DS Server is an on-premise document services backend that merges MS Word templates with JSON to generate PDF, PDF/A and DOCX files, with a browser-based Word-style editor, a document viewer with annotations and electronic signatures, and OAuth security. It is licensed per server for self-hosting, which makes it a very different offer to PDF Generator API. The comparison below breaks down where each fits.
Pricing
DS Server is licensed per server for on-premise use, billed annually in euros with no free tier; PDF Generator API is a cloud SaaS from €8/month with a 14-day free trial, and also offers dedicated or on-premises deployment.
DS Server
On-premise document services · per server / year
- Single Server€2,498/yr
- 5 Servers€6,298/yr
- Unlimited€24,998/yr
Per-server annual licensing with unlimited documents and no free tier; renewals are lower (Single Server €998/yr). On-premise only — you host it on your own infrastructure.
PDF Generator API
Cloud plans · billed by credits · 14-day free trial
- Individualfrom €8/mo
- Teamfrom €52/mo
- Scales to250k credits/mo
Individual starts at 50 credits and 5 templates; Team starts at 1,000 credits, 25 templates and 10 workspaces, with unlimited templates and the embedded editor on higher tiers. Every plan includes a 14-day free trial, and on-premises deployment is available on request.
Conclusion
DS Server is a solid choice when you must keep everything on-premise and generate Word-based documents behind your own firewall, with an embeddable editor and electronic signatures included. Its model is enterprise self-hosting: there is no cloud SaaS or free tier, licensing is per server from €2,498 a year, and the site does not list a drag-and-drop template designer, fillable PDF form fields, web forms, batch generation or HIPAA and ISO 27001 certification.
PDF Generator API gives you both a cloud SaaS from €8/month with a 14-day free trial and dedicated or on-premises deployment when you need it, plus a drag-and-drop embeddable editor, fillable PDF form and signature fields, web forms, an AI template builder, and HIPAA and ISO 27001 compliance. If you want the control of on-premise without the enterprise-only pricing, it is worth a direct comparison.
