head to head · open source
rembg vs nomacs
rembg has 24,796 GitHub stars, 2,423 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. nomacs has 3,174 stars, 203 forks, 337 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. rembg leads on adoption by 681% (24,796 vs 3,174 stars). rembg is written in Python under MIT; nomacs is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. rembg has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, nomacs 6%. rembg was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | nomacs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 3.2K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-08 | 2026-09-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 203 |
| 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 nomacs if
- You want the nomacs feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and nomacs 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 nomacs
nomacs is a free, open source image viewer written in C++ and released under the GPL 3.0, built for anyone on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Mac, Haiku, or OS/2 who needs to open and inspect common images as well as RAW and PSD files on the desktop.
read the full nomacs overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rembg or nomacs more popular?
rembg has 24,796 GitHub stars and nomacs has 3,174. rembg has the larger community by that measure.
Are rembg and nomacs free?
Both are open source. rembg is licensed under MIT and nomacs under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rembg and nomacs?
rembg is written in Python and nomacs in C++. 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 nomacs?
Choose rembg if you want the larger community (24,796 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose nomacs if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.