HTML2PDFAPI vs ScreenshotOne: Complete Comparison [2026]
Comparing HTML2PDFAPI (PDF-focused) with ScreenshotOne (screenshot-focused). Both offer conversion APIs, but they serve different primary use cases. This guide helps you choose the right tool.
TL;DR
- Choose HTML2PDFAPI if you primarily need PDF generation from HTML/URLs, want 2.5x better value per conversion, or need self-hosting.
- Choose ScreenshotOne if you primarily need screenshots, want IP geolocation features, or need GPU rendering for complex pages.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | HTML2PDFAPI | ScreenshotOne |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 50 conversions/month | 100 screenshots/month |
| Starting Price | $17/month (5,000 conv.) | $17/month (2,000 shots) |
| Cost per Conversion | $0.0034 | $0.0085 |
| PDF Generation | Primary focus | Available |
| HTML to PDF | Full support | Limited |
| Video Recording | Yes | Yes (Growth+ plans) |
| Screenshot API | Yes | Primary focus |
| S3 Integration | Built-in | Available |
| Self-Hosting Option | Open source | No |
| Cookie/Ad Blocking | Yes | Yes |
| IP Geolocation | No | Yes (Growth+) |
| GPU Rendering | No | Yes (Scale plan) |
Pricing Comparison
Both services start at $17/month, but HTML2PDFAPI offers significantly more conversions:
HTML2PDFAPI
- Free: 50 conversions/month
- Pro: $17/mo for 5,000 conversions
- Business: $47/mo for 15,000 conversions
- Cost: ~$0.0034/conversion
- Open source self-hosting available
ScreenshotOne
- Free: 100 screenshots/month
- Basic: $17/mo for 2,000 screenshots
- Growth: $79/mo for 10,000 screenshots
- Cost: ~$0.0085/screenshot
- No self-hosting option
Value Comparison:
At $17/month, HTML2PDFAPI gives you 2.5x more conversions than ScreenshotOne (5,000 vs 2,000).
Primary Focus
HTML2PDFAPI: PDF-First
Built for developers who need to generate PDFs from HTML templates, URLs, or dynamic content. Also supports screenshots and video.
- • Invoice & report generation
- • Contract & document creation
- • Certificate generation
- • Documentation export
ScreenshotOne: Screenshot-First
Built for developers who need website screenshots for previews, thumbnails, or archiving. PDF is a secondary feature.
- • Social preview images (OG images)
- • Website thumbnails
- • Visual testing
- • Web archiving
ScreenshotOne: What They Do Well
ScreenshotOne has strong SEO and marketing. Here's what they excel at:
Strong Social Proof
2,700+ active developers, 3.5M+ monthly screenshots, extensive customer testimonials.
Rich Schema Markup
Full JSON-LD schema with Organization, SoftwareApplication, and AggregateRating (5 stars, 42 reviews).
No-Code Integrations
Zapier, Airtable, Make, Bubble, n8n integrations expand their market beyond developers.
Comparison Content
Blog posts comparing against Puppeteer, Playwright, and other screenshot APIs.
When to Choose HTML2PDFAPI
- You primarily need PDF generation from HTML
- You want 2.5x better value per conversion
- You need self-hosting capability (open source)
- You're building invoices, reports, or documents
- Budget matters and you need high volume
When to Choose ScreenshotOne
- You primarily need screenshots for previews/thumbnails
- You need IP geolocation to capture localized content
- You need GPU rendering for complex WebGL/canvas pages
- You want no-code integrations (Zapier, Make, etc.)
- You need a larger free tier (100 vs 50)
Conclusion
Both are solid APIs, but they serve different primary needs. HTML2PDFAPI is the better choice for PDF-heavy workloads with its 2.5x better pricing and self-hosting option. ScreenshotOne is better for screenshot-focused use cases with advanced features like IP geolocation and GPU rendering.
If you need both PDFs and screenshots, HTML2PDFAPI offers both at a better price point.
Other Comparisons
See Use Cases
PDF-first, screenshot-capable
Built for document generation. 2.5x better value per conversion.
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