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Image Generation

Iteration Layer vs Puppeteer

Puppeteer takes screenshots of HTML pages — a browser pipeline for what should be a simple API call.

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Why developers switch from Puppeteer

Puppeteer spins up a full browser for every screenshot — heavy on memory and slow to cold-start.

No Chromium to deploy or maintain

Each Puppeteer screenshot requires a running Chromium instance consuming 200–300 MB of RAM. We are a managed API: define your layers as JSON, get a PNG or JPEG back — no browser, no containers, no memory management.

AI operations on every layer

Puppeteer takes screenshots of what Chrome renders. We apply background removal and smart crop with object detection to individual layers as part of the same generation request.

Explicit layer composition

Puppeteer renders HTML — what you get depends on CSS interpretation, font loading, and browser quirks. Our layer model is explicit: each element has a precise position, size, and style, producing the same result every time.

Feature-by-feature comparison

We went through the docs so you don't have to. Here's how every feature compares — including the ones where we're not the better choice.

Feature Iteration Layer Puppeteer
Template definition
JSON layers

Templates defined as JSON layer arrays — versionable and diffable
HTML/JS

Takes screenshots of HTML pages rendered in a headless browser
Layer composition
Per layer

Independent text, image, and shape layers composited pixel-perfectly
Browser rendering

Browser rendering can vary based on font loading, CSS interpretation, and rendering timing
Output formats
4 formats

PNG, JPEG, WebP, and PDF output
4 formats

PNG, JPEG, WebP, and PDF output supported via Chromium
AI operations
Included

Background removal and smart crop with object detection available per layer
None

No AI-based image operations available — takes browser screenshots only
Output determinism
Deterministic

Same input always produces the same output with pixel-level consistency
Non-deterministic

Browser rendering can vary based on font loading, CSS interpretation, and rendering timing
Open source
Proprietary

Closed-source managed SaaS platform
Free

Open source and free to use with no per-image cost
Web screenshots
Layer-based

Composes images from individual layers rather than capturing web pages
Pixel-perfect

Captures pixel-perfect screenshots of any web page as Chrome renders it
JS interaction
Static

Static layer composition without JavaScript execution
Full JS

Can interact with JavaScript-rendered pages including SPAs and dynamic content
EU hosting
EU only

All processing happens exclusively on EU-hosted servers
Your choice

Runs on your infrastructure, so data residency depends on where you deploy
Language support
Any language

REST API callable from any programming language with HTTP support
Node.js only

Puppeteer is a Node.js library requiring a Node.js runtime
Pricing model
Per image

Pay-per-use pricing based on the number of images generated
Free

Open source and free to use — costs are limited to running Chromium instances
Infrastructure required
None

Fully managed API with no binaries, containers, or infrastructure to manage
Chromium

Requires Node.js and a Chromium instance consuming 200-300 MB per screenshot process
GDPR / Data privacy
Zero retention

No files or results stored beyond temporary 90-day logs
Your responsibility

Data privacy depends entirely on your deployment and infrastructure choices

Pricing

Start with free trial credits. No credit card required.

Developer

For individuals & small projects

$29.99 /per month
  • 1,000 credits / month
    That's either: 1,000 image transformations 500 document generations 500 image generations 500 sheet generations 200 document extractions (5-page docs) 200 markdown conversions (5-page docs)
  • All APIs included
  • Free trial credits per API
  • Email support
  • Budget caps per key
  • Optional auto top-up
Get Your Free API Key
Most Popular

Startup

Save 40%

For growing teams

$119.99 /per month
  • 5,000 credits / month
    That's either: 5,000 image transformations 2,500 document generations 2,500 image generations 2,500 sheet generations 1,000 document extractions (5-page docs) 1,000 markdown conversions (5-page docs)
  • All APIs included
  • Free trial credits per API
  • Priority support
  • Budget caps per key
  • Optional auto top-up
Get Your Free API Key

Business

Save 47%

For high-volume workloads

$319.99 /per month
  • 15,000 credits / month
    That's either: 15,000 image transformations 7,500 document generations 7,500 image generations 7,500 sheet generations 3,000 document extractions (5-page docs) 3,000 markdown conversions (5-page docs)
  • All APIs included
  • Free trial credits per API
  • Priority support
  • Budget caps per key
  • Optional auto top-up
Get Your Free API Key
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Free trial credits included. No credit card required.

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