Dev tools · September 19, 2023
PDFHippo – Dynamic PDF Generator API Using Excel
PDFHippo is an API tool that lets you design a PDF in Excel, add functions and variables to parse dynamic values from the API to Excel and save it. While looking to integrate a PDF component into a no-code application my team and I were building, we went down the rabbit hole of PDF creation in the backend. I couldn't find a tool to edit/parse pdf in a simpler manner. Creating an in-house drag-drop widget for PDF was way too complex to print in PDF format. Tools like pdfkit , pdf-lib, and pdfjam were not compatible with the designs we wanted to create. Other API tools were too expensive…
In plain words
PDFHippo is an API tool for generating dynamic PDFs by designing templates in Excel and using functions and variables to populate data from API calls. It is designed for developers integrating PDF generation into applications, particularly those needing simpler solutions for documents like invoices, reports, and checklists. The tool stands out by allowing users to design PDFs in Excel rather than through complex backend code or expensive specialized APIs.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
PDFHippo is an API tool that lets you design a PDF in Excel, add functions and variables to parse dynamic values from the API to Excel and save it. While looking to integrate a PDF component into a no-code application my team and I were building, we went down the rabbit hole of PDF creation in the backend. I couldn't find a tool to edit/parse pdf in a simpler manner. Creating an in-house drag-drop widget for PDF was way too complex to print in PDF format. Tools like pdfkit , pdf-lib, and pdfjam were not compatible with the designs we wanted to create. Other API tools were too expensive considering our pricing models. We didn't want to pass down the price to our clients, given their intention for PDFs for the no-code product is for simpler use-cases like invoices, reports, checklists etc., which they currently solve by Excel or some version of Docs. Our tool retains the styles and text formatting from Excel while replacing the variables from the API. Once the variables are replaced, we print via Unoconv, a CLI interface for the LibreOffice server. We built a script to keep the listeners from LibreOffice active and work across concurrent PDF conversion requests. To keep the pricing low, the API returns only a buffer/blob and doesn't store any data in our infrastructure. Please do give it a go, and we are all ears for feedback!
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