Background Eraser

Background Eraser is an offline editor for removing and replacing video backgrounds and making one-click photo cutouts. It suits creators producing people-centered videos, presentations, tutorials, and social assets who want processing to stay on their device. Its broad background controls and transparent PNG output are useful, but watermark-free exports require the paid tier.

Overview

The app handles live background removal while recording as well as imported video, with detection tuned to human subjects. That makes it a natural fit for talking-head footage rather than a general rotoscoping tool for arbitrary moving objects. A separate photo workflow identifies the main subjects in an image and lets you decide which detected subjects remain.

GPU-accelerated AI runs locally, footage is not uploaded, and the app works without an account or an internet connection. There are no file-size limits, processing queues, or per-video credit allowances, so usage is not rationed by project count. Privacy protections are unusually explicit: there are no advertising or analytics SDKs, and the app does not request a name or email. Apple handles purchases, while RevenueCat receives receipt data and a random app-generated identifier for subscription validation.

Key features

Video replacement and edge control

Removed video backgrounds can be replaced with a solid color, still image, looping video, blur, or studio preset. Feather, smoothing, tightness, and temporal-smoothing controls give you practical ways to balance clean edges against flicker and softness. The people-focused detector should serve presenters and instructors well, while users isolating pets, products, or complex action scenes may need a more specialized tool.

Photo cutouts and exports

Photo subject selection is more flexible than a one-click result alone: when multiple subjects are detected, you can choose which to keep. Cutouts export as PNG, including transparent PNG, so they can move directly into layouts or compositing work. Video exports use MP4 H.264 at full resolution or 1080p, 720p, and 540p; 1080p is the maximum stated output.

Social and editing workflows

Canvas presets cover 9:16, 1:1, 4:5, 16:9, and other social-oriented formats, reducing manual reframing for common publishing destinations. A flat chroma-green preset creates footage that can continue into OBS, Final Cut Pro, Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve. That integration is useful when Background Eraser supplies the isolation but another editor handles the finished production.

Pricing

Plan	Price and terms	What you get
Free	0.00 USD, free	All recording and editing features, with a watermark on video and photo exports.
Pro	Custom pricing; weekly, monthly, or yearly auto-renewing subscriptions. Current prices appear in the app.	Everything in Free, plus watermark-free exports.

The Free plan is a genuine way to use the complete editing set, provided a watermark is acceptable. It is appropriate for drafts, private clips, and users evaluating the workflow. Pro is the relevant upgrade for published work where branding on every export is unacceptable; because prices are shown only in-app and renew automatically on the selected schedule, check the displayed amount and renewal interval before subscribing.

Platforms

Background Eraser runs on iOS, macOS, the web, and Windows. That range supports both mobile capture and desktop editing, while offline operation is available without creating an account.

Who it's for

Choose it for presenters, educators, streamers, and social creators who need people-focused background replacement, local processing, and predictable use without credits or queues. It also fits designers who want quick transparent PNG cutouts. Look elsewhere if you need output above 1080p, watermark-free work without a subscription, or reliable isolation of non-human moving subjects.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Offline, on-device processing: Footage stays on the device and no account is required.
• No usage rationing: The product states there are no file-size limits, queues, or per-video credits.
• Useful replacement range: Colors, images, looping videos, blur, and studio presets cover common creator scenarios.
• Fine edge adjustments: Feather, smoothing, tightness, and temporal smoothing help tune difficult boundaries.
• Transparent photo output: PNG and transparent PNG exports suit downstream design work.

Cons

• Watermark on Free exports: Both video and photo output carry branding unless you move to Pro.
• 1080p ceiling: The maximum stated video export resolution limits higher-resolution production.
• People-first video detection: The workflow is not positioned for arbitrary moving-object isolation.
• Pro price is not published on the page: You must inspect in-app pricing before choosing a renewal term.

Alternatives

Cutout.Pro is the better comparison when you need Android, API, Linux, or broader platform coverage alongside iOS, macOS, web, and Windows; its listed subscription includes 80 credits monthly for $5 a month.

unscreen.io suits browser-based users who prefer a forever-free plan with unlimited browser processing up to 1080p and no account, accepting WebM-only output, no sound, limited bitrate, and a watermark.

BackgroundRemover is a free, open-source option that can be installed locally with pip or from source code.

Robust Video Matting is a free project providing pretrained models and source code under GPL-3.0.

VCam is an alternative for Windows and macOS users seeking workspace-oriented plans, including a free Starter tier with a watermark.

Knockout API is aimed at API workflows, with a free allowance of 30 images per month.

PixelZap is a freemium option for Android, iOS, and macOS.

Vmaker is a broader recording tool for iOS, macOS, and Windows, with its free plan capped at 5 GB storage and one-minute screen recordings.

For a wider category comparison, browse AI Video Background Removers.

Verdict

Background Eraser is a strong choice for people making human-focused videos and photo cutouts who value offline, private processing and unrestricted project usage. Its main reason to choose it is the combination of local AI, practical edge controls, and flexible replacement backgrounds; its main reason to look elsewhere is the watermark on every Free export, alongside the 1080p ceiling and people-only video focus.