Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Browserless VS PDFSwitch

Compare Browserless VS PDFSwitch and see what are their differences

Browserless logo Browserless

Headless browser automation built for developers.

PDFSwitch logo PDFSwitch

Convert any HTML document or URL to PDF with a single API request.
  • Browserless Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16
  • PDFSwitch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-07

https://pdfswitch.io/ is a high-quality, easy to implement HTML to PDF conversion API. Easily generate PDF invoices, tickets, reports and documents with HTML to PDF API. Lightning-fast service, rich features, code samples for Java, C#, PHP, Python, Ruby, Go, Nodejs.

PDFSwitch

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
freemium $9.0 / Monthly (1000 conversions)
Platforms
REST API Python PHP JavaScript Java Go C++ Web ASP.NET API
Release Date
2019 March

Browserless features and specs

  • Scalability
    Browserless allows for scalable execution of browser automation scripts. It can handle multiple browser instances concurrently, which is beneficial for businesses needing to run numerous automated tasks in parallel.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform provides an API that simplifies the process of integrating browser automation into existing workflows. It's designed to be user-friendly even for those with limited experience in browser automation.
  • Reduced Infrastructure Overhead
    By using Browserless, businesses can offload the infrastructure burden of maintaining browser automation environments, reducing costs associated with hardware and maintenance.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Browserless offers extensive documentation, making it easier for users to understand and utilize the platform efficiently, facilitating quicker onboarding and troubleshooting.
  • Security
    The platform includes security features such as encrypted connections and isolation of browser instances, providing a secure environment for executing tasks.

Possible disadvantages of Browserless

  • Cost
    While reducing infrastructure costs, Browserless introduces a subscription cost. For some small businesses or individual users, this cost might be prohibitive compared to running automation tasks on local machines.
  • Dependency on External Service
    Relying on a third-party service means any downtime or service issues with Browserless can directly impact your automation processes.
  • Limited Control
    Users might have limited control over specific browser settings and configurations as opposed to managing their own browser instances.
  • Learning Curve for APIs
    While the API is designed to be user-friendly, there is still a learning curve associated with understanding and effectively implementing it within one’s existing systems.
  • Potential Latency
    Since Browserless runs in the cloud, there may be latency issues depending on the user's network connection and proximity to the nearest service data center.

PDFSwitch features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    PDFSwitch offers a straightforward and intuitive API, making it easy for developers to integrate PDF conversion functionalities into their applications without much hassle.
  • Document Format Support
    Supports a wide range of document formats including HTML, URLs, and Markdown, providing versatility in converting different types of documents to PDFs.
  • Customization
    Provides options for customizing PDFs such as setting headers and footers, controlling layout, and applying CSS styles, allowing for tailored outputs.
  • Performance
    Offers fast and reliable performance with a scalable architecture, ensuring that document conversions are handled efficiently even under high load.
  • Security
    Includes features like HTTPS encryption and the ability to password-protect PDFs, enhancing the security of the conversion process.

Possible disadvantages of PDFSwitch

  • Pricing
    While PDFSwitch offers a free tier, the pricing for higher usage can be relatively high, potentially limiting its appeal for small businesses or individual developers.
  • Feature Limitations in Free Tier
    The free tier has limitations in terms of the number of conversions and available features, which may not be sufficient for larger projects or frequent use.
  • Dependency on Internet
    Since PDFSwitch is a cloud-based service, an active internet connection is required for conversion. This could be a limitation for applications that need to function offline.
  • Third-Party Integration
    While versatile, PDFSwitch may require additional code and effort to integrate seamlessly with certain third-party applications or legacy systems.
  • Learning Curve
    Though generally user-friendly, some advanced customization options may have a learning curve for developers who are not familiar with PDF customization and styling.

Browserless videos

What is browserless?

PDFSwitch videos

No PDFSwitch videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Browserless and PDFSwitch)
Web Scraping
100 100%
0% 0
HTML To PDF
0 0%
100% 100
Browser Automation
100 100%
0% 0
PDF Conversion API
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Browserless seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Browserless mentions (8)

  • Self-hosted, simple web browser service – send URL, get screenshots
    If you’re worried about the security risks, edge cases, maintenance pain and scaling challenges of self hosting there are various solid hosted alternatives: - https://browserless.io - low level browser control - https://scrapingbee.com - scraping specialists - https://urlbox.com - screenshot specialists* They’re all profitable and have been around for years so you can depend on the businesses and the tech. *... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Web Crawler and Scraper for AI
    Very cool - and impressive speed! How does it compare with headless browser services like https://browserless.io or https://browserbase.com ? - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Show HN: Finic – open-source platform for building browser automations
    Https://browserless.io might be what you’re looking for. Open source although they do have a SaaS option. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • browserless Alternatives?
    Hello, I am building a scraper and I want to know if anyone knows an alternative to browserless.io? Source: almost 2 years ago
  • (Free) Open-source PDF Generation/Export
    Otherwise, any pdf to hml chromium based solution hosted via docker, like gotenberg](https://github.com/gotenberg/gotenberg) or browserless.io(which is free if you create open source). Generating pdfs from html directly in .NET was always a pain. Wkhtml (and wrappers that use it) uses WebKit and comes with a load of issues of its own, similar to running and styling anything in Safari. Using chromium based engine... Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

PDFSwitch mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of PDFSwitch yet. Tracking of PDFSwitch recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Browserless and PDFSwitch, you can also consider the following products

Rebrowser - Discover Rebrowser - the next-gen virtual browser that outperform headless and antidetect solutions. Enjoy real device fingerprints, mobile support, and AI-powered CAPTCHA solving for seamless browsing.

PDFShift - Convert any HTML documents to high-fidelity PDF using a single POST request

browserling - Live interactive cross-browser testing from your browser.

pdflayer - Free, powerful HTML to PDF API supporting both URL and raw HTML conversion. Unlimited document size, lightning-fast and compatible PHP, Python, Ruby, etc.

puppeteer - Puppeteer is a Node library which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium...

HTML PDF API - Easily generate PDF documents from HTML code with our powerful API