SAM 2
Segment Anything for images and video, with object tracking.
- Stars
- 20K
- Forks
- 2.6K
- Open issues
- 488
- Last commit
- 2026-05-30
Live from the GitHub API · updated 2026-10-15
What is SAM 2?
SAM 2 extends Segment Anything to video: prompt an object once and it is tracked and masked across frames. It is faster than SAM on images and is used for rotoscoping and video editing pipelines.
Key features
- Promptable image and video segmentation
- Object tracking across frames
- Multiple model sizes
System requirements
- Platforms
- Linux · Windows · macOS
- GPU
- NVIDIA recommended
- Python
- 3.10+
- Notes
- PyTorch 2.5.1+ per the README.
How to install SAM 2
Summarized from the project’s README. Projects change quickly — check the GitHub page for the latest instructions.
From source
- 1Clone and install.
git clone https://github.com/facebookresearch/sam2.git cd sam2 pip install -e . - 2Download checkpoints.
cd checkpoints && ./download_ckpts.sh
Strengths
- Works on video
- Faster than SAM
Limitations
- Developer-oriented
SAM 2 alternatives compared
| Software | Stars | License | Platforms | VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAM 2 Segment Anything for images and video, with object tracking. | 20K | Apache-2.0 | — | |
| Segment Anything (SAM) Meta’s promptable segmentation model — click to cut out any object. | 55K | Apache-2.0 | — | |
| BiRefNet High-resolution dichotomous segmentation — state-of-the-art background removal. | 4.3K | MIT | — | |
| Upscayl Free desktop app that upscales images with AI. | 50.6K | AGPL-3.0 | — | |
| Real-ESRGAN Practical image and video super-resolution models. | 37.1K | BSD-3-Clause | — | |
| GFPGAN Blind face restoration for old and low-quality photos. | 37.7K | Apache-2.0 | — |
FAQ
Is SAM 2 free?
Yes — SAM 2 is open-source software released under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license (and any model weight licenses) before commercial use.
Does SAM 2 run on Windows, Mac and Linux?
SAM 2 supports: Linux, Windows, macOS.
What hardware do I need for SAM 2?
NVIDIA recommended
How do I install SAM 2?
1. Clone and install. 2. Download checkpoints.
What are the best SAM 2 alternatives?
Popular alternatives include Segment Anything (SAM), BiRefNet, Upscayl, Real-ESRGAN. See the comparison table on this page.
Can I use SAM 2 online without installing it?
If you just want results, AiLoft runs top image models such as GPT Image 2.5 and Nano Banana Pro in the browser — no GPU or setup required.
Skip the install — generate images in your browser
No GPU, drivers or Python needed. Use GPT Image 2.5 and Nano Banana Pro online and compare them side by side.