# PDFShift alternative: html-pdf.com
PDFShift alternative with pay-as-you-go HTML to PDF credits that never expire, a remote MCP server, and a 5-minute migration.
**Quick answer.** html-pdf.com accepts the same `X-API-Key` header as PDFShift, so switching is mostly a URL change and renaming `source` to `html`. You pay 1 credit per page with no subscription, and you get 100 free credits to start.
```bash
curl -X POST https://html-pdf.com/v1/pdf \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $HTML_PDF_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"html": "Invoice #42
"}' \
-o invoice.pdf
```
PDFShift is an established HTML to PDF API that is good at what it does. html-pdf.com covers the same core job (rendering HTML or a URL to PDF with headless Chromium) with a different pricing model and built-in support for AI agents. Here is how they compare, including the cases where PDFShift is the better fit.
## PDFShift vs html-pdf.com at a glance
This table shows the main differences side by side.
| | PDFShift | html-pdf.com |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly or annual subscription, with overage per credit | One-time credit packs, no subscription |
| Unused credits | Do not roll over; reset every month | Never expire |
| Free tier | 50 credits per month | 100 credits once your email is confirmed |
| Billing unit | 1 credit per document, per 5 MB of output | 1 credit per PDF page |
| Entry price | $9/month for 500 credits | $10 for 1,000 credits (pages), one time |
| MCP server for AI agents | No official server (a community-built one exists) | Official remote MCP server at `https://html-pdf.com/mcp`, nothing to install |
| URL to PDF | Yes | Yes (public pages) |
| Engine | Chromium | Headless Chromium (via Gotenberg) |
| Other outputs | PDF, PNG, JPEG, WEBP | PDF only |
| Storage delivery | Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage | 24-hour download link (`"response": "url"`) |
*Prices checked October 2026 on pdfshift.io. PDFShift plans as of October 2026 are Free (50/month), Starter $9 (500), Boost $24 (2,500), Growth $39 (5,000), Business $99 (25,000), and larger "Shift" tiers up to 1,000,000 credits per month.*
## How the pricing models differ
The two services count usage differently, so compare them on your own documents.
- **PDFShift counts documents.** One credit covers one conversion, up to 5 MB of output. A 30-page report that is 2 MB costs 1 credit.
- **html-pdf.com counts pages.** That same 30-page report costs 30 credits. A one-page invoice costs 1 credit.
If you mostly generate **short documents** (invoices, receipts, tickets, certificates, one-pagers) in **irregular volumes**, prepaid credits that never expire avoid paying for a monthly quota you don't use. If you generate **long documents at a steady high volume**, PDFShift's per-document pricing on a monthly plan will usually cost less.
Our packs are $10 for 1,000 credits, $25 for 3,000, $50 for 7,000, $100 for 15,000 and $250 for 50,000. That works out to $0.01 down to $0.005 per page. See [pricing](https://html-pdf.com/pricing).
## When PDFShift is the better choice
Choose PDFShift in these cases.
- **You render long, multi-page documents at high monthly volume.** Per-document billing beats per-page billing there.
- **You need images.** PDFShift also outputs PNG, JPEG and WEBP. We only produce PDF.
- **You want async processing, webhooks or direct upload** to your own S3 or Google Cloud Storage bucket.
- **You want a longer track record.** PDFShift has been running for years, and html-pdf.com is newer.
## When html-pdf.com is the better choice
Choose html-pdf.com in these cases.
- **Your volume is low or uneven.** You buy credits once and they never expire.
- **AI agents generate your PDFs.** Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code and Codex can connect to the [remote MCP server](https://html-pdf.com/mcp) with a URL and a key. Log in once with OAuth from your AI client, or use a key.
- **You want predictable failure costs.** Failed renders and `max_pages` overruns cost 0 credits.
- **You care about privacy.** We don't store your HTML. A PDF is kept for 24 hours only when you ask for a download link.
## Switching takes 5 minutes
Most PDFShift requests map one to one. We accept the same `X-API-Key` header, so often you only change the URL and rename `source`.
**Before (PDFShift):**
```bash
curl -X POST https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf \
-H "X-API-Key: $PDFSHIFT_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"source": "Invoice #42
", "format": "A4", "landscape": false,
"margin": {"top": "15mm", "right": "15mm", "bottom": "15mm", "left": "15mm"}}' \
-o invoice.pdf
```
**After (html-pdf.com):**
```bash
curl -X POST https://html-pdf.com/v1/pdf \
-H "X-API-Key: $HTML_PDF_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"html": "Invoice #42
", "format": "A4", "landscape": false,
"margin": {"top": "15mm", "right": "15mm", "bottom": "15mm", "left": "15mm"}}' \
-o invoice.pdf
```
### Parameter mapping
| PDFShift | html-pdf.com |
|---|---|
| `source` (HTML string) | `html` |
| `source` (URL) | `url` |
| `format` | `format` (A3, A4, A5, A6, Letter, Legal, Tabloid) or `width`/`height` |
| `landscape` | `landscape` |
| `margin` | `margin`: one value like `"10mm"`, or `{top, right, bottom, left}` |
| `header.source` / `footer.source` | `header_html` / `footer_html`, with `pageNumber` and `totalPages` placeholders |
| `css` | `css` |
| `filename` / `s3_destination` | `"response": "url"` for a 24-hour link (no direct bucket upload) |
| `X-API-Key` header | `X-API-Key` or `Authorization: Bearer` |
After the call, read `X-Pages`, `X-Credits-Used` and `X-Credits-Remaining` from the response headers. Errors come back as JSON with `code`, `message` and a `hint`. A `402 insufficient_credits` error means it's time to top up.
## Try it free
You can get a key in one request. Open the link we email you to confirm your address, which adds 100 free credits.
```bash
curl -X POST https://html-pdf.com/v1/signup -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"email": "you@example.com"}'
```
Or sign in at https://html-pdf.com/login.
Full reference: [API docs](https://html-pdf.com/docs) ยท [MCP server](https://html-pdf.com/mcp)
## FAQ
### What is a good alternative to PDFShift?
html-pdf.com is an HTML to PDF API on headless Chromium with one-time credit packs instead of a subscription. Credits never expire, and there is an official remote MCP server for AI agents.
### How do I migrate from PDFShift?
Change the endpoint to `https://html-pdf.com/v1/pdf` and rename `source` to `html` (or `url` for web pages). The `X-API-Key` header, `format`, `landscape`, `margin` and `css` work the same way.
### Do PDFShift credits roll over?
No. PDFShift plan credits reset every month. html-pdf.com credits are bought once and never expire.
### Is html-pdf.com cheaper than PDFShift?
For short documents or uneven volume, usually yes, at $0.01 to $0.005 per page with no monthly fee. For long documents at steady high volume, PDFShift's per-document pricing usually costs less.