head to head · open source
rembg vs ImageToolbox
rembg has 24,796 GitHub stars, 2,423 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. ImageToolbox has 14,666 stars, 631 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped yesterday. rembg leads on adoption by 69% (24,796 vs 14,666 stars). rembg is written in Python under MIT; ImageToolbox is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0. rembg has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, ImageToolbox 4%. ImageToolbox was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (background-removal), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| rembg | ImageToolbox | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 15K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-09-08 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 631 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick rembg if
- You weight community size — 25K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ImageToolbox if
- You want the ImageToolbox feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and ImageToolbox fits your workflow better
About rembg
Rembg is an MIT licensed Python tool for removing image backgrounds, usable as a CLI, a Python library, an HTTP server, or a Docker container, and aimed at developers, designers, and automated image pipelines that need background removal without depending on a hosted service.
read the full rembg overview →
About ImageToolbox
ImageToolbox is a free and open source Android image editor written in Kotlin with Jetpack Compose and released under Apache 2.0, aimed at photographers, developers, and everyday Android users who need deep photo manipulation — crop, draw, filter chains, EXIF editing, background removal, and AI assisted enhancement — without analytics or crash reporting dependencies.
read the full ImageToolbox overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rembg or ImageToolbox more popular?
rembg has 24,796 GitHub stars and ImageToolbox has 14,666. rembg has the larger community by that measure.
Are rembg and ImageToolbox free?
Both are open source. rembg is licensed under MIT and ImageToolbox under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rembg and ImageToolbox?
rembg is written in Python and ImageToolbox in Kotlin. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, rembg or ImageToolbox?
Choose rembg if you want the larger community (24,796 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose ImageToolbox if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.