HTML PDF API vs PDFMonkey
HTML PDF API
htmlpdfapi.com
PDFMonkey
pdfmonkey.ioSide by side
| Figure | HTML PDF API | PDFMonkey |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | €5/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 12 |
| Spec score · PDF Creation Software | 7.4 (#25) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Spec score · HTML to PDF APIs | 7.4 (#31) | 8.5 (#3) |
| API | Its REST API is language agnostic and can be integrated with programming languages that support HTTP requests. | The REST API uses Bearer authentication and exposes CRUD operations for documents and templates, with examples in curl, Ruby, Node.js, Python, and PHP. |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud |
| Integrations | The maker describes integration through HTTP requests and does not name specific third-party integrations on the pages reviewed. | Official integrations and connectors include Zapier, Make, n8n, Workato, Bubble, Glide and InvoiceBerry. |
| Key features | Generate PDFs from webpage URLs, HTML strings, or HTML files · Convert compressed archives containing HTML and related resources · Configure page sizes, orientation, and margins · Add custom HTML headers and footers with page variables · Enable JavaScript execution and control its delay · Upload and manage reusable remote assets · Generate PDFs asynchronously and deliver them to a callback URL · Configure PDF outlines, backgrounds, and internal or external links | Browser-based PDF template editor · JSON data merge into templates · REST API for document generation · Bulk document generation from datasets · Reusable templates with versioning · Downloadable generated PDF files |
| Rendering | The maker says the conversion engine uses wkhtmltopdf and supports full CSS2, partial CSS3, and JavaScript. | PDF files are rendered in a Chrome-based browser, supporting HTML, CSS, JavaScript, external fonts, images, charts and other web technologies. |
| Rendering engine | The service uses wkhtmltopdf, based on the WebKit browser engine. | The current rendering engine is Chrome-based v5 using Chrome 133, with older v4, v3, and v2 engines also available. |
| Support | The maker says it offers support with API use and CSS or HTML code; its privacy policy lists [email protected] for help with personal data. | Support is provided through in-app chat and [email protected], with typical replies within a few hours during Central European business hours. |
| Support | docs | |
| What it does | HTML PDF API is a cloud service for converting HTML to PDF using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. | PDFMonkey turns JSON data and reusable templates into PDF or image documents through a web dashboard, REST API, or no-code integrations. |
Plans
PDFMonkey
- 30-day TrialFree
- 30-day TrialFree
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Starter€5 a month
- Starter€5 a month
- Pro€15 a month
- Pro€15 a month
- Pro+€60 a month
- Pro+€60 a month
In their own words
HTML PDF API
HTML PDF API has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
PDFMonkey
PDFMonkey is a cloud document-generation API that turns templates and dynamic data into files. Templates can be built in a visual drag-and-drop editor or written in HTML, CSS, and Liquid; JSON data can be sent through the REST API to generate documents. Its Chrome-based renderer supports JavaScript, external fonts, images, charts, and other web technologies. Outputs include PDF, PNG, WebP, and JPG, and bulk generation from datasets is supported. Connectors include Zapier, Make, n8n, Workato, Bubble, Glide, and InvoiceBerry; developer tools include Ruby and Node.js SDKs and webhooks. API traffic uses HTTPS/TLS, dynamic data is stored in encrypted database columns, and generated files are kept in private S3 buckets with one-hour presigned URLs. PDFMonkey states that it has no formal SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification. The free plan allows 20 documents per month with one-day retention and a 30-second generation limit, and excludes external images, fonts, CSS, and JavaScript. Paid plans start at €5/mo.