Templated alternative for branded images and PDFs
Templated is a template editor and API that makes images, videos, and PDFs from a saved design, with an AI template generator and a Canva import. 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. The two tools sit close together, so this page helps you choose between them, and it helps you plan a move if you already use Templated. thirds.ai is not affiliated with Templated, and Templated 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 Canva import, an editor you can embed in your own app, or Zapier, Make, and n8n integrations, Templated is the more complete choice today. thirds.ai fits better when your design starts as HTML that you already own, when you want a brand kit that applies your logo, colours, and fonts to every template, and when you want more renders for the same money, with a monthly free plan that never ends. Both tools have a visual editor, an AI generator, an API, an MCP server, and a free way to try them, so the best test is to build one of your real templates in each.
Side by side
| What you need | thirds.ai | Templated |
|---|---|---|
| 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 editor, the AI template generator, a Canva import, or a design image that the AI clones into layers, then filled with a layers object (vendor claim). We saw no raw HTML input (our reading). |
| Outputs | PDF, PNG, JPEG, and WebP. | JPG, PNG, WebP, MP4, and PDF (vendor claim). |
| Template editing | A visual editor and an AI chat that share one working template, with immutable saved versions. | A drag-and-drop editor, an AI template generator, and an embedded editor on the Scale plan and above (vendor claim). |
| Brand kits | Saved logos, colours, and fonts that the editor and the AI apply to each template. | Custom and Google fonts (vendor claim). We did not find a saved brand kit with logo and colours 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.templated.io/v1/render with a template ID and layers, plus webhooks and MCP on every plan (vendor claim). |
| Integrations | The web app, the API, and MCP. | Zapier, Make, n8n, and delivery to your own S3 or R2 bucket on the Scale plan and above (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 and one credit per PDF page, with a formula for video (vendor claim, seen 6 September 2026). Starter is $29 a month for 1,000 credits and 15 templates, and Scale is $79 for 5,000 credits, billed yearly. No overage. |
| Free tier | 25 credits a month with a verified account, no card needed, and every feature included. | A free trial with 50 credits and no card (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 design in Canva or a drag-and-drop editor and want images and video connected to no-code tools (our reading). |
What thirds.ai does not do
- It does not make video.
- It does not import Canva designs. It imports a source image and rebuilds it as editable HTML.
- It does not offer Zapier, Make, or n8n integrations.
- It does not offer a hosted editor you can embed in your own app.
- It does not send files to your own S3 or R2 bucket. A signed download link lasts 15 minutes, and the file stays in your account for 30 days.
- It does not limit the number of templates on any plan.
What Templated does not do
- It does not take raw HTML as the input on the pages we read (our reading).
- It does not show a saved brand kit with logo and colours on the pages we read (our reading).
- It does not offer a monthly free plan. The trial gives 50 credits once (vendor claim).
- It stops rendering when a plan runs out of credits, because there is no overage (vendor claim).
- It limits the Starter plan to 15 templates and the Scale plan to 100 (vendor claim).
Pricing assumptions
- We read both pricing pages on 6 September 2026. Prices can change, so check the Templated 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 Templated credit is one image or one PDF page (vendor claim). A ten-page PDF costs 10 Templated credits and one thirds.ai credit.
- Templated shows its prices billed yearly with a switch for monthly billing. We quote the yearly rate that the page shows first. thirds.ai Starter is $29 a month billed monthly, or $290 a year.
- Templated gives a one-time trial of 50 credits. thirds.ai gives 25 live credits every month and includes every feature on the free plan.
Moving from Templated
Both APIs fill a saved template with data and return a render that you poll or receive through a webhook, so the shape of the work is the same. Templated takes a template ID and a layers object keyed by layer name. thirds.ai takes a template_id, a version, and a data object keyed by the field names in your HTML. 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 Templated stores layers and thirds.ai stores HTML. Rebuild each template once: export the Templated design as a PNG and use the source-image import to rebuild it as editable HTML, or describe it in the AI chat. 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://templated.io/, checked 6 September 2026
- https://templated.io/pricing, checked 6 September 2026
- https://templated.io/docs, checked 6 September 2026
- https://templated.io/ai-template-generator/, 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 brand kits work on thirds.ai.