Hotpot.ai is still online and still adding tools. It bundles an AI image generator with art, anime, character and logo modes, an AI video generator, AI headshots, a photo upscaler, colourizer, restorer and background remover, and a free template editor for app store screenshots and social banners. Panabee, LLC runs it.
The Hotpot pricing page sells pay-once credit packs, from $12 for 1,000 credits up to $240 for 20,000, plus subscriptions billed monthly or yearly. Hotpot covers many small jobs at once, so the alternatives below are grouped by job: design and generation first, then photo fixes, then pure image models.
Prices below are as of November 6, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | Templates plus AI images in one editor | Free; Pro from about $120/year in the US | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| Adobe Firefly | AI generation that feeds into Adobe apps | Free daily limits; Standard $9.99/month | Web, iOS, Android |
| Ideogram | Logos and images with readable text | Free weekly credits; Plus $15/month | Web, iOS |
| Clipdrop | Free background removal, upscaling and cleanup | Free 20 a day; Pro price not published | Web, API |
| Photoroom | Product photos for online stores | Pro $7.50/month billed yearly | Web, iOS, Android |
| Midjourney | The most artistic image generation | From $8/month billed yearly | Web, Discord |
| Pixlr | A cheap photo editor with AI credits | From $1.99/month billed yearly | Web, desktop, mobile |
Canva
Canva is the best single replacement for Hotpot's mix of templates and AI. Its editor covers social banners, app screenshots and ads, and its Magic Studio tools generate images, remove backgrounds and expand photos inside the same design. remove.bg is moving its background removal service into Canva after its standalone website closes on December 1, 2026.
Pro's price varies by country and changes often, from about $120 a year in the US, so check the Canva pricing page for your region. Business costs $25 a month or about $250 a year, and the free plan now allows up to 20 Standard or Premium AI uses.
Best for: Marketers who make finished graphics, not just raw AI images.
Pricing:
- Free: up to 20 Standard or Premium AI uses
- Pro: price varies by country and changes often; check canva.com/pricing (from about $120 a year in the US)
- Business: $25/month or about $250/year per person
- Enterprise: contact sales
Watch out for:
- The free AI allowance was cut in September 2026, so regular AI use means paying for Pro.
Official site: Canva.
Adobe Firefly
Firefly is Adobe's image and video generator. Its main advantage over Hotpot is where the output goes: it plugs into Photoshop and Adobe Express, so a generated image can drop straight into a layered design instead of being downloaded and re-uploaded.
The Firefly plans page lists a free tier with limits that refresh daily, then Standard at $9.99 a month for 2,000 generative credits, Pro at $19.99 for 4,000, Pro Plus at $49.99 for 10,000 and Premium at $199.99 for 50,000.
Best for: Designers who already use Adobe apps and want generation built in.
Pricing:
- Free: daily limits
- Standard: $9.99/month, 2,000 credits
- Pro: $19.99/month, 4,000 credits
- Pro Plus: $49.99/month, 10,000 credits
- Premium: $199.99/month, 50,000 credits
Watch out for:
- Free generations are limited, and individual plans are billed monthly.
Official site: Adobe Firefly.
Ideogram
Hotpot has a logo mode, but lettering is where many image generators fail. Ideogram built its reputation on rendering readable text inside images, which makes it the pick for logos, posters, thumbnails and mock product labels.
The Ideogram pricing page lists a free plan with weekly slow credits, Plus at $15 a month with 1,000 priority credits, Pro at $42 a month or $504 billed annually with 3,500 credits, and Team at $20 per user a month billed annually for at least two users.
Best for: Anyone generating logos, posters or social images that include words.
Pricing:
- Free: weekly slow credits for eligible accounts
- Plus: $15/month, 1,000 priority credits
- Pro: $42/month, $504 billed annually, 3,500 priority credits
- Team: $20/user/month billed annually, minimum 2 users
Watch out for:
- Free weekly credits go only to eligible accounts that sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft, and the amount may vary.
Official site: Ideogram.
Clipdrop
For Hotpot's photo-fix tools, Clipdrop is the cleanest swap. It has background removal, an upscaler, cleanup for removing objects, relighting, text removal, uncrop and replace background, each as a single-purpose tool that loads fast.
The free tier is generous. The Clipdrop pricing page allows 20 background removals, 20 2x upscales, 20 cleanups and 50 text removals every 24 hours. Pro raises each tool to 1,000 a day, adds 16x upscaling and high-resolution cutouts, and skips the queue.
Best for: Quick background removal, upscaling and object cleanup without a subscription.
Pricing:
- Free: 20 per 24 hours for most tools, 50 for text removal
- Pro: 1,000 per tool per 24 hours; price not published
- API: usage-based
Watch out for:
- The Pro price is not published, and its newest models are offered through Jasper, which now runs the service.
Official site: Clipdrop.
Photoroom
Sellers who used Hotpot to cut out product shots should look at Photoroom. It removes backgrounds, places the product on generated scenes and shadows, and processes images in batches, which matters when you list hundreds of items.
The Photoroom pricing page lists Pro at $7.50 a month billed yearly with 1,000 exports and 8,000 AI credits a month, Max at $20.99 with 3,000 exports, and Ultra at $82.50 with 10,000.
Best for: Online stores and resellers who need consistent product photos in bulk.
Pricing:
- Pro: $7.50/month billed yearly, 1,000 exports, 8,000 AI credits
- Max: $20.99/month billed yearly, 3,000 exports
- Ultra: $82.50/month billed yearly, 10,000 exports
- Enterprise: custom
Watch out for:
- Exports beyond your monthly limit pause until the next billing cycle, per the pricing page.
Official site: Photoroom.
Midjourney
Midjourney is the pick when the image itself is the product. Its output has a stronger artistic style than Hotpot's art generator, and it has tools for variations, style references and upscales on its web app and in Discord.
The Midjourney plans page lists Basic at $10 a month or $8 billed yearly, Standard at $30 or $24, Pro at $60 or $48 and Mega at $120 or $96. Extra fast GPU time costs $4 an hour.
Best for: Illustrators and concept artists who care most about image quality.
Pricing:
- Basic: $10/month, or $8/month billed annually
- Standard: $30/month, or $24/month billed annually
- Pro: $60/month, or $48/month billed annually
- Mega: $120/month, or $96/month billed annually
Watch out for:
- There is no free plan, and it does not do headshots, colourizing or restoration, so it replaces only Hotpot's art generator.
Official site: Midjourney.
Pixlr
Pixlr suits people who want generation and a real editor in one cheap plan. You get layers and adjustments in the browser plus AI tools for generative fill, background removal and image generation, and it also runs on desktop and phones.
On the Pixlr pricing page, Plus costs $1.99 a month billed yearly or $2.49 monthly with 80 AI credits, and Premium costs $7.99 or $9.99 with 1,000 credits.
Best for: Budget users who edit photos and only need a few AI generations a month.
Pricing:
- Plus: $2.49/month, or $1.99/month billed yearly (80 AI credits)
- Premium: $9.99/month, or $7.99/month billed yearly (1,000 credits)
- Ultra: from $24.99/month, or $19.99/month billed yearly
Watch out for:
- No free plan is listed, and 80 credits on Plus goes fast if you generate images often.
Official site: Pixlr.
How to choose
| If you need | Pick |
|---|---|
| Finished social graphics with AI inside | Canva |
| Generated images that go straight into Photoshop | Adobe Firefly |
| A logo or poster with readable text | Ideogram |
| Free background removal and upscaling | Clipdrop |
| Product photos in bulk | Photoroom |
| The most striking AI art | Midjourney |
| A cheap editor with some AI credits | Pixlr |
When to stay with Hotpot.ai
Stay with Hotpot if you use many of its small tools now and then. Its credit packs never need a subscription, so 1,000 credits for $12 can last months, and the 5,000-credit pack adds two free AI headshot packs. Few other services put headshots, colourizing, restoration and an art generator under one balance.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hotpot AI free?
Partly. The Designs template editor is free, while most AI tools use credits. Credits come in one-time packs from $12 for 1,000, or through subscriptions billed monthly or yearly on the Hotpot pricing page.
Is Hotpot.ai still working?
Yes. The site is live with a 2026 copyright from Panabee, LLC, and it carries new seasonal collections and an AI video generator alongside the older image tools.
What can I use instead of remove.bg?
remove.bg's standalone website closes on December 1, 2026 at 9:00am CET, and its background removal moves into Canva, per the remove.bg pricing page. Clipdrop gives 20 free removals a day, and Photoroom is built for product cutouts.
What is the best free AI image generator?
For free use, Adobe Firefly and Ideogram are the strongest. Firefly's free limits refresh daily and Ideogram gives weekly credits to eligible accounts. Canva's free plan allows up to 20 AI uses. Midjourney has no free plan.
