DocAPI vs PDFShift: HTML to PDF API Comparison

Both DocAPI and PDFShift are cloud APIs that convert HTML to PDF. They solve the same problem but with different approaches and pricing models.

Here's an honest comparison to help you decide.

Quick Overview

Pricing Comparison

DocAPI Pricing

PDFShift Pricing

Price Per PDF

At different volumes:

Summary: DocAPI is cheaper at low-to-mid volumes (1,000-5,000), PDFShift is slightly cheaper at 5,000-10,000. DocAPI wins again at 20,000+.

Feature Comparison

Both Support

• HTML to PDF conversion
• Custom page sizes (A4, Letter, etc.)
• Margins and padding
• Headers and footers
• CSS and JavaScript rendering
• Custom fonts
• Landscape/portrait orientation

DocAPI Extras

• Screenshot API - Capture websites as PNG/JPEG
• OG Image generation - 1200x630 social previews
• Simpler API - Fewer parameters, easier to start

PDFShift Extras

• Credit rollover - Unused credits carry over
• Parallel processing - Batch multiple PDFs
• S3 upload - Direct upload to your S3 bucket
• Longer history - Been around since 2018

API Comparison

DocAPI

const response = await fetch('https://api.docapi.co/v1/pdf', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'your-api-key',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    html: '<h1>Hello World</h1>',
    options: {
      format: 'A4',
      margin: { top: '10mm', bottom: '10mm' }
    }
  })
});
 
const pdf = await response.arrayBuffer();

PDFShift

const response = await fetch('https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Basic ' + btoa('api:your-api-key'),
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    source: '<h1>Hello World</h1>',
    format: 'A4',
    margin: '10mm'
  })
});
 
const pdf = await response.arrayBuffer();

Both are straightforward. DocAPI uses x-api-key header, PDFShift uses Basic Auth. Minor difference.

When to Choose DocAPI

1. You Need Screenshots Too

DocAPI includes a screenshot API at no extra cost. If you need both PDFs and screenshots (like OG images), DocAPI is one API instead of two.

// Same API, same key - just different endpoint
const screenshot = await fetch('https://api.docapi.co/v1/screenshot', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'x-api-key': 'your-api-key' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    url: 'https://example.com',
    options: { width: 1200, height: 630 }
  })
});

2. You're in the 1,000-2,500 Range

DocAPI's Starter plan ($9) includes 1,000 PDFs. PDFShift's Starter ($9) only includes 500. If you need 1,000/month, DocAPI is half the price.

3. You Want Simplicity

DocAPI has fewer configuration options - which is a feature, not a bug. Less to learn, fewer ways to misconfigure.

4. You Value Support

Smaller company = more responsive support. We actually reply to emails.

When to Choose PDFShift

1. You Need Credit Rollover

PDFShift lets unused credits roll over to the next month. If your usage is unpredictable (100 one month, 500 the next), rollover helps.

2. You Need S3 Integration

PDFShift can upload generated PDFs directly to your S3 bucket. Useful for workflows where you store PDFs long-term.

3. You Want Batch Processing

PDFShift's parallel processing handles multiple PDFs in a single request. Good for bulk generation jobs.

4. You Prefer Established Companies

PDFShift has been around since 2018. If company age matters to you, they have more history.

Performance

Both services use headless Chrome under the hood, so rendering quality is identical. Response times are similar:

No significant performance difference for most use cases.

Migration

Switching between the two is easy since both accept HTML input:

From PDFShift to DocAPI

// Before (PDFShift)
fetch('https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf', {
  headers: { 'Authorization': 'Basic ' + btoa('api:key') },
  body: JSON.stringify({ source: html })
})
 
// After (DocAPI)
fetch('https://api.docapi.co/v1/pdf', {
  headers: { 'x-api-key': 'your-key' },
  body: JSON.stringify({ html })
})

The main changes:

• Different endpoint
• Different auth method
• source → html parameter name

Migration takes about 10 minutes.

The Verdict

Choose DocAPI if:

• You need screenshots + PDFs
• Your volume is 1,000-2,500/month
• You want a simpler API
• You value responsive support

Choose PDFShift if:

• You need credit rollover
• You need direct S3 uploads
• You need batch processing
• Company age matters to you

Honestly? Both are solid products. For most developers generating PDFs, either works fine. Try both free tiers and see which feels better.

Try DocAPI Free

• Get API Key - 100 free PDFs/month
• Documentation - Full API reference
• Free Invoice Generator - See it in action