COMPARISON

GrabzIt vs IronPDF: Technical Comparison Guide

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When .NET developers assess PDF generation solutions, GrabzIt stands out as a cloud-based service for capturing screenshots and PDFs. While it offers quick integration, GrabzIt creates image-based PDFs where text isn't selectable and requires sending all content to external servers for processing. IronPDF provides a different option: an in-process library that generates true vector PDFs with selectable, searchable text—all processed locally without external dependencies.

This comparison looks at both solutions across relevant technical dimensions to help professional developers and architects make informed decisions for their .NET PDF needs.

Understanding GrabzIt

GrabzIt is a paid SaaS specializing in screenshot and PDF capture services. It allows developers to convert web pages or HTML content into PDFs through a cloud API. The service uses GrabzItClient initialized with an application key and secret for authentication.

GrabzIt provides methods like HTMLToPDF() for HTML string conversion, URLToPDF() for web page capture, and HTMLToImage() for image generation. Configuration uses option classes like PDFOptions with properties such as CustomId and PageSize, and ImageOptions with Format, Width, and Height properties. Results are saved using SaveTo() for synchronous file output or Save() with a callback URL for asynchronous processing.

A key characteristic of GrabzIt is that it creates image-based PDFs—essentially screenshots wrapped in PDF format. Text in these PDFs is not selectable, and text search requires OCR processing. All content is sent to GrabzIt's servers for processing, which introduces privacy considerations and network latency.

Understanding IronPDF

IronPDF is a .NET library that runs in-process, generating true vector PDFs with selectable and searchable text. The library processes all content locally without external server dependencies.

IronPDF uses ChromePdfRenderer as its primary rendering class with methods like RenderHtmlAsPdf() and RenderUrlAsPdf(). Configuration is handled through RenderingOptions properties. For image conversion, rendered PDFs can be converted using ToBitmap(). Documents are saved with SaveAs() and all operations are synchronous—no callback handlers or webhooks required.

IronPDF generates vector-based PDFs where text remains selectable and searchable natively, without requiring OCR. File sizes are smaller than image-based PDFs, and processing occurs locally with typical latency around 100-500ms.

Architecture and Processing Model Comparison

The fundamental difference between these solutions lies in their processing architecture and output format.

AspectGrabzItIronPDF
PDF TypeImage-based (screenshot)True vector PDF
Text SelectionNot possibleFull text selection
Text SearchRequires OCRNative searchable
Processing LocationExternal serversLocal/in-process
PrivacyData sent externallyData stays local
LatencyNetwork round-trip (500ms-5s)Local processing (~100ms)
Pricing ModelPer-capturePer-developer license
Offline CapabilityNoYes
File SizeLarge (image data)Small (vector data)
Callback RequiredYes (async model)No (sync/async)
CSS/JS SupportLimitedFull Chromium engine

GrabzIt's cloud-based architecture means every PDF generation requires an HTTP call to external servers. This introduces network latency, availability concerns, and rate limiting considerations. IronPDF's in-process approach eliminates these infrastructure dependencies.

Code Comparison: Common PDF Operations

HTML to PDF Conversion

The most fundamental operation demonstrates the architectural and API differences.

GrabzIt:

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new PDFOptions();
        options.CustomId = "my-pdf";

        grabzIt.HTMLToPDF("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.pdf");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new PDFOptions();
        options.CustomId = "my-pdf";

        grabzIt.HTMLToPDF("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.pdf");
    }
}
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

IronPDF:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>");
        pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");
    }
}
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

GrabzIt requires creating a GrabzItClient with application key and secret credentials, configuring PDFOptions with properties like CustomId, calling HTMLToPDF() with the HTML content and options, then saving with SaveTo(). The content is sent to GrabzIt's servers for processing.

IronPDF creates a ChromePdfRenderer, calls RenderHtmlAsPdf() with the HTML string directly, and saves with SaveAs(). The operation is processed locally with no external authentication required. The resulting PDF contains true vector text that is selectable and searchable.

For advanced HTML rendering options, explore the HTML to PDF conversion guide.

URL to PDF Conversion

Converting live web pages shows similar patterns with different configuration approaches.

GrabzIt:

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new PDFOptions();
        options.PageSize = PageSize.A4;

        grabzIt.URLToPDF("https://www.example.com", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("webpage.pdf");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new PDFOptions();
        options.PageSize = PageSize.A4;

        grabzIt.URLToPDF("https://www.example.com", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("webpage.pdf");
    }
}
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

IronPDF:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
        pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");
    }
}
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

GrabzIt configures page size through PDFOptions.PageSize = PageSize.A4, then calls URLToPDF() with the URL and options. The web page is captured on GrabzIt's servers and returned as an image-based PDF.

IronPDF calls RenderUrlAsPdf() directly with the URL string. Page size can be configured via renderer.RenderingOptions.PaperSize. The page is rendered locally using IronPDF's embedded Chromium engine, producing a vector PDF with selectable text.

HTML to Image Conversion

Image generation demonstrates the different approaches to handling non-PDF output.

GrabzIt:

// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new ImageOptions();
        options.Format = ImageFormat.png;
        options.Width = 800;
        options.Height = 600;

        grabzIt.HTMLToImage("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.png");
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package GrabzIt
using GrabzIt;
using GrabzIt.Parameters;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var grabzIt = new GrabzItClient("YOUR_APPLICATION_KEY", "YOUR_APPLICATION_SECRET");
        var options = new ImageOptions();
        options.Format = ImageFormat.png;
        options.Width = 800;
        options.Height = 600;

        grabzIt.HTMLToImage("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>", options);
        grabzIt.SaveTo("output.png");
    }
}
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

IronPDF:

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;
using System.Drawing;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>");
        var images = pdf.ToBitmap();
        images[0].Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);
    }
}
// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;
using System.Drawing;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>");
        var images = pdf.ToBitmap();
        images[0].Save("output.png", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Png);
    }
}
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

GrabzIt has a dedicated HTMLToImage() method with ImageOptions for configuring Format, Width, and Height properties. The image is generated on GrabzIt's servers.

IronPDF first renders HTML to PDF using RenderHtmlAsPdf(), then converts to bitmap using ToBitmap() which returns an array of images (one per page). Individual images are saved using standard System.Drawing methods. This two-step approach provides the same result while keeping all processing local.

Learn more about PDF manipulation in the IronPDF tutorials.

API Mapping Reference

For developers evaluating GrabzIt migration or comparing capabilities, this mapping shows equivalent operations:

Core Method Mapping

GrabzIt MethodIronPDF Equivalent
new GrabzItClient(key, secret)new ChromePdfRenderer()
HTMLToPDF(html)renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html)
HTMLToPDF(html, options)Configure RenderingOptions first
URLToPDF(url)renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url)
URLToPDF(url, options)Configure RenderingOptions first
HTMLToImage(html)pdf.ToBitmap()
Save(callbackUrl)pdf.SaveAs(path) or pdf.BinaryData
SaveTo(filePath)pdf.SaveAs(filePath)
GetResult(id)N/A
GetStatus(id)N/A

PDFOptions to RenderingOptions Mapping

GrabzIt PDFOptionsIronPDF Property
MarginTopRenderingOptions.MarginTop
MarginBottomRenderingOptions.MarginBottom
MarginLeftRenderingOptions.MarginLeft
MarginRightRenderingOptions.MarginRight
PageSize (A4, Letter)RenderingOptions.PaperSize
OrientationRenderingOptions.PaperOrientation
BrowserWidthRenderingOptions.ViewPortWidth
BrowserHeightRenderingOptions.ViewPortHeight
DelayRenderingOptions.RenderDelay
CustomWaterMarkpdf.ApplyWatermark()
Passwordpdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword
IncludeBackgroundRenderingOptions.PrintHtmlBackgrounds
TemplateIdRenderingOptions.HtmlHeader/Footer

ImageOptions to IronPDF Mapping

GrabzIt ImageOptionsIronPDF Equivalent
Format (png, jpg)bitmap.Save(path, ImageFormat.Png)
WidthRenderingOptions.ViewPortWidth
HeightRenderingOptions.ViewPortHeight

Feature Comparison Summary

FeatureGrabzItIronPDF
True Vector PDFs❌ (image-based)✅
Selectable Text❌✅
Searchable Text (native)❌ (requires OCR)✅
Local Processing❌ (external servers)✅
Offline Capability❌✅
Synchronous Operations⚠️ (callback model)✅
Authentication Required✅ (key/secret)❌
HTML to PDF✅✅
URL to PDF✅✅
HTML to Image✅ (native)✅ (via ToBitmap)
Text Extraction❌ (without OCR)✅

When Teams Consider Moving from GrabzIt to IronPDF

Development teams evaluate transitioning from GrabzIt to IronPDF for several reasons:

Image-Based PDF Limitations: GrabzIt creates screenshot-based PDFs where text is not selectable—essentially images wrapped in PDF format. For applications requiring text selection, copy/paste functionality, or accessibility compliance, this is a significant limitation. IronPDF generates true vector PDFs with fully selectable and searchable text.

External Processing Concerns: All content sent to GrabzIt is processed on their external servers. For applications handling sensitive data, this introduces privacy and compliance considerations. IronPDF processes everything locally, keeping data within your infrastructure.

Callback Architecture Complexity: GrabzIt's asynchronous callback model requires webhook handling infrastructure—callback endpoints, status polling, and result retrieval logic. IronPDF provides synchronous operations that return results immediately, eliminating callback handler code entirely.

Per-Capture Pricing at Scale: GrabzIt's pay-per-use model can become expensive as PDF generation volume increases. IronPDF's per-developer licensing provides predictable costs regardless of volume.

Text Search Requirements: Since GrabzIt PDFs are image-based, text search and extraction require separate OCR processing. IronPDF PDFs are natively searchable, and text extraction works directly with pdf.ExtractAllText().

File Size Concerns: Image-based PDFs from GrabzIt are significantly larger (5-10x) than vector-based PDFs. For applications generating many PDFs or with storage constraints, this difference is substantial.

Network Dependency: GrabzIt cannot generate PDFs without internet connectivity. IronPDF works offline, which is essential for applications that must function in disconnected environments.

Strengths and Considerations

GrabzIt Strengths

  • Quick Setup: API key integration without local dependencies
  • Language Agnostic: Works with any language that can make HTTP calls
  • No Local Resources: Processing happens on GrabzIt's infrastructure

GrabzIt Considerations

  • Image-Based PDFs: Text not selectable or searchable without OCR
  • External Processing: Data sent to third-party servers
  • Callback Complexity: Requires webhook infrastructure
  • Per-Capture Costs: Pricing scales with volume
  • Network Required: No offline capability
  • Larger Files: Image data increases file size significantly
  • Latency: Network round-trip adds 500ms-5s per request

IronPDF Strengths

  • True Vector PDFs: Selectable, searchable text
  • Local Processing: Data stays within your infrastructure
  • Synchronous Operations: No callback handlers needed
  • Smaller Files: Vector data reduces file size 5-10x
  • Text Extraction: Native text extraction without OCR
  • Offline Capable: Works without internet connectivity
  • Comprehensive Resources: Extensive tutorials and documentation

IronPDF Considerations

  • Local Resources: Uses local CPU/memory for processing
  • Commercial License: Required for production use

Conclusion

GrabzIt and IronPDF represent fundamentally different approaches to PDF generation in .NET applications. GrabzIt's cloud-based screenshot service creates image-based PDFs through external API calls, requiring authentication, callback handling, and accepting that text will not be selectable in the output.

IronPDF provides an in-process alternative that generates true vector PDFs with selectable, searchable text. The library eliminates external dependencies, callback infrastructure, and network latency while producing smaller files that support native text extraction.

As organizations plan for .NET 10, C# 14, and application development through 2026, the choice between image-based cloud PDFs and true vector local PDFs significantly impacts document usability, accessibility, and infrastructure complexity. Teams requiring selectable text, data privacy, or simplified architecture will find IronPDF addresses these requirements effectively.

Start evaluating IronPDF with a free trial and explore the comprehensive documentation to assess fit for your specific requirements.