head to head · open source
rembg vs PhotoEditor
rembg has 25,301 GitHub stars, 2,467 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PhotoEditor has 4,531 stars, 1,051 forks, 57 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. rembg leads on adoption by 458% (25,301 vs 4,531 stars). rembg is written in Python under MIT; PhotoEditor is written in Kotlin under MIT. rembg has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, PhotoEditor 23%. rembg was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (image-processing), 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 | PhotoEditor | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 4.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 1.1K |
| 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 PhotoEditor if
- You want the PhotoEditor feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and PhotoEditor fits your workflow better
About rembg
Rembg is a tool to remove image backgrounds. It can be used as a CLI, Python library, HTTP server, or Docker container. Sponsors PhotoRoom Remove Background API Fast and accurate background remover API If this project has helped you, please consider making a donation. Requirements bash pip install "rembg[gpu]" for library pip install "rembg[gpu,cli]" for library + cli bash pip install "rembg[rocm]" for library pip install "rembg[rocm,cli]" for library + cli shell rembg help shell rembg help shell curl s rembg i output.png shell rembg i path/to/input.png path/to/output.png shell rembg i path/to/input.png →…
read the full rembg overview →
About PhotoEditor
PhotoEditor A Photo Editor library with simple, easy support for image editing using Paints, Text, Filters, Emoji and Sticker like stories. Download link Features Drawing on image with option to change its Brush's Color, Size, Opacity, Erasing and basic shapes. Apply Filter Effect on image using MediaEffect Adding/Editing Text with option to change its Color with Custom Fonts. Adding Emoji with Custom Emoji Fonts. Adding Images/Stickers Pinch to Scale and Rotate views. Undo and Redo for Brush and Views. Deleting Views Saving Photo after editing. More FAQ . Lesson Learned from building successful android library…
read the full PhotoEditor overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rembg or PhotoEditor more popular?
rembg has 25,301 GitHub stars and PhotoEditor has 4,531. rembg has the larger community by that measure.
Are rembg and PhotoEditor free?
Both are open source. rembg is licensed under MIT and PhotoEditor under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rembg and PhotoEditor?
rembg is written in Python and PhotoEditor 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 PhotoEditor?
Choose rembg if you want the larger community (25,301 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose PhotoEditor if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.