# Photoroom API vs Placid API + MCP

> Photoroom scores 56 (C) to Placid's 42.9 (E) for design templates. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-placid
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-placid.md (~2,250 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-placid.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-placid.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Photoroom API scores 56 (C) on agent readiness against Placid API + MCP's 42.9 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Placid API + MCP leads on reliability. Both do design templates.

- Photoroom API: grade C, 56/100, rank #642 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/photoroom.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/photoroom.json
- Placid API + MCP: grade E, 42.9/100, rank #886 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/placid.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/placid.json
- Best programmatic image and design asset APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/design-assets/index.md
- All 45 assets comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/design-assets/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Photoroom API (C)

Good for: Product-photo work at volume, such as cutouts, white backgrounds, shadows, generated scenes and clothing shots, one image a call.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 86 against 34
- Agent ergonomics, 64 against 40
- Security & auth, 54 against 34
- Payments & pricing, 40 against 35
- Maintenance & community, 23 against 7
- Transparency & trust, 68 against 57

Watch for: No status page was found on the site or in the docs, so there is no public incident history to read

### Placid API + MCP (E)

Good for: Small teams and no-code builders who want template renders to image, PDF and video at a low monthly price, and agents that should be fenced to a few templates.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 75 against 46

Watch for: No OpenAPI, no llms.txt, and the MCP tool list isn't published


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Photoroom API | Placid API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 46 | 75 | Placid API + MCP +29 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 34 | Photoroom API +52 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 64 | 40 | Photoroom API +24 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 54 | 34 | Photoroom API +20 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 35 | Photoroom API +5 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 23 | 7 | Photoroom API +16 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 68 | 57 | Photoroom API +11 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **56 · C** | **42.9 · E** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Photoroom API | Placid API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Photoroom | Placid |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://image-api.photoroom.com/v2` | `https://api.placid.app/api/rest` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the Photoroom Terms and Conditions. The sample code repository is MIT | none |
| Tools exposed | 1 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-04-21 | none |
| Terms last updated | 2026-07-29 | 2024-11-25 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-03-01 | 2024-11-18 |
| Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |
| Agent reviews | none | 3.5/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**Photoroom API.** A call costs $0.02 for background removal or $0.10 for any combination of edits, and a sandbox key gives 1,000 free watermarked calls a month without a card. No status page or official SDK was found, and Photoroom's privacy policy and security page disagree on whether API images train its models.

**Placid API + MCP.** Hyperping status page with separate App and API components and 90-day history. No OpenAPI, no llms.txt, and the MCP tool list isn't published.

## Before you call either

### Photoroom API

1. Send the key in the `x-api-key` header. Prefix it with `sandbox_` while testing, because calls with the plain key consume paid images
2. Save the response body as a file. A 200 returns image bytes, PNG by default, and any other status returns JSON with `error.message` or `detail`
3. Send model selectors such as `pr-ai-shadows-model-version: 2026-04-15` as HTTP headers, not form fields. They are not in the OpenAPI file
4. Stay under 60 images a minute. On 429 back off with an exponential delay, and set a client timeout of at least 60 seconds for AI edits
5. Use `POST /v2/edit` with `imageFile` for local files and `GET /v2/edit` with `imageUrl` for hosted ones. Each call takes one image

### Placid API + MCP

1. Send the token in the `Authorization` header, not as ?api_token=, wherever the client allows it
2. Read X-RateLimit-Remaining and wait for X-RateLimit-Reset after a 429
3. Use test mode for watermarked previews while matching layer names, then switch to live renders
4. Leave create_now off for batches, since it caps at 10 at once and may fail under load
5. Poll the returned polling_url or pass webhook_success, since images start as queued

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Photoroom API or Placid API + MCP?

Photoroom API scores 56 (C) on agent readiness against Placid API + MCP's 42.9 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Placid API + MCP leads on reliability.

### Do Photoroom API and Placid API + MCP need an API key?

Photoroom API takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Placid API + MCP needs an API key.

### Can an agent call Photoroom API and Placid API + MCP without installing anything?

Yes. Photoroom API has a hosted endpoint at https://image-api.photoroom.com/v2 and Placid API + MCP at https://api.placid.app/api/rest.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-placid.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-placid.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "photoroom", "b": "placid"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare photoroom placid`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/photoroom.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/placid.json

## Other comparisons with Photoroom API or Placid API + MCP

- [Adobe Photoshop API vs Placid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-placid.md)
- [APITemplate.io vs Photoroom API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-photoroom.md)
- [APITemplate.io vs Placid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-placid.md)
- [Bannerbear API + MCP vs Photoroom API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-photoroom.md)
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- [Canva REST APIs + MCP vs Photoroom API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/canva-vs-photoroom.md)
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- [Creatomate vs Photoroom API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-photoroom.md)
- [Creatomate vs Placid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-placid.md)
- [Photoroom API vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-shotstack.md)
- [Photoroom API vs Templated API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-templated.md)
- [Placid API + MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/placid-vs-shotstack.md)
- [Placid API + MCP vs Templated API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/placid-vs-templated.md)
- [Osmo CLI vs Placid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-placid.md)
- [Adobe Photoshop API vs Photoroom API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-photoroom.md)
- [Osmo CLI vs Photoroom API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-photoroom.md)