remove.bg API is Moving to Leonardo.Ai
Press & Media, How To | Published on | Last updated on
2 min
remove.bg's background removal API has joined Leonardo.Ai, also part of Canva. Everything you do today with the remove.bg API, you can do on Leonardo, plus upscaling, scene generation, and more.
This page is an overview of what's changing. The migration guide covers what to change in your integration, including a full parameter mapping table.
Why remove.bg's API is moving to Leonardo.Ai
remove.bg is part of the Canva family, and so is Leonardo.Ai. Bringing background removal into Leonardo's API means one account, one set of credits, and access to a much broader set of image and video tools alongside the background removal you're already using.
It's a move to a bigger platform and your existing integration will take minimal changes to bring across.
What's changing, and what isn't
Call type | remove.bg uses a single synchronous call. Leonardo also offers a synchronous endpoint that matches this call pattern. |
Image input | Both APIs accept a file upload or an image URL. |
Output storage | remove.bg doesn't store your images, and neither does Leonardo's Sync API. |
Account and API key | New. Your remove.bg credentials don't carry over, you'll create a Leonardo.Ai account and generate a new API key. |
Pricing | Both APIs use a per-image credit system. See below. |
Rate limits | remove.bg supports up to 500 images per minute, with higher limits on request. Leonardo supports up to 100 images per minute as standard, with higher limits on request. Confirm your limits with your Customer Success Manager. |
What you get with Leonardo.Ai
Background removal is just the start. Once you're on Leonardo, the same API key and credits also unlock:
- Upscaling: sharpen and enlarge images with Leonardo's Pro Upscaler.
- Scene generation: drop cutouts into new backgrounds for lifestyle, seasonal, or local variants.
- Product videos: turn still product images into a short video, with start and end frame control.
- Blueprints: chain multiple steps into one reusable workflow.
- Visual editor to API in one click: prototype visually, then move to API fast.
- One platform, many solutions: background removal is the front door to a broader creative stack.
You can explore Leonardo.Ai's other APIs and capabilities at docs.leonardo.ai.
Pricing
Leonardo's API is billed in USD. You buy API credit up front and each call draws that balance down, with the rate depending on which capability you're calling. That's a change from remove.bg, where one credit meant one image, you can view all of the API costs in the API Pricing Calculator.
API access is separate from any Leonardo web subscription and Background removal isn't included in the unlimited web plans.
Talk to your Customer Success Manager or our support team for enterprise pricing.
Need help?
If you're an existing remove.bg enterprise customer, reach out to your Customer Success Manager. Or contact us directly, we also have a full migration guide.
Next steps
1. Create a Leonardo.Ai account and generate an API key.
Your remove.bg credentials don't carry over, this is a new account and a new key. If you're on an enterprise agreement, contact us and we'll set this up with you.
2. Point your integration at the Leonardo API.
New endpoint and a number of parameter and response differences. The migration guide walks through a few different scenarios, depending on how you're using remove.bg today.
3. Test against your real workload before you switch.
Particularly if you run batches, depend on a specific output format, or have tuned your client against remove.bg's rate limits. Rate limits, formats and error handling are all covered in the migration guide.
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