Best Object Removal Tool: Adobe Photoshop vs AI Alternatives (2026 Comparison)

A stray shopping cart in an otherwise perfect product shot. A stranger walking through your real estate listing photo. A distracting power line cutting across your landscape. Object removal has become one of the most sought-after editing capabilities — and in 2026, you have more choices than ever to handle it fast, cleanly, and affordably.

The big question: does Adobe Photoshop still reign as the best object removal tool, or have dedicated AI alternatives finally caught up — or even surpassed it? We put six tools through rigorous testing across product photography, portrait retouching, and marketing imagery to give you a definitive 2026 answer.

Why Object Removal Matters More Than Ever

Professionals across industries depend on clean, distraction-free images:

• E-commerce sellers need spotless product photos where no stray shadows, dust, or props distract buyers
• Real estate photographers routinely remove garbage bins, power lines, parked cars, and unwanted signage
• Social media creators erase photobombers, logos, and background clutter to make content pop
• Marketing teams clean up stock photos and composites to match brand aesthetics

Until recently, this required either significant Photoshop expertise or expensive outsourcing. AI-powered tools have democratized the process — but they vary wildly in quality. Let's break down exactly what each tool offers.

Adobe Photoshop Generative Fill — Still the Gold Standard?

Adobe introduced Generative Fill to Photoshop in mid-2023, powered by its Firefly AI model. The workflow is familiar to any Photoshop user: select an area, hit Delete or use the Generative Fill prompt box, and let the AI reconstruct what should be behind the removed object.

How It Works

Photoshop's Generative Fill analyzes surrounding pixels, lighting, texture, and perspective to synthesize realistic replacement content. It uses Adobe Firefly's content-aware generation — trained exclusively on licensed stock imagery — so you get commercially safe output. You can leave the prompt blank for automatic fill, or guide the generation with text prompts like "grass" or "brick wall."

Pricing

Adobe Photoshop is available via Creative Cloud at $22.99/month (Photography Plan) or $54.99/month for the full Creative Cloud suite. There is no standalone free tier, though a 7-day trial is available. Each Generative Fill use consumes "generative credits" — the Photography Plan includes 25 per month (increasing with higher tiers).

Pros and Cons

• Pro: Exceptional quality on complex textures (grass, skin, fabric, wood grain)
• Pro: Precise selection tools (lasso, pen path, subject selection)
• Pro: Non-destructive editing with layers
• Pro: Commercially licensed output
• Con: Steep learning curve for beginners
• Con: Expensive subscription, especially for occasional users
• Con: Credit limits can be frustrating for high-volume work
• Con: Desktop-only (iPad version is limited)
• Con: Slow for batch processing

Top 5 AI Object Removal Alternatives in 2026

1. Cleanup.pictures

A browser-based tool focused entirely on object removal and inpainting. You upload an image, brush over the area you want removed, and the AI fills it in. Cleanup.pictures uses Stable Diffusion-based inpainting and is remarkably fast — most removals complete in 2–5 seconds.

Price: Free (limited resolution), Pro from $9/month
Best for: Quick, single-image cleanups with minimal effort

2. Samsung Object Eraser (Galaxy AI)

Built into Samsung Galaxy S24 series and newer devices, Object Eraser uses on-device AI to remove objects directly from your camera roll. It's impressively capable for a mobile tool, especially on simple backgrounds. However, it's limited to Samsung hardware and handles complex backgrounds poorly.

Price: Free with eligible Samsung devices
Best for: Quick mobile edits on Samsung devices

3. Fotor AI Eraser

Fotor offers an AI Object Remover as part of its online photo editor. It handles basic removals well and integrates into a wider editing workflow — you can crop, adjust colors, and add text in the same session. The free tier is usable but watermarks outputs.

Price: Free (watermarked), Pro at $8.99/month
Best for: All-in-one online editing with basic object removal

4. Photoroom

Photoroom is purpose-built for e-commerce photography. Its Magic Eraser removes objects, and its background replacement AI is particularly strong. It also supports batch processing — a major advantage for Shopify sellers or Amazon merchants managing large catalogs.

Price: Free (limited), Pro at $9.99/month
Best for: Product photography and e-commerce workflows

5. Soloa AI

Soloa AI is an all-in-one AI creative platform that includes a powerful AI image editor with object removal and inpainting capabilities alongside image generation, video creation, text-to-speech, and AI music. For creators and marketers who need both object removal and content creation in one place, Soloa eliminates the need to juggle multiple subscriptions. The inpainting tool handles complex backgrounds well and produces clean, natural-looking results — particularly impressive for product photography and portrait retouching. You can start with a free trial at soloa.ai.

For more on AI image tools, see our guide to the best AI background removers in 2026.

Comparison Table: Object Removal Tools at a Glance

Tool	Price	Speed	Quality	Batch Support	Mobile
Adobe Photoshop	$22.99/mo	Moderate	Excellent	Limited	iPad (limited)
Cleanup.pictures	Free / $9/mo	Very Fast	Good	No	Browser
Samsung Object Eraser	Free (device)	Very Fast	Fair	No	Samsung only
Fotor AI Eraser	Free / $8.99/mo	Fast	Good	No	Browser/App
Photoroom	Free / $9.99/mo	Fast	Very Good	Yes	iOS/Android
Soloa AI	Free trial	Fast	Very Good	Yes	Browser

Head-to-Head Test Results

We tested each tool on three real-world scenarios:

Test 1: Product Photography (Remove a Price Tag)

Removing a dangling price tag from a leather handbag on a white background.

• Adobe Photoshop: Near-perfect result. The stitching and leather texture were reconstructed flawlessly.
• Cleanup.pictures: Clean result in 3 seconds. Slight softness near the removal area but unnoticeable at web resolution.
• Photoroom: Excellent — clearly optimized for product shots. Output was clean and sharp.
• Soloa AI: Very clean result with accurate texture replication. Strong performer on simple backgrounds.
• Fotor: Good but introduced a slight gradient artifact near the tag strap.
• Samsung Eraser: Acceptable on device, but fine details were smudged.

Test 2: Portrait (Remove a Stray Hair)

Removing a strand of hair crossing a model's eye in a close-up portrait.

• Adobe Photoshop: Best in class. Skin texture, eye detail, and subtle lighting were all preserved.
• Photoroom: Strong second place — surprisingly good at preserving skin tones.
• Soloa AI: Very good. Skin texture was reconstructed well; slight blending visible at 200% zoom only.
• Cleanup.pictures: Good overall but the eyelid area showed minor artifacts.
• Fotor: Moderate — visible smoothing in the reconstruction area.
• Samsung Eraser: Poor on facial details.

Test 3: Real Estate (Remove a Parked Car)

Erasing a parked car from a driveway in front of a house. Complex background (pavement, grass edge, fence).

• Adobe Photoshop: Excellent — realistic driveway texture with proper perspective.
• Cleanup.pictures: Good overall; one corner of the fence reconstruction looked slightly tiled.
• Fotor: Moderate — visible seams in the pavement.
• Photoroom: Good, but designed for product use — the complex outdoor scene was handled adequately.
• Soloa AI: Good result, especially for the pavement. A second pass cleaned up the fence edge.
• Samsung Eraser: Struggled — obvious repetition artifacts in the pavement texture.

When to Use Adobe vs When AI Tools Win

Choose Adobe Photoshop when:

• You need print-quality or maximum-resolution output
• You're working on complex composites with multiple layers
• Pixel-perfect accuracy is non-negotiable (fine art, high-end advertising)
• You already pay for Creative Cloud

Choose an AI alternative when:

• You're editing for web, social, or e-commerce (resolution demands are moderate)
• You need to process dozens or hundreds of images quickly
• You're a non-designer who needs results without a learning curve
• Budget is a constraint — several options are free or under $10/month
• You need a mobile workflow

The reality in 2026 is that AI tools have closed the quality gap significantly for most practical use cases. Adobe Photoshop remains the professional's choice for maximum control and edge-case accuracy, but for 80% of real-world object removal tasks, tools like Photoroom, Soloa AI, and Cleanup.pictures deliver excellent results in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost.

If you're interested in more AI photo editing tools, check out our guides on the best AI image upscalers for 4K in 2026 and best AI tools for object removal.

Try Soloa AI Free

If you want object removal, image generation, video creation, and more in one platform, Soloa AI offers a free trial with no credit card required. It's ideal for creators, marketers, and small business owners who need powerful AI tools without the complexity or cost of Adobe Creative Cloud. Visit soloa.ai to get started.