{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "pixelixe", "name": "Pixelixe", "vendor": "Pixelixe", "vendorUrl": "https://pixelixe.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "design-assets", "summary": "Pixelixe is a template-based graphic platform with a design studio, an Image Automation API that fills saved templates into PNG, JPEG, PDF or HTML, a JSON-to-graphic API, image filters, a white-label editor and a remote MCP server.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pixelixe", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pixelixe.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pixelixe.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pixelixe.json", "dns": "pixelixe.grade.anchorterminal.com", "license": "Closed service under the Pixelixe terms of service (last modified 19 March 2026)", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://studio.pixelixe.com/api", "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "REST calls send the account's API key as `Authorization: Bearer`, from the account after signup; a separate public key is for embedding the editor in a web page. The remote MCP server at studio.pixelixe.com/api/mcp/v1 takes the API key or an OAuth access token from studio.pixelixe.com/oauth/mcp, with one `pixelixe.mcp` scope. No key scopes or rotation documented.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "API access starts with Automate at $59 a month (20,000 automated documents, 140 AI actions). Scale $119 (60,000), Enterprise from $299 (300,000 and up). Create at $12 a month has no API. 10-day trial with no card. No per-image price.", "priceSummary": "$59 / mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "Monthly plans. No x402, MPP or L402 in the OpenAPI, the v2 docs, the MCP docs or llms.txt (checked 2026-11-06). Exhausted credits return 400 with a message.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 7, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-11-06" }, "docsUrl": "https://pixelixe.com/docs/v2/", "llmsTxt": "https://pixelixe.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://pixelixe.com/pixelixe-openapi.json", "registryName": "com.pixelixe/pixelixe-mcp", "capabilities": [ "design.templates", "design.render", "image.edit", "pdf.generate" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "openapi", "llms-txt", "mcp", "remote-mcp", "mcp-registry", "oauth", "api-key", "white-label", "trial", "no-card", "eu" ], "lastRelease": "2026-03-26", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 37.3, "grade": "F", "agentReady": false, "rank": 1355, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1486, "categoryRank": 15, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 49, "maintenance": 19, "payments": 30, "reliability": 15, "schema": 66, "security": 38, "transparency": 41 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-06" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Pixelixe's seven MCP tools and their LLM-oriented reference make template fills and JSON-to-graphic creation simple to call, with an OpenAPI file for the core endpoints. Every error comes back as a 400 with a message, there are no published rate limits, status page or changelog, and API access starts at $59 a month.", "bestFor": "Template fills and white-label editing for marketing and SaaS teams, with a JSON-to-graphic route for agents.", "strengths": [ "Seven compact MCP tools with a reference that states the canonical fields and common LLM mistakes", "OpenAPI 3.1 for the authentication, search, automation and photo effect endpoints", "Creates editable graphics from a single JSON document, returned as HTML or saved for reuse", "Remote MCP server with OAuth, in the official registry under a domain-verified namespace", "10-day trial without a card" ], "weaknesses": [ "Every error is HTTP 400 with a free-text message, including wrong keys and exhausted credits", "No rate limits, status page, SLA or changelog found", "API access starts at $59 a month; the $12 plan has none", "The OpenAPI file covers four endpoints, not the JSON-to-graphic or image processing APIs", "The terms and privacy policy name no company, and no processors are listed" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call `pixelixe_search_documents` first to find the `document_uid` of the template to reuse", "Use `pixelixe_generate_graphic_variant` to fill an existing template; it can't change the layout", "Read the error `message` text, since every failure is a 400", "Stop and tell the user on 'Not enough Credits'; retrying won't help", "For a batch, use `pixelixe_create_multiple_images` and summarise counts rather than inlining every image" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "F", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 37.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 49, "maintenance": 19, "payments": 30, "reliability": 15, "schema": 66, "security": 38, "transparency": 32 }, "provenanceScore": 49, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-06", "maintenance": "2026-11-06", "payments": "2026-11-06", "reliability": "2026-11-06", "schema": "2026-11-06", "security": "2026-11-06", "transparency": "2026-11-06" }, "last": "2026-11-06", "oldest": "2026-11-06", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X POST https://studio.pixelixe.com/api/authentication/v2 -H \"Authorization: Bearer $PIXELIXE_API_KEY\"", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http pixelixe https://studio.pixelixe.com/api/mcp/v1", "config": { "mcpServers": { "pixelixe": { "url": "https://studio.pixelixe.com/api/mcp/v1" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/design.templates", "tool": "https://letme.dev/pixelixe" }, "area": "design-diagrams", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Automate plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 59, "note": "20,000 automated documents and 140 AI actions a month" }, { "item": "Scale plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 119, "note": "60,000 automated documents and 280 AI actions a month" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "pixelixe.com", "domainRegistered": "2018-09-17", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://pixelixe.com/terms.html", "privacy": "https://pixelixe.com/privacy-policy.html", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-06", "notes": [ "The terms (last modified 19 March 2026) and privacy policy (effective 7 April 2026) name the operator only as Pixelixe and choose French law and the courts of Paris.", "The terms forbid scraping or copying the Service. Public pages were read as data.", "pixelixe.com/robots.txt allows the docs and names ClaudeBot as allowed; it disallows /studio/, /docs/v1/ and some demo pages. studio.pixelixe.com/robots.txt disallows the app pages, /assets and /js/ but not /api/ or /.well-known/.", "RDAP gives pixelixe.com a registration date of 17 September 2018.", "/.well-known/security.txt returns 404. No status page or changelog found." ], "score": 49 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pixelixe.json", "live": { "slug": "pixelixe", "probe": { "target": "https://studio.pixelixe.com/api", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:47.218693476Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 69, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 33, "p95ms24h": 119, "samples24h": 200, "samples30d": 200, "days": [ { "date": "2026-11-06", "probes": 13, "ok": 13 }, { "date": "2026-11-07", "probes": 187, "ok": 187 } ] }, "versions": [ { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "com.pixelixe/pixelixe-mcp", "version": "1.0.2", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T18:16:28.95801333Z" } ], "securityTxt": { "url": "https://pixelixe.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:01:00.920272687Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://pixelixe.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:33:38.090224197Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://pixelixe.com/privacy-policy.html", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:16:29.788755256Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "832cb532d5ba" }, { "url": "https://pixelixe.com/terms.html", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:16:31.916703951Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "764ac1d560a1" } ], "mcpTools": { "url": "https://studio.pixelixe.com/api/mcp/v1", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T01:46:51.581135972Z", "status": "auth", "note": "asks for credentials before listing its tools", "changedAt": "2026-11-07T01:46:51.581135972Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:47.218693476Z" } }, "answer": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Pixelixe's 37.3 (F), and leads in every scored category.", "b": { "slug": "shotstack", "name": "Shotstack", "vendor": "ShotStack Pty Ltd", "vendorUrl": "https://shotstack.io", "kind": "http-api", "category": "design-assets", "summary": "Shotstack is a cloud video editor driven by JSON. It renders video, images and audio from edits and templates with merge fields. Agents reach it through the Edit API, a hosted MCP server or a CLI with an agent skill.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shotstack.json", "dns": "shotstack.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/shotstack/shotstack-cli", "license": "Proprietary service under Shotstack's Terms and Conditions. The schemas package and SDKs are MIT and the Studio SDK is under PolyForm Shield 1.0.0. The CLI was Apache-2.0 up to its last public source (0.15.2, 22 October 2026); since 25 October 2026 its source isn't published and the shotstack-cli repository holds only the agent skill", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shotstack/cli" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shotstack/schemas" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "shotstack-sdk" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "shotstack-sdk" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "REST calls and the CLI send an API key in the `x-api-key` header. A browser signup at app.shotstack.io gives one sandbox key and one production key, self-serve, with no scopes found in the docs. The same keys reach the Edit, Serve and Ingest APIs. The MCP server uses OAuth (authorisation code with PKCE S256, dynamic client registration, one scope, `mcp:tools`) or the API key in an `x-api-key` header for headless use.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "10 free credits on signup, valid 30 days, with no card. Pay as you go is $10 for 50 credits, 20 cents a minute of rendered video. Monthly plans run from $39 for 250 minutes to $499 for 10,000. The `stage` sandbox renders free with a watermark, so an agent can start without a contract. AI generation is charged per model in credits (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "$0.20 / credit", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "Prepaid credits and monthly plans. No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs, llms.txt, OpenAPI definition or pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 15, "popularity": { "githubStars": 0, "npmWeekly": 1211, "pypiWeekly": 326, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://shotstack.io/docs/guide/", "llmsTxt": "https://shotstack.io/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://shotstack.io/docs/api/api.edit.json", "capabilities": [ "design.templates", "design.render", "video.edit", "video.generate", "image.generate", "speech.tts", "audio.music" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "mcp", "oauth", "openapi", "llms-txt", "cli", "agent-skill", "async-jobs", "webhooks", "video", "images", "sandbox", "status-page", "sla" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-27", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 67.3, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 333, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1486, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 63, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 45, "reliability": 95, "schema": 88, "security": 48, "transparency": 73 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-02" }, "negative": -3, "negativeNotes": [ "4 October 2026. Release 1.22.0 of the published API definition removed the `pricing` object from the `GET /models` response and replaced it with `POST /generate/quote`, in a minor release with no breaking-change mark and no notice found. We did not test whether the live response changed that day (https://github.com/shotstack/oas-api-definition/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md)" ], "verdict": "A public OpenAPI definition, Markdown docs, a hosted MCP server with OAuth and a free watermarked sandbox let an agent draft, check and render video with little setup. API keys have no scopes, webhooks are unsigned, no security contact or certification of Shotstack's own was found, and the npm Node SDK dates from July 2024.", "bestFor": "Teams that render video, images or audio from JSON or templates at volume and want an agent to draft edits that a person reviews in Studio.", "strengths": [ "OpenAPI 3.0.1 definition at `https://shotstack.io/docs/api/api.edit.json` with 122 schemas, plus llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every guide page", "Hosted MCP server at `https://mcp.shotstack.io/` with 15 tools, OAuth authorisation code with PKCE S256 and dynamic client registration, or an `x-api-key` header", "`shotstack validate` checks an edit offline and `shotstack studio` opens a preview link, both with no API key and no credits", "The `stage` environment renders free with a watermark, and `POST /generate/quote` returns the credit cost of an AI generation without charging", "Rate limits are published per API (Edit 300 requests per 60 seconds in production), no incident in the 90 days to 2 November 2026, and a 99.9 per cent SLA" ], "weaknesses": [ "API keys have no scopes. One production key and one sandbox key reach the Edit, Serve and Ingest APIs, and key rotation was not found in the docs", "Webhook callbacks are not signed, per the webhooks guide, which tells receivers to confirm a render by calling the API", "No security.txt, disclosure policy or certification of Shotstack's own was found. The DPA relies on AWS's SOC 2 and ISO 27001 reports", "The published API definition dropped the `pricing` object from `GET /models` in release 1.22.0 on 4 October 2026, a minor release with no breaking-change mark", "The npm `shotstack-sdk` package (0.2.9) was last published in July 2024, and since 25 October 2026 the CLI's source is no longer public" ], "agentNotes": [ "Fetch `https://shotstack.io/docs/api/api.edit.json` and the conventions guide before writing an edit. Track order is reversed, so the first track renders on top", "Render in `stage` first. It is free and watermarked, but AI generation there is charged from the production credit balance", "Call `POST /generate/quote` before `POST /generate`, and send an `Idempotency-Key` header on generation. `POST /render` has no idempotency key, so do not resubmit blindly", "Do not store the `url` from the render status response. It expires after 24 hours. Use the CDN address built from `owner` and the render id", "On a 429, wait for the 60-second window to reset and retry with backoff. Limits are per API key, 300 a minute on the Edit API in production" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 4, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 67.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 63, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 45, "reliability": 95, "schema": 88, "security": 48, "transparency": 61 }, "provenanceScore": 85, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-02", "maintenance": "2026-11-02", "payments": "2026-11-02", "reliability": "2026-11-02", "schema": "2026-11-02", "security": "2026-11-02", "transparency": "2026-11-02" }, "last": "2026-11-02", "lastMoved": "2026-11-02", "oldest": "2026-11-02", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "npm install -g @shotstack/cli", "http": "curl -X POST https://api.shotstack.io/edit/stage/render -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" -H \"x-api-key: $SHOTSTACK_API_KEY\" -d @edit.json", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http shotstack https://mcp.shotstack.io", "config": { "mcpServers": { "shotstack": { "url": "https://mcp.shotstack.io/" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/design.templates", "tool": "https://letme.dev/shotstack" }, "area": "design-diagrams", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Pay as you go credit", "unit": "credit", "usd": 0.2, "note": "$10 for 50 credits, one credit renders one minute of video, valid 12 months" }, { "item": "Starter", "unit": "month", "usd": 39, "note": "250 minutes a month" }, { "item": "Pro", "unit": "month", "usd": 99, "note": "750 minutes a month" }, { "item": "Scale", "unit": "month", "usd": 199, "note": "2,000 minutes a month" }, { "item": "Volume", "unit": "month", "usd": 499, "note": "10,000 minutes a month" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "ShotStack Pty Ltd", "domain": "shotstack.io", "domainRegistered": "2017-06-30", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://shotstack.io/terms/", "privacy": "https://shotstack.io/privacy/", "statusPage": "https://status.shotstack.io", "changelog": "https://github.com/shotstack/oas-api-definition/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-02", "notes": [ "The terms name ShotStack Pty Ltd, ACN 632 863 024, and the privacy policy gives an address in Maroubra, New South Wales.", "The terms were last updated on 6 October 2026. They cover the APIs, Studio and AI generation, and include plans and an SLA as schedules.", "The privacy policy was last updated on 21 December 2021. A DPA and a sub-processor list, both updated 6 October 2026, are at shotstack.io/dpa/ and shotstack.io/sub-processors/.", "The API answers at api.shotstack.io, the MCP server at mcp.shotstack.io and hosted files at cdn.shotstack.io.", "shotstack.io/.well-known/security.txt returns 404 (re-read 2 November 2026).", "The status page runs on Kener and links an RSS feed of incidents and maintenance.", "The changelog is the CHANGELOG.md of the API definition repository. No changelog page was found on shotstack.io.", "RDAP for shotstack.io gives a registration date of 2017-06-30 and Gandi SAS as registrar." ], "score": 85 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack.json", "live": { "slug": "shotstack", "probe": { "target": "https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:54.288364838Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 902, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 872, "p95ms24h": 1000, "samples24h": 239, "samples30d": 7289, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 169, "ok": 169 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-11", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-12", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-13", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-14", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-15", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-16", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-17", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-18", "probes": 256, "ok": 256 }, { "date": "2026-10-19", "probes": 255, "ok": 255 }, { "date": "2026-10-20", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-21", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-22", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-23", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-24", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-10-25", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-26", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-27", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-28", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-29", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-30", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-31", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-11-01", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-11-02", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-11-03", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-11-04", "probes": 246, "ok": 246 }, { "date": "2026-11-05", "probes": 185, "ok": 185 }, { "date": "2026-11-06", "probes": 241, "ok": 241 }, { "date": "2026-11-07", "probes": 187, "ok": 187 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.shotstack.io", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T04:48:45.114558047Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shotstack/cli", "version": "0.17.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:05:41.083663572Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shotstack/schemas", "version": "1.23.3", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:05:41.625150494Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "shotstack-sdk", "version": "0.2.9", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:05:43.32367796Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "shotstack-sdk", "version": "0.2.8", "released": "2024-07-19", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:05:45.311644882Z" } ], "githubStars": 0, "npmWeekly": 370, "pypiWeekly": 245, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://shotstack.io/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:00:10.982687762Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://shotstack.io/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:33:55.150019501Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "shotstack.io", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:22:55.371274673Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shotstack/oas-api-definition/main/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "changelog", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:23:31.082600398Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-27T03:55:55.627870867Z", "fingerprint": "0b2656bd7b4a" }, { "url": "https://shotstack.io/privacy/", "kind": "privacy", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:19:46.779374273Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-04T08:32:42.350513445Z", "fingerprint": "e09c706eb4f5" }, { "url": "https://shotstack.io/terms/", "kind": "terms", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:19:49.363330236Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-04T08:32:46.005681016Z", "fingerprint": "5e9074a6f69a" } ], "mcpTools": { "url": "https://mcp.shotstack.io", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T01:48:01.653435881Z", "status": "auth", "note": "asks for credentials before listing its tools", "changedAt": "2026-11-07T01:48:01.653435881Z" }, "github": { "repo": "shotstack/shotstack-cli", "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T09:25:34.758841111Z", "stars": 0, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-10-30T12:00:41Z", "openIssues": 0, "openPRs": 0, "issuesOpened90d": 0, "issuesClosed90d": 0, "prsMerged90d": 51 }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:54.288364838Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 80, "category": "reliability", "leads": "shotstack", "name": "Reliability", "reasons": { "a": "Hosted lines. No status page found on the site or in the docs (0). No readable incident history (5). No rate limit is published; the terms only forbid circumventing them (0). No 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance. Every error, a wrong key and exhausted credits included, is a 400 with a message (0). No SLA found; the terms supply the service as is (0). API v2 is current and not labelled beta (10). 0 + 5 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 10 = 15.", "b": "Hosted lines. Public status page at status.shotstack.io with monitors, the Edit API in production among them (20). Its feed and incident pages hold no incident in the 90 days from 4 August 2026. The newest incident, number 8 (range parameters in render payloads causing failures, 21 July 2026), left the window on 20 October, /incidents/9 answers 404, and the window holds only two completed maintenance windows (11 August, rendering stayed available; 4 and 5 September, billing, with the API fully available). A readable page that posts incidents, none in the window, is a clean record (30, was 20). Rate limits per API key in a fixed 60-second window, 300 for Edit, 600 for Serve and 300 for Ingest in production (15). A 429 returns `rate_limit_error` with advice to wait for the window and retry with exponential backoff, and `POST /generate` takes an `Idempotency-Key`, but `POST /render` has none and no `Retry-After` is documented for rate limits (10). Schedule 2 of the terms is an SLA of 99.9 per cent with a 10 per cent credit, free plans excluded (10). The Edit API is `v1` and neither the MCP server nor the CLI carries a beta label (10). 20 + 30 + 15 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 95." }, "scores": { "a": 15, "b": 95 } }, { "by": 54, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "shotstack", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "No dated release or API change was found. The newest dated items are the MCP registry entry of 26 March 2026 and the privacy policy of 7 April 2026, more than 180 days before this check (0). No three dated changes since 8 August (0). No changelog. Support by email at inquiries@pixelixe.com, not tested (4 of 15). com.pixelixe/pixelixe-mcp is in the official MCP registry under a domain-verified namespace; there are no official SDKs (15). No public package or repository (0). 0 + 0 + 4 + 15 + 0 = 19.", "b": "API definition 1.23.3 (@shotstack/schemas) tagged on 27 October 2026, six days before the check, after 1.23.0 on 15 October added a source file on generation assets (30). 21 definition tags and 13 CLI tags (0.8.x to 0.15.2, the last on 22 October) since 4 August 2026, and the skill repository synced from CLI 0.16.0 to 0.17.0 between 25 and 30 October (20). Dated changelog for the definition in its repository, in-app support on every plan and a GitHub issue template for the CLI. Issue threads were not read (8). `@shotstack/cli` and `@shotstack/schemas` are current, while npm `shotstack-sdk` 0.2.9 dates from July 2024 per the 8 October check; the PyPI release date came from a path pypi.org's robots.txt disallows and is struck, and pypi.org didn't resolve on 2 November. The MCP registry entry was not checked (7). The definition repository runs build, smoke and example tests on pull requests. Since 25 October the CLI repository holds only the agent skill and says the CLI's source isn't published there, so its release tests can no longer be read (8). 30 + 20 + 8 + 7 + 8 = 73." }, "scores": { "a": 19, "b": 73 } }, { "by": 32, "category": "transparency", "leads": "shotstack", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "reasons": { "a": "Closed service under terms of 19 March 2026 that choose French law but name no company (12 of 30). The privacy policy of 7 April 2026 keeps account data while the account is active and 'as long as reasonably necessary' after, with no periods, and says nothing about AI processing or training (10 of 30). V1 is marked deprecated in the docs with no dates or notice period (5 of 20). Processors are described only by category, with Google Analytics named, and data processed in France, the EEA and other vendor countries (5 of 20). 12 + 10 + 5 + 5 = 32.", "b": "Closed service under published terms, with the schemas and SDKs under MIT. The CLI was Apache-2.0 in its last public source (0.15.2, 22 October 2026); since 25 October its source isn't published and the repository keeps only the agent skill (15). A DPA and sub-processor list updated 6 October 2026, and terms that say customer data is not used to train AI models. The privacy policy is dated 21 December 2021 and says ingested media is deleted after rendering, while the Ingest guide says sources are stored until deleted, and the DPA gives 24 hours for outputs while the hosting guide calls CDN hosting permanent by default (18). The terms promise reasonable notice before a feature is retired and 30 days before material changes to the terms, and deprecated asset types keep working, but no dated deprecation policy was found (8). Five sub-processors named with purposes and locations, AWS in Sydney and the United States, with seven days' notice of additions (20)." }, "scores": { "a": 41, "b": 73 } }, { "by": 22, "category": "schema", "leads": "shotstack", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "OpenAPI 3.1 (version 2.0.0) at pixelixe.com/pixelixe-openapi.json, but it covers four endpoints, authentication, document search, graphic automation and photo effects, and leaves out the JSON-to-graphic and image processing APIs (18 of 25). llms.txt exists but routes readers to marketing pages; the MCP reference is written for LLMs (7 of 10). The MCP reference says what each of the seven tools maps to, that `pixelixe_generate_graphic_variant` 'is not a free-form layout API', lists common mistakes and how to present outputs (17 of 20). The MCP layer documents canonical field names and refuses legacy aliases; the REST modifications are open structures keyed by element name (10 of 15). Request examples throughout, but errors are one table of message strings all returning 400 (8 of 15). /v2 paths and a deprecated V1, with no changelog (6 of 15). 18 + 7 + 17 + 10 + 8 + 6 = 66.", "b": "Public OpenAPI 3.0.1 definition of the Edit API with 14 operations and 122 schemas. The MCP tool schemas need a signed-in account and were not read (25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every guide page (10). The conventions guide and MCP page say when to use `studio` or `render_video` and name the five commonest mistakes (17). 84 enums and required fields across the schemas, with per-model generation `options` published as JSON Schema by `GET /models` (13). 367 examples in the definition. Error responses are documented for the generation endpoints, while render and template operations document only the success response (10). `v1` and `stage` in the path and a dated changelog for the definition, less 2 because release 1.22.0 removed a response field in a minor version (13)." }, "scores": { "a": 66, "b": 88 } }, { "by": 15, "category": "payments", "leads": "shotstack", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "reasons": { "a": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Plan prices with monthly document counts are public, with no per-image price (10). 10-day trial with no card (20). A person signs up and copies the key, or approves OAuth in a browser (0). 0 + 10 + 20 + 0 = 30.", "b": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Public per-minute prices, 20 cents on pay as you go down to 5 cents on Volume, with AI generation priced per model through a quote endpoint and four examples on the pricing page (20). 10 credits for 30 days with no card, and a free watermarked sandbox (20). Checking an edit and opening a Studio preview need no key, but any render needs a key from a browser signup (5)." }, "scores": { "a": 30, "b": 45 } }, { "by": 14, "category": "ergonomics", "leads": "shotstack", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "reasons": { "a": "Seven compact MCP tools (25). Document and design-set search filters, with no pagination documented (10 of 20). All errors are 400 with free-text messages, so an agent can't branch on a code (6 of 20). No idempotency keys, and annotations couldn't be read on the closed server. The MCP tools only read and create, with nothing that deletes (5 of 20). Few required fields, but no official SDK (3 of 15). 25 + 10 + 6 + 5 + 3 = 49.", "b": "15 MCP tools by the vendor's list, with the authoring guide loaded on demand through `get_shotstack_guide` and skill references read only when relevant (18). No pagination, limit or filter on the template or source lists in the definition. The CLI prints JSON with `--output json` (6). Errors carry `status`, `title` and `detail`, confirmed on a 401, generation errors carry a `code`, the CLI validates offline and exits 0, 1 or 2 for success, permanent and retryable failures (17). `Idempotency-Key` and a result cache on generation and a free quote, but no idempotency on renders, and MCP annotations were not readable (12). Smart clip lengths and a default `v1` environment keep requests short. Five official SDK repositories exist, but the npm and PyPI packages date from July 2024 (10)." }, "scores": { "a": 49, "b": 63 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Pixelixe", "b": "ShotStack Pty Ltd", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://studio.pixelixe.com/api", "b": "https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Closed service under the Pixelixe terms of service (last modified 19 March 2026)", "b": "Proprietary service under Shotstack's Terms and Conditions. The schemas package and SDKs are MIT and the Studio SDK is under PolyForm Shield 1.0.0. The CLI was Apache-2.0 up to its last public source (0.15.2, 22 October 2026); since 25 October 2026 its source isn't published and the shotstack-cli repository holds only the agent skill", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "7", "b": "15", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "com.pixelixe/pixelixe-mcp", "b": "not listed", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-03-26", "b": "2026-10-27", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-03-19", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-04-07", "b": "no date given", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "none", "b": "0 stars, 1.2k npm/wk, 326 PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "none", "b": "3.5/5 (4)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Pixelixe's 37.3 (F), and leads in every scored category.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Pixelixe or Shotstack?" }, { "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Pixelixe and Shotstack need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Pixelixe has a hosted endpoint at https://studio.pixelixe.com/api and Shotstack at https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1.", "question": "Can an agent call Pixelixe and Shotstack without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": [ "Free to start without a card", "No incidents deducted, where Shotstack loses 3 points for them" ], "goodFor": "Template fills and white-label editing for marketing and SaaS teams, with a JSON-to-graphic route for agents.", "slug": "pixelixe", "watchFor": "Every error is HTTP 400 with a free-text message, including wrong keys and exhausted credits" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 95 against 15", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 88 against 66", "Agent ergonomics, 63 against 49", "Security \u0026 auth, 48 against 38", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 45 against 30", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 73 against 19", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 73 against 41" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Teams that render video, images or audio from JSON or templates at volume and want an agent to draft edits that a person reviews in Studio.", "slug": "shotstack", "watchFor": "API keys have no scopes. One production key and one sandbox key reach the Edit, Serve and Ingest APIs, and key rotation was not found in the docs" } ], "history": { "pixelixe": null, "shotstack": [ { "causes": [ "time" ], "date": "2026-11-02", "delta": 2, "from": 65.3, "fromGrade": "B", "to": 67.3, "toGrade": "B" } ] }, "job": { "capability": "design.templates", "name": "Design templates" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Adobe Photoshop API vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "APITemplate.io vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "APITemplate.io vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Bannerbear API + MCP vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Bannerbear API + MCP vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/canva-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Canva REST APIs + MCP vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/canva-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/canva-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Canva REST APIs + MCP vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/canva-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/contentdrips-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Contentdrips API and MCP vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/contentdrips-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/contentdrips-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Contentdrips API and MCP vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/contentdrips-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Creatomate vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Creatomate vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dynapictures-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "DynaPictures vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dynapictures-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dynapictures-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "DynaPictures vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dynapictures-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/layerre-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Layerre vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/layerre-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/layerre-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Layerre vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/layerre-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Photoroom API vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-placid.json", "title": "Pixelixe vs Placid API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-placid" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-postnitro.json", "title": "Pixelixe vs PostNitro", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-postnitro" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-robolly.json", "title": "Pixelixe vs Robolly", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-robolly" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-templated.json", "title": "Pixelixe vs Templated API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-templated" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/placid-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Placid API + MCP vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/placid-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postnitro-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "PostNitro vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postnitro-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/robolly-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Robolly vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/robolly-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shotstack-vs-templated.json", "title": "Shotstack vs Templated API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shotstack-vs-templated" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Osmo CLI vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Osmo CLI vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Pictify vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Pictify vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Adobe Photoshop API vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Photoroom API vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-pixelixe" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "by": 80, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "pixelixe": 15, "shotstack": 95, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 22, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "pixelixe": 66, "shotstack": 88, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 14, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "pixelixe": 49, "shotstack": 63, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 10, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "pixelixe": 38, "shotstack": 48, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 15, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "pixelixe": 30, "shotstack": 45, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 54, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "pixelixe": 19, "shotstack": 73, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 32, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "pixelixe": 41, "shotstack": 73, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Pixelixe's 37.3 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do design templates.", "tasks": null, "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "pixelixe": "Pixelixe's seven MCP tools and their LLM-oriented reference make template fills and JSON-to-graphic creation simple to call, with an OpenAPI file for the core endpoints. Every error comes back as a 400 with a message, there are no published rate limits, status page or changelog, and API access starts at $59 a month.", "shotstack": "A public OpenAPI definition, Markdown docs, a hosted MCP server with OAuth and a free watermarked sandbox let an agent draft, check and render video with little setup. API keys have no scopes, webhooks are unsigned, no security contact or certification of Shotstack's own was found, and the npm Node SDK dates from July 2024." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack.min.md" }, "markdown": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Pixelixe's 37.3 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do design templates.\n\n- Pixelixe: grade F, 37.3/100, rank #1355 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pixelixe.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pixelixe.json\n- Shotstack: grade B, 67.3/100, rank #333 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shotstack.json\n- Best programmatic image and design asset APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/design-assets/index.md\n- All 153 assets comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/design-assets/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Pixelixe (F)\n\nGood for: Template fills and white-label editing for marketing and SaaS teams, with a JSON-to-graphic route for agents.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n- No incidents deducted, where Shotstack loses 3 points for them\n\nWatch for: Every error is HTTP 400 with a free-text message, including wrong keys and exhausted credits\n\n### Shotstack (B)\n\nGood for: Teams that render video, images or audio from JSON or templates at volume and want an agent to draft edits that a person reviews in Studio.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 95 against 15\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 88 against 66\n- Agent ergonomics, 63 against 49\n- Security \u0026 auth, 48 against 38\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 45 against 30\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 73 against 19\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 73 against 41\n\nWatch for: API keys have no scopes. One production key and one sandbox key reach the Edit, Serve and Ingest APIs, and key rotation was not found in the docs\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Reliability: Shotstack +80\n\n- Pixelixe (15): Hosted lines. No status page found on the site or in the docs (0). No readable incident history (5). No rate limit is published; the terms only forbid circumventing them (0). No 429, Retry-After or backoff guidance. Every error, a wrong key and exhausted credits included, is a 400 with a message (0). No SLA found; the terms supply the service as is (0). API v2 is current and not labelled beta (10). 0 + 5 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 10 = 15.\n- Shotstack (95): Hosted lines. Public status page at status.shotstack.io with monitors, the Edit API in production among them (20). Its feed and incident pages hold no incident in the 90 days from 4 August 2026. The newest incident, number 8 (range parameters in render payloads causing failures, 21 July 2026), left the window on 20 October, /incidents/9 answers 404, and the window holds only two completed maintenance windows (11 August, rendering stayed available; 4 and 5 September, billing, with the API fully available). A readable page that posts incidents, none in the window, is a clean record (30, was 20). Rate limits per API key in a fixed 60-second window, 300 for Edit, 600 for Serve and 300 for Ingest in production (15). A 429 returns `rate_limit_error` with advice to wait for the window and retry with exponential backoff, and `POST /generate` takes an `Idempotency-Key`, but `POST /render` has none and no `Retry-After` is documented for rate limits (10). Schedule 2 of the terms is an SLA of 99.9 per cent with a 10 per cent credit, free plans excluded (10). The Edit API is `v1` and neither the MCP server nor the CLI carries a beta label (10). 20 + 30 + 15 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 95.\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: Shotstack +54\n\n- Pixelixe (19): No dated release or API change was found. The newest dated items are the MCP registry entry of 26 March 2026 and the privacy policy of 7 April 2026, more than 180 days before this check (0). No three dated changes since 8 August (0). No changelog. Support by email at inquiries@pixelixe.com, not tested (4 of 15). com.pixelixe/pixelixe-mcp is in the official MCP registry under a domain-verified namespace; there are no official SDKs (15). No public package or repository (0). 0 + 0 + 4 + 15 + 0 = 19.\n- Shotstack (73): API definition 1.23.3 (@shotstack/schemas) tagged on 27 October 2026, six days before the check, after 1.23.0 on 15 October added a source file on generation assets (30). 21 definition tags and 13 CLI tags (0.8.x to 0.15.2, the last on 22 October) since 4 August 2026, and the skill repository synced from CLI 0.16.0 to 0.17.0 between 25 and 30 October (20). Dated changelog for the definition in its repository, in-app support on every plan and a GitHub issue template for the CLI. Issue threads were not read (8). `@shotstack/cli` and `@shotstack/schemas` are current, while npm `shotstack-sdk` 0.2.9 dates from July 2024 per the 8 October check; the PyPI release date came from a path pypi.org's robots.txt disallows and is struck, and pypi.org didn't resolve on 2 November. The MCP registry entry was not checked (7). The definition repository runs build, smoke and example tests on pull requests. Since 25 October the CLI repository holds only the agent skill and says the CLI's source isn't published there, so its release tests can no longer be read (8). 30 + 20 + 8 + 7 + 8 = 73.\n\n### Transparency \u0026 trust: Shotstack +32\n\n- Pixelixe (41): Closed service under terms of 19 March 2026 that choose French law but name no company (12 of 30). The privacy policy of 7 April 2026 keeps account data while the account is active and 'as long as reasonably necessary' after, with no periods, and says nothing about AI processing or training (10 of 30). V1 is marked deprecated in the docs with no dates or notice period (5 of 20). Processors are described only by category, with Google Analytics named, and data processed in France, the EEA and other vendor countries (5 of 20). 12 + 10 + 5 + 5 = 32.\n- Shotstack (73): Closed service under published terms, with the schemas and SDKs under MIT. The CLI was Apache-2.0 in its last public source (0.15.2, 22 October 2026); since 25 October its source isn't published and the repository keeps only the agent skill (15). A DPA and sub-processor list updated 6 October 2026, and terms that say customer data is not used to train AI models. The privacy policy is dated 21 December 2021 and says ingested media is deleted after rendering, while the Ingest guide says sources are stored until deleted, and the DPA gives 24 hours for outputs while the hosting guide calls CDN hosting permanent by default (18). The terms promise reasonable notice before a feature is retired and 30 days before material changes to the terms, and deprecated asset types keep working, but no dated deprecation policy was found (8). Five sub-processors named with purposes and locations, AWS in Sydney and the United States, with seven days' notice of additions (20).\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: Shotstack +22\n\n- Pixelixe (66): OpenAPI 3.1 (version 2.0.0) at pixelixe.com/pixelixe-openapi.json, but it covers four endpoints, authentication, document search, graphic automation and photo effects, and leaves out the JSON-to-graphic and image processing APIs (18 of 25). llms.txt exists but routes readers to marketing pages; the MCP reference is written for LLMs (7 of 10). The MCP reference says what each of the seven tools maps to, that `pixelixe_generate_graphic_variant` 'is not a free-form layout API', lists common mistakes and how to present outputs (17 of 20). The MCP layer documents canonical field names and refuses legacy aliases; the REST modifications are open structures keyed by element name (10 of 15). Request examples throughout, but errors are one table of message strings all returning 400 (8 of 15). /v2 paths and a deprecated V1, with no changelog (6 of 15). 18 + 7 + 17 + 10 + 8 + 6 = 66.\n- Shotstack (88): Public OpenAPI 3.0.1 definition of the Edit API with 14 operations and 122 schemas. The MCP tool schemas need a signed-in account and were not read (25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every guide page (10). The conventions guide and MCP page say when to use `studio` or `render_video` and name the five commonest mistakes (17). 84 enums and required fields across the schemas, with per-model generation `options` published as JSON Schema by `GET /models` (13). 367 examples in the definition. Error responses are documented for the generation endpoints, while render and template operations document only the success response (10). `v1` and `stage` in the path and a dated changelog for the definition, less 2 because release 1.22.0 removed a response field in a minor version (13).\n\n### Payments \u0026 pricing: Shotstack +15\n\n- Pixelixe (30): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Plan prices with monthly document counts are public, with no per-image price (10). 10-day trial with no card (20). A person signs up and copies the key, or approves OAuth in a browser (0). 0 + 10 + 20 + 0 = 30.\n- Shotstack (45): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Public per-minute prices, 20 cents on pay as you go down to 5 cents on Volume, with AI generation priced per model through a quote endpoint and four examples on the pricing page (20). 10 credits for 30 days with no card, and a free watermarked sandbox (20). Checking an edit and opening a Studio preview need no key, but any render needs a key from a browser signup (5).\n\n### Agent ergonomics: Shotstack +14\n\n- Pixelixe (49): Seven compact MCP tools (25). Document and design-set search filters, with no pagination documented (10 of 20). All errors are 400 with free-text messages, so an agent can't branch on a code (6 of 20). No idempotency keys, and annotations couldn't be read on the closed server. The MCP tools only read and create, with nothing that deletes (5 of 20). Few required fields, but no official SDK (3 of 15). 25 + 10 + 6 + 5 + 3 = 49.\n- Shotstack (63): 15 MCP tools by the vendor's list, with the authoring guide loaded on demand through `get_shotstack_guide` and skill references read only when relevant (18). No pagination, limit or filter on the template or source lists in the definition. The CLI prints JSON with `--output json` (6). Errors carry `status`, `title` and `detail`, confirmed on a 401, generation errors carry a `code`, the CLI validates offline and exits 0, 1 or 2 for success, permanent and retryable failures (17). `Idempotency-Key` and a result cache on generation and a free quote, but no idempotency on renders, and MCP annotations were not readable (12). Smart clip lengths and a default `v1` environment keep requests short. Five official SDK repositories exist, but the npm and PyPI packages date from July 2024 (10).\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Pixelixe | Shotstack | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 15 | 95 | Shotstack +80 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 88 | Shotstack +22 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 49 | 63 | Shotstack +14 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 38 | 48 | Shotstack +10 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 45 | Shotstack +15 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 19 | 73 | Shotstack +54 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 41 | 73 | Shotstack +32 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **37.3 · F** | **67.3 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Pixelixe | Shotstack |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Pixelixe | ShotStack Pty Ltd |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://studio.pixelixe.com/api` | `https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Paid | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Closed service under the Pixelixe terms of service (last modified 19 March 2026) | Proprietary service under Shotstack's Terms and Conditions. The schemas package and SDKs are MIT and the Studio SDK is under PolyForm Shield 1.0.0. The CLI was Apache-2.0 up to its last public source (0.15.2, 22 October 2026); since 25 October 2026 its source isn't published and the shotstack-cli repository holds only the agent skill |\n| Tools exposed | 7 | 15 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| MCP registry | `com.pixelixe/pixelixe-mcp` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-03-26 | 2026-10-27 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-03-19 | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-04-07 | no date given |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | none | 0 stars, 1.2k npm/wk, 326 PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | none | 3.5/5 (4) |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### Pixelixe\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n### Shotstack\n\n- +2.0 on 2 November 2026: time\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Pixelixe.** Pixelixe's seven MCP tools and their LLM-oriented reference make template fills and JSON-to-graphic creation simple to call, with an OpenAPI file for the core endpoints. Every error comes back as a 400 with a message, there are no published rate limits, status page or changelog, and API access starts at $59 a month.\n\n**Shotstack.** A public OpenAPI definition, Markdown docs, a hosted MCP server with OAuth and a free watermarked sandbox let an agent draft, check and render video with little setup. API keys have no scopes, webhooks are unsigned, no security contact or certification of Shotstack's own was found, and the npm Node SDK dates from July 2024.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Pixelixe\n\n1. Call `pixelixe_search_documents` first to find the `document_uid` of the template to reuse\n2. Use `pixelixe_generate_graphic_variant` to fill an existing template; it can't change the layout\n3. Read the error `message` text, since every failure is a 400\n4. Stop and tell the user on 'Not enough Credits'; retrying won't help\n5. For a batch, use `pixelixe_create_multiple_images` and summarise counts rather than inlining every image\n\n### Shotstack\n\n1. Fetch `https://shotstack.io/docs/api/api.edit.json` and the conventions guide before writing an edit. Track order is reversed, so the first track renders on top\n2. Render in `stage` first. It is free and watermarked, but AI generation there is charged from the production credit balance\n3. Call `POST /generate/quote` before `POST /generate`, and send an `Idempotency-Key` header on generation. `POST /render` has no idempotency key, so do not resubmit blindly\n4. Do not store the `url` from the render status response. It expires after 24 hours. Use the CDN address built from `owner` and the render id\n5. On a 429, wait for the 60-second window to reset and retry with backoff. Limits are per API key, 300 a minute on the Edit API in production\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Pixelixe or Shotstack?\n\nShotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Pixelixe's 37.3 (F), and leads in every scored category.\n\n### Do Pixelixe and Shotstack need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Pixelixe and Shotstack without installing anything?\n\nYes. Pixelixe has a hosted endpoint at https://studio.pixelixe.com/api and Shotstack at https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"pixelixe\", \"b\": \"shotstack\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare pixelixe shotstack`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pixelixe.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shotstack.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Pixelixe or Shotstack\n\n- [Adobe Photoshop API vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [APITemplate.io vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [APITemplate.io vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Bannerbear API + MCP vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Bannerbear API + MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Canva REST APIs + MCP vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/canva-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Canva REST APIs + MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/canva-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Contentdrips API and MCP vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/contentdrips-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Contentdrips API and MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/contentdrips-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Creatomate vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Creatomate vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [DynaPictures vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dynapictures-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [DynaPictures vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dynapictures-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Layerre vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/layerre-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Layerre vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/layerre-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Photoroom API vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Pixelixe vs Placid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-placid.md)\n- [Pixelixe vs PostNitro](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-postnitro.md)\n- [Pixelixe vs Robolly](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-robolly.md)\n- [Pixelixe vs Templated API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-templated.md)\n- [Placid API + MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/placid-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [PostNitro vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postnitro-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Robolly vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/robolly-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Shotstack vs Templated API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shotstack-vs-templated.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Osmo CLI vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Osmo CLI vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Pictify vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Pictify vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Adobe Photoshop API vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Photoroom API vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-pixelixe.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link the page or API address you took it from (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-11-07", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.7", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "terms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Pixelixe vs Shotstack", "url": "" } ], "description": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) to Pixelixe's 37.3 (F) for design templates. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Pixelixe F 37.3", "Shotstack B 67.3", "scores" ], "h1": "Pixelixe vs Shotstack", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/default.png", "path": "/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Pixelixe vs Shotstack for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-11-07", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 4950, "slim": 2880 }, "version": 1 }