CraftMyPDF vs PDF Generator API: credits, limits and compliance compared

CraftMyPDF vs PDF Generator API in brief

CraftMyPDF is the simpler and more predictable choice for small teams and long documents, while PDF Generator API, the product at pdfgeneratorapi.com, is aimed at software companies that embed a template editor in their own application and need ISO 27001 or HIPAA paperwork. Both use a visual template editor and a REST API, so the difference lies in how usage is counted and what surrounds the editor.

PDF Generator API is published by Actual Reports OÜ, according to its site footer. CraftMyPDF is run by Alphacloud Technologies Pte Ltd in Singapore.

Entry plans and the price we could verify

CraftMyPDF's entry paid plan is Lite at $29 a month, or $290 a year, for 1,200 PDFs and 6 templates, as read on its pricing page on 3 October 2026. Its Free plan gives 50 PDFs a month with no time limit.

PDF Generator API's entry plan is Creator, with 50 credits a month, 5 templates, 1 workspace and 30 requests per minute. The next plan, Low Usage, has 250 credits and 10 templates. Its pricing page displayed prices in euros when we read it on 3 October 2026, so we do not quote a dollar figure here. Check the page from a US connection for the current dollar price. The page advertises annual billing at 17% off, described as two months free.

There is no standing free plan. New accounts start in a Sandbox that is free for 14 days with up to 1,000 credits, and the pricing page lists unlimited test documents on every plan.

How the two count usage and set limits

The usage unit matters most. A 12-page report costs one credit on CraftMyPDF and three credits on PDF Generator API. For one-page invoices the two count the same.

What each one does that the other does not

Only PDF Generator API: an Accessibility API for validating PDFs against PDF/UA, listed from its Basic plan upward, and an MCP server that lets an AI client call its tools. Its Enterprise tier offers a dedicated deployment in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom or Australia, and the vendor also mentions on-premises deployment. Its plans include workspaces, from 1 on the smallest plans to unlimited from Professional, which suits a product serving many customers.

Only CraftMyPDF: an ongoing free plan and public regional endpoints on every plan, including a US East endpoint. Its API also takes an expiration value per request, so each document can have its own link lifetime.

Who each suits

• CraftMyPDF: small teams and solo developers generating their own reports, multi-page documents where per-page billing would add up, and anyone who wants to stay on a free tier while testing.
• PDF Generator API: software vendors who want customers to edit templates inside their app, buyers who need ISO 27001 or HIPAA statements, and teams that need accessible PDF validation.

For a wider view of the category, see our PDF generation API guide. CraftMyPDF's tiers are detailed on the CraftMyPDF pricing page.

What switching involves

Neither vendor's pages describe importing the other's templates, so plan on recreating them.

1. Count pages per document first. Moving to PDF Generator API, divide by 5 and round up to estimate credits. Our workload cost method shows the sums.
2. Rebuild templates in the new editor and re-enter expressions and conditional rules.
3. Change authentication. CraftMyPDF uses a single X-API-KEY header. PDF Generator API's site describes an API key and an API secret found on the account Settings page.
4. Review retention. Stored links last minutes to days on CraftMyPDF and 30 days on PDF Generator API, which may affect how you save files.
5. Compare more candidates in our CraftMyPDF alternatives list before committing to an annual plan.