Orshot alternative for branded images and PDFs from HTML
Orshot is a template studio and API that makes images, PDFs, and videos from a saved design, with a large template library and an AI design agent. 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 many images or documents from one design, and it helps you plan a move if you already use Orshot. thirds.ai is not affiliated with Orshot, and Orshot is a trademark of its owner.
Checked on 6 September 2026 against the sources listed at the end.
The short answer
If you need video, a large library of ready designs, social publishing, or no-code connections to Zapier, Make, n8n, Airtable, HubSpot, and Shopify, Orshot is the more complete choice today. thirds.ai fits better when your design starts as HTML that you already own, when you want a PDF of any length to cost the same one credit as an image, and when you want a monthly free plan and a lower price per render. Both tools have a visual editor, an AI generator, a brand asset store, an API, and an MCP server, so the best test is to build one of your real templates in each.
Side by side
| What you need | thirds.ai | Orshot |
|---|---|---|
| Inputs | Words in an AI chat, your own HTML with template data, or a source image that becomes an editable template. | A template from the Studio editor, the library, the AI design agent, or a Canva, Figma, or Polotno design file, then filled with a modifications object (vendor claim). We saw no raw HTML input or plain image import (our reading). |
| Outputs | PDF, PNG, JPEG, and WebP. | PNG, JPEG, WebP, and AVIF images, PDFs, and video (vendor claim). |
| Template editing | A visual editor and an AI chat that share one working template, with immutable saved versions. | The Studio editor, a library of more than 16,000 templates, an AI design agent, and smart resize between sizes (vendor claim). |
| Brand kits | Saved logos, colours, and fonts that the editor and the AI apply to each template. | A brand assets library (vendor claim). |
| 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.orshot.com/v1/generate/images and /generate/pdfs with a templateId, modifications, and a response.format, plus webhooks and MCP (vendor claim). |
| Integrations | The web app, the API, and MCP. | Zapier, Make, n8n, Airtable, Google Sheets, HubSpot, WordPress, Shopify, and a social publishing add-on (vendor claim). |
| 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 credit per image, per PDF page, or per video second (vendor claim, seen 6 September 2026). Launch is $39 a month for 1,500 credits, Grow is $160 for 20,000, and Scale is $349 for 75,000, with overage from $36 down to $24 per 1,000 credits. |
| Free tier | 25 credits a month with a verified account, no card needed, and every feature included. | 30 render credits and 50 AI credits once, no card needed (vendor claim, seen 6 September 2026). We did not see a monthly free plan (our reading). |
| 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). | Marketing teams that want a large design library, video, and social publishing connected to no-code tools (our reading). |
What thirds.ai does not do
- It does not make video or AVIF images.
- It does not offer a template library of thousands of ready designs. The gallery holds a smaller set of templates that you can copy.
- It does not import Canva, Figma, or Polotno files. It imports a source image and rebuilds it as editable HTML.
- It does not offer Zapier, Make, n8n, Airtable, HubSpot, or Shopify integrations, or social publishing.
- It does not resize a template to a new shape on its own. Each size is its own template.
What Orshot does not do
- It does not take raw HTML as the input on the pages we read (our reading).
- It does not rebuild a plain picture as an editable template on the pages we read. The import takes design files (our reading).
- It does not offer a monthly free plan. The free credits are given once (vendor claim).
- It charges one credit per PDF page, so a long document costs more than an image (vendor claim).
Pricing assumptions
- We read both pricing pages on 6 September 2026. Prices can change, so check the Orshot pricing 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 Orshot credit is one image, one PDF page, or one video second (vendor claim). A ten-page PDF costs 10 Orshot credits and one thirds.ai credit.
- We compare the monthly price of each entry paid plan. Both vendors offer a yearly price with two months free.
- Orshot gives 30 render credits once. thirds.ai gives 25 live credits every month and includes every feature on the free plan.
Moving from Orshot
Both APIs fill a saved template with data and return a render that you can also receive through a webhook, so the shape of the work is the same. Orshot takes a templateId and a modifications object keyed by layer name, with response.format for the file type. thirds.ai takes a template_id, a version, and a data object keyed by the field names in your HTML, with image.format for png, jpeg, or webp. thirds.ai returns a job with an id and a status, and a webhook sends render.succeeded when the job ends.
The design itself does not move as a file, because Orshot stores layers and thirds.ai stores HTML. Rebuild each template once: export the Orshot design as a PNG and use the source-image import to rebuild it as editable HTML, or describe it in the AI chat. Move your logo, colours, and fonts into a brand kit so every rebuilt template reads them. Then save the fields you need, copy the template ID, and switch the API call. Start with Create your first PDF, then read Use templates with your data for fields, schemas, and versions.
Sources
- https://orshot.com/, checked 6 September 2026
- https://orshot.com/pricing, checked 6 September 2026
- https://orshot.com/docs, checked 6 September 2026
- https://orshot.com/docs/api-reference, checked 6 September 2026
- thirds.ai facts come from our pricing page, API reference, and billing guide.
Try one of your real templates on both tools before you choose. Start free with 25 credits a month, or read how HTML to image works on thirds.ai.