DocSpring vs PDFShift

Converting an existing HTML view

PDFShift fits applications that already produce HTML or expose a page URL and want a PDF rendering API. It also has stored templates, although they hold plain HTML rather than a template language. DocSpring stores HTML/CSS and Liquid templates and accepts JSON data; it also fills existing PDFs.

The integration boundary is different. With a web-page converter, your application owns the layout, asset access, and timing of JavaScript. With a DocSpring template, the layout and schema live with the PDF service. Choose where you want those responsibilities to sit.

Feature comparison

Follow the feature links for details in DocSpring's documentation. Sources for each PDFShift cell are listed at the end of the page.

Scroll the table sideways to see both products.

"Not published" means the vendor's public materials do not say either way, usually because it is handled on request. A dedicated integration is different from connecting an API through a generic HTTP action. Plan requirements and product boundaries are noted in the cells.

Turn a billing record into an invoice PDF

An invoice with a customer name and a variable number of line items can use either API. Decide whether your application will send finished HTML or data for a stored template.

Generate the invoice with a DocSpring template

Save this Liquid markup in an HTML template and define the customer_name and items fields in its schema. The request sends data independently of the layout.

<h1>Invoice for {{ customer_name | escape }}</h1>
<table>
  <tr><th>Description</th><th>Amount (USD)</th></tr>
  {% for item in items %}
    <tr>
      <td>{{ item.description | escape }}</td>
      <td>{{ item.amount | currency }}</td>
    </tr>
  {% endfor %}
</table>

curl --fail-with-body \
  "https://sync.api.docspring.com/api/v1/templates/${DOCSPRING_TEMPLATE_ID}/submissions" \
  --user "${DOCSPRING_TEST_TOKEN_ID}:${DOCSPRING_TEST_TOKEN_SECRET}" \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "test": true,
    "data": {
      "customer_name": "Mira Patel",
      "items": [
        { "description": "Annual inspection", "amount": 120 },
        { "description": "Replacement filter", "amount": 35 }
      ]
    }
  }'

Set the environment variables to your template ID and test API credentials. Accounts in our EU region send requests to sync.api-eu.docspring.com instead. The response includes a download URL for a watermarked PDF. See the request and response guide.

Test an invoice with large images as well as many rows. A document can be short in pages but large in bytes, which affects PDFShift credit usage and download time.

Credits by file size against a flat per-PDF price

At 12 MB each, 1,000 PDFs use 3,000 PDFShift credits and need the $39 plan. At 2 MB each they use 1,000 credits on the $24 plan. DocSpring's 1,000-PDF plan counts them as 1,000 PDFs either way and includes the template, form filling, forms, and signing features PDFShift does not have.

Moving a PDFShift integration to DocSpring

Collect the HTML, stylesheets, fonts, and conversion options used by your current request. Convert variable values and repeated sections to Liquid so DocSpring can store the template. A URL conversion is not a drop-in match for a template ID plus JSON.

Move header, footer, margin, and page-size settings into the DocSpring template. Test pages that depend on JavaScript or authenticated resources; do not assume the same timing or asset access rules apply.

Replace binary-response handling with the submission download URL. For asynchronous work, save the DocSpring submission ID and handle completion through webhooks or status checks. Both services render with Chromium, so the output should be close once you set the font, background, and page margins that DocSpring's normalize.css and default styles would otherwise supply.

Discuss your documents with us.

Questions about PDFShift alternatives

Does PDFShift have stored templates?

Yes, but they store plain HTML. There is no documented syntax for variables, loops, or conditions, so most integrations render the HTML in the application and send it each time. DocSpring templates use Liquid and a JSON schema.

Can I use PDFShift for HIPAA workflows?

Yes. PDFShift offers a BAA and a HIPAA request mode that disables its own storage, so you must supply your own S3 destination. DocSpring also supports HIPAA workflows with a signed BAA. Review the full data path for either service.

Will my PDFs look the same after switching?

Usually, once the page settings match. Both services render with Chromium, but DocSpring adds normalize.css and default styles for the font, background, and page margins. Set those explicitly, and check custom fonts, header and footer settings, and any PDFShift-specific options such as watermarks or encryption that need equivalents in DocSpring.