DocRaptor alternative for branded PDFs and images
DocRaptor is an API that turns HTML into PDF and Excel files with the PrinceXML engine. thirds.ai turns words, your own HTML, or a source image into an editable branded template, then renders that template as a PDF or a static image through the web app, the API, or MCP. This page helps you choose between the two when you need documents from HTML, and it helps you plan a move if you already use DocRaptor. thirds.ai is not affiliated with DocRaptor, and DocRaptor is a trademark of its owner.
Checked on 6 September 2026 against the sources listed at the end.
The short answer
If you need print features such as PDF forms, password protection, accessibility tags, or Excel output, and your app already builds the finished HTML, DocRaptor is a good fit, built on a print engine with a long record. thirds.ai fits better when you want the same design to come out as both a PDF and an image, when your team wants to change the template in a visual editor or an AI chat rather than in code, and when you want a brand kit to keep every file on brand. thirds.ai also costs less per document at every plan size we compared. Both tools let you test for free, so render one of your real documents on each before you decide.
Side by side
| What you need | thirds.ai | DocRaptor |
|---|---|---|
| Inputs | Words in an AI chat, your own HTML with template data, or a source image that becomes an editable template. The API takes HTML text, not a page URL. | HTML text in document_content or a public page in document_url (vendor claim). No template editor or image import on the pages we read (our reading). |
| Outputs | PDF, PNG, JPEG, and WebP. | PDF, XLS, and XLSX (vendor claim). No image output on the pages we read (our reading). |
| Render engine | A pinned Chromium, so the PDF matches what the same HTML shows in a browser. | PrinceXML, with its own CSS paged-media support and prince_options (vendor claim). Some browser CSS behaves differently in Prince (our reading). |
| Template editing | A visual editor and an AI chat that share one working template, with immutable saved versions. | None. You build the HTML in your own code (our reading). |
| Brand kits | Saved logos, colours, and fonts that the editor and the AI apply to each template. | Not shown on the pages we read (our reading). |
| API and MCP | A REST API at /v1/pdf, /v1/image, and /v1/templates, plus an MCP server for AI agents. | A REST API at https://api.docraptor.com/docs with async jobs, a callback_url, and hosted documents, plus client libraries for many languages (vendor claim). We found no MCP server (our reading). |
| Pricing model | One credit per successful PDF or image. Starter is $29 a month for 5,000 credits. Extra credits cost $0.008 each on a paid plan, and packs start at $10 for 1,500 credits. | One document per render at any size. Basic is $15 a month for 125 documents, Professional is $29 for 325, and Max is $149 for 5,000, with a per-document overage priced by plan (vendor claim, seen 6 September 2026). |
| Free tier | 25 credits a month with a verified account, no card needed, and every feature included. | 5 documents a month, plus unlimited free test documents with a watermark. No overage and no document hosting on the free plan (vendor claim, seen 6 September 2026). |
| Where it fits | Teams that want one editable branded template for both documents and images, with a web app and an API on the same account (our reading). | Developers who need print-grade PDF features or Excel output from HTML that their own code already builds (our reading). |
What thirds.ai does not do
- It does not make Excel files. Every output is a PDF or an image.
- It does not load a page URL as the input. Your app sends the HTML text.
- It does not offer PDF forms, password protection, or accessibility tags.
- It does not offer a test mode with watermarked output through the API. Failed renders cost nothing, and 25 free credits reset each month.
- It does not host finished documents at a public address. A signed download link lasts 15 minutes, and the file stays in your account for 30 days.
What DocRaptor does not do
- It does not make PNG, JPEG, or WebP images on the pages we read (our reading).
- It does not offer a visual editor, an AI chat, or a source-image import (our reading).
- It does not show brand kits or an MCP server on the pages we read (our reading).
- It does not list the exact overage price per document on the plans page. The page says the price depends on your plan (vendor claim).
Pricing assumptions
- We read both pricing pages on 6 September 2026. Prices can change, so check the DocRaptor plans page and our pricing page before you decide.
- One thirds.ai credit is one successful PDF of up to 100 pages or one successful image. Failed renders cost nothing. See credits and billing.
- One DocRaptor document is one render of any size or page count (vendor claim). Test documents are free and carry a watermark.
- We compare the monthly price of each entry paid plan. DocRaptor's Professional plan at $29 gives 325 documents, and thirds.ai Starter at $29 gives 5,000 credits.
- The DocRaptor free plan gives 5 live documents a month. The thirds.ai free plan gives 25 credits a month and includes every feature.
Moving from DocRaptor
Both APIs take HTML text and a small options object, so most of the move is a field rename. DocRaptor puts the HTML in document_content and the type in type. thirds.ai puts the HTML in html and the page options in a pdf object, such as pdf.format, pdf.landscape, and pdf.margins. DocRaptor returns the file in the response body for a sync call, while thirds.ai creates a render job and gives you a download link when the job succeeds. If you use async with a callback_url today, a thirds.ai webhook does the same work.
The larger change is the engine. Prince reads its own paged-media CSS, and Chromium reads the CSS that a browser reads. Check page breaks, headers, footers, and @page rules first, because those are the rules that differ most. Follow the pattern in our wkhtmltopdf migration guide: save sample inputs and PDFs, move one document type, compare the output, then move the next. Start with Create your first PDF, then set page options with the PDF and image options guide. If you load a URL in DocRaptor today, fetch that HTML in your app first and send the text.
Sources
- https://docraptor.com/, checked 6 September 2026
- https://docraptor.com/plans, checked 6 September 2026
- https://docraptor.com/documentation, checked 6 September 2026
- https://docraptor.com/documentation/api, checked 6 September 2026
- thirds.ai facts come from our pricing page, API reference, and billing guide.
Try your own HTML on both tools before you choose. Start free with 25 credits a month, or read how HTML to PDF works on thirds.ai.