IMG.LY vs Chili GraFx Alternative

IMG.LY vs CHILI GraFx

Looking for full customization, scalability, and enterprise-grade features? With IMG.LY, you get it all. See why CreativeEditor SDK is the best alternative to CHILI GraFx.

What Our Clients Say About Us

IMG.LY’s solution engineers did a deep dive on our business case and helped us implement a custom print kiosk UI.

André Albrecht

Digital Solution Manager

Brother

Our customers create over a million personalized postcards each year choosing from over hundreds of templates with IMG.LY’s SDK. It’s the only solution that allows us to build our own specialized, on-brand UI that integrates seamlessly with our platform.

Jeanine Zaalberg

Product Manager

Swiss Post

Our app has photo-editing at the very core of its experience and the editor has been invaluable in making that vision happen. There are no other tools on the market up to the quality of PE.SDK.

Toby Green

Lead Developer

Elbi

IMG.LY vs. CHILI GraFx at a Glance

Primary Use Case

SDK enabling in-app content editing and large-scale automated asset generation. Supports commercial print workflows, graphic design, and video creation. Handles both user-driven editing and backend automation through a single engine that serves interactive and headless use cases.

Cloud platform automating multichannel content production through templates. Supports print, digital, and animated outputs. Combines browser-based template design (GraFx Studio) with automated PDF generation (GraFx Publisher) in an API-first architecture.

IMG.LY offers one SDK for editing and automation across video, design, and print. CHILI GraFx focuses on cloud-based template automation for marketing and publishing.

Target Audience

Designed for teams building creative tools and automation workflows. Used by print platforms, marketing systems, e-learning solutions, and enterprises combining user editing with automated content generation.

Built for marketing, brand, and design teams producing high volumes of print and digital assets. Supports distributed content creation through brand-managed templates.

IMG.LY targets developers and product teams integrating creative functionality. CHILI GraFx serves marketing organizations focused on template-based production at scale.

Technical Approach

Single SDK supporting three integration modes: ready-to-use editor, custom UI via APIs, or headless automation. Operates across web, mobile, desktop, and server environments under full infrastructure control.

Cloud-native SaaS platform hosted on Microsoft Azure with API-first design. Browser-based GraFx Studio embeds via JavaScript SDK; all rendering handled server-side on CHILI infrastructure.

IMG.LY provides flexible client-side and server-side deployment. CHILI GraFx operates exclusively as a cloud service.

Advanced Design Editing

Canvas engine supporting vector graphics, typography, layout tools, and image manipulation for digital and print outputs. Includes CMYK and Pantone color support, adaptive layouts, and multi-page documents. Available for both interactive editing and automated generation.

GraFx Studio editor for creating templates with text, images, and animations. Dynamic layouts respond to content variables. GraFx Publisher outputs print-ready PDFs supporting CMYK, Pantone, and spot colors for commercial printing.

Both support professional print workflows. IMG.LY enables interactive design and automation with one engine. CHILI GraFx emphasizes brand-controlled template editing.

File Format Support

Imports and exports a wide range of creative and production formats including JPEG, PNG, SVG, WebP, PDF, PDF X, MP4, and native template formats. Supports direct import of Adobe InDesign (IDML) and Photoshop (PSD) files for seamless integration with existing design workflows. Ensures consistent rendering and format parity across both interactive and automated pipelines.

Imports and exports common digital and print formats including JPEG, PNG, GIF, SVG, MP4, INDD, IDML, PDF, EPS, and EPUB. Extensive print support for legacy publishing workflows.

IMG.LY supports modern print digital and video formats. CHILI GraFx offers print and publishing compatibility.

Templating & Dynamic Editing

Templates automatically adapt when content changes. Supports both manual editing and programmatic population through APIs using the same structure. Access controls define editable regions.

Templates centralize brand assets and control editable fields. Dynamic layouts and property formulas allow responsive design and variable data population from external sources.

Both offer adaptive, data-driven templates. IMG.LY emphasizes flexibility across workflows; CHILI GraFx focuses on strict brand governance.

Creative Automation

Headless mode running on Node.js for automated asset generation using the same templates as in-app editors. Connects to databases, CRMs, and spreadsheets for personalized outputs.

API-first automation platform supporting batch output generation (up to 10,000 variations per request) and variable data publishing through REST and SOAP APIs.

IMG.LY unifies editing and automation under one SDK on any infrastructure. CHILI GraFx provides cloud-only automation with batch size limits.

AI Capabilities

Extensible framework for integrating custom AI models alongside built-in layout optimization. Smart layout features automatically rebalance designs when content changes.

GraFx Genie AI assistant accelerates template creation and scripting tasks. Focused on improving workflow speed rather than generating new creative content.

Both provide AI-driven layout assistance. IMG.LY supports custom AI integration; CHILI GraFx focuses on guided template setup.

Advanced Video Editing

Timeline-based editor supporting multiple tracks for video, audio, images, and graphics with frame-accurate control. Enables programmatic video generation and interactive editing across web, mobile, and server environments.

Animation tools for basic motion graphics in digital templates. Exports MP4 and GIF formats for web and social use. Not designed for full video editing workflows.

IMG.LY supports advanced video editing with automation. CHILI GraFx focuses on lightweight animation for marketing graphics.

Asset Management

Connects directly to Getty Images, Unsplash, and Airtable with optional custom asset source integration. Assets remain within the user’s infrastructure and under full data control.

GraFx Media manages assets on CHILI’s cloud and integrates with external DAMs such as Acquia DAM and Canto. Supports metadata preservation and brand compliance.

IMG.LY allows local or custom-managed assets. CHILI GraFx provides cloud-based asset storage with DAM integrations.

User Interface

Ships with a ready-to-deploy editor that can be customized or replaced using APIs. Headless mode available for automation without UI.

Browser-based GraFx Studio embeds via JavaScript SDK with configurable interface elements. Accessible only through web browsers.

IMG.LY supports full UI customization and headless operation. CHILI GraFx provides configurable browser-based editing.

White-labeling

Delivered with no vendor branding. All interface elements and visual components can be fully customized or restructured.

Enables fully branded deployments with no CHILI references in user-facing interfaces or outputs. Used by agencies and brands for white-labeled solutions.

Both provide complete white-labeling. IMG.LY includes zero branding by default.

Interactive Editing

Real-time, GPU-accelerated editing with instant feedback across web, mobile, and desktop. Consistent performance for drag, resize, and playback operations.

Real-time browser-based editing with immediate visual feedback in GraFx Studio. Final rendering handled in the cloud.

Both offer interactive editing. IMG.LY supports cross-platform operation; CHILI GraFx is browser-only.

Multi-Layer Editing

Supports unlimited stacking of video, image, audio, and graphic layers with blending, grouping, and masking. Layer system identical across all platforms and workflows.

Layer-based document structure managing content variants for different outputs. Used mainly for organization rather than compositing effects.

Both use layered structures. IMG.LY supports advanced visual composition; CHILI GraFx manages layout variants.

Component Architecture

Modular engine with separate editor and rendering components. Supports plugin extensions and three integration modes: full editor, custom UI, or headless automation.

JavaScript SDK with modular applications (Studio, Publisher, Media, Brand Kits) integrated through API and connector frameworks.

IMG.LY offers modular architecture with extensible components. CHILI GraFx provides modular web applications connected by APIs.

Cross-Platform Support

Compatible with major web frameworks (React, Angular, Vue, Svelte, Next.js) and native mobile (iOS, Android), desktop (Electron, macOS), and server (Node.js). Templates render identically across all platforms.

Web-based platform accessed through modern browsers. JavaScript/TypeScript SDK supports browser integration; rendering occurs on Azure servers. No native mobile or desktop SDKs.

IMG.LY delivers true cross-platform deployment. CHILI GraFx operates exclusively through web browsers and APIs.

Customizability

Full customization of toolbars, workflows, and permissions through APIs. Supports CMYK and Pantone for print and role-based configurations for multi-tenant systems.

Template-level customization using Brand Kits, variables, and property formulas. API and SDK provide control over template logic and embedding.

IMG.LY supports deep architectural customization. CHILI GraFx focuses on brand and template configuration.

Extensibility

Plugin framework extending UI components, export formats, asset sources, and processing pipelines without altering SDK source.

Connector framework for integrations with external systems (DAM, PIM, CMS) and scripting in JavaScript for template automation.

IMG.LY offers plugin-based extensibility with version stability. CHILI GraFx provides connector-based integrations and scripting.

Ease of Integration

Comprehensive documentation with platform-specific guides and ready-to-use examples across web, mobile, and server environments. Full SDK access available during evaluation.

Documentation covering SDK usage, API integration, and connector development. Includes code samples, demo projects, and AI-assisted scripting via GraFx Genie.

IMG.LY offers multi-platform documentation and sample integrations. CHILI GraFx provides detailed web integration resources.

Flexible Rendering Approach

Option for client-side rendering using device GPUs or server-side rendering on Node.js infrastructure. Identical outputs in both modes.

All rendering processed on Microsoft Azure servers with elastic scaling. No client-side or on-premise rendering.

IMG.LY supports client- and server-side rendering under user control. CHILI GraFx renders exclusively in the cloud.

Production Readiness

Proven at enterprise scale generating over 500 million assets monthly. Continuous updates ensure backward compatibility. Offers multi-tier support and solution engineering assistance.

Used by brands and agencies for campaign automation, print production, and web-to-print workflows.

Both production-ready at enterprise scale. IMG.LY supports diverse deployment types; CHILI GraFx proven in marketing automation use cases.

Scalability

Distributes processing between client devices and server infrastructure. Scales horizontally for both individual editing sessions and automated batch generation without performance loss.

Elastic cloud scaling through Azure infrastructure. Batch generation limited to 10,000 variations per API request, requiring multiple requests for large jobs.

IMG.LY scales through distributed client and server workloads. CHILI GraFx scales elastically within batch limits.

Storage & Data Ownership

Processes and stores all data within user infrastructure. No mandatory external storage or cloud dependencies. Full control over data location and access.

Stores content on Microsoft Azure in selected data center regions with encryption and compliance. No on-premise option.

IMG.LY provides full data control and local processing. CHILI GraFx relies on secure cloud storage only.

Offline Capabilities

Fully functional offline after initial SDK load. Supports local editing, rendering, and exporting for mobile and desktop applications.

Requires internet connectivity for all operations including editing and rendering. No offline functionality.

IMG.LY supports offline workflows. CHILI GraFx requires constant connectivity.

Variable Data Publishing

Supports both manual data entry and automated data population through APIs. Unlimited batch generation on user infrastructure with the same template structure.

Dedicated VDP engine populates templates from XML, spreadsheets, or databases with batch output up to 10,000 rows per API request.

Both support variable data publishing. IMG.LY offers unlimited scalability; CHILI GraFx provides structured VDP with batch limits.

Clear Pricing Model

Enterprise licensing based on deployment scale, features, and usage volume. Includes access to the full SDK during evaluation with no per-user limits.

Usage-based SaaS pricing model with sandbox and production environments. Charges scale with output volume and active usage.

IMG.LY uses enterprise licensing covering all platforms and features. CHILI GraFx operates on a pay-as-you-go SaaS model.

Community & Support

Platform documentation across web, mobile, desktop, and server SDKs. Offers enterprise SLAs and direct engineering support for integrations and optimization.

Documentation at with learning materials, webinars, support portal, and ticketing system. Includes community and training resources.

Both offer enterprise-level support and documentation. IMG.LY provides cross-platform technical guidance; CHILI GraFx offers structured learning and community tools.

Full Customization & White-Labeling

Fully customizable, allowing complete control over UI, branding, and functionality.

Customizable but mainly optimized for print-focused workflows.

Advanced Print & Digital Editing

Supports advanced layout editing, typography, and multi-format output for both print and digital.

Primarily focused on print customization with limited digital design capabilities.

AI-Powered Editing & Automation

Supports AI-driven automation, batch processing, dynamic content insertion, and generative AI features.

Provides smart templates and automation for print workflows but lacks broad AI-driven automation.

Framework & Platform Support

Cross-platform support including Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, macOS, Electron, and Node.js.

Primarily web-based, optimized for print-focused applications.

Interactive & Digital Publishing

Enables interactive elements, animations, and dynamic digital design.

Primarily focused on static print designs.

Asset Libraries & Third-Party Integrations

Easily integrates with third-party libraries like Unsplash, Getty Images, and Giphy for streamlined asset management.

Provides integrations with print-focused asset management tools but lacks broad third-party support.

API & Extensibility

Provides a flexible API, plugin system, and SDK for deep customization and workflow automation.

Offers API access for automating print workflows but has fewer extensibility options.

Openness & File Compatibility

Can import and export industry-standard formats like Photoshop (PSD), Illustrator (AI), and InDesign (INDD).

Strong support for PDF and InDesign (IDML), but limited compatibility with broader design file formats.

Translation & Internationalization

Supports multi-language UIs, localization tools, and RTL (right-to-left) text handling for global reach.

Provides language support for print localization but lacks advanced multi-language UI customization.

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