ASHDOCS as an alternative to wkhtmltopdf.
ASHDOCS vs wkhtmltopdf — retire the abandoned binary without giving up control.
wkhtmltopdf is archived: its final release shipped in 2020 on a Qt WebKit engine that predates flexbox and grid support, and its maintainers recommend moving off it. ASHDOCS gives you modern Chromium rendering behind one API call — no binary to patch, no headless X server, no CSS from 2011.
How does ASHDOCS compare to wkhtmltopdf feature by feature?
| Feature | ASHDOCS | wkhtmltopdf |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance status | Actively developed API | Archived — no releases since 2020 |
| CSS support | Full modern CSS (flex, grid, variables) | Qt WebKit ~2012 — no flex/grid |
| Security patches | Continuous (managed service) | None — known CVEs unpatched |
| Web fonts | Automatic | Manual installation on the host |
| Ops burden | Zero — REST call | Binary, fonts, X server, memory leaks |
| JavaScript rendering | Full (charts, SPAs) | Partial, frequently breaks |
| Extraction / OCR | Included | Not applicable |
| Cost | Free tier, then from $15/mo | Free binary + your ops time |
What are the key limitations of wkhtmltopdf?
- →Abandoned engine: modern CSS silently fails, producing layouts that don't match the browser.
- →Unpatched CVEs make rendering untrusted HTML on your own infrastructure a real risk.
- →Self-hosting costs show up as ops time: font packaging, zombie processes, and memory leaks under load.
What does the code look like side by side?
# wkhtmltopdf (self-hosted binary) wkhtmltopdf --page-size A4 --margin-top 20mm \ input.html output.pdf
# ASHDOCS — one URL scheme for all 30 tools
curl -X POST https://www.ashdocs.com/api/v1/tools/html-to-pdf \
-H "X-API-Key: ash_test_xxx" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{ "html": "<h1>Hi</h1>", "options": { "format": "A4" } }'How do I migrate from wkhtmltopdf to ASHDOCS?
- Replace the CLI invocation with one POST to /tools/html-to-pdf — flags like --page-size map to `options.format`, margins map to `options.margin`.
- Delete the wkhtmltopdf binary, font packages, and wrapper scripts from your images; CI shrinks and cold starts get faster.
- Re-test templates that used WebKit workarounds (tables-as-layout, float grids) — most simplify dramatically under real flexbox.
- For high volume, batch up to 50 renders per call on /api/v1/batch instead of forking processes.
Frequently asked questions
Why move off wkhtmltopdf if it's free?+
The binary is free; running it isn't. You pay in unpatched security issues, 2012-era CSS, font management, and process babysitting. One API call replaces all of it, with a free tier for low volume.
Will my existing templates work?+
Templates written for wkhtmltopdf render better under Chromium — WebKit-era hacks can be removed. Budget an hour to visually diff your top templates in the free sandbox.
Is there an equivalent to the --toc and --header-html flags?+
Headers and footers are supported via `options.header_html` / `options.footer_html`. Chromium print CSS handles page numbers with counters.
Competitor pricing verified 1 August 2026 from the vendor's public pricing page. Pricing changes frequently — check wkhtmltopdf's pricing page for current rates before deciding.