APITemplate.io vs Carbone

APITemplate.io is a cloud web service for producing PDFs and images from reusable templates or supplied content. JSON data can be merged into templates through JSON or Jinja2 variables. Other inputs include raw HTML and CSS, public URLs rendered with Chromium, and Markdown. Visual WYSIWYG and HTML/CSS editors are available. Generation can run synchronously or asynchronously, with webhooks for asynchronous workflows, plus bulk generation and API access. Integrations include Zapier, Make.com, n8n, Airtable, Bubble.io, Power Automate, Pipedream, Integrately, and UiPath. The service runs on the web and provides email and documentation support. A free plan costs nothing, billed annually, and includes 50 PDFs or images monthly and three templates. Paid annual plans start at $19 a month for PDF Basic, with 3,000 PDFs monthly and 20 templates. Other listed PDF and image-plus-PDF plans provide larger allowances or unlimited templates.

Carbone merges JSON data into document templates to generate files such as PDF, DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX. Templates can use formats including DOCX, ODT, ODS, XLSX, XML, Markdown, and HTML. Its conversion API handles more than 100 formats and supports LibreOffice, OnlyOffice, and Chromium. API access and bulk generation are listed, with Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud, and AWS deployment options. The pricing page lists free Cloud and On-Premise plans, plus a free 30-day trial for self-hosted On-Premise use. Cloud Essential costs $29.00 per month; documents are counted for each 1 MB of injected JSON and images, and additional documents beyond a plan allowance are invoiced separately. Carbone says Cloud stores templates for reuse but does not retain submitted JSON or generated documents beyond what rendering and delivery require. It says it has no access to customer templates, data, or generated documents in on-premise deployments. The service also offers an MCP server and an open-source Carbone Skill for connecting AI assistants and generating templates. Its listed platform options include API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows.