Carbone
Carbone merges JSON data with document templates to produce files such as PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPTX.
What Carbone is
Carbone merges JSON data with document templates to produce files such as PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPTX. Templates can be made in formats including DOCX, ODT, ODS, XLSX, XML, Markdown and HTML. Its conversion API handles more than 100 formats and supports LibreOffice, OnlyOffice and Chromium. Carbone offers API access and bulk generation, with hosting options including Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud and AWS. The pricing page lists Cloud Free and On-Premise Free options, plus a free 30-day trial for self-hosted On-Premise use. Cloud Essential is $29.00 per month; generated documents are counted for each 1 MB of injected data, and extra documents beyond a plan allowance are invoiced separately. Carbone says Cloud retains templates for reuse but does not keep submitted JSON or generated documents beyond what is needed to render and deliver them. For on-premise deployments, it says it cannot access customer templates, data or generated files. The service also provides an MCP server and an open-source Carbone Skill for connecting AI assistants and generating templates.
Good
- Merges JSON into document templates.
- Supports bulk generation and API access.
- Conversion API handles more than 100 formats.
- Cloud Free and On-Premise Free options are listed.
- Provides Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud and AWS hosting.
Watch out
- Documents are counted per 1 MB of injected data.
- Documents beyond plan allowances are invoiced separately.
- Cloud Essential costs $29.00 per month.
Who it suits
Carbone suits teams that need to populate document templates from JSON or convert files through an API. Its hosting options may appeal to organizations choosing between cloud and self-hosted deployment.
Verdict
Carbone is designed for generating and converting documents from structured data, with both cloud and self-hosted options. Review how document counting and extra-document invoicing apply to your workload before selecting a plan.
Plans and prices
From Carbone's own pricing page, checked 2 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Free | Free | Free plan; document allowance and included templates shown in comparison table · 0 per month |
| On-Premise Community | Free | Community Edition features · unlimited servers and templates · €0 per year |
| On-Premise Free | Free | Free Community Edition; self-hosted · 0 per year |
| Free | Free | 100 documents/month · 100 templates · 15-day analytics · 1 parallel render · €0 per month; €0 billed annually |
| Amazon Web Services | $0.15, paid once | Usage-based per document · Monthly usage-based pricing; first 100 documents $0.15 each, 101–1000 $0.08 each, 1001–10000 $0.03 each, over 10001 $0.008 each |
| Cloud Essential | $29 a month | Documents counted per 1 MB of injected data; extra documents invoiced separately · 29 per month; 26 per month, billed annually |
| Essential | €29 a month | 1,000 documents/month · 500 templates · 30-day analytics · 2 parallel renders · €29 monthly; €26/month billed annually |
| Cloud Essential Plus | $95 a month | Listed in the plan comparison table · 95 per month; 85 per month, billed annually |
| Essential Plus | €95 a month | 5,000 documents/month · 1,000 templates · 60-day analytics · 5 parallel renders · €95 monthly; €85/month billed annually |
| Advanced | €159 a month | 20,000 documents/month · 2,000 templates · 90-day analytics · 10 parallel renders · €159 monthly; €149/month billed annually |
| Cloud Advanced | $159 a month | Documents counted per 1 MB of injected data; extra documents invoiced separately; expert support includes 10 hours per year · 159 per month; 149 per month, billed annually |
| Advanced Plus | €295 a month | 100,000 documents/month · 5,000 templates · 180-day analytics · 50 parallel renders · €295 monthly; €265/month billed annually |
| Cloud Advanced Plus | $295 a month | Listed in the plan comparison table · 295 per month; 265 per month, billed annually |
| Advanced Ultra | €595 a month | 500,000 documents/month · 10,000 templates · 360-day analytics · 50 parallel renders · €595 monthly; €529/month billed annually |
| Cloud Advanced Ultra | $595 a month | Listed in the plan comparison table · 595 per month; 529 per month, billed annually |
| On-Premise Fit | $1,500 a year | Enterprise license; documents counted per 1 MB of injected data · 1500 per year |
| On-Premise Enterprise | €2,940 a year | Unlimited servers · Enterprise features · lifetime operation after contract · From €2,940 per year |
| On-Premise Unlimited | $2,940 a year | Enterprise license; lifetime license; unlimited documents shown in comparison table · 2940 per year; starting from 2940 per year |
The facts
Each one read from Carbone's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI generation
- The Carbone Skill lets AI assistants create Carbone templates from natural-language descriptions.checked 15 Oct 2026
- AI integrations
- The integration catalog lists ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, DeepSeek, Gemini, Grok, Llama, Microsoft Copilot and Vibe.checked 15 Oct 2026
- AI support
- Carbone offers an MCP server and open-source Carbone Skill for connecting AI assistants and generating templates.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Audience
- Carbone says its customers span finance, healthcare, insurance, legal, public sector, retail, energy, software and telecom.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Cloud data handling
- Carbone says Cloud stores templates for reuse but does not store or log submitted JSON data or generated documents beyond what is necessary to render and deliver them.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Compliance status
- Carbone says it is working toward SOC 2 compliance, expected before the end of 2026.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Deterministic output
- The same template and data are designed to produce byte-identical output for testing, versioning and audit trails.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- Documentation includes quickstart, template design, API reference, examples, SDK guides, on-premise installation, configuration, licensing and changelog sections.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Document conversion
- Its conversion API handles Office, HTML and Markdown conversion to PDF and supports more than 100 document conversions.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Hosting
- The pricing page offers Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud and AWS deployment options.checked 2 Oct 2026
- HTTP API
- The public API uses https://api.carbone.io with bearer API tokens and supports a carbone-version major-version header.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Infrastructure limitation
- The embedded Carbone web server does not provide HTTPS, so deployments must terminate TLS through a reverse proxy.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Official connectors cover Airtable, Bubble, Glide, Make, n8n, Ninox, Retool, Zapier, HubSpot, Odoo, Pipedrive, Salesforce, DocuSign and Subnoto.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The Community Edition is open source under Carbone Community License (CCL), while the Enterprise Edition is closed source; the CCL prohibits offering the community software as a document-generator SaaS.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: analytics
- A Capterra review says Carbone has limited advanced analytics despite strong backend integration.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: community
- A Capterra reviewer wished for a more active community around extensions and another said community support can be slow.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: documentation
- G2’s review summary records eight mentions that documentation is difficult or incomplete for advanced functionality.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company funding
- Carbone says it reached break-even in December 2023 without external funding.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company history
- Carbone began in 2013 under Ideolys for the Easilys restaurant product and became independent as CarboneIO SAS in May 2021.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company legal identity
- The legal notice identifies CARBONEIO SAS, registered in La Roche-sur-Yon under number 899 106 785, with headquarters at 130 La Sauvagère, Bellevigny, France.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company profile
- LinkedIn lists CarboneIO as a 2–10 employee information-technology services company headquartered in Nantes and founded in 2021.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2013checked 23 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Bellevigny, Francechecked 23 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Deployment platforms
- Standalone binaries are available for Linux, macOS and Windows, and Docker images are published as carbone/carbone-ee.checked 15 Oct 2026
The full review of Carbone
Overview
Carbone is a document-generation platform for turning structured JSON data into files through reusable templates. It can generate outputs such as PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPTX, making it relevant when an application needs to populate documents from data rather than create each file manually. It offers API access, bulk generation, data merging, bulk PDF generation and fillable form creation.
The company began in 2013 under Ideolys and became the independent company CarboneIO SAS in May 2021. It is based in Bellevigny, France, and says its customers span sectors including finance, healthcare, insurance, legal, public services, retail, energy, software and telecommunications.
Carbone sits within Document Generation Software and may also suit teams evaluating Mail Merge Software, Document Template Management Software or PDF Creation Software.
Key features
Template-driven document creation
Carbone merges JSON data into templates to produce documents. Templates can use DOCX, ODT, ODS, XLSX, XML, Markdown and HTML formats. The listed input formats also include PDF, PPTX, ODP, CSV, TXT, SVG, ODG and IDML. This breadth gives teams options to work with office documents, structured text and web-oriented formats.
Bulk generation is available, including bulk PDF generation. Carbone also lists fillable form creation and data merging, so its role can extend beyond producing a single static output from a template.
Conversion, AI and integrations
Its conversion API handles more than 100 formats and supports LibreOffice, OnlyOffice and Chromium. For AI workflows, Carbone offers an MCP server and an open-source Carbone Skill intended to connect AI assistants with template generation.
The integration directory lists services including ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Airtable, Bubble, Glide, Make, n8n, Zapier, Odoo and Salesforce, alongside other integrations. These connections may help teams fit document generation into broader workflows, though the appropriate options depend on the systems they already use.
Hosting and data handling
Deployment choices listed on the pricing page include Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud and AWS. Carbone says its Cloud service stores templates for reuse, but does not store or log submitted JSON data or generated documents beyond what is needed to render and deliver them. For on-premise deployments, it says it has no access to customer templates, data or generated documents.
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, which it expects before the end of 2026; that is a stated target, not a current compliance claim.
Pricing
Carbone uses a freemium model, with free options and paid plans. The Cloud Free plan is free, billed 0 per month. The On-Premise Free plan is free, billed 0 per year, and is described as a Free Community Edition. Carbone also offers a free 30-day trial for self-hosted On-Premise use.
- Cloud Essential: $29 a month, or 26 per month billed annually.
- Cloud Essential Plus: $95 a month, or 85 per month billed annually.
- Cloud Advanced: $159 a month, or 149 per month billed annually.
- Cloud Advanced Plus: $295 a month, or 265 per month billed annually.
- Cloud Advanced Ultra: $595 a month, or 529 per month billed annually.
- On-Premise Fit: $1,500 a year.
- On-Premise Unlimited: $2,940 a year, starting from 2940 per year.
Amazon Web Services is usage-based: $0.15, paid once, billed by monthly usage. The listed per-document rates are $0.15 for the first 100 documents, $0.08 for documents 101–1000, $0.03 for 1001–10000, and $0.008 for over 10001.
Document allowances require attention when estimating cost. Carbone counts one generated document for each 1 MB of injected JSON and images, and documents beyond a plan allowance are invoiced separately. The On-Premise Fit and Cloud Essential and Advanced plans are specifically described as counting documents this way; the On-Premise Unlimited comparison listing shows unlimited documents. Cloud Advanced includes 10 hours per year of expert support. Essential includes chat support from 9 AM to 6 PM UTC+2, with asynchronous email responses outside those hours.
Platforms
Carbone is listed for API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows. Its hosting options include cloud services and self-managed deployments, including AWS. The listed deployment choices allow organizations to consider where document processing should run, while the exact fit depends on their infrastructure and plan needs.
Who it's for
Carbone is suited to teams that need applications to generate recurring or bulk documents from structured data, especially where templates and file conversion are part of an existing workflow. Its formats, API and integrations may be useful across the varied sectors it identifies as customers, including finance, healthcare, insurance, legal and public services, as well as retail, energy, software and telecom.
Organizations with particular data-control requirements may consider the distinction between Cloud and on-premise handling. Cloud stores templates but, according to Carbone, does not retain submitted JSON or generated documents beyond rendering and delivery; on-premise deployments keep Carbone from accessing those materials. Teams should also weigh document allowances and overage invoicing against expected generation volume.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Supports a wide selection of template and input formats, with conversion across more than 100 formats.
- Offers API access, bulk document generation, bulk PDF generation, data merging and fillable form creation.
- Provides cloud, self-hosted and other deployment choices, with stated differences in data access.
- Lists integrations with AI assistants and workflow and business platforms.
Cons
- Document allowances are tied to injected JSON and image size, and extra documents are invoiced separately.
- Cloud Advanced and higher-priced plans may be more than smaller or occasional document-generation needs require.
- SOC 2 compliance is still in progress, with completion only expected before the end of 2026.
Alternatives
For other document-generation approaches, consider CraftMyPDF, APITemplate.io, Documint or PDFMonkey. Those comparing mail-merge tools can also look at BetterMerge and Mailmeteor. For adjacent PDF and signing workflows, PDF4me Merge & Split and DocuSign eSignature are other options.
Verdict
Carbone is a flexible option for software teams that need templated document generation through an API, broad format support and a choice of hosting arrangements. Its main considerations are the document-counting rules, separate invoicing for usage above plan allowances and the operational distinctions between Cloud and self-hosted use. Teams should match the chosen plan and deployment to their expected volume, format needs and data-handling requirements.
Getting started
- Visit https://carbone.io/.
- Choose Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud or AWS deployment.
- Start with Cloud Free or On-Premise Free, or use the self-hosted On-Premise 30-day trial.
- Connect through the API or use a listed integration.
- Prepare JSON data and a supported document template for generation.
Limits worth knowing
Cloud Free has a document allowance and included templates shown in the plan comparison. Cloud Essential counts a generated document for each 1 MB of injected JSON and images; documents beyond the plan allowance are invoiced separately. On-Premise Free is the self-hosted Community Edition.
Questions
Does Carbone have a free plan?
Yes. It lists Cloud Free at no cost and On-Premise Free at no cost.
How much does Cloud Essential cost?
Cloud Essential is $29 a month, or 26 per month when billed annually.
Which deployment options are offered?
The pricing page offers Cloud, On-Premise, Private Cloud and AWS.
What does Carbone do with JSON data?
It merges JSON data into templates to generate files such as PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPTX.
Which AI connections are available?
Carbone offers an MCP server and an open-source Carbone Skill for connecting AI assistants and generating templates.
How is document usage counted?
A generated document is counted for each 1 MB of injected JSON and images. Documents beyond a plan allowance are invoiced separately.
