Polotno SDK embeds a customizable editor in your product; Bannerbear provides a hosted API that turns template data into finished media. Choose the editor when you want in‑product creation and automation. Choose the API when you just need server‑side generation.
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Core philosophy
Polotno SDK is about control inside your app. You define the UI, roles, and data flow, and work with one JSON schema for both editing and automation. When it is time to export, render in the browser, on your servers, or via the Polotno Cloud Render API — no model changes.
Bannerbear focuses on a managed pipeline. You design templates in a hosted account, pass parameters by API or a no‑code flow, and receive generated files. There is no embeddable editor to run in your app.
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Architecture and integration
Polotno SDK runs in the browser via a JavaScript editor and plugs directly into your product. Tie in your authentication, asset libraries, and business logic. Rendering paths are interchangeable — in‑browser for instant feedback, self‑hosted for privacy and throughput, or cloud for scale — all using the same schema and API surface. Plans and setup are on Request API key; cloud details are on Cloud Render.
Bannerbear integrates by REST and official libraries. Templates live in a hosted project, and the service returns URLs for finished assets or writes to connected storage.
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Automation and templating
Polotno SDK stores projects as JSON. Generate designs from code, map variables from your data, or integrate AI systems, then render locally, self‑hosted, or in the cloud. The same schema drives manual editing and batch generation. For element‑level control, see the video element schema; the image element and the text element follow the same model.
Bannerbear automates by applying modifications to hosted templates and rendering on their side.
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Rendering and export
Polotno SDK supports three execution paths with one schema: in‑browser, self‑hosted, and the Cloud Render API. Export formats include PNG, JPEG, PDF, PPTX, GIF, and MP4; see import and export for details.
Bannerbear renders on its managed backend. Workloads are governed by plan credits; there is no client‑side rendering path.
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Feature scope
Polotno SDK
Embeddable editor for images, templates, documents, and video
Schema‑level control for layout, styling, animation, and timing
Export to images, PDF, PPTX, GIF, and MP4 using client‑side, self‑hosted, or cloud execution
Bannerbear
Hosted templates and API‑based generation for images, video, and PDFs
Official libraries and no‑code integrations
Outputs delivered via URLs or storage integrations
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Use cases
Polotno SDK
SaaS and MarTech: add a white‑label editor to a marketing platform and keep data in your environment
eCommerce: automate product visuals and personalized ads from catalog data
Social and content tools: let users create posts and short videos in‑app with automated rendering
Education and training: build course asset editors with self‑hosted rendering for privacy
Real estate and print/DAM: generate listing sheets, flyers, and documents with on‑prem or cloud export
Bannerbear
Marketing automation: generate campaign variants from spreadsheets, forms, or event triggers
Content ops: produce social visuals and snippets where a hosted template and an API are sufficient
eCommerce: batch image or simple video overlays from product feeds without embedding an editor
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Feature comparison
Capability | Polotno SDK | Bannerbear |
|---|---|---|
Primary model | Embeddable editor + JSON schema | Hosted templates + REST API |
Editor inside your app | Yes (customizable UI) | No (hosted editor only) |
Automation | Programmatic via schema and code | Endpoint parameters or no‑code |
Rendering modes | Browser, self‑hosted, cloud | Hosted service only |
Media types | Images, video, documents | Images, video, PDFs |
Templates | Schema‑based in your product | Hosted in vendor account |
Typical fit | Own the editor and workflow | Outsource generation to a service |
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Pricing and licensing
Polotno SDK
Team $199/mo for organizations under 10 employees, one domain, 10,000 editor loads. Business $399/mo for organizations under 50 employees, unlimited domains and loads. Enterprise $599+/mo with custom terms and optional source access. Cloud rendering: $0.004 per image, $0.03 per video minute. See Request API key.
Bannerbear
Subscription plans with monthly credit allowances. Credits reset monthly; when exhausted, generation pauses until upgrade or reset.
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Conclusion
Polotno SDK gives you an embeddable editor and a single schema for editing and automation across browser, self‑hosted, and cloud rendering. Bannerbear provides a hosted pipeline to generate media from templates via API.