wkhtmltopdf uses an outdated WebKit engine that struggles with modern CSS. PixDoc renders with Chromium for pixel-perfect output and needs no binary installation.
| Feature | PixDoc | wkhtmltopdf |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | API key, one HTTP call | Install binary + system dependencies |
| Rendering Engine | Chromium (latest) | QtWebKit (deprecated, 2012-era) |
| CSS Support | Full CSS3, flexbox, grid, variables | Partial CSS3, no flexbox/grid |
| Scaling | Auto-scales, managed infrastructure | CLI process per render, manual scaling |
| Templates | Built-in template engine with variables | None — preprocess HTML yourself |
| Screenshots | Built-in endpoint for PNG/JPEG/WebP | PDF only |
| Async / Webhooks | Built-in webhook delivery | Not available |
| Pricing | Flat $29/mo for 5,000 renders | Free and open source |
See how much simpler it is to generate a PDF with PixDoc.
# Install binary (varies by OS)
sudo apt-get install wkhtmltopdf
# Generate PDF from HTML file
wkhtmltopdf --enable-local-file-access \
--page-size A4 \
--margin-top 10mm \
--margin-bottom 10mm \
--encoding UTF-8 \
input.html output.pdf
# From URL
wkhtmltopdf https://example.com output.pdfcurl -X POST https://pixdoc.dev/api/v1/pdf \
-H "Authorization: Bearer pd_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"html": "<h1>Invoice #1042</h1>"}' \
-o invoice.pdfStart generating PDFs, screenshots, and OG images in minutes. No browser management, no infrastructure, no per-document fees.