The differences that matter
Each taken from PDFShift's published pricing and docs.
Credits are counted by size
A PDFShift credit covers one document up to 5 MB of generated output; by their own definition a 14 MB PDF consumes three credits. KimiDoc counts one document per render, whatever its size.
The entry tiers
$9 a month buys 500 credits at PDFShift and 1,000 documents at KimiDoc. The gap holds through the middle of both ladders and closes at 50,000, where both charge $149.
Where it can run
PDFShift's published plans are cloud-only. KimiDoc is a hosted API and a per-server licence for your own infrastructure, with the identical engine in both.
Side by side
| KimiDoc | pdfshift | |
|---|---|---|
| Metering | Documents; failed renders never count | Credits, one per 5 MB of generated output |
| Free tier | 100 documents a month | 50 credits a month |
| $9 a month buys | 1,000 documents | 500 credits |
| Stored templates and editor | Built in, 100+ starters | API-first |
| Batch jobs | Up to 40,000 documents per job, ZIP + manifest | One request per document |
| Self-hosted | Yes, licensed per server | Not offered |
What the same volume costs
| Documents / month | KimiDoc | PDFShift |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $9 · Starter | $24 · Boost (2,500) |
| 5,000 | $29 · Growth | $39 · Growth |
| 20,000 | $69 · Business | $99 · Business (25,000) |
| 50,000 | $149 · Scale | $149 · Shift 50k |
PDFShift prices as published at https://pdfshift.io/pricing on 6 August 2026. Method: the smallest monthly plan whose included documents cover the volume; overage combinations can price differently. PDFShift credits are additionally counted per 5 MB of output, so heavy documents can consume more than one. Spot an outdated number? Tell us and we will correct it.
When PDFShift is a fine choice
It is an established service with a transparent credit model and the same features on every plan, and at 50,000 documents a month the price is identical to ours. If you are happy there, render sizes are small and self-hosting is irrelevant to you, switching buys you little. The calculus changes at the entry and middle tiers, when documents are heavy, or when the data cannot leave.
Switching is an afternoon
- Swap the endpoint and the key. Both are JSON-over-REST: send your HTML to /v1/render with an X-Api-Key header and read back the PDF.
- Map the options. Page size, margins, landscape and wait-for-ready all exist as render options; the API reference documents each one.
- Move repeated documents into templates. Store the design once with {{placeholders}}, then send only data, and batches of up to 40,000 become a single job.
Questions engineers ask
Is PDFShift a bad product?
No, and this page does not claim it is. It is a mature API with fair, published pricing. The comparison is about metering, price at equal volume, templates and batch tooling, and the option to run on your own servers.
Why is KimiDoc cheaper at most tiers?
One lean engine and a deliberate decision to price for volume. The table above is dated and sourced, so you can check the claim rather than take it.
What happens if these prices change?
The table shows the date it was checked. If it is out of date, email hello@kimidoc.com and it will be corrected; a comparison only works if it stays true.
Related comparisons
wkhtmltopdf alternative
Archived in 2023 with a critical unpatched SSRF; KimiDoc is a maintained engine you can still run on your own servers.
DocRaptor alternative
Web-standard rendering at a fraction of the per-document price, with self-hosting DocRaptor does not offer.
PDFBolt alternative
The same generous free tier; at paid volume KimiDoc costs less, bills annually, and can run on your servers.
Puppeteer alternative for PDF
The same Chromium-class output without operating the browser fleet, the queues or the crash recovery.
All comparisons
The full list, kept factual and current.
Try it against a real document
The editor previews are free and unmetered; the free tier renders 100 documents a month through the API.