--- canonical: 'https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/apiflash' title: 'HTML/CSS to Image vs ApiFlash: Features & Pricing' description: 'ApiFlash is a cheap, fast API for screenshots of existing pages. HTML/CSS to Image adds HTML/CSS rendering, PDFs, templates, and signed image URLs.' --- # HTML/CSS to Image vs ApiFlash ApiFlash is an inexpensive screenshot API for existing pages, with strong capture controls and no overages. HTML/CSS to Image also renders your own HTML/CSS, creates PDFs, and adds templates and signed URLs. [View this comparison on the website](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/apiflash) ## The short answer **Choose HTML/CSS to Image if:** - You want to render HTML/CSS directly or create PDFs. - Image URLs go in public pages, and you need signing to keep your API key private. - You're designing images with templates, variables, or a visual editor. - Traffic can outgrow your plan, and you'd rather pay overages than have requests fail. **Choose ApiFlash if:** - You want the lowest price for screenshots of existing pages: $7 for 1,000 or $35 for 10,000. - You want HTML and text extraction, geolocation emulation, or S3 uploads on every plan. ## At a glance | Capability | HTML/CSS to Image | ApiFlash | | --- | --- | --- | | Render controls | Very flexible (90/100) | Flexible (72/100) | | Request rate limits | Yes — No per-minute limits | Partial — 20 requests/sec, bursts up to 400 | | Hosted image URLs | Yes | Partial — Cached 24 hours by default, up to 30 days | | PDF rendering | Partial — Paid plans | Not available — JPEG, PNG, and WebP only | | Batch requests | Partial — 25–100 images on paid plans | Not available — Send parallel requests instead | | Overages | Optional — $10/1,000, or $50/10,000 on Scale | Not available — Requests stop at your quota | | Native SDKs | Yes — Several languages | Partial — Code examples in 8 languages | | Cookie-banner blocking | Yes | Yes — Plus ad and tracker blocking | | Extra features | Render your own HTML/CSS
Signed URLs that keep your API key private
Visual template editor
Dynamic OG images without API calls
Resize and reformat without new credits | HTML and text extraction
Geolocation and time zone emulation
Fail on chosen HTTP status codes
Managed proxies and IP location on Enterprise | ## Where they overlap Both capture webpages with controls for viewport size, full-page capture, element selection, and waiting for your content, and both hide cookie banners. Neither charges again when a cached capture is reused. ApiFlash runs each capture in a fresh Chrome instance on AWS Lambda. ## URLs only, and no PDFs ApiFlash's endpoint is `urltoimage`, and it needs a URL, so a custom design has to be hosted as a page first. Output is JPEG, PNG, or WebP. HTML/CSS to Image renders HTML/CSS you send directly, a URL, or a saved template with new values, and it creates PDFs on paid plans. ## Putting image URLs in public pages An ApiFlash request works in an image tag, but the access key sits in the query string. ApiFlash's own guides recommend sending requests through your own Nginx or Cloudflare Worker proxy to keep the key private. HTML/CSS to Image's signed URLs are built for this. Put an image or template URL in an email, a webpage, or `og:image`, and the signature protects the request without exposing your API key. ## Caching and reuse ApiFlash's cache lasts 24 hours by default and up to 30 days, and cached or failed screenshots don't count against your quota. After the cache expires, the same screenshot is a new capture. HTML/CSS to Image keeps each image at its hosted URL, and resized, cropped, or reformatted versions don't use new credits. ## Bursts, and the end of the month ApiFlash handles bursts well: every plan allows 20 requests a second with bursts up to 400, and there's no limit on concurrent requests. The bigger difference is what happens when you run out. ApiFlash has no overages, so requests return HTTP 402 once you reach your quota. HTML/CSS to Image's optional overages keep images flowing past your allowance. ## Where ApiFlash wins Price, and a few capture extras. $7 buys 1,000 screenshots and $35 buys 10,000, and there's a free plan with 100 a month. Every plan includes uploads to S3-compatible storage, HTML and text extraction alongside the screenshot, and geolocation and time-zone emulation. ## Pricing ApiFlash costs about half as much as HTML/CSS to Image in both examples. It has no overages, though: once you reach your quota, requests return HTTP 402. USD, monthly billing, before tax. Distinct standard screenshots with no cache reuse. ApiFlash doesn't count cached or failed screenshots against your quota. ### Getting started Entry paid plans, with their actual included allowances. **HTML/CSS to Image:** $14/month for 1,000 images on Basic. Includes templates, the visual editor, and hosted image delivery. A free plan includes 50 images per month. **ApiFlash:** $7/month for 1,000 screenshots on Lite. The free plan includes 100 screenshots a month, with no credit card required. ApiFlash costs half as much for 1,000 screenshots. ### At 10,000 images per month Distinct standard screenshots, monthly USD pricing. **HTML/CSS to Image:** $69/month for 10,000 images on Basic. Optional overages cost $10 per 1,000 images. Includes templates, hosted image delivery, storage destinations, and bring-your-own proxies at this volume. **ApiFlash:** $35/month for 10,000 screenshots on Medium. No overages: requests return HTTP 402 once you reach your quota. Large is $180 for 100,000. ApiFlash costs about half as much at this volume. ## Common questions ### Is ApiFlash cheaper than HTML/CSS to Image? Yes. ApiFlash costs $7 for 1,000 screenshots and $35 for 10,000, about half of HTML/CSS to Image's $14 and $69. It has no overages, though: once you reach your quota, requests return HTTP 402. ### Can ApiFlash generate PDFs? No. ApiFlash outputs JPEG, PNG, and WebP. HTML/CSS to Image renders PDFs on its paid plans. ### Can ApiFlash render raw HTML? ApiFlash's documented endpoint captures a URL. HTML/CSS to Image renders HTML/CSS you send directly, as well as URLs and saved templates. ### Is it safe to put an ApiFlash URL in an image tag? ApiFlash requests work in an image tag, but the access key is in the query string, and ApiFlash's guides recommend proxying requests to keep it private. HTML/CSS to Image's signed URLs can go directly into public pages without exposing your API key. ## Comparison details ### Rendering inputs **HTML/CSS to Image:** Render HTML/CSS or URLs with viewport, scale, selector, timing, font, and other controls. Convenience options include google_fonts and a ScreenshotReady() signal for your page's JavaScript. The same options apply whether you send HTML/CSS or a URL. **ApiFlash:** Capture a webpage from its URL, with viewport, full-page, element, wait, CSS and JavaScript injection, header, cookie, and geolocation options. The urltoimage endpoint requires a hosted webpage URL. HCTI also renders HTML/CSS you send directly. ### Concurrency and rate limits **HTML/CSS to Image:** Send image creation and rendering requests in parallel, with no concurrency caps or per-second or per-minute rate limits. Image credits and plan limits still apply. **ApiFlash:** Every plan allows 20 requests per second with bursts up to 400, and no limit on concurrent requests. Requests past the burst return HTTP 429. A failing request repeated with identical parameters is limited to five per hour. ApiFlash caps requests at 20 per second. HCTI has no request-rate limits. ### Caching and delivery **HTML/CSS to Image:** Hosting and CDN delivery are included. Application-level caching keeps an existing image URL reusable, even after a CDN cache miss, without consuming another image credit. Paid plans keep images while your account is active. Custom-storage-only images use your own delivery. **ApiFlash:** Cached screenshots are reused for 24 hours by default, up to 30 days, and don't count against your quota. fresh=true bypasses the cache. Failed screenshots don't count either. HCTI keeps reusable images beyond a 30-day screenshot cache. ### Image variants **HTML/CSS to Image:** Re-render, resize, crop, or change formats using the same image URL, without spending more credits. Changing the source HTML or creation parameters creates a new image. **ApiFlash:** Set dimensions, crop, thumbnail width, format, and quality as capture options. A distinct combination of capture options counts as a fresh screenshot unless cached. HCTI includes output variants of an existing image. ## Research and sources Last reviewed: 2026-09-30 Reviewed ApiFlash's public documentation, FAQ, guides, and homepage pricing alongside HCTI documentation and pricing. Costs are calculated from published monthly plans, not invoices. No rendering, performance, or visual-quality tests were performed. ApiFlash doesn't document an MCP server, so that row is left out rather than marked unsupported. - [HCTI API reference](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/getting-started/using-the-api/) (checked 2026-09-22) - [HCTI render readiness](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/parameters/render_when_ready/) (checked 2026-09-22) - [ApiFlash documentation](https://apiflash.com/documentation) (checked 2026-09-30) - [HCTI rate and usage limits](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/getting-started/using-the-api/rate-limits/) (checked 2026-09-22) - [ApiFlash concurrent requests guide](https://apiflash.com/guides/make-concurrent-requests) (checked 2026-09-30) - [HCTI plans and pricing](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/pricing) (checked 2026-09-30) - [HCTI storage destinations](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/guides/advanced/storage-destinations/) (checked 2026-09-22) - [ApiFlash FAQ](https://apiflash.com/faq) (checked 2026-09-30) - [HCTI MCP tools](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/) (checked 2026-09-22) - [HCTI SDKs and example code](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/example-code/) (checked 2026-09-30) - [ApiFlash pricing](https://apiflash.com/#pricing) (checked 2026-09-30) - [About ApiFlash](https://apiflash.com/about) (checked 2026-09-30) - [ApiFlash calls through Nginx](https://apiflash.com/guides/api-calls-through-nginx) (checked 2026-09-30) - [ApiFlash calls through Cloudflare](https://apiflash.com/guides/api-calls-through-cloudflare) (checked 2026-09-30) - [HCTI signed image URLs](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/getting-started/create-and-render/) (checked 2026-09-30) ## Try it out [Try the live image demo](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/apiflash#demo) ## Related comparisons - [HTML/CSS to Image vs ScreenshotOne](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/screenshotone.md) - [HTML/CSS to Image vs html2img.com](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/html2img.md) - [HTML/CSS to Image vs Urlbox](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/urlbox.md) - [HTML/CSS to Image vs Placid](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/placid.md) - [HTML/CSS to Image vs Playwright](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/playwright.md) - [HTML/CSS to Image vs Browserless](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/compare/browserless.md) ## Get started [Start creating free](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/join) · [Pricing](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/pricing.md) · [Documentation](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com) We tried to make this an honest and fair comparison. We last updated the details on September 30, 2026. If you represent ApiFlash and want to correct the record, please [email us](mailto:support@htmlcsstoimage.com).