Background Remover is an open-source command-line tool that removes backgrounds from images and videos using AI, published on GitHub with around 8,100 stars. It brings the one-click background removal of commercial web tools to a free local CLI that scripters and developers can automate.
The tool uses deep learning segmentation models (from the U2-Net family) to detect the foreground subject and produce a transparent-background PNG for images, or an alpha-channel result for video. From the terminal you can process a single file or batches of files, choose among several bundled models trading speed against edge quality, and run everything on CPU or GPU. Because it is a plain command-line program, it drops neatly into photo pipelines, e-commerce catalog processing, and content workflows that commercial upload-based services cannot serve. The maintainer also runs an official web version at backgroundremoverai.com, where anyone can try the technology in a browser. The repository is actively maintained, with updates continuing into 2026, and the MIT license allows free use in commercial pipelines as well.
The open-source CLI is free under the MIT license with no limits. The official hosted web version is freemium: free users can process one image per day, while the Pro plan unlocks unlimited processing, bulk jobs, and video support.
Background Remover is for developers, e-commerce sellers, and content teams who need automated, scriptable background removal โ and for privacy-conscious users who prefer processing images locally instead of uploading them to a web service.