PlainMerge vs Text Control ReportingCloud

PlainMerge creates batches of personalized PDFs by combining a PDF template with rows from an Excel spreadsheet. Users can drag spreadsheet headers into positions on a template or match them to native PDF form fields. The app supports native forms, custom fonts, multi-page PDFs, and QR code rendering, and accepts.xlsx,.xls, and.ods files. Outputs can be personalized PDFs, emails with PDF attachments, or both. Its desktop app works offline on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The maker also links to Mergram, a browser-based PDF merging service that requires no installation. PlainMerge is described as open source, and its GitHub repository displays an AGPL-3.0 license. The PlainMerge plan costs $59 as a one-time purchase as a one-time fee. There is no free plan, though the maker offers a trial version for personal use without stating its duration. Support is available by email and GitHub Discussions. The privacy policy says personal information is collected when provided through support email and may be retained indefinitely, including in backups; the product page says purchases are not refundable.

Text Control ReportingCloud is a developer-focused Web API for generating documents from Microsoft Word-compatible templates and JSON data sent through HTTP requests. It can produce PDF, Word-compatible, and HTML documents, including invoices, contracts, and quotes. Users can create and edit templates in an online WYSIWYG editor; a portal manages templates and data-source excerpt files and shows activity, service status, and quota use. Client options include.NET, JavaScript, PHP, Node.JS, jQuery, Python, Android, Java, and iOS. Merge, FindAndReplace, and Convert calls count toward the monthly document quota, and plans also cap stored templates. Basic is $39 a month for 10 templates and 300 documents; Standard is $69 a month for 20 templates and 1,000 documents; Premium is $109 a month for 100 templates and 20,000 documents; Extreme is $169 a month for 500 templates and 100,000 documents. There is no free plan; a free 30-day trial includes Standard features. The maker says the service runs on Microsoft Azure, uses encrypted SSL connections, and does not store or access merge data.