DocSpring vs APITemplate.io

HTML templates and visual editing

APITemplate.io offers HTML/CSS templates with Jinja2, a visual PDF editor, and image generation. It suits teams that want to create layouts in the service and automate the output. DocSpring fills existing PDFs and uses HTML/CSS with Liquid for documents whose content needs to grow.

Both can generate an invoice from JSON, but the template languages and editing workflows differ. DocSpring's visual editor places fields on an existing PDF. It does not provide the WYSIWYG document layout builder available in APITemplate.io.

Feature comparison

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

Scroll the table sideways to see both products.

A dedicated integration is different from connecting an API through a generic HTTP action. Plan requirements and product boundaries are noted in the cells.

Build an invoice with optional notes and line items

Use a customer record, an items array, and optional notes. The PDF should grow with the number of items while leaving out the notes section when it is empty.

The invoice in Liquid

The small template below shows the line-item loop. Add the corresponding fields to the DocSpring template schema before sending the request.

<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 currency formatting, empty arrays, and missing notes in both versions. Similar-looking template delimiters do not mean Jinja2 filters and Liquid filters behave the same way.

Cheap generations, capped templates

A service producing 2,000 invoices across 30 customer-specific layouts fits PDF Basic's 3,000 generations but not its 20-template limit, so it needs Standard at $69 billed annually or $89 monthly. DocSpring's plans include unlimited templates, and its Professional plan is $99 per month for 1,000 PDFs, then 10c per additional PDF. Per generated PDF, APITemplate.io is cheaper; per feature, DocSpring includes form filling, versioning, embedding, and signing that APITemplate.io does not offer.

Moving APITemplate.io templates to DocSpring

For an HTML template, preserve the CSS and sample JSON, then translate Jinja2 expressions into Liquid. Review filters, loop variables, conditionals, and date or currency formatting individually. Similar syntax can hide different behavior.

A visual-editor template needs to be recreated in HTML/CSS, or exported as a fixed PDF if its layout does not need to grow. A static export cannot retain a visual table's dynamic layout behavior.

Replace template IDs, API authentication, and webhook payload handling in your automation. Test the same sample data in the old and new templates, including a document that spans several pages. Keep image-generation workflows in APITemplate.io if your application still needs them.

Discuss your documents with us.

Questions about APITemplate.io alternatives

Can I copy a Jinja2 template directly into DocSpring?

The HTML and CSS are reusable, but the template logic needs review. DocSpring uses Liquid, so filters, expressions, and loop metadata can need changes. Start with a representative invoice and compare the rendered values as well as the layout.

Does DocSpring have the same visual editor?

No. DocSpring's editor maps fields onto an existing PDF. For a new layout with paragraphs or tables that grow, use HTML/CSS and Liquid. APITemplate.io is a closer fit if a WYSIWYG layout builder is a requirement.

Can APITemplate.io fill a PDF form I already have?

No. It generates new PDFs from its templates. DocSpring lets you upload the existing PDF, drag fields onto it, and fill it from JSON.