Anvil PDF Generation API vs WeasyPrint
Anvil PDF Generation API
useanvil.comWeasyPrint
weasyprint.orgSide by side
| Figure | Anvil PDF Generation API | WeasyPrint |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $99/mo | €12.50/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 4 |
| Spec score · PDF Creation Software | 8.6 (#3) | 7.8 (#17) |
| Integrations | Zapier | The documentation describes use as a Python library and lists community-maintained Docker images and an AWS Lambda layer. |
| Intended users | The product is presented as an API for developers and agents, and the pricing page describes the AI Pack for technical teams working with high PDF volumes. | The maker describes WeasyPrint as a solution for web developers and shows document examples including statistical reports and invoices. |
| Security | Anvil says it encrypts signed documents with a 2048 RSA private key stored in a secure Hardware Security Module, which its developers cannot access. | The documentation warns that using WeasyPrint with untrusted HTML or CSS may cause security problems. |
| Support | Standard support is available by email at [email protected], while the pricing page lists priority support for Enterprise. | CourtBouillon offers professional assistance with WeasyPrint use, configuration, integration, bug fixes, new features, and templating. |
Plans
Anvil PDF Generation API
- FreeFree
- AI Pack$99 a month
- Product Pack$425 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
- PDF fill / generation over API$0.10, paid once
WeasyPrint
- Free and open sourceFree
- Basic consulting€150 a year
- Essential consulting€350 a year
- Premium consulting€550 a year
In their own words
Anvil PDF Generation API
Anvil PDF Generation API creates PDFs on demand from HTML and CSS or Markdown. For HTML, it supports full CSS, custom TTF fonts, page dimensions and margins, headers and footers, page numbers, and fillable forms. Markdown conversion applies a default theme, and callers can provide CSS of their own. The API can also generate variable-length documents and merge data into PDFs. Anvil lists SDKs for C#/.NET, JavaScript, Python, and TypeScript; Go, Java, PHP, and Ruby are marked as coming soon. A Zapier integration can automate paperwork workflows, including filling a PDF or starting or pre-filling a Workflow. It is a cloud service with API and web access, email support, and listed SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance. Test mode is free and unlimited on every plan, though test documents are watermarked and use demo signatures. API PDF fill or generation costs $0.10 per use; enabling metered usage with a valid credit card provides 2,500 starter credits. The Free plan is free and UI-only; API key access requires a credit card or upgrade. Custom fonts must be TTF; OTF and WOFF are not supported.
WeasyPrint
WeasyPrint is free, open-source software for web developers who create PDFs from HTML. Its Python library can turn HTML objects into PDF files with `HTML.write_pdf()`, while the command-line interface offers PDF variants including PDF/A, PDF/UA, and PDF/X. Inputs include HTML, CSS, local files, URLs, file objects, HTML strings, raster images, and SVG. Sample output types include reports, invoices, tickets, books, letters, and posters. WeasyPrint supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted deployment; its documentation also describes community-maintained Docker images and an AWS Lambda layer. It can create fillable forms and provides an API. The default HTTP client does not handle cookies or authentication, although a custom URL fetcher can be used. The documentation cautions that untrusted HTML or CSS can create security problems. Version 70.0 requires Python 3.10 or later and Pango 1.44 or later, among other dependencies. The software was created and developed by Kozea; CourtBouillon provides professional support and maintenance.