The price anchor
| Cardsmith | Bannerbear | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0 — no subscription | $49/mo |
| Annual | $0 after purchase | $588 |
| 5-year total | $99 | $2,940 |
| 10-year total | $99 | $5,880 |
Subscription figures from the vendor's published pricing ($49/mo, ~$588/yr); the Cardsmith column is the full price, paid once.
Break-even analysis
Cardsmith costs about two months of Bannerbear — it pays for itself in 9 weeks.
- After 1 year: Cardsmith has cost you $99 total — Bannerbear has cost $588.
- After 3 years: Cardsmith is still $99 — the subscription is at $1,764.
- After 5 years: Cardsmith is still $99 — the subscription is at $2,940.
What you get for $99 once
- Visual template editor. Canvas with drag positioning + snap guides, layers panel, and a live preview that matches server output pixel-for-pixel.
- Layer types. Text (bundled fonts, weight, align, wrap, auto-shrink to fit), images (upload or URL, cover/contain/fill, radius, opacity), shapes and solid/gradient/image backgrounds.
- Sizes for every network. OG/blog 1200×630, X large card 1600×900, Instagram 1080×1080 and 1080×1920 story, LinkedIn 1200×627 — plus fully custom dimensions.
- {{variables}}. Type {{title}} in any text layer (or image URL) and the template instantly becomes an API endpoint with that parameter.
- Render API. GET /api/render/:templateId?title=...&key=... returns a PNG — deterministic, server-side, bundled Chromium. Point your og:image meta tag straight at it.
- No renewal, ever. The license does not expire and there is no per-seat meter — $99 is the whole price.
Pricing questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — MIT source at github.com/bensblueprints/og-image-studio-mvp. $99 buys the packaged installer with everything pre-wired, plus updates.
How are images rendered?
Server-side with bundled Chromium (Puppeteer), using the exact same HTML renderer as the editor preview — so WYSIWYG is literal. Fonts are bundled and base64-embedded, making output deterministic and fully offline.
Are renders really unlimited?
Yes — your CPU does the work, so there's no render meter and no rate limit. Bannerbear's Starter tier caps you at 1,000 renders and 10 templates a month.
Can I use it for live og:image tags?
Yes — point your meta tags at the render URL (auth via ?key= or X-Api-Key); images render on demand and log to the gallery. For public traffic, host it on a $5 VPS with the included Docker setup.
Cardsmith — $99, one time
Or get Cardsmith plus every other app in the suite: the OneTimeSuite bundle is currently $97, one time.