Polotno
Polotno sells a self-hosted, embeddable JavaScript SDK for image and video editing that product teams integrate into SaaS, AI, web-to-print, and real-estate applications, supported by a free browser-based design tool and a per-domain license model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersCheyenne, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Polotno does
Polotno is a privately held, bootstrapped software company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Sheridan, Wyoming, that sells an embeddable JavaScript SDK for image and video editing. The core product, Polotno SDK, lets product teams drop a customizable design editor into their own web applications and avoid building one in-house; the company claims this saves customers an average of 6+ months of internal development time and that it has maintained 99.99% uptime in production environments for four consecutive years. The SDK is built around a proprietary JSON schema design format that supports programmatic design creation, template automation, bulk operations, and LLM-output validation, with optional server-side rendering via a Cloud Render API and an ecosystem of npm packages for PSD, SVG, PDF, and Figma file interoperability.
The company also operates Polotno Studio, a free, no-signup browser-based design editor that serves as a product-led growth funnel and claims a base of 100,000+ creators and 300+ business customers including Expedia, Unbounce, LovePop, PostGrid, Predis.ai, HUMElab, Peleman, and Heirloom. Commercial revenue comes from a self-serve SDK license at $899/month or $9,990/year per domain and from custom enterprise contracts that include SLAs, security review, optional source-code access, and roadmap influence. Optional AI features (AI Write, Background Removal, Text To Image, Image To Image, Text To Video) are offered as a separate service through a Polotno AI Proxy backed by OpenAI and Replicate, and are disabled by default; the company is GDPR- and CCPA-aware with a data-processing posture built around self-hosted deployment so that core SDK use does not send customer content to Polotno's servers.
Polotno firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Polotno
- Legal name
- Polotno
- Website
- https://polotno.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Polotno sells a self-hosted, embeddable JavaScript SDK for image and video editing that product teams integrate into SaaS, AI, web-to-print, and real-estate applications, supported by a free browser-based design tool and a per-domain license model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Polotno industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Editing SDK
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Developer Tooling & SDK Platforms (BPAMAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms (BPAMADAG), Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms (HDAEAKAA)
Keywords
Where Polotno is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cheyenne
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Polotno business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- SDK Licensing (Self-Serve): Self-serve commercial license at $899/month or $9,990/year for unlimited usage on a single domain. Provides access to the embeddable SDK with standard support.
- SDK Licensing (Enterprise): Custom enterprise contracts with SLA, security review, source code access, and roadmap influence. Pricing scales with integration criticality and commercial surface area, typically starting in the low five figures. Enterprise SLAs may include extended support hours, faster response targets, defined uptime commitments, and incident escalation paths.
- Free Tools (Polotno Studio): Free browser-based design editor (Polotno Studio) and free design tools including print converters and file format converters. No signup or email required. Used to drive product adoption and developer awareness.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Self-Serve Plan |
| Subscription | Annual | Self-Serve Annual |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise License |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Polotno product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Polotno develops and licenses an embeddable JavaScript SDK that lets product teams add image and video editing capabilities directly inside their own web applications. The SDK runs client-side in the browser with optional cloud or self-hosted rendering, exposes a JSON Schema-based design format for programmatic automation, and supports multi-format import (PSD, SVG, PDF, Figma) and export (PNG, JPEG, PDF, PPTX, GIF, MP4, HTML, SVG). It is sold under self-serve and enterprise licenses, and is complemented by a free browser-based design editor (Polotno Studio) used as a product-led growth entry point.
Product overview
Polotno offers a portfolio of products centered on an embeddable design editor SDK and a free browser-based design tool. The core commercial product is the Polotno SDK — a self-hosted, embeddable JavaScript editor for image and video editing that product teams integrate into their own applications. Supporting the SDK are optional NPM packages for file format imports (@polotno/psd-import, @polotno/svg-import, @polotno/pdf-import), video export (@polotno/video-export), and schema validation (@polotno/schema). An optional Cloud Render API enables server-side rendering for high-volume workflows. Polotno Studio provides a free, no-signup browser design tool, while a suite of Free Design Tools offers client-side file converters. Optional AI features (Background Removal, Text To Image, Image To Image, Text To Video, AI Write) are available as cloud services. Pricing includes a self-serve plan at $899/month and custom enterprise licensing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Polotno SDK Self-hosted, embeddable JavaScript SDK for integrating image and video editing into web applications. Provides a customizable editor UI, JSON schema-based template system, and multiple rendering options (browser, self-hosted, cloud). Sold to product teams and enterprises via self-serve ($899/month or $9,990/year) and custom enterprise licenses.
- Polotno Studio Free, no-signup browser-based design editor for individual creators. Covers social posts, posters, simple video, PDF export, templates, and background removal. Used as a PLG entry point that drives adoption of the commercial Polotno SDK.
- Cloud Render API
Quantifiable outcome
- Saves 6+ months of development time on average per customer deployment
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Polotno
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Polotno technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability6 records
Feature9 records
Polotno partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Polotno competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Toast UI Image Editor: Toast UI Image Editor is a free open-source image editor component that competes on the lower end of the same embeddable-editor market where Polotno's self-serve pricing applies.
- Fabric.js: Fabric.js is a widely adopted open-source canvas library used by developers building custom image editors — the open-source build alternative that anchors the buy side of Polotno's build-vs-buy positioning.
- Konva.js: Konva is a 2D canvas framework with an open-source image-editor demo; serves the same DIY developer audience that Polotno targets with its embeddable SDK value proposition.
Direct peers
- Bannerbear: Bannerbear is an API-driven image and video generation platform with templates, programmatic rendering, and bulk operations — overlapping with Polotno's Programmable Workflows and template automation features.
- Placid.app: Placid provides programmatic image and video generation via API and templates, serving a similar audience of SaaS and marketing teams automating creative production — comparable to Polotno's data-driven design workflows.
- IMG.LY: IMG.LY sells PhotoEditor SDK and Creative SDK, embeddable image/video editing tools with similar developer-centric licensing and configurable UI — directly comparable product offering to Polotno.
- Pintura: Pintura is a JavaScript image editor SDK offering embeddable editing with multi-format import/export — the closest 1:1 functional competitor to Polotno SDK and explicitly compared on Polotno's own comparison pages.
Broad incumbents
- VistaCreate (Crello) API: VistaCreate (formerly Crello) is a Canva competitor that has started exposing API access; comparable broad incumbent offering creative tooling with growing developer surface area.
- Figma Dev Mode / Figma API: Figma's developer platform includes Figma import to Polotno and offers a broader design ecosystem; while not a direct editor SDK, its API and ecosystem create adjacent competitive pressure on embedded design tooling.
- Canva Connect API: Canva is the dominant consumer/SMB design platform whose Connect API is moving into the embedded editor space; Polotno explicitly positions against Canva with self-hosted, customizable alternatives.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Polotno social profiles
Digital presencePolotno compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Polotno financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Polotno leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Polotno funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Polotno M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Polotno
What does Polotno do?
Polotno develops and licenses an embeddable JavaScript SDK that lets product teams add image and video editing capabilities directly inside their own web applications. The SDK runs client-side in the browser with optional cloud or self-hosted rendering, exposes a JSON Schema-based design format for programmatic automation, and supports multi-format import (PSD, SVG, PDF, Figma) and export (PNG, JPEG, PDF, PPTX, GIF, MP4, HTML, SVG). It is sold under self-serve and enterprise licenses, and is complemented by a free browser-based design editor (Polotno Studio) used as a product-led growth entry point.
Is Polotno a public or private company?
Polotno is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Polotno founded?
Polotno was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Polotno based?
Polotno is headquartered in Cheyenne, United States, in the North America region.
How does Polotno make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SDK Licensing (Self-Serve) is the primary driver. The others are SDK Licensing (Enterprise) and free Tools (Polotno Studio).
Who are Polotno's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Toast UI Image Editor, Fabric.js and Konva.js. Direct peers are Bannerbear, Placid.app, IMG.LY and Pintura. Broad incumbents are VistaCreate (Crello) API, Figma Dev Mode / Figma API and Canva Connect API.
Does Polotno have an API?
Yes. Polotno provides a comprehensive JavaScript SDK for embedding image and video editing into products. The SDK exposes an open JSON schema-based API for programmatic design creation, modification, and rendering. Developers can create, update, and arrange images and videos via API; create and apply templates programmatically; run bulk operations; and generate designs from data. The SDK supports multiple rendering paths: client-side browser rendering, self-hosted server-side rendering via Node.js, and cloud rendering via the Cloud Render API. Export formats include JSON, PNG, JPEG, PDF, PPTX, GIF, MP4, HTML, and SVG. Developer documentation is at polotno.com/docs/overview.
What industry is Polotno in?
Polotno's product category is Creative Editing SDK. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAOAD, Developer Tooling & SDK Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAMADAG, Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms. Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7371.