Carbone

Overview

Carbone is an API-first platform for generating and converting documents from structured data and templates. It is best suited to teams embedding repeatable document workflows in an application, especially when they need control over deployment. Its breadth is a strength, but per-document counting and overage charges deserve attention before choosing a plan.

It can merge JSON into templates to produce files such as PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPTX. Templates may use DOCX, ODT, ODS, XLSX, XML, Markdown or HTML. API access, data merging, bulk generation, bulk PDF generation and fillable form creation make it more than a basic mail-merge utility.

Carbone was created in 2013 under Ideolys and became independent as CarboneIO SAS in May 2021. The company is based in Bellevigny, France, and says its customers work across sectors including finance, healthcare, insurance, legal services, public administration, retail, energy, software and telecommunications.

It fits within Document Generation Software and is also relevant to PDF Creation Software, Mail Merge Software and Document Template Management Software.

Key features

Templates and conversion

The template workflow lets an application combine JSON with reusable document layouts, then generate files in several common office formats. The input-format range also includes PDF, PPTX, ODP, CSV, TXT, SVG, ODG and IDML. That flexibility suits systems handling varied document sources, though it also means the product is more compelling for integrated workflows than for occasional one-off file creation.

A separate conversion API handles more than 100 formats and supports LibreOffice, OnlyOffice and Chromium. That gives teams options for document conversion alongside generation, rather than limiting Carbone to a single output path.

AI connections and integrations

Carbone offers an MCP server and an open-source Carbone Skill intended to connect AI assistants with template creation and document generation. Its integration directory includes ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Airtable, Bubble, Glide, Make, n8n, Zapier, Odoo and Salesforce. These connections may help teams fit generation into existing automation and business systems; the breadth alone does not establish which integrations suit a particular workflow.

Deployment, privacy and security

Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud and AWS deployment options give teams a meaningful choice between managed service and customer-controlled hosting. Carbone says its Cloud service keeps templates for reuse but does not retain submitted JSON or generated documents beyond rendering and delivery. For on-premise deployments, it says it cannot access customer templates, data or generated files.

Carbone says its cloud infrastructure is hosted in France by OVHcloud and that it conducts annual security audits. It is working toward SOC 2 compliance, expected before the end of 2026. Organizations with specific compliance requirements should weigh that status against their own requirements rather than treating the target as completed certification.

Pricing

The Cloud Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free, billed 0 per month. It is a sensible way to begin evaluating the cloud workflow, but the allowance and included-template caps matter for production use. On-Premise Free costs 0.00 USD per free, billed 0 per year, and is the Free Community Edition for self-hosted use.

Amazon Web Services uses usage-based per-document pricing: 0.15 USD per once, billed as monthly usage, with the first 100 documents at $0.15 each, documents 101–1000 at $0.08 each, 1001–10000 at $0.03 each, and over 10001 at $0.008 each. This avoids a fixed monthly tier, but costs depend on volume. The pricing page also offers a free 30-day trial for self-hosted On-Premise use.

Cloud Essential is 29.00 USD per month, or 26 per month billed annually. Cloud Essential Plus is 95.00 USD per month, or 85 per month billed annually. Cloud Advanced is 159.00 USD per month, or 149 per month billed annually; it includes 10 hours of expert support per year. Cloud Advanced Plus is 295.00 USD per month, or 265 per month billed annually. Cloud Advanced Ultra is 595.00 USD per month, or 529 per month billed annually. These steps offer a range of cloud tiers, but the practical choice depends on the allowance and features in the plan comparison, not the tier name alone.

On-Premise Fit is 1500.00 USD per year for an enterprise license, with documents counted per 1 MB of injected data. On-Premise Unlimited starts at 2940.00 USD per year and includes an enterprise license, lifetime license and unlimited documents. The former suits teams seeking a self-hosted enterprise license with usage-based counting; the latter is the clearer fit when its unlimited-document allowance justifies the higher starting cost.

A generated document is counted for each 1 MB of injected JSON and images, and documents beyond a plan allowance are invoiced separately. This counting rule can make input size as important as the number of generation requests, so teams should estimate usage carefully. Essential includes chat support from 9 AM to 6 PM UTC+2, with asynchronous email responses outside those hours.

Platforms

Carbone supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows. The deployment choices span managed Cloud, Private Cloud, On-Premise and AWS, making it relevant both to application teams using an API and organizations that need to host the service themselves.

Who it's for

Carbone is a strong candidate for developers and IT teams building recurring document workflows from structured data, particularly when bulk generation, conversion or self-hosting matters. Its range of formats and integrations can also suit organizations connecting documents to existing operational software. It is less compelling for someone who needs only a small number of simple PDFs and does not need an API or deployment choices, especially if document allowances and overages are a concern.

Pros and cons

• Broad document workflow: JSON templating, bulk generation, fillable forms and conversion across more than 100 formats cover more than basic PDF output.
• Flexible hosting: Cloud, Private Cloud, On-Premise and AWS options can accommodate different infrastructure and data-control preferences.
• Useful privacy distinction: Carbone says Cloud retains templates but not submitted JSON or generated files beyond delivery, while on-premise data remains inaccessible to it.
• Usage requires care: each 1 MB of injected JSON and images counts as a generated document, and allowance overages are invoiced separately.
• Compliance still in progress: SOC 2 is a future target, which may not meet organizations that require completed certification today.

Alternatives

Choose ReportLab if you want its free-for-commercial-use open-source core PDF generation library rather than Carbone's template-and-conversion platform. PDF4me Merge & Split is a possible alternative when a limited-call free API tier or a one-time 500-call pack better suits the job. PDFMonkey offers a free tier of 20 documents per month, but its stated limits include one-day retention and a 30-second generation limit, with no external images, fonts, CSS or JS.

PDF24 Compare PDF is a free option for users who need its PDF comparison tool rather than Carbone's generation workflow. Docmosis may suit teams looking for a paid cloud offering starting with Cloud Professional at 49.00 USD per month, including 4,000+ pages per month, one user, one environment and multi-region US, EU and AU. DocuGenerate offers a free plan with 20 documents per month, two templates, full API and integrations, and single-document generation.

CraftMyPDF has a free plan of 50 PDFs or images per month and three templates, with REST API, Zapier, Make.com and Bubble.io. DocRaptor is another API-oriented alternative with a free plan of five documents per month.

Verdict

Choose Carbone if your team needs a programmable, template-driven document pipeline and values a choice of managed or self-hosted deployment. Its combination of generation, conversion and data-control options is the main reason to select it. Look elsewhere if your needs are limited to occasional straightforward PDFs or if per-document counting and separately invoiced overages make budgeting too uncertain.