6 Best PDF Generation APIs in 2026
Need to generate PDFs from HTML or URLs? We tested every major PDF API on rendering quality, CSS support, pricing, and ease of use. Here's how they compare — from template builders to raw Chromium rendering.
Quick comparison
| API | Price | Included | Engine | URL input | Other features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SnapRender | $9/mo | 1,500 req | Chromium | Yes | PDF + Screenshot + Scraping |
| PDFShift | $9/mo | 50/mo | Chrome | No | PDF only |
| DocRaptor | $15/mo | 125/mo | PrinceXML | No | PDF only |
| CraftMyPDF | $29/mo | 500/mo | Template | No | PDF + Images |
| API2PDF | $14.95/mo | Pay-per-use | Chrome + LibreOffice | No | PDF + Office conversion |
| wkhtmltopdf | Free | Unlimited* | WebKit (old) | No | PDF only |
* wkhtmltopdf is free but requires your own server infrastructure and uses an outdated rendering engine.
SnapRender$9/mo
All-in-one rendering API with PDF, screenshot, and scraping
SnapRender converts URLs and HTML to PDF using headless Chromium. The same API also handles screenshots, HTML rendering, markdown extraction, and Cloudflare bypass. Flat per-request pricing — a PDF costs the same as a screenshot.
Pros
- +All-in-one: PDF + screenshot + scraping + markdown in one API
- +Chromium rendering — supports modern CSS (flexbox, grid)
- +URL-to-PDF and HTML-to-PDF both supported
- +Flat pricing — no credit multipliers
- +100 free requests/month, no credit card
Cons
- -Newer service (launched 2026)
- -No CSS Paged Media support (use DocRaptor for print layouts)
- -No template builder UI
Best for: Teams that need PDF generation alongside screenshots and scraping
PDFShift$9/mo
Focused HTML-to-PDF conversion API
PDFShift does one thing well: convert HTML to PDF. It uses headless Chrome for rendering, supports custom headers/footers, watermarks, and page configuration. Simple API with good documentation.
Pros
- +Focused product — PDF conversion done right
- +Chrome-based rendering with modern CSS support
- +Custom headers, footers, watermarks
- +Parallel conversion support
- +Webhook callbacks for async generation
Cons
- -PDF-only — no screenshots, scraping, or markdown
- -No URL-to-PDF on free tier
- -Limited to 50 conversions/month on starter plan
- -No Cloudflare bypass for URL conversion
Best for: Teams that only need HTML-to-PDF and want a focused, reliable provider
DocRaptor$15/mo
PrinceXML-powered PDF with superior print CSS
DocRaptor uses PrinceXML under the hood — the gold standard for CSS Paged Media. It handles page breaks, running headers/footers, table pagination, and print-specific CSS better than any Chromium-based API. Premium product, premium pricing.
Pros
- +Best CSS Paged Media support (PrinceXML engine)
- +Running headers/footers with page numbers
- +Table pagination across pages
- +Prince-specific CSS extensions
- +Excellent for invoices, reports, legal documents
Cons
- -$15/mo for only 125 documents
- -PrinceXML CSS differs from browser CSS
- -No flexbox or CSS grid support
- -No screenshots, scraping, or other features
- -Expensive at scale ($65/mo for 1,250 docs)
Best for: Teams generating formal documents (invoices, reports, contracts) that need perfect print layout
CraftMyPDF$29/mo
Template-based PDF generation with drag-and-drop editor
CraftMyPDF takes a different approach: instead of converting HTML, you design PDF templates in a visual drag-and-drop editor, then generate PDFs by merging data with templates via API. Great for non-developers.
Pros
- +Visual drag-and-drop template editor
- +No HTML/CSS knowledge needed
- +Template library with 100+ designs
- +JSON data merging
- +Image generation (certificates, badges) included
Cons
- -Template-based — limited customization vs raw HTML
- -$29/mo for only 500 PDFs
- -Not suitable for URL-to-PDF conversion
- -Templates are proprietary (not standard HTML)
- -No scraping or screenshot features
Best for: Non-technical teams generating templated documents (certificates, invoices, labels)
API2PDF$14.95/mo
Multi-engine PDF API (Chrome, LibreOffice, wkhtmltopdf)
API2PDF offers multiple rendering engines in one API — headless Chrome, LibreOffice (for DOCX/XLSX conversion), and wkhtmltopdf. It also handles merge, compression, and Office-to-PDF conversion.
Pros
- +Multiple rendering engines in one API
- +Office document conversion (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)
- +PDF merge and compression
- +Chrome + wkhtmltopdf options
- +Pay-as-you-go option available
Cons
- -Jack of all trades — none of the engines are best-in-class
- -Confusing engine selection for new users
- -No template editor
- -No screenshots, scraping, or markdown
- -Documentation could be better
Best for: Teams that need Office-to-PDF conversion alongside HTML-to-PDF
wkhtmltopdfFree
Self-hosted open-source HTML-to-PDF converter
wkhtmltopdf is a free, open-source command-line tool that converts HTML to PDF using an older WebKit engine. It was the standard for years, but the project is unmaintained since 2022 and the WebKit engine doesn't support modern CSS.
Pros
- +Free and open source
- +Simple command-line interface
- +No per-request costs
- +Works offline
- +Good for simple documents
Cons
- -Unmaintained since 2022
- -Outdated WebKit engine — no flexbox, grid, or custom properties
- -Security vulnerabilities in old WebKit
- -No JavaScript execution
- -Inconsistent rendering compared to modern browsers
Best for: Simple documents on a zero budget where modern CSS isn't needed
Best overall: SnapRender
For web-style PDFs (dashboards, reports, marketing pages), SnapRender gives you Chromium rendering at $9/month — plus screenshots, scraping, and markdown extraction in the same bill. If you need perfect print layout with running headers, page numbers, and table pagination, DocRaptor with PrinceXML is the specialist pick.
Try SnapRender freeFrequently asked questions
A PDF generation API is a cloud service that converts HTML, URLs, or templates into PDF documents via an HTTP request. You send HTML or a URL and receive a PDF file back — no local rendering engine required.
DocRaptor uses the PrinceXML engine which has the best CSS print support (CSS Paged Media, headers/footers, page breaks). SnapRender and PDFShift use headless Chromium which handles modern CSS (flexbox, grid, custom properties) better for web-style layouts.
Yes. SnapRender, PDFShift, and API2PDF all support URL-to-PDF conversion. The API renders the page in a headless browser and returns the PDF. This is useful for generating PDFs of live web pages, dashboards, or reports.
wkhtmltopdf is free and self-hosted, but it uses an outdated WebKit engine that doesn't support modern CSS (flexbox, grid, custom properties). For simple documents it works fine. For anything with modern styling, use a Chromium-based API.
Prices range from free (wkhtmltopdf self-hosted) to $65/mo (DocRaptor). SnapRender starts at $9/mo for 1,500 requests that include PDF generation plus screenshots, scraping, and markdown extraction.