GIF background remover: remove the background from a GIF
Upload an animated GIF and get it back with a transparent background, as a transparent GIF or as an animated WebP. It is free for GIFs up to 10 seconds (3 per day), with no signup and no watermark. An AI model finds the subject, so it also works when the background is a room or a street rather than one flat color. It does not work on every GIF, and the tests below show which ones fail.
Drop a video or GIF here
Free: up to 10 seconds · no signup · no watermark
MP4, MOV or animated GIF, up to 500 MB
One video up to 2 minutes · one-time payment, no subscription · no watermark
Pay $4.99 and remove the backgroundCheckout is handled by Waffo, our Merchant of Record. If processing fails, the payment is refunded automatically.
Uses one of your 3 free clips today.
Safari may show a black background in this preview; the downloaded WebM keeps the transparency.
More formats
Rendered from your result, usually in under 30 seconds. MP4 files keep the original audio.
Files are deleted automatically 24 hours after upload.
Recent clips
GIF background remover test: what works and what does not
We ran 8 GIFs through the tool on 2026-10-10, each at 480 px, 15 fps and 4 seconds, and measured every frame. Drag each slider: the original is on the left, our result on a checkerboard on the right. These are real results, not retouched.
Worked: the subject was kept in all 60 frames
A presenter (a person) also worked, and both subject types gave the same result on it.
Did not work: the subject is lost, or text and thin lines are treated as background
Not tested: screen recordings, logos, GIFs with a solid single-color background, GIFs under 200 px, and GIFs longer than 4 seconds. If your GIF is one of those, try a free upload first and look at the result before you use it.
GIF or WebP: which file to download
A GIF can only mark a pixel as fully transparent or fully opaque. MDN describes it this way: "Pixels are opaque, unless a specific color index is designated as transparent, in which case pixels colored that value are entirely transparent." The GIF89a specification stores a single transparency index per frame. So a transparent GIF always has hard edges, whatever tool makes it. An animated WebP can keep semi-transparent pixels, so soft edges stay soft; MDN lists animated frames and transparency among the features of WebP.
| Export | Edges | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Transparent GIF | Hard (1-bit transparency) | First 15 seconds, at most 480 px, never larger than the source, 12 fps, no audio |
| Transparent WebP, animated | Soft, semi-transparent edges are kept | First 15 seconds, at most 720 px, up to 20 fps |
| Transparent WebM (always) | Soft | Full length, VP9 with alpha; Safari does not show its transparency |
Use the GIF where an app only accepts GIFs, such as many chat and sticker tools. Use the WebP where edges matter and your app takes it. We have not tested which apps accept an animated WebP, so check that your app accepts animated WebP before you rely on it. Both are under "More formats" after processing.
Subject type: Person or Object, pet or cartoon
Before you upload you choose what the subject is. Person is the default for video. Object, pet or cartoon is the default for a GIF. Both use the same model in a different mode. In our test, a flat cartoon scene needed the second mode, while a presenter gave the same result in both. On three person clips (hair in wind, dancing, hand gestures) the two modes differed by 0.1% to 0.6% of the alpha channel on average, a few outer hair strands. Choose Person for footage of people and the other type for animals, products and drawings. Either way the tool works best with one clear subject.
When a color-based tool is the better choice
Some GIF tools remove a background by color: you pick the color and a tolerance. ezgif and Online GIF Tools both work that way, and ezgif says it is free with no watermarks and no signup. If your GIF has a flat single-color background, such as a sticker or logo on white, a color-based tool is enough. CutoutClip is for GIFs where the background is not one flat color: a room, a street, a photo. Check each site for its current limits and terms.
Limits when you remove the background from a GIF
- Free: GIFs up to 10 seconds, 3 per day (shared with video clips), no signup, no watermark.
- A GIF longer than 10 seconds costs $4.99 like any other clip, up to 2 minutes.
- Upload up to 500 MB. The GIF is converted to video first, then processed like any clip.
- GIF and WebP exports cover the first 15 seconds only.
- Files are deleted 24 hours after upload for free clips, or immediately with "Delete now".
- One clear subject works best. Several moving subjects, caption text and thin line art can fail.
Starting from a video instead of a GIF? See video to transparent GIF. More: before and after samples, pricing and all guides.
FAQ
How do I remove the background from a GIF?
Upload the animated GIF above, keep "Object, pet or cartoon" selected (or pick Person for people), and wait for the result. Then download the transparent WebM, or open "More formats" for the transparent GIF or the animated WebP.
Is this GIF background remover free?
Yes for GIFs up to 10 seconds: 3 per day, no signup, no watermark. A GIF longer than 10 seconds costs $4.99 like any other clip.
Why are the edges of my transparent GIF jagged?
GIF supports only 1-bit transparency: each pixel is fully transparent or fully opaque. Any transparent GIF has hard edges, from any tool. Download the animated WebP, which keeps soft edges, if your app accepts it.
Can I remove the background from a meme with text?
Not reliably. In our test, text over the person was kept and text over the background was removed, so the caption was cut in half. Add the caption again after removing the background.
My GIF has a flat single-color background. Do I need this?
Probably not. A color-based tool such as ezgif or Online GIF Tools removes a flat color and is enough. Use CutoutClip when the background is a room, street or photo.
Why did one subject disappear in some frames?
With two dogs running in the same GIF, the subject was lost in some frames and the result flickered. It works best with one clear subject.
How big can the GIF be?
Up to 500 MB, and free GIFs up to 10 seconds. The transparent GIF export is the first 15 seconds at most 480 px and 12 fps; the animated WebP is the first 15 seconds at most 720 px and up to 20 fps.
Can I remove bg from a GIF without signing up?
Yes. There is no account. Upload the GIF above; free GIFs up to 10 seconds, 3 per day, have no watermark.
Is there a GIF remove bg option that keeps soft edges?
Yes, as an animated WebP, because a GIF itself cannot store soft edges. The transparent GIF export is also there, with hard edges.
What does a GIF transparent background really mean?
Each pixel is either fully transparent or fully opaque; there is no half-transparent pixel in a GIF. That is why a GIF transparent background always looks harder at the edges than a WebM.
I have a video, not a GIF. Can I still get a transparent GIF?
Yes. Upload an MP4 or MOV on the video to transparent GIF page. The GIF will have hard edges too.