What Is Bannerbear? Template Images and Video by API
By Joris van Huët · Bannerbear's own site
The short answer: if you render up to 1,000 images a month in one file format, Bannerbear's $49 Automate plan covers it; ask for a JPG and a PNG of every image and the same 1,000 credits make 500, because each format is billed as a credit (pricing page, checked on 26 October 2026). Bannerbear is an API and no-code service that fills branded templates with your data to render images, videos and PDFs, for teams that need one layout hundreds of times.
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Size it before the trial:
- Credits per finished asset. A render costs one credit per format, multiplied by the scale, so a JPG and a PNG at scale 2 cost 2 x 2 = 4 credits, per the credits article. At that rate Automate's 1,000 credits make 1,000 / 4 = 250 assets.
- The data source you already keep. Bannerbear pulls rows from Airtable, HubSpot, Ghost and many other apps, and several take the finished image link back.
- The usage log after the first batch. The pricing FAQ says the dashboard logs every request with its credit cost. Check it against your sheet before scaling.
Templates in, files out
You design a template once, in the editor or imported from Figma, and name its layers: text, image placeholders, shapes, QR codes (template article). Each request swaps in new text and pictures and returns JPG, PNG, PDF, WebP or AVIF, up to 100 renders per batch call. Workflows chain video steps such as subtitles, voiceovers and joins (workflow article), and a hosted MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT, Codex or Cursor create templates and request batches in plain words.
Where it earns its fee
A product catalogue, a listings feed, a podcast feed, a certificate list: anything with rows and one layout. It earns little on one-off creative, where nothing repeats. Existing customers should know that version 5 shares no project data with version 3 (version article).
Plans and credits
USD per month, checked on 26 October 2026 on the Bannerbear pricing page, which shows monthly prices only.
| Plan | Price a month | API credits a month | AI credits a month | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automate | $49 | 1,000 | 200 | REST API, MCP, 50+ integrations, Forms, Workflows |
| Scale | $149 | 10,000 | 600 | Instant URLs, custom S3, team members, 2FA |
| Enterprise | $299 | 50,000 | 1,250 | SSO, audit logs, zero data retention |
The trial gives 30 API credits without a card, in one workspace with three image templates. AI credits are a separate pool for background removal, transcription and voiceover, per the credits article, which still rounds the plans to $50, $150 and $300; quote the pricing page.
Every request that reaches a metered API pays the vendor, and Bannerbear's billing rules lean that way: a render is charged when it is created, so a job that fails afterwards is already counted, and the same request sent twice is billed twice, per the pricing FAQ and the Image API FAQ. Build duplicate checks into whatever sends the requests.
Against Placid, and Canva's Autofill
Placid sells the same job from a lower entry price: Basic costs $19 a month for 500 credits and Pro $39 for 2,500, unused credits roll over, and previews are free (Placid pricing, checked on 26 October 2026). For a few thousand static images a month, Placid costs less; for chained video steps or many data sources, Bannerbear's workflows decide it.
A team already in Canva can use Autofill, which fills brand templates with data through Canva's REST API on Pro, Teams and Enterprise plans, if someone writes the calls.
Where to begin
How to use Bannerbear builds one product-ad template and renders a catalogue from a sheet. Spend the 30 trial credits on ten products in three sizes before you pay for anything.
FAQ
Do I need a developer to use Bannerbear?
Not at first. A Form turns a template into a shareable page, the Airtable app maps columns to layers, and Zapier connects with an API key.
What happens when my credits run out?
Bannerbear refuses the request and says how many credits it needed and how many remain, rather than billing into a negative balance (pricing FAQ).
Does Bannerbear make video?
Yes. Animation templates cost two credits per second, doubled at 60 frames per second, and video tools run alone or in a workflow (credits article).