# Placid alternatives: 11 image APIs, priced

> Placid alternatives side by side, cheapest first: entry price, $ per 1,000 images, free tier, own HTML, MCP. Every number from the vendor's page, dated.

Published 2026-11-08 · https://shareglint.com/en/placid-alternatives

The cheapest Placid alternative in the table below is **Shareglint**: $9 for 2,000, or $4.50 per 1,000 images, against Placid's $19 for 500 ($38 per 1,000). At 10,000 images a month it is $29 against Placid's $89.

We make Shareglint, so we are not neutral. Every vendor's figures come from its own pricing page, read on **2026-11-08** and linked in the first column, and each tool gets a line on where it is better than us. Prices change; follow the links before you buy.

## The table, checked 2026-11-08

| Tool (pricing page) | Cheapest plan | $ per 1,000 on it | 10,000 a month | Free tier | Renders your HTML/CSS | MCP server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Placid](https://placid.app/pricing) (replacing) | $19 for 500 | $38 | $89 | Trial only | Not stated | [Yes](https://placid.app/solutions/mcp) |
| **Shareglint** | $9 for 2,000 | $4.50 | $29 | 100 a month, watermarked | Yes | Yes |
| [html2img](https://html2img.com/pricing) | $9 for 1,000 | $9 | $60 | 50 once, not monthly | [Yes](https://html2img.com/docs/quick-start) | [Yes](https://html2img.com/pricing) |
| [HTMLCSStoImage](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/pricing) | $14 for 1,000 | $14 | $69 | 50 a month | [Yes](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/getting-started/using-the-api/) | [Yes](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/) |
| [Imejis.io](https://www.imejis.io/pricing) | $14.99 for 1,000 | $14.99 | $69.99 | 100 a month | Not stated | [Yes](https://www.imejis.io/agents) |
| [APITemplate.io](https://apitemplate.io/pricing/) | $35 for 1,500 | $23.33 | $179 | 50 a month | [Yes](https://apitemplate.io/apiv2/) | Not stated |
| [Orshot](https://orshot.com/pricing) | $39 for 1,500 | $26 | $160 | 100 a month | Not stated | [Yes](https://orshot.com/docs/integrations/mcp-server) |
| [Layerre](https://layerre.com/pricing/) | $15 for 500 | $30 | $99 | 50 a month | [No](https://layerre.com/llms.txt) | [Yes](https://layerre.com/integrations/mcp.md) |
| [RenderForm](https://renderform.io/pricing/) | $9 for 250 | $36 | $169 | 50 once, not monthly | [Yes](https://renderform.io/convert-html-to-image) | [Yes](https://renderform.io/docs/general/mcp) |
| [Templated](https://templated.io/pricing/) | $39 for 1,000 | $39 | $229 | One-off trial, 50 credits | [In part](https://templated.io/docs/renders/create.md) | [Yes](https://templated.io/docs/integrations/mcp/setup/) |
| [Bannerbear](https://www.bannerbear.com/pricing/) | $49 for 1,000 | $49 | $149 | One-off trial, 30 credits | [No](https://www.bannerbear.com/llms.txt) | [Yes](https://www.bannerbear.com/v5/products/mcp/) |
| [Robolly](https://robolly.com/pricing/) | $39 for 250 | $156 | $129 | 7-day trial | Not stated | [Yes](https://robolly.com/docs/integrations/mcp/) |

How to read it: **$ per 1,000 on it** is the cheapest paid plan's price divided by its images; a cheap plan with few images can still cost more per image. **10,000 a month** is the cheapest public way to get 10,000 images: the smallest plan that covers it, or a smaller plan plus its published overage. Our [pricing page](https://shareglint.com/en/pricing) uses the same rule. Monthly billing, before tax. **Not stated** means we did not find it on the vendor's site.

## What Placid gives you, and what it costs

[Placid](https://placid.app/pricing) sells four plans on monthly billing: Basic $19 for 500 credits, Pro $39 for 2,500, Business $89 for 25,000 and VIP $249 for 100,000. It is generous in ways the table does not show: "We do not charge overage fees", "If you have leftover credits at the end of the month, they will roll over to the next month" (up to twice the plan), and previews are free. It has an [MCP server](https://placid.app/solutions/mcp) for AI assistants.

People look elsewhere for three reasons:

- **The price per image at the start.** Basic works out at $38 per 1,000 images; the per-image price only falls on the bigger plans.
- **No free plan.** There is a trial with "a few complimentary credits", then a paid plan.
- **Templates live in its editor.** There is no endpoint that takes your own HTML.

## The alternatives, one by one

**Shareglint (ours).** Starter is $9 for 2,000 images and Pro $29 for 10,000; the Free plan gives 100 images a month with a watermark. Your own HTML and CSS rendered in Chrome, a simple visual editor or 153 built-in templates, 6 sizes from one request, signed `og:image` URLs, website screenshots and an MCP server on every plan. *Where others are better:* our credits do not roll over, our free images carry a watermark, and our no-code integrations are HTTP recipes rather than native apps.

**[html2img](https://html2img.com/pricing).** Raw HTML in, image out ([quick start](https://html2img.com/docs/quick-start)), $9 for 1,000 on the cheapest plan, 50 free renders once at sign-up. *Better than us if* you want 25 ready-made named templates next to the raw HTML endpoint.

**[HTMLCSStoImage](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/pricing).** The same model as ours: HTML and CSS, rendered to an image ([API docs](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/getting-started/using-the-api/)). 50 free a month, overage $10 per 1,000. *Better than us at* debugging, with an Image Debugger that re-runs any image in a fresh browser.

**[Imejis.io](https://www.imejis.io/pricing).** A drag-and-drop editor like Placid's on every plan, 100 free renders a month and native integrations with Zapier, Airtable and Google Sheets. *Better than us* for a no-code team, and at exactly 25,000 a month: $69.99 against $79 with us.

**[APITemplate.io](https://apitemplate.io/pricing/).** Images and PDFs in one plan, 50 free a month; HTML becomes PNG or JPEG through its HTML-to-PDF endpoint. *Better than us for* PDF documents, with visual, HTML and Markdown editors.

**[Orshot](https://orshot.com/pricing).** 100 free credits every month, an [MCP server](https://orshot.com/docs/integrations/mcp-server), video from the same credits. Like Placid it sells no overage: "Rendering pauses until your credits reset". Unlike Placid, "whatever you have not used expires".

**[Layerre](https://layerre.com/pricing/).** Templates imported from Canva ([llms.txt](https://layerre.com/llms.txt)), 50 free renders a month. *Better than us* when the designs already live in Canva.

**[RenderForm](https://renderform.io/pricing/).** Stored HTML templates filled from JSON. *Better than us and like Placid at* credits: "Unused credits roll over and stay on your account after canceling."

**[Templated](https://templated.io/pricing/).** A white-label editor you embed in your own app, with MP4 video. *Better than us* when your users design inside your product.

**[Bannerbear](https://www.bannerbear.com/pricing/).** The other big template platform: workflows, forms, video and Instant URLs. It costs more per image than Placid at the entry level ($49 for 1,000) and refuses requests at the limit. Our [Bannerbear alternatives](https://shareglint.com/en/bannerbear-alternatives) page compares it the same way.

**[Robolly](https://robolly.com/pricing/).** A template API with a 7-day trial, an [MCP server](https://robolly.com/docs/integrations/mcp/) and video add-ons. Its entry plan holds 250 renders, so the price per image is high until the Business plan.

## How to choose

- **Keep Placid** if your team edits designs by mouse every day and leans on its integrations, rollover and free previews.
- **Lowest price per image with templates in code:** Shareglint, html2img or HTMLCSStoImage.
- **A mouse-first editor, cheaper:** Imejis.io; **designs from Canva:** Layerre.
- **Credits that roll over:** RenderForm (like Placid).
- **An editor inside your own app:** Templated.

Our one-to-one [Placid comparison](https://shareglint.com/en/alternatives/placid) goes through templates, previews and bulk renders side by side, and the [HTML to image playground](https://shareglint.com/en/html-to-image) renders a design for free before you sign up.

## FAQ

### What is the cheapest Placid alternative?

By price per 1,000 images on the cheapest paid plan, Shareglint: $9 for 2,000 ($4.50 per 1,000), against Placid's $19 for 500 ($38 per 1,000). At 10,000 a month it costs $29, Placid $89. We make Shareglint; every price is from the vendor's own pricing page, read on 2026-11-08.

### Does Placid have a free plan?

No. Placid offers a trial with a few complimentary credits and unlimited free previews; after that the cheapest plan is $19 for 500. Alternatives with a free tier that renews monthly include Shareglint (100 images, watermarked), HTMLCSStoImage, Imejis.io, Orshot, APITemplate.io and Layerre.

### Which Placid alternative lets me keep templates in HTML and CSS?

HTMLCSStoImage and html2img render HTML sent in each request, RenderForm and Shareglint render HTML templates you store, and APITemplate.io writes PNG or JPEG from HTML through its HTML-to-PDF endpoint. Placid's templates are built in its own editor.

### What does Placid do better than the cheaper tools?

Its editor and marketing integrations are mature, unused credits roll over to the next month (up to twice the plan), previews are free and it charges no overage fees. For a no-code team, that is worth the higher price per image.