head to head · open source
rembg vs thumbor
rembg has 25,301 GitHub stars, 2,467 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped yesterday. thumbor has 10,529 stars, 861 forks, 11 open issues and last shipped yesterday. rembg leads on adoption by 140% (25,301 vs 10,529 stars). rembg is written in Python under MIT; thumbor is written in Python under MIT. rembg has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, thumbor 8%. thumbor 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 | thumbor | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 25K | ★ 11K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 861 |
| 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 thumbor if
- You want the thumbor feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and thumbor 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 thumbor
Join thumbor bootcamp for a learning and contribution experience with ❤️ and 🤗 from the thumbor team Crop, resize, transform and much more, all on demand and AI Powered thumbor is trusted by hundreds of companies worldwide and many more! thumbor is a smart imaging service that enables on demand cropping, resizing, applying filters and optimizing images. Cropping photos automatically can be a frustrating experience with severed heads involved. thumbor uses AI for smart detection. thumbor is an HTTP server and you can create as many different images as you want just by varying path parameters: You should see an…
read the full thumbor overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rembg or thumbor more popular?
rembg has 25,301 GitHub stars and thumbor has 10,529. rembg has the larger community by that measure.
Are rembg and thumbor free?
Both are open source. rembg is licensed under MIT and thumbor under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rembg and thumbor?
rembg is written in Python and thumbor in Python. 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 thumbor?
Choose rembg if you want the larger community (25,301 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose thumbor if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.