CraftMyPDF vs PDF API
CraftMyPDF
craftmypdf.comPDF API
pdfapi.devSide by side
| Figure | CraftMyPDF | PDF API |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $29/mo | €15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 8 |
| Spec score · HTML to PDF APIs | 9.0 (#1) | 8.1 (#14) |
| Spec score · PDF API Software | 9.0 (#2) | 8.1 (#15) |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud |
| Key features | Visual drag-and-drop PDF template editor · Variable and record data merging into templates · REST API for programmatic PDF generation · Bulk generation from datasets · Reusable templates and document management · Workflow automation integrations · PDF forms with fillable fields | HTML and CSS to PDF rendering · Raw HTML or saved-template rendering · JSON data injection with Handlebars-style variables · Configurable page size, orientation, margins, headers, and footers · Temporary, time-limited PDF download URLs · Reusable templates stored in the dashboard · Sandbox mode for testing and CI/CD · Webhooks for PDF generation, deletion, and quota events |
| Support | The pricing page says the team usually replies to email inquiries within 24 hours, with live chat and priority support available on paid plans. | Free includes community support, Starter standard email support, Pro priority email support, and Scale premium SLA and onboarding. |
| Support | docs | email, community, docs |
| Use cases | The maker lists invoices, reports, certificates, quotes and proposals, contracts, tickets, passes, labels, and delivery documents as use cases. | The site lists invoices and receipts, contracts and NDAs, financial reports, shipping labels, and tickets as document use cases. |
Plans
CraftMyPDF
- FreeFree
- Lite$29 a month
- Plus$49 a month
- Professional$99 a month
- Premium$299 a month
- Business$499 a month
PDF API
- FreeFree
- Starter€15 a month
- Starter€190 a year
- Pro€82 a month
- Pro€990 a year
- Scale€249 a month
- Scale€2,990 a year
- FreeFree
In their own words
CraftMyPDF
CraftMyPDF is a cloud service for designing reusable templates and generating PDFs or images from dynamic data. Its browser-based drag-and-drop editor supports text, images, QR codes, barcodes, shapes, tables, charts and other elements. Templates can take JSON, CSV or connected workflow data, with built-in expressions and custom JavaScript functions for formatting and calculations. The editor also creates fillable PDFs with text fields, dropdowns, option lists, checkboxes, radio buttons and signature fields. AI and computer vision can detect fields in uploaded PDFs and prepare them for data mapping. Documents can be generated in bulk, through no-code automation integrations or through a REST API. Listed integrations include Zapier, Make.com, Bubble.io, Backendless, HubSpot, FlutterFlow, n8n and Coda.io. Regional rendering endpoints are offered in the US, Europe, Singapore and Australia. CraftMyPDF says it completed a SOC 2 Type II audit. The free plan includes 50 PDFs or images per month and three templates; paid plans start at $29/mo. Each PDF uses one credit regardless of page count, and unused monthly credits do not roll over.
PDF API
PDF API converts HTML templates and JSON data into PDFs through a cloud REST API. Developers can submit raw HTML or reuse dashboard templates with Handlebars-style variables, loops, and conditionals. Page size, orientation, margins, headers, and footers are configurable, while Chromium rendering supports modern CSS including Flexbox, Grid, and custom properties. Listed uses include invoices, receipts, contracts, financial reports, shipping labels, and tickets. The maker says a persistent Chromium pool and Rust backend generate documents in under 300ms. Webhooks report generation, deletion, and approaching quota limits, with authenticity checked through the X-PDF-Signature header. Generated files use temporary URLs and are removed when a URL expires, by default after 24 hours, or when deleted. Sandbox requests do not count toward quota, but sandbox files are watermarked and purged after one hour. The service is EU-hosted and GDPR compliant. Plans include Free at free for 500 PDFs monthly and paid plans from €15/mo.