This guide comprehensively compares two prominent HTML to PDF conversion tools: DocRaptor and Pdfcrowd. Both offer unique approaches to converting web pages into PDF documents, yet differ significantly in capabilities and underlying technologies. We'll delve into JavaScript support, API features, and additional functionality like document hosting and template merging. Finally, we will assess both platforms' privacy, security compliance, operational limits, and pricing models.
DocRaptor is an HTML to PDF API focused on reliability, ease of use, and privacy. DocRaptor uses Prince, the leading commercial HTML to PDF converter, and the team behind the CSS Paged Media specifications.
Pdfcrowd relies on Google Chromium, an open-source browser with modern CSS and JavaScript support but limited HTML to PDF functionality.
DocRaptor fully supports CSS Paged Media, which provides a wide variety of features useful for PDFs, such as headers, footnotes, watermarks, cross-references, page groups, and much more.
Pdfcrowd does not support CSS Paged Media but does provide limited alternatives for headers, footers, and watermarks.
DocRaptor supports PDF forms, which allow saving data within a PDF or submitting a form to a website.
Pdfcrowd supports PDF forms, which allows saving data within a PDF or submitting a form to a website.
DocRaptor supports accessible PDFs, or "tagged" PDFs, which can be parsed by screen readers and other assistive devices and are required by compliance standards such as WCAG and Section 508. DocRaptor supports both automatic and manual tagging.
Pdfcrowd does not support Accessible PDFs.
DocRaptor lets you add PDF annotations, including comments, highlights, and more.
No. Pdfcrowd does not support PDF annotations or comments.
DocRaptor's CSS Generated Content extensions let you copy or move HTML and text into other elements, such as headers and footers.
Pdfcrowd does not support any CSS content manipulation functions.
DocRaptor does not support PDF Signature Fields.
Pdfcrowd supports PDF Signature Fields.
While satisfactory for the vast majority of web pages, DocRaptor does not support the entire JavaScript ES6 specification.
Pdfcrowd uses Google Chromium, which, while lacking in PDF-related functionality, supports the very latest JavaScript functionality.
DocRaptor allows you to control or delay PDF rendering until the JavaScript completes, which is vital for charting and external data queries.
Pdfcrowd supports delaying rendering but permits only very short delays, and Pdfcrowd does not support directly controlling the rendering execution.
DocRaptor calls a post-rendering JavaScript function, and if the DOM is changed, rerenders the document. This enables advanced techniques such as text-fitting or line-height adjustments.
Pdfcrowd does not support Multi-Pass JavaScript or any other form of document rerendering.
Allows direct JavaScript access to the actual PDF object (the "DOM" of the PDF).
Pdfcrowd does not provide JavaScript access to the PDF object.
DocRaptor's pipeline versioning protects your document generation process from being unintentionally affected by future DocRaptor system upgrades.
Pdfcrowd provides two API versions but doesn't provide a changelog. Their API versioning doesn't appear to protect your PDF generation process from underlying technology changes.
DocRaptor supports asynchronous PDF generation, where the HTML to PDF process happens in the background, allowing your application to perform other tasks without waiting for the document generation to complete.
Pdfcrowd does not support asynchronous PDF generation.
DocRaptor provides client libraries or examples in C#, Java, JavaScript, jQuery, .NET, Node, PHP, Python, Rails, Ruby, and more. As a REST API, DocRaptor can be easily implemented in any programming language.
Pdfcrowd provides official API client libraries for PHP, Java, .NET, Python, Node.js, Ruby, Golang, and WordPress. They also provide example code for the Laravel, Symfony, Spring, ASP.NET Web Forms, Django, Flask, Express.js, and Ruby on Rails frameworks.
DocRaptor does not support CSS or JavaScript injection.
Pdfcrowd lets you inject CSS and JavaScript through the API call without updating your HTML code or website.
DocRaptor can optionally host your document permamently or temporarily at an unbranded URL.
Pdfcrowd does not provide document hosting.
DocRaptor does not support PDF Merging.
Pdfcrowd's API can automatically merge a template and data file to create a PDF document.
DocRaptor can also convert HTML into XLS and XLSX files, which is handy for one-stop reporting functionality.
Pdfcrowd can convert HTML to Image, PDF to Image/HTML, and Image to PDF APIs.
DocRaptor guarantees 99.99% uptime.
Pdfcrowd does not have an uptime guarantee.
DocRaptor has a public status page.
Pdfcrowd does not have a public status page.
Email, Phone, Chat
US-based with contact, company, and team information provided.
Based in the Czech Republic. Only a generic email address is provided.
DocRaptor provides customer references and case studies, including top technology and Fortune 500 companies.
Yes, Pdfcrowd provides customer references and quotes.
DocRaptor's security practices passed a third-party SOC2 compliance audit.
Pdfcrowd has not been audited for SOC2 security compliance.
DocRaptor is HIPAA compliant and can safely generate electronic protected health information documents.
Pdfcrowd is not HIPAA compliant.
Yes, DocRaptor is GDPR compliant.
Yes, Pdfcrowd is GDPR compliant.
DocRaptor encrypts document data in transit and at rest.
Pdfcrowd does not provide their document encryption practices.
DocRaptor regularly undergoes simulated attacks from third-party security professionals.
Pdfcrowd does not conduct third-party penetration tests.
DocRaptor has a privacy policy.
Pdfcrowd has a privacy policy.
DocRaptor does not have input or output size limits.
Pdfcrowd has a 200mb input limit with pricing based on output size (0.5 MB per document credit).
DocRaptor does not have rate limits and allows 30 concurrent documents, regardless of the pricing plan.
Depending on plan size, Pdfcrowd has a 15-360/minute rate limit and allows 1-12 concurrent requests.
DocRaptor allows up to 10 minutes for asynchronously generated documents and 1 minute for synchronously generated documents.
Pdfcrowd allows up to 1 minute per document.
DocRaptor provides a free, public API key with no signup required and a demo page.
Pdfcrowd provides a free, public API key (with an unknown limit) and an excellent interactive API playground.
Yes, DocRaptor offers a free plan.
Pdfcrowd does not offer a free plan, but their paid plans include a free trial (of unknown length).
DocRaptor's lowest-priced paid plan is $15/mo.
$11 per month.
DocRaptor plans include unlimited, free development testing so you can perfect your document without stress or cost.
Pdfcrowd has a public demo key, but there's an unknown limit, and your history may not be listed in your account.
DocRaptor offers a simple pricing model regardless of output size. Each plan includes a certain number of documents with an equivalent metered price for overage documents beyond plan limits.
Pdfcrowd's pricing is based on the size of the generated PDF. Each 1/2MB costs one credit. This obviously makes Pdfcrowd more ideal for those with small documents without images and less suitable if you have large or variably-sized documents.
Pricing tiers vary on the price per credit, rate limits, concurrency limits, and the max rendering delay limit. Pdfcrowd allows occasional overage documents, up to an unspecified amount.
DocRaptor's pricing ranges from 2.5¢ to 12¢ per document generated, reflecting DocRaptor's value with unique functionality and a strong emphasis on privacy, security, and reliability.
Pdfcrowd's complex pricing model makes it difficult to predict the per-document price of a document. It could cost as much as $22 for a maximum-sized ebook on the lowest plan or less than 0.25¢ for a simple document on an enterprise plan. Prices can also rise if you need higher throughput or rendering delays.
No, as mentioned above, Pdfcrowd does not have a free plan. It only provides a free trial but doesn't even specify how long the trial is for.
You can sign up for DocRaptor for free or review our guide on free HTML to PDF APIs.
No, Pdfcrowd is built on the open-sourced Google Chrome browser, but the Pdfcrowd API code is a commercial product.