If you’re making a lot of simple cutouts, Photoroom looks generous. Its core background remover, retouching, product fixer, fill, expand, enhancer, and preset shadows don’t use AI credits.
Then you save the work. That’s where the second counter matters.
On Photoroom’s yearly pricing table, Pro includes 4,250 AI credits and 1,000 exports each month. Every save counts as an export, including editor saves, Batch work, and Shopify sync. You can have credits left and still have a paused save button.
Photo Speak takes a simpler route: $20/month for 2,000 credits, with no separate export meter on the homepage. Exact edits and upscaling are free, and you can talk or type through changes on a live canvas.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Job | Photo Speak | Photoroom |
|---|
| Published money | $20/month | Credits and exports are listed; dollar prices were not printed on the 13 August 2026 pricing page |
| Credits | 2,000/month with membership | Pro: 4,250 AI credits/month yearly; Max: 12,000; Ultra: 20,000 |
| Second meter | No export meter | Exports: 1,000/month on Pro yearly |
| Cutout / retouch | Talk through it; exact edits are free | Core tools are included within fair use and do not spend AI credits |
| Lifestyle scene | ProductStudio with a live canvas | AI Backgrounds Studio uses credits |
| Fashion on-model | Not a named tool | AI Fashion Models use credits |
| Shopify | No native sync claimed here | Shopify integration appears on the plan table |
| API | No public image API | Separate API/MCP credit wallet, billed at API rates |
| Start | 300 one-time credits, no card | “Start for free or subscribe” |
Photoroom’s yearly table lists Pro at 4,250 AI credits and 1,000 exports, Max at 12,000 credits and 3,000 exports, and Ultra at 20,000 credits and 10,000 exports. Enterprise is custom.
The pricing page says an export is every save, whether it comes from the editor, Batch, or Shopify. It warns you at 80% and pauses exports at 100% until the next renewal or an upgrade. Unused studio credits don’t turn into extra exports.
Photoroom also lists Spaces with up to 50 seats on Pro, Brand Kit, 4K output, adjustable shadows, and an enterprise pitch that includes SOC 2 Type 2. The API/MCP wallet is separate from the web-plan credits and is billed at API rates.
Photoroom doesn’t print a dollar amount beside Pro on that pricing page. Mobile subscriptions go through Apple or Google, while desktop uses a card. VAT/GST is already included, and the stated refund window is one week.
Photoroom splits its tools into two different kinds of usage.
These do not spend AI credits, within fair use:
- Background Remover
- Preset AI Shadows
- Product Fixer
- Retouch
- AI Fill
- AI Expand/Resize
- Image Enhancer
These use AI credits:
- Video Generator
- Virtual and Fashion Models
- AI Backgrounds Studio
- Relight
- HD and image-guided backgrounds
- Edit with AI
- Product & Listing AI
The Pro plan also shows how far its credit balance goes for individual features: 2,125 AI Backgrounds Studio Basic generations, 530 Relight generations, 400 Edit with AI generations, or 1,000 to 1,600 Fashion Models generations.
That distinction matters if you’re processing lots of listings. You could remove backgrounds from 1,200 products without spending AI credits and still be unable to save them on a 1,000-export Pro plan.
Photo Speak keeps the conversation in the canvas
Photo Speak is a better fit when the image needs judgment rather than a preset.
You can say, “Keep the label sharp, warm up the key light, and put the bottle on a cleaner surface,” then work through versions on the live canvas. ProductStudio handles lifestyle scenes. Exact edits and upscaling are free; other AI follows the image model’s real cost.
Membership is $20/month and adds 2,000 credits. You can start with 300 one-time credits without a card. We don’t sell a public image API, Shopify sync, fashion-model catalog tool, or a human retouching desk.
When Photoroom is the better buy
Photoroom is the better choice if your work starts on an iPhone or Android phone and ends in Shopify. Its core cutout and retouching tools are useful for high-volume catalog work, and Fashion Models are available as a named feature.
Choose it when you need virtual on-model images, video, Brand Kit, 4K output, adjustable shadows, or shared Spaces with up to 50 seats. Just plan around both meters: AI credits for some features and exports for every save.
If your team needs its separate API/MCP setup or enterprise requirements such as SOC 2 Type 2, Photoroom is the more suitable product.
When Photo Speak is the better buy
Photo Speak is the better choice when you want to make the image with someone, not send it through a catalog system.
You get a live canvas for talking through changes, ProductStudio for lifestyle scenes, 2,000 credits for $20/month, and no second export quota on the homepage. Exact edits and upscaling don’t use credits.
I’d pick Photo Speak for a hero product image, a small batch of considered variations, or any brief where the wording matters as much as the first result. I’d pick Photoroom for Shopify sync, mobile catalog production, or a fashion-model pack.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Photoroom background removal use an AI credit?
Its core Background Remover is listed as not using AI credits, within fair use. The saved result still counts as an export.
Why can Photoroom stop my saves when I still have credits?
AI credits and exports are separate limits. On yearly Pro, you get 4,250 AI credits and 1,000 exports per month. When exports reach 100%, Photoroom pauses saving until renewal or an upgrade.
Which Photoroom features use credits?
AI Backgrounds Studio, Relight, Edit with AI, Product & Listing AI, Video Generator, and Virtual or Fashion Models use credits. Core background removal, retouch, product fixing, fill, expand, enhancement, and preset shadows do not, within fair use.
Is Photoroom’s API included in Pro?
No. Photoroom describes API/MCP credits as a separate wallet billed at API rates. Photo Speak does not sell a public image API.
How can I try Photo Speak?
Start with /?signup=1. You get 300 one-time credits with no card. Membership is $20/month for 2,000 credits, with no separate export meter.
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