Anyone who has had a camera at one time or another has had the problem of people or objects suddenly straying onto their shots. Everything can happen when taking a photo, from a family members’ floating hand appearing on a corner to a badly placed chair taking attention away from your subjects. Powerful programs and photo editing apps like Adobe Premiere Rush have been made for those kinds of problems. But what about photo watermarks? Similar to specialized photo background remover apps, both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store have their own list just for that. To help you sort it out, here’s our list for those looking for the best watermark remover app!
Inside This Article
What Are Watermarks?
First of all, what are watermarks? Watermarks are semi-transparent images, logos, or text covering all or part of photos. These watermarks are used by photographers, journalists, bloggers, and other online content creators to log and receive credit for their work and to advertise their expertise. Having watermarks is also a way to declare that a specific image or set of images is registered under copyright to the creator.
Are They Legal to Remove?
So are they legal to remove? Generally, the answer is no. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) passed in 1998 amended the Copyright Act of 1976. Among the changes made by the DMCA is Section 1202 (b), which, states “No person shall, without the authority of the copyright owner or the law intentionally remove or alter any copyright management information.”
However, there are three specific instances where removing watermarks is legal. First, you own the copyrighted work or have permission from the owner to edit the photo. Second, the copyright of a photo or work is in a legal gray area. And third, you have a valid and a legal fair use reason for removing the watermark.
DisclaimerThis information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the use of watermark remover apps for illicit and illegal purposes described under DMCA Section 1202 (b). Those found editing or removing watermarks from properly copyrighted works are liable to pay fines starting from $2,500 to $25,000 in addition to attorney fees and damages sustained by the infringement as stated in the Civil Remedies part of DMCA Section 1203 (c).
11 Best Watermark Remover Apps
For those of you who do have legal reasons to use a watermark remover app, here’s our list of the top 11 apps available for iPhone or Android smartphones!
1. Remove Unwanted Object
Developer: BG.Studio
Platform: Android
Price: Free
A simple and easy-to-use app, Remove Unwanted Object is the first on our list as our choice for the best watermark remover app. Aside from watermarks, this app can also remove people, stamps, objects, and other hindrances from photos.
To use this app, after downloading, just do the following:
1. Take a photo or choose one to edit from your gallery.
2. Select the watermark to remove using the brush or lasso tool.
3. Click “Process.”
4. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get Remove Unwanted Object on the Google Play Store
2. PicLab
Developer: We Heart It on Android, Super Basic on iOS
Platform: Android and iOS
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Another general object removal and watermark remover app, PicLab, is available on both Android and iOS platforms. PicLab also removes more than just watermarks. It can also handle adding stickers, filters, and photo overlays. Since our first pick is available only on Android, PicLab is our suggested app for those on iOS.
To use this app, after downloading, just do the following:
1. Take a photo or choose one to edit from your gallery.
2. Select the marker tool and choose which parts to remove.
3. Press erase.
4. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get PicLab on the Google Play Store
Get PicLab on the Apple App Store
3. Photo Retouch – Object Removal
Developer: Shenzhen Leyuan Shentu Technology Co., Ltd
Platform: Android and iOS
Price: Free with in-app purchases
A multi-purpose photo and video editing app, Photo Retouch is a versatile tool. You can remove watermarks from both photos and videos, as well as pimples, blemishes, and other hindrances to your photos.
To use this app after downloading, just do the following:
1. Choose a picture from your camera roll or take a new one.
2. Select and highlight the area and objects you’d like the app to remove.
3. Press the “process” button and wait for it to finish.
4. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get Photo Retouch – Object Removal on the Google Play Store
Get Photo Retouch – Object Removal on the Apple App Store
4. ToolWiz Photos
Developer: Toolwiz.com on Android; Nanjing Guiji Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. on iOS
Platform: Android and iOS
Price: Free with in-app purchases
ToolWiz Photos is a full and free all-in-one photo editing suite that can handle almost any photo editing request. With more than 40 filters, blending mixers, art effects, HDR capability, and AI-guided blurs, selfie, and face polish features, you’ll find ToolWiz to be more than just a watermark remover app.
To use this app, after downloading, just do the following:
1. Choose a picture from your camera roll or take a new one.
2. Using the healing tool, select and highlight the area and objects you’d like the app to remove.
3. Press the “check” button and wait for it to finish.
4. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get ToolWiz Photos on the Google Play Store
Get ToolWiz Photos on the Apple App Store
5. AirBrush
Developer: Pixocial Technology Singapore Pte Ltd
Platform: Android and iOS
Price: Free with in-app purchases
AirBrush is another advanced photo editing program that you can use to remove watermarks. Aside from that, AirBrush also specializes in editing selfies with its AI-assisted filters, acne remover, digital concealer, and hairstyle changer.
To remove watermarks from photos using this app, just do the following:
1. Choose a picture from your library or take a new one.
2. Using the healing tool from the “Retouch” tab, select and highlight the watermark and double click the areas you want to change.
3. Do this until all of the watermarks are removed or changed.
4. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get AirBrush on the Google Play Store
Get AirBrush on the Apple App Store
6. TouchRetouch
Developer: ADVA Soft
Platform: Android and iOS
Price: $1.99
TouchRetouch has several major features, but the most prominent one is its object removal feature. This lets you remove overhead electric wires, mailboxes, and of course, watermarks. Other features installed in TouchRetouch include the clone stamp tool, a undo/redo function, and quick photo repair.
To use this app, after downloading, just do the following:
1. Choose a picture from your library or take a new one.
2. Using the healing tool from the “Retouch” tab, select and highlight the watermark and double click the areas you want to change.
3. Do this until all of the watermarks are removed or changed.
4. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
For a complete feature walkthrough of the app, we have a more in-depth review of TouchRetouch.
Get TouchRetouch on the Google Play Store
Get TouchRetouch on the Apple App Store
7. Remove & Add Watermark
Developer: Water Inc.
Platform: Android
Price: Free with in-app purchases
An app with a rather generic-looking user interface, Remove Objects actually does what it says on the tin. Specifically made to be a watermark remover app, this program is useful when you’re working on photos and videos.
To use this app as a watermark remover, just do the following:
1. Choose a picture from your library or take a new one.
2. Using the healing tool from the “Retouch” tab, select and highlight the watermark and double-click the areas you want to change.
3. Do this until all of the watermarks are removed or changed.
4. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get Remove & Add Watermark on the Google Play Store
8. Remove Object from Photo
Developer: Pixel Retouch Studio
Platform: Android
Price: Free
Remove Object from Photo is a good alternative to our first choice of watermark remover app, Remove Unwanted Object. Both apps have a simple and easy user interface that specializes in object and watermark removal. Remove Object from Photo has only three tools: object removal, quick remove, and clone stamp, which could all be used to remove a watermark. A serious downside to this app is the large amount of full-screen video ads that pop up every few seconds. Despite that, this is a decent app to use.
To remove a watermark using this app, just do the following:
1. Click the plus icon on the bottom.
2. Select one of the three options.
3. Select a photo to edit from your gallery.
4. Use the brush tool to select the watermark to remove.
5. Press go and click “next” in the upper-right corner.
6. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get Remove Object from Photo on the Google Play Store
9. Picsart
Developer: PicsArt, Inc.
Platform: Android and iOS
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Picsart is another multi-use photo and video editing app used by over 150 million people worldwide. Focusing on its photo editor, it has several useful features like photo filters, a background eraser, an object removal tool, stickers, and AI-powered blur. Since we’re looking for a watermark remover app, you’ll need to use the background eraser and object removal tools instead. A downside of the app’s free version, ironically, is it adds a Picsart watermark on photos that you edit. To avoid this, can get Picsart Gold for just $11.99 a month or $59.99 annually.
Just do the following when erasing a watermark using this app:
1. Choose which photo to edit.
2. Select “Tools” from the bottom options ribbon.
3. Choose a “remove” to edit your photo.
4. Highlight the watermark to remove.
5. Press “Remove” and wait for it to finish.
6. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get Picsart on the Google Play Store
Get Picsart on the Apple App Store
10. Background Eraser – Watermark Remover/ Photo Editor
Developer: MengYa Apps
Platform: Android
Price: Free
Background Eraser is another Android app that specifically removes backgrounds and watermarks. Google Play Store has a lot of similarly named apps, but out of them, the one from MengYa Apps seems to be the most effective.
To use this app to remove watermarks, just do the following:
1. Click Image Watermarking.
2. Choose which photo to edit.
3. Select “Box to Watermark” and place the watermark in the selection.
4. Press the check on the upper right side and wait for it to finish.
5. Save the now edited photo to your phone!
Get Background Eraser on the Google Play Store
11. Fotogenic: Photo Editor
Developer: Best Photo Editing Apps on Android; Huseyin Ekmekci on iOS
Platform: Android and iOS
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Fotogenic, an app made to make you more “photogenic”, is a photo editing app that focuses on simplicity and tools that help beautify yourself in photos. Its features include adding captions, speech bubbles, mosaics, blur, and lens flare. Among these options, you can use the patch and clone tool to cover up most watermarks. To use the patch and clone tool, though, you’ll need to buy the pro version of the app for $6.99.
To use this app for the removal of watermarks, just do the following:
1. Choose a photo from the photo gallery or take a photo.
2. Click the patch and clone tool.
3. Select and edit the watermark until it is fully removed.
4. Save the edited photo to your device.
Get Fotogenic: Photo Editor on the Google Play Store
Get Fotogenic: Photo Editor on the Apple App Store
Alternative for PC: SoftOrbits Photo Stamp Remover
Not always is it convenient to use mobile apps. We have specially prepared an alternative for you, a watermark remover program for PC.
SoftOrbits Photo Stamp Remover is a tool to erase watermarks, timestamps, and other unwanted objects from photographs. It employs intelligent restoration technology to fill the selected area with the texture generated from the pixels around the selection, creating a seamless blend with the rest of the image. The selection can be saved as a PNG mask or opened from a PNG selection mask.
This program can help you achieve in a minute what would take hours to do with the clone tool.
Getting the Best Photos
And that finishes off our list of the best watermark remover apps! We hope you found at least one of these programs to be useful. You should know that watermark removing isn’t the limit of photo editing on Android and iOS devices, though. You can also unblur an image or make photo collages among other things. Aside from photo editors, there are also video enhancers and video editors apps for your videos. For professionals wanting to get the best shot, you should upgrade to specially made best camera phones.
