Tool profile
PDFMonkey: cost, fit and limits
PDFMonkey is a PDF generation service made by PDFMonkey, a company with a Paris address in France, that turns JSON data into PDFs and images using templates built in a dashboard with live preview. Developers call a REST API, and no-code builders connect it through Zapier, Make or n8n.
What to know first
PDFMonkey is the cheapest entry in this ranking, with a Free plan of 20 documents and Starter at 5 euros for 300. Plans differ mainly in document count and in how long files are kept, from one day to unlimited. The pages we read name no AI feature and no certification, and the privacy policy lists Heroku, AWS, Fly and Neon as hosting.
PDFMonkey at a glance
| Maker | PDFMonkey, France |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | 5 euros per month |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Document Generation Software in 2026, rank 6 of 10 |
| Website | pdfmonkey.io |
Who PDFMonkey is best for
Developers on a tight budget
Starter at 5 euros a month and Pro at 15 euros for 3,000 documents keep a small product's invoice or ticket generation cheap, with overage from 0.005 euro per document.
No-code builders
The home page lists Zapier, Make, n8n, Bubble, Airtable, Google Sheets and Glide, so Airtable or Bubble projects can generate PDFs from rows without custom code.
Teams who prefer HTML and CSS templates
The page mentions Tailwind CSS, Google Fonts, custom JavaScript and any chart library, so designers who know web technology reuse skills for layout.
Buyers who want European infrastructure
The pricing page says all infrastructure runs on European servers, and the privacy policy shows a Paris company address, which helps a first review.
PDFMonkey plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 euros | 20 documents a month with 1-day retention; external images, fonts, CSS and JavaScript are not allowed. |
| Starter | 5 euros per month, 4.50 billed yearly | 300 documents a month with external resources allowed and 1-day retention. Allows external resources such as hosted images and web fonts, which Free blocks, plus one-day retention of generated files. |
| Pro | 15 euros per month, 13.50 billed yearly | 3,000 documents a month, 2 team members and 7-day retention. Adds a second team member and keeps files for seven days, up from one day on the lower plans, at 3,000 documents. |
| Pro+ | 60 euros per month, 54 billed yearly | 5,000 documents, unlimited collaborators, share links and unlimited retention. Moves to 5,000 documents a month with unlimited collaborators, share links and files that are kept without a time limit. |
| Premium | 300 euros per month, 270 billed yearly | 60,000 documents a month with unlimited collaborators, share links and unlimited retention. The largest listed tier, at 60,000 documents a month, with unlimited collaborators, share links and unlimited file retention. |
Checked November 2026.
What PDFMonkey does
- Dashboard template builder
- Templates are built in a dashboard with a real PDF preview, and the page says no developer background is needed. Documentation covers code templates, custom JavaScript and custom CSS for those who want them.
- Plan-based retention
- Generated files stay for one day on Free and Starter, seven days on Pro and without limit on Pro+ and Premium. A workflow that re-downloads old invoices needs one of the higher tiers or its own storage.
- Overage options
- Paid plans can use pay-as-you-go at 0.008 euro (Starter), 0.007 (Pro), 0.006 (Pro+) or 0.005 (Premium) per extra document, or buy Boost Packs of 1,000 documents for 5 euros. The two methods cannot be combined.
- 30-day trial
- A 30-day trial includes 300 documents and requires no credit card, which is long enough to run a month-end invoice cycle before committing. After the 30 days, Starter at 5 euros is the lowest paid step, and it still keeps files for only one day.
- External resources gate
- Free allows no external images, fonts, CSS or JavaScript. Starter and above lift that limit, so any template using a web font or a hosted logo needs a paid plan.
How PDFMonkey handles your data
The pricing page says all PDFMonkey infrastructure runs on European servers. The privacy policy, hosted by iubenda, gives a Paris address and lists Heroku, Amazon Web Services, Fly and Neon as hosting providers, plus Stripe, Sendgrid, Crisp, Cloudflare and monitoring services such as Sentry. It does not state a retention period beyond the plan-level file retention, and no security certification is named on the pages read. The vendor's policy was not checked for AI use or training on customer data.
Where PDFMonkey falls short in practice
- Short file retention on cheap plans. Free and Starter delete generated files after one day and Pro after seven. Anyone who needs files to remain downloadable has to store them elsewhere or buy Pro+ at 60 euros.
- No AI or certification claims. The pricing and home pages mention neither AI features nor SOC 2 or ISO 27001. Buyers with a security questionnaire need to ask the vendor directly.
- Hosting list is broad. The privacy policy names Heroku, AWS, Fly and Neon as hosts alongside the European servers claim, so confirm which provider holds your files and where.
Works with
Alternatives to PDFMonkey
PDFMonkey: common questions
How long does PDFMonkey keep my generated PDFs?
Retention depends on the plan: one day on Free and Starter, seven days on Pro, and unlimited on Pro+ and Premium. If you need files longer on a cheaper plan, save them to your own storage after generation. Premium and Pro+ files never expire while the subscription runs.
Does PDFMonkey have AI features?
No AI feature appears on the pricing or home pages we read. Templates are built in a dashboard with a live preview and written in code, so AI-assisted template design is not a stated part of the product. Layout control comes from HTML, CSS and JavaScript, which designers write by hand.
What happens when I pass my document quota?
Paid plans can use pay-as-you-go overage from 0.005 to 0.008 euro per extra document, depending on the plan, or buy a Boost Pack of 1,000 documents for 5 euros. You cannot use both methods at once. Yearly billing saves 10 percent on the plan price, and prices exclude VAT.
Can I try PDFMonkey before paying?
Yes. A free plan allows 20 documents a month, and a 30-day trial gives 300 documents with no credit card. The free plan blocks external images, fonts, CSS and JavaScript, which paid plans allow. The trial is the better test of production layouts, since the free plan restricts external resources.
Does PDFMonkey store data in Europe?
The pricing page says all infrastructure runs on European servers, and the company address in its privacy policy is in Paris. The same policy lists Heroku, AWS, Fly and Neon as hosting providers, so request the exact region. Ask about the processing region in writing, because the policy also lists several non-European service providers.