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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 | Recraft | LightX | Switch / compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background removal | 75/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 64/100 480 × 480 · PNG | Active task |
| Image upscaling | 92/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 86/100 JPEG · Output attached | |
| Object removal | 89/100 2048 × 2048 · PNG | 66/100 JPEG · Output attached | |
| Image generation | 94/100 1024×1024 (1.62MB unwatermarked PNG, 100% pixel retention) · Historical description; output not attached | 83/100 JPEG · Output attached |
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Browse this task →| Criterion | Recraft AI (Infinite Canvas Background Remover) Background removal 75/100 Seven-aspect task score Full-size export and an ad-free design canvas suit continued editing; login and credits are needed, and some curly-hair detail is lost. 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 |
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| Pricing & rules | ||
| Pricing plans | All web Basic/Pro/Teams volumes; Teams per seat; API excluded · 2026-10-20 Plan · source date Monthly / one-time Annual bill / period Quota & limits Basic2026-10-20 ↗ USD 12/month USD 120/year Monthly 1,000 general credits/month; Teams billed per seat Rules [1] Annual 1,000 general credits/month; Teams billed per seat Rules [1] Pro 2k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 20/month USD 192/year Monthly 2,000 general credits/month; Teams billed per seat Rules [1] Annual 2,000 general credits/month; Teams billed per seat Rules [1] Teams 2k / seat2026-10-20 ↗ USD 22/month USD 211/year Monthly 2,000 general credits/month; Teams billed per seat Rules [1] Annual 2,000 general credits/month; Teams billed per seat Rules [1] Pro 4k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 40/month USD 384/year Monthly 4,000 general credits/month Rules [2] [3] Annual 4,000 general credits/month Rules [2] [3] Teams 4k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 44/month USD 422/year Monthly 4,000 general credits/month per seat Rules [3] [4] Annual 4,000 general credits/month per seat Rules [3] [4] Pro 8k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 80/month USD 768/year Monthly 8,000 general credits/month Rules [2] [3] Annual 8,000 general credits/month Rules [2] [3] Teams 8k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 88/month USD 844/year Monthly 8,000 general credits/month per seat Rules [3] [4] Annual 8,000 general credits/month per seat Rules [3] [4] Pro 16k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 160/month USD 1,536/year Monthly 16,000 general credits/month Rules [2] [3] Annual 16,000 general credits/month Rules [2] [3] Teams 16k2026-10-20 ↗ USD 176/month USD 1,688/year Monthly 16,000 general credits/month per seat Rules [3] [4] Annual 16,000 general credits/month per seat Rules [3] [4] 18 plan / billing-period records, all listed; — means that period is not recorded. All 2k/4k/8k/16k Pro/Teams monthly and annual tiers are listed. Top-ups require Basic/Pro/Teams, but the public page does not quote pack prices or quantify free removal counts/per-removal cost. Subscription credits do not roll over; purchased top-ups never expire. Free-plan generated images are public and not licensed for commercial use; this statement is not generalized to rights in uploaded material. Verification has gaps; unknown prices and quotas are not inferred. Cancellation, sources & verification recordCancel anytime, effective at period end. Discretionary refunds may be requested within 30 days with no use since payment or under 30 lifetime credits used. Official plans and usage terms ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ All credit volumes and usage rules ↗ · 2026-10-20 Capture 1 ↗ · Capture 2 ↗ · Capture 3 ↗ · Capture 4 ↗ · Capture 5 ↗ · Capture 6 ↗ · Capture 7 ↗ · Capture 8 ↗ | 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 | Free accounts receive 50 Credits daily; Remove Background costs 1 Credit per image (up to 50 free 2048px cutouts per day) | Free guest 480×480 export; registered users receive daily free AI credits for advanced editor tools |
| Cancellation & refunds | Cancel anytime, effective at period end. Discretionary refunds may be requested within 30 days with no use since payment or under 30 lifetime credits used. | Cancellation and refund terms follow official checkout and help policies. |
| Disclosure of costs & limits | Remaining credits (56 -> 55) and per-action cost are shown in the top-right bar | Exact resolution limits are displayed right below the Download HD and Download Standard buttons |
| Task quality | ||
| Measured fixture results | Edge error MAD: 0.147 (Lower is better) · Global error SAD(k): 58.952 (Lower is better) · Foreground retention: 99.330% (Higher is better) · Background residue: 0.076% (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 | Clean background removal suited to defined contours; fine outer hair is cropped inward. | Complete subject contours and convenient previews; this free export was only 480px and smoothed fine hair. |
| Original historical observation | Uses a crisp contour segmentation profile: background removal is ultra-clean (bg_leak=0.076%, fg_recall=99.33%), though fine outer curly hair flyaways are tightly trimmed inward (mad_band=0.147, SAD(k)=58.95). | 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 | Designers building posters or product composites inside Recraft who need instant non-destructive layer cutouts | 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 (Free account direct 2048×2048 300DPI RGBA PNG export, unwatermarked) | 480 × 480 (Guest Standard tier, 5.5% pixel retention) |
| Watermark observation | No watermark (visible AI label toggle is off by default) | No watermark |
| Batch & API | Drop multiple images onto the canvas for sequential processing | 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: 3.2s · End-to-end reference: 4.3s | 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, Discord, Apple, or email | No login required for 480×480 Standard PNG; Google / Facebook / Email login required for 1920×1920 HD |
| Manual adjustment | Manual erase / adjustment recorded in the historical flow | Not verified |
| Interaction observations | Professional infinite-canvas workflow; the "Add visible AI label" switch in the Export panel is OFF by default, with zero ad popups. | 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 | Recraft Inc. | AndOr Communications Pvt. Ltd. (LightX) |
| Recorded origin | London, UK | New Delhi, India |
| Domain history record | Founded 2022; Recraft V3/V4 leads global design benchmarks | 2017–present |
| Background & reputation assessment | Recraft Inc. (London, UK, backed by Khosla Ventures and Madrona), world-renowned #1 text-to-image and vector design platform. | 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 | Designers praise its non-destructive side-by-side layer creation on the infinite canvas. | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy | ||
| Processing location | Uploaded for cloud processing | Uploaded for cloud processing |
| Third-party tracking record | Sentry Error Monitoring · Amplitude / First-party Telemetry (t.recraft.ai) | Not verified |
| Engineering & privacy assessment | Uses AWS US-West infrastructure and WebGL infinite canvas layers with customizable export DPI (300 DPI default). | 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 | 35 / 40 Requires free Recraft login (50 free daily credits); clicking "Remove background" on a 2048×2048 image costs 1 Credit, places the transparent cutout non-destructively beside the original, and exports a full 2048×2048 300DPI unwatermarked RGBA PNG (4.10MB). | 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 | 20 / 20 Professional infinite-canvas workflow; the "Add visible AI label" switch in the Export panel is OFF by default, with zero ad popups. | 25 / 30 Explicitly labels exact pixel limits (480×480 vs 1920×1920) directly beneath the two download buttons with zero hidden watermarks. |
| Background & reputation | 24 / 25 Recraft Inc. (London, UK, backed by Khosla Ventures and Madrona), world-renowned #1 text-to-image and vector design platform. | 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 | 14 / 15 Uses AWS US-West infrastructure and WebGL infinite canvas layers with customizable export DPI (300 DPI default). | 11 / 15 Performs HTTPS cloud segmentation and triggers direct local download for Standard resolution without intrusive browser permissions. |
| Task quality | 34.8 / 65 Transition band error mad_band=0.147 · Global SAD(k)=58.952 · Foreground recall 99.33% / Background leak 0.076% | 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 (Free account direct 2048×2048 300DPI RGBA PNG export, unwatermarked) | 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 | 13 / 15 Network-observed server wait: 3.2s (API mode: async; network upload 1.1s / end-to-end 4.3s shown for reference only, never penalized) | 12 / 15 Cloud background removal completed in ~5.85s for the 2048×2048 master (12.0/15). |
