 83/100 Seven-aspect task score Playground (Playground AI Inc.) provides 3 login-free full-size background removals. Cloud GPU inference completed in 13.87s, exporting an unwatermarked 2048x2048 transparent PNG (5.0 MB) with 99.99% foreground recall and only 0.24% background residue with zero downscaling. Tested export 2048 × 2048 · PNG Historical test · 2026-11-03 |
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| 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 ↗ | Playground web AI image generation and design subscriptions · 2026-11-01 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Free Tier2026-11-01 ↗ Free Free Free Up to 10 images every 3 hours; 3 monthly generations across advanced models Access to text-to-image and canvas editing with worldwide royalty-free commercial license；Slower generation during peak hours; waiting period after limits are reached；Permanently free, no renewal；Perpetual access Pro Monthly2026-11-01 ↗ USD 15/month — Monthly Up to 75 images every 3 hours; 150 monthly credits across advanced models Unlimited premium templates, upscaling and background removal included, up to 2K (2048x2048) editing, commercial use；150 monthly credits for advanced models；Auto-renews monthly; cancel anytime Rules [1]Pro Annual2026-11-01 ↗ — USD 144/year Annual Up to 75 images every 3 hours, 150 monthly credits, billed as $144/year ($12/mo equivalent) Full Pro features, upscaling, background removal, and 2K resolution editing；Prepaid annually at $144 Rules [2] [3]Pro Plus Monthly2026-11-01 ↗ USD 45/month — Monthly Unlimited image generations without caps, 1,000 monthly credits across all models Unlimited upscaling and background removal, up to 4K (3840x2160) editing, priority support, and API access；1,000 monthly credits for advanced models；Auto-renews monthly Rules [1]Pro Plus Annual2026-11-01 ↗ — USD 432/year Annual Unlimited generations, 1,000 monthly credits, billed as $432/year ($36/mo equivalent) Full Pro Plus features, 4K super-resolution upscaling, and unlimited background removal；Prepaid annually at $432 Rules [2] [3]5 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. Offers a permanent free tier with commercial rights alongside Pro and Pro Plus subscriptions; annual plans receive a 20% discount with exact annual billed totals explicitly listed. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancellation and refund terms unverified Playground AI Official Pricing and Plans ↗ · 2026-11-01 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) | 3 free full-size removals for anonymous guests; free accounts receive 10 generations every 3 hours with commercial use |
| Cancellation & refunds | Self-serve cancellation in account settings | Not verified |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Remove Background dialog transparently lists resolution tiers (25MP/50MP) and 40-token cost before execution | Upfront on the upload interface with the 'Remove background 3 left' tag |
| 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: 0.0953 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 35.236 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.990% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.239% (Lower is better) |
| Fixture findings | Fine curls were well retained with semi-transparency enabled; the result is specific to this mode and fixture. | On the 2048x2048 anchor_bgremove_v1 fixture, Playground achieved solid metrics: boundary error mad_band=0.0953, global SAD(k)=35.24, foreground recall 99.99%, and background leakage 0.239%, delivering a full-resolution 5.0 MB transparent PNG. |
| 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. | On the 2048x2048 anchor_bgremove_v1 fixture, Playground delivered solid results: foreground hair and garment contours remained intact (fg_recall 99.99%) with only 0.239% background leakage, exporting a full 5.0 MB transparent PNG. |
| Suitable uses · historical assessment | Creators needing ultra-high curly hair recall (99.87%) and direct integration with Canva Magic Layers or AI generation workflows | Designers and e-commerce creators needing login-free 2048px ultra-high-resolution cutouts with high hair and garment fidelity |
| 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 (100% native RGBA PNG, supports up to 25MP/50MP) | 2048×2048 (Direct export of 5.0 MB unwatermarked transparent PNG at original resolution) |
| Watermark observation | No Watermark | None |
| Batch & API | Sequential uploads in Library | Single-image web processing; canvas studio supports multi-layer editing |
| 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: 7.5s · End-to-end reference: 9s | Network-observed server wait: 13.87s · End-to-end reference: 17s |
| Date & fixture | 2026-10-16 · anchor_bgremove_v1 · US-West (California, AS2914) | 2026-11-03 · 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 | Google sign-in and email login supported (guests can directly use 3 free removals without signing in) |
| Manual adjustment | Can open directly in Canvas Editor or Canva Magic Layers | Result page supports one-click transition to Canvas for erase, expand, and touch-up |
| Interaction observations | Clean configuration dialog with Resolution (25MP/50MP), Shadow (None/Drop/3D), Background (Transparent/Color/Image), and Semi-transparency toggles. | Delivers full-res PNG without mandatory sign-in or payment barriers; optional 'Edit in Canvas' button allows multi-layer design editing. |
| Background & reputation | ||
| Service lifecycle notice | Not verified | Not verified |
| Operator | Leonardo Interactive Pty Ltd (Canva Group) | Playground AI Inc. |
| Recorded origin | Sydney, Australia | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Domain history record | 2022–Present | Founded in 2022 (Founder Suhail Doshi previously co-founded Mixpanel) |
| Background & reputation assessment | Operated by Leonardo Interactive Pty Ltd (Sydney, Australia; part of Canva Group), with built-in Edit in Canva / Magic Layers integration. | Playground AI Inc. (San Francisco, CA, founded 2022 by Suhail Doshi), creator of open-source diffusion models with over 13M users. |
| External reputation record | Flagship generative AI suite deeply integrated with Canva. | Over 13 million creators; acclaimed creator of open-source Playground v2.5 diffusion models. |
| 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. | Google Tag Manager · Mixpanel · Stripe |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Natively supports 25MP–50MP cutouts without client-side pre-downscaling, returning an exact 2048×2048 RGBA PNG. | Uploads original image directly to dedicated cloud GPU cluster via HTTPS with zero silent client-side downscaling. |
| 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). | 35 / 35 Landing page clearly displays a 'Remove background 3 left' counter before upload; test confirms guests download a 2048×2048 watermark-free PNG (5.0 MB) without signing in. |
| Interaction restraint | 19 / 20 Clean configuration dialog with Resolution (25MP/50MP), Shadow (None/Drop/3D), Background (Transparent/Color/Image), and Semi-transparency toggles. | 30 / 30 Delivers full-res PNG without mandatory sign-in or payment barriers; optional 'Edit in Canvas' button allows multi-layer design editing. |
| 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. | 19 / 20 Playground AI Inc. (San Francisco, CA, founded 2022 by Suhail Doshi), creator of open-source diffusion models with over 13M users. |
| Engineering & privacy | 13 / 15 Natively supports 25MP–50MP cutouts without client-side pre-downscaling, returning an exact 2048×2048 RGBA PNG. | 14 / 15 Uploads original image directly to dedicated cloud GPU cluster via HTTPS with zero silent client-side downscaling. |
| Task quality | 53 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.164 · Global SAD(k)=25.541 · Foreground recall 99.87% / Background leak 0.410% | 51 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.0953 · Global SAD(k)=35.236 · Foreground recall 99.99% / Background leak 0.239% |
| Deliverable specifications | 20 / 20 True Alpha channel (8/8); Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (100% native RGBA PNG, supports up to 25MP/50MP) | 20 / 20 True Alpha channel (8/8); Max deliverable spec: 2048×2048 (Direct export of 5.0 MB unwatermarked transparent PNG at original resolution) |
| 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) | 6 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 13.87s (API mode: sync; network upload 0s / end-to-end 17s shown for reference only, never penalized) |
