Polotno SDK and IMG.LY CreativeEditor SDK are both frameworks for embedding design and editing capabilities inside products. They address overlapping needs — enabling users to create images, videos, or layouts directly within a web or mobile interface — but their architecture, pricing, and focus areas differ sharply. Polotno SDK is a web-first, JavaScript-based framework built around simplicity, automation, and predictable pricing. IMG.LY CreativeEditor SDK is a more mature, cross-platform product covering web, iOS, Android, and desktop, with broader feature depth and heavier enterprise orientation.

Platform coverage and architecture

Polotno SDK runs entirely in the browser. It’s built for web applications and can be deployed either self-hosted or using the optional Polotno Cloud Render API. It handles both images and videos under a unified schema, making it suitable for creative automation pipelines, marketing platforms, or SaaS tools.

IMG.LY CreativeEditor SDK supports web, iOS, Android, and desktop applications. It’s designed to deliver consistent feature sets across platforms, including photo editing, design composition, video editing, and even print workflows.

In practical terms: Polotno prioritizes fast web embedding and automation flexibility; IMG.LY emphasizes feature completeness and performance across multiple environments.

Customization and integration

Polotno provides full control over the editor’s UI and logic. Developers can show or hide tools, create custom panels, inject their own data sources, or modify the behavior of uploads, templates, and asset libraries. Its architecture is simple enough for quick integration yet open enough for deep customization.

IMG.LY offers extensive customization through configuration layers and a plugin architecture. Developers can adjust UI layout, available features, and editor behavior, but the integration process is more complex. Its SDKs require deeper familiarity with each target environment, especially when extending to mobile or desktop.

For web-first products, Polotno usually integrates faster. For cross-platform or feature-intensive environments, IMG.LY allows broader extensibility once configured.

Automation and templating

This is where the two products differ most in philosophy.

Polotno SDK is schema-based: every design element — text, image, video, shape, or background — is stored as a JSON object. Developers can create templates programmatically, modify existing ones, or generate complete projects through code. This open schema enables deep automation, AI-driven design generation, and bulk creative production.

IMG.LY CreativeEditor SDK also supports template automation, but through a more structured and internally managed scene format. It provides APIs for dynamic replacement of content — such as images, text, and colors — within predefined templates. Developers can inject data at runtime and render outputs automatically.

However, the IMG.LY scene format is not fully open or documented to the same level as Polotno’s schema. This means automation is possible but more constrained — optimized for substituting data into existing templates rather than generating entire projects from scratch.

In short:

• Polotno is open and generative, allowing full programmatic control over the creative structure.

• IMG.LY is controlled and structured, offering robust substitution automation but less flexibility for schema-level design generation.

Pricing and licensing

Polotno follows a straightforward SaaS pricing model. Subscription tiers are published and predictable, licenses activate instantly, and there are no required demos or negotiations. Pricing has remained stable for existing customers since launch, and billing is monthly with self-serve checkout.

IMG.LY uses enterprise licensing with customized quotes based on use case, scale, and platform coverage. Pricing is negotiated individually, and integration typically follows a sales cycle. While this model suits enterprise procurement standards, it introduces friction for smaller teams or startups.

Polotno’s model favors speed, transparency, and predictable budgeting. IMG.LY’s approach favors enterprises that prioritize support, SLAs, and platform parity over simplicity.

Feature depth

IMG.LY is a feature-rich, mature SDK covering image, video, and print workflows across multiple platforms. It includes advanced features such as non-destructive editing, filters, masks, adjustment layers, print-safe color models, and native mobile optimization.

Polotno offers a comprehensive set of web-based features — image and video editing, text formatting, layering, animation, and export options — but it intentionally avoids the complexity of heavy video editing or sophisticated print preparation workflows. Its strength lies in its simplicity, web speed, and automation flexibility rather than raw feature count.

In short, IMG.LY provides more advanced creative functionality; Polotno delivers a faster, lighter, developer-friendly implementation.

Hosting and data control

Both products allow private deployment but target different levels of infrastructure control.

Polotno can be fully self-hosted, letting developers control the entire environment — including rendering, data storage, and performance tuning. The optional cloud rendering service is schema-compatible, so migration between local and cloud setups is seamless.

IMG.LY supports server-side and headless rendering for enterprise customers. However, these capabilities are tied to enterprise licensing and require dedicated setup.

For startups or mid-size SaaS platforms, Polotno’s deployment model is faster and easier to manage. For larger companies with strict compliance or infrastructure needs, IMG.LY provides the enterprise-grade flexibility required for distributed deployments.

Summary

Conclusion

Polotno SDK and IMG.LY CreativeEditor SDK represent two ends of the same spectrum.

Polotno focuses on developer agility, automation, and transparency — it’s ideal for SaaS founders, startups, and mid-size teams building web-based creative tools with predictable pricing and minimal setup.

IMG.LY delivers depth, cross-platform reach, and enterprise-grade capabilities — better suited for large organizations needing mobile and desktop parity, advanced video pipelines, or sophisticated print workflows.

Polotno’s strengths lie in its open schema, automation flexibility, and instant, transparent licensing. IMG.LY’s strengths lie in its technical maturity, broader platform coverage, and advanced creative tooling.

Both can power serious design platforms — the difference is whether your priority is control and simplicity or coverage and feature density.