Carbone vs PDF Generator API
Carbone
carbone.io
PDF Generator API
pdfgeneratorapi.comSide by side
| Figure | Carbone | PDF Generator API |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | €6.67/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 18 | 7 |
| Spec score · PDF Creation Software | 9.4 (#1) | 7.9 (#16) |
| Spec score · Document Generation Software | 9.4 (#1) | 7.9 (#16) |
| Spec score · Mail Merge Software | 9.4 (#1) | 7.9 (#15) |
| Spec score · Document Template Management Software | 9.4 (#1) | 7.8 (#16) |
| Headquarters | Bellevigny, France | Tallinn, Estonia |
| Integrations | Official connectors cover Airtable, Bubble, Glide, Make, n8n, Ninox, Retool, Zapier, HubSpot, Odoo, Pipedrive, Salesforce, DocuSign and Subnoto. | Named integrations include Make, n8n, Odoo, Adalo, Airtable, Bubble, Xano, and Zapier. |
| Purpose | Carbone merges JSON data into document templates and generates files such as PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPTX. | PDF Generator API automates high-volume PDF generation from data using document templates. |
| Security | Carbone says its cloud infrastructure is hosted in France by OVHcloud and that it conducts annual security audits. | The vendor states that Actual Reports OÜ is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified and describes the certification as covering its software development and infrastructure management. |
Plans
Carbone
- Cloud FreeFree
- FreeFree
- On-Premise CommunityFree
- On-Premise FreeFree
- Amazon Web Services$0.15, paid once
- Cloud Essential$29 a month
- Essential€29 a month
- Cloud Essential Plus$95 a month
- Essential Plus€95 a month
- Advanced€159 a month
PDF Generator API
- Creator€80 a year
- Low Usage€260 a year
- Starter€520 a year
- Basic€880 a year
- Professional€1,770 a year
- Premium€3,550 a year
- Enterprise€6,208 a year
In their own words
Carbone
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.
PDF Generator API
PDF Generator API automates document creation from templates and data for high-volume PDF workflows. Its WYSIWYG editor supports drag-and-drop layouts, live previews, reusable templates, QR codes, and barcodes. Templates can use expressions, custom HTML and CSS, and data-driven conditions. The REST API merges JSON and other datasets and supports real-time, batch, and asynchronous generation. It also converts HTML and URLs to PDF, fills PDF forms, creates editable web forms, and performs merging, splitting, watermarking, encryption, and compression. Input sources include JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML, URLs, and PDF templates. The API is designed for applications that support HTTP requests, with client libraries listed for PHP, JavaScript, Java, Ruby, Rust, Python, Go, and C#. Deployment can be cloud or self-hosted, with API, web, and self-hosted platforms. Integrations include n8n, Make, Zapier, Bubble, Odoo, Postman, Adalo, Xano, and Airtable. Pricing starts at €80/yr, with a 14-day trial and no free plan.