100% On-Device · Nothing Uploaded · Free for Personal Use
Lift the subject.
Drop the background.
Drag in a photo — or a whole batch — and Liftr uses Apple's on-device Vision model to remove the background in about 0.2 seconds. Drop in transparency, a color, a blur, a gradient, or your own image. Nothing is ever uploaded, no account, no per-image fee.
v1.0.2 · macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon & Intel · Signed & notarized by Apple · No account
Real result
A real photo, background gone.
One drag across the seam tells the story: the full scene on the left, the subject lifted clean onto transparency on the right — done on-device in about a second.
Why Liftr is different
Your photos never leave your Mac.
Every other background remover — remove.bg, Photoroom, Canva — uploads your photos to the cloud and charges a subscription or a per-image fee to do it. Liftr runs Apple's own Vision model, built right into macOS, entirely on your machine. Same one-tap result, none of the trade-offs.
Cloud tools
Upload every photo to a server · account required · monthly subscription or per-image cost · resolution and batch limits · needs a connection.
Liftr
Nothing ever uploaded · no account · one-time or free · unlimited batch at full resolution · works offline · originals never modified.
See it in action
Lift the subject. Drop the background.
A real recording — drop in a photo and Liftr cuts out the background in about a second, entirely on your Mac.
How it works
Three steps, then you're done.
Drag in your photos
Drop one image onto the window — or a whole folder. Apple's Vision model lifts the subject in about a fifth of a second per photo, no upload, no waiting on a server.
Drop in a new background
Transparent, a solid color, a blurred version of the original, a gradient, or your own image. Refine the edge, add a soft shadow, and trim to the subject — with a live before/after slider.
Export, copy or share
Write PNG, JPG, HEIC or TIFF at full resolution, copy the cut-out straight to the clipboard, or Share it. Liftr writes a new file and never touches your original.
Features
Everything a background remover should be.
One focused, native window with every tool you reach for — without ever sending a photo to the cloud.
On-device removal
Apple's Vision model finds the subject and cuts it out in about 0.2 seconds — at full resolution, right on your Mac. No upload, no server round-trip, no waiting.
Apple Vision
Drop in any background
Keep it transparent, or drop in a solid color, a blurred version of the original photo, a gradient, or your own image. Switch modes instantly — the matte is cached, so it never re-runs.
Edge refinement
Tighten, feather, and clean up the cut-out edge so hair and fine detail look natural — not a paper-cut halo. Dial it in and watch it update live.
Soft drop shadow
Add a natural, adjustable shadow beneath the subject — blur, opacity, and offset all under your control — so a cut-out sits believably on its new background.
Trim, aspect & size
Trim-to-subject auto-crops to what's left, then set an aspect ratio and output size — perfect for product shots, avatars, and social posts.
Batch with presets
Drop in dozens at once and apply a preset — Transparent PNG, Product White, Studio Gray, Soft Shadow, Portrait Blur, Social Gradient — to all of them in one click. Unlimited, at full resolution.
Apply to all
Before/after compare
Drag the compare slider to see exactly what changed — the original photo on one side, the clean cut-out on a checkerboard on the other.
PNG, JPG, HEIC & TIFF
Export a transparent PNG, HEIC or TIFF for cut-outs, or a flattened JPG — at full resolution, with the size and aspect you set.
Copy & Share
Copy the cut-out straight to the clipboard to paste into any app, or send it through the macOS Share sheet — no export step required.
100% on your Mac
Nothing is uploaded — ever. No account, no cloud, no telemetry, works offline. Your originals are never modified: every export is a new file.
Privacy
Signed & notarized
Opens with a normal double-click — no "unidentified developer" warning, no Open Anyway, no Terminal. Notarized by Apple.
No warnings
Built for everyone
Keyboard-navigable with VoiceOver labels throughout, and a UI that meets WCAG 2.1 AA contrast in dark mode.
WCAG 2.1 AA
Reads & writes
PNG
Transparent PNG
JPG
HEIC
TIFF
+ common image formats in
Pricing
Free for you. Fair for work.
Personal use is free forever — full resolution, unlimited batch, every background mode, no account, no watermarks. If Liftr earns its keep at your job, a one-time business license keeps it supported.
Personal
Free forever
For individuals and personal projects
- On-device removal at full resolution — no per-image cost
- Every background mode, preset, and batch — unlimited
- Non-destructive — originals never modified
- 100% on-device — nothing uploaded, works offline
- No account, no nag screens
- Free updates forever
Business
$5 / computer
One-time payment — no subscription
- Everything in Personal
- Use commercially at work
- One-time payment — no subscription
- Free updates forever
- Supports solo indie development
The personal tier is the full app — buy a business license only if you use Liftr commercially. One seat per computer, paid once, yours for life. Secure checkout via Stripe; your license key is emailed instantly.
Download & install
Get set up in seconds.
Download the app and drag it into Applications — that's it. No Terminal, no Homebrew, no sign-up.
Version 1.0.2 · Released July 10, 2026 · Free updates forever
macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple Silicon or Intel
Liftr uses the background-removal model built into macOS 14, so there's nothing else to install — no cloud service, no separate download.
Opens with a double-click
Liftr is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens cleanly the first time — no
Open Anyway trip through System Settings, no Terminal. Open the DMG, drag Liftr into Applications, and launch it.FAQ
Common questions.
Does Liftr upload my photos anywhere?
No. Every photo is processed entirely on your Mac using Apple's built-in Vision model and CoreImage — nothing you open or export is ever uploaded, there's no account, and there's no telemetry. The only time Liftr contacts our server is if you enter a business license key (to validate it) or click Check for Updates (which sends only the app version). Your photos are never involved.
How is Liftr free when remove.bg and Photoroom charge?
Cloud tools like remove.bg, Photoroom and Canva upload your photos to their servers and charge a subscription or per-image fee to cover that compute. Liftr runs Apple's on-device Vision model that ships free inside macOS, so there's no server to pay for — which means no per-image cost, no subscription, unlimited batch, and full resolution. Personal use is free forever; a one-time $5 business license per computer covers commercial use.
What macOS version do I need?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel. Liftr relies on the foreground-instance masking in Apple's Vision framework, which was introduced in Sonoma.
Is Liftr really free?
Personal use is free forever — full resolution, unlimited batch, every background mode, no account, no trial timer, no watermarks. If you use Liftr at work, a one-time $5 business license per computer keeps it supported.
How does the business license work?
If you use Liftr commercially, buy a one-time $5 license per computer from the pricing section — secure checkout via Stripe, and your license key is emailed instantly. The personal tier is the full app with no nag screens, so you can evaluate it freely first.
Can Liftr generate a brand-new AI background?
No — that's a deliberate non-goal. Liftr replaces the background you have with transparency, a solid color, a blurred version of the original, a gradient, or your own image. It doesn't invent new scenery, and there's no generative model — everything runs on-device.
Will it change my original photos?
Never. Liftr is non-destructive by design: your originals are never modified, and every export writes a new file. Same-name files are never overwritten unless you say so.
What formats can it read and write?
Out: PNG, JPG, HEIC and TIFF — with transparent PNG, HEIC and TIFF for cut-outs, and a flattened JPG when you need one. In: common image formats including JPG, PNG, HEIC and TIFF.
Will macOS warn me about an unidentified developer?
No. Liftr is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens with a normal double-click the first time — no Open Anyway dance, no Terminal.
How do I update Liftr?
Re-download the latest Liftr.dmg from this page, open it, and drag the new Liftr into your Applications folder — it replaces the old one. Your preferences carry over automatically.
Is there a Windows version?
Not yet — Liftr is Mac-only. It's built on Apple's on-device Vision model, which is part of macOS, so it's a native Mac app from the ground up.