Can I test the Zamzar API before signing up for a paid account ?
Can I use the Zamzar API in a mobile app, desktop app or website ?
How long does it take to integrate the Zamzar API into my application ?
Will the Zamzar API handle large bursts of conversion jobs ?
I contacted the support team - when can I expect to hear back ?
Where is the best place to see if the API is experiencing issues ?
The Zamzar API is an online file conversion API. It allows you to easily convert between thousands of different file formats regardless of what platform or device you are on.
As a REST-based HTTP API it is simple to integrate into any mobile, web or desktop application, giving you the power to convert from and to a myriad of file formats, be they documents, images, videos, audio, e-Books, compressed or CAD files.
Our API provides an enterprise class file conversion service at a fraction of the cost of trying to develop, maintain or license one yourself.
We can scale up or down with your needs - whether you convert 1 file or 10,000 as a cloud-based service we can match your needs.
Our API is designed for developers and is easy to use with comprehensive documentation. We have been converting files online since 2006 for thousands of happy customers so you can trust us to do the job well.
Managing file format complexity is hard. What happens when Microsoft release a new incompatible Office format ? How do you ensure your users can view their files on any device at any time ? How do you standardise on a single format when customers and suppliers send you multiple different types of files ?
Some people try to manage this with a variety of costly tools and homegrown scripts - We can solve all of these problems for you with one simple to use API.
Just signup for an account and then read our documentation to begin integrating the Zamzar API. We offer a quick-start guide to get you up and running with your first conversion in minutes.
Every conversion costs at least 1 credit, and every account comes with a certain number of bundled conversion credits - Bigger plans come with cheaper credits as you are buying in bulk. When you perform a (successful) conversion we debit your credit balance. Conversions that are more intensive to process can cost more credits - our formats page has all the details. Bigger input files can cost more as well - see our bandwidth section for more information. Unused credits are not rolled-over to the next month.
Yes - The first 50 MB of any input file is included in your conversion cost. Every 50 MB increment after that will cost more credits - e.g. a "2 credit" conversion with a 120 MB input file will cost 6 credits.
Absolutely. Our Test account does not require credit card information and you can upgrade at any time. All accounts come with a "sandbox" mode which allows you to test conversion jobs at no cost as you develop and integrate with the API. The size and number of files you can convert are limited, but realistic conversions are still performed.
You can use the API on any platform or device which has an internet connection. All requests to the API are sent over HTTPS, so whether you are on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android or even an internet connected Amiga 500 you can use the API.
You can integrate the API with any programming language with a network stack capable of sending and receiving data over HTTPS. In practical terms this covers almost all modern languages, whether that is C, C++, C#, Erlang, Haskell, Java, Javascript, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby or Scala to name but a few. We use cURL examples in our documentation as that is installed on most systems by default and is very easy to get started with.
Yes - you can embed calls to the API in applications and services that you provide to customers. Provided the device has an internet connection you can use the API on mobile, desktop or web. You should be careful to secure your Zamzar API keys though, to ensure that no one can misuse your account.
We support over a 1000 different conversions, including the following input formats.
For a full list check out our formats page:
And many more.
We are always looking to broaden the range of formats that we can support. If you have a particular need for a format which you don't see in our list of supported formats then get in touch and we will see whether we can add it.
Yes - Provided the PDF is not scanned then you can use the API to convert it to a .DOC, .RTF or .TXT file to make it editable.
Probably - If you choose a format with a better compression ratio than your input file then you can potentially reduce the size of a file, but the trade off is usually a loss of quality or fidelity.
Just signup up for an account. We automatically create a key for you, and you can add more on your account management page.
Absolutely. Our Test account does not require credit card information and you can upgrade at any time. Also, all accounts come with a "sandbox" mode which allows you to test jobs at no cost as you integrate. These jobs are limited in number and filesize, but real conversions are still performed.
The sandbox allows you to test your code by submitting conversion jobs to the Zamzar API without using up your paid credits. There are limits on the size of files you can submit for conversion though - 1 MB or below, and on the number of sandbox jobs you can submit per month - 100. If you need more sandbox credits please let us know and we may be able to arrange a temporary increase.
Sorry not at this time. We are developing them though, and will post more details on our GitHub account when they are ready. If you beat us to the punch let us know and if you'd like we can share your work with the community.
Our documentation contains comprehensive instructions on how to upload a file to the API for conversion.
Our documentation contains a section on how to "Retrieve the content of a file" which explains how you can use the API to download a converted file, or a previously uploaded input file. Alternatively you can always use the dashboard to download files using your web browser.
Sorry we don't provide any sample desktop or web applications, but we do offer file conversion services at http://www.zamzar.com to showcase what the API can do.
Not long - using our quick-start guide you can be performing your first file conversion within minutes.
Yes - We use a cloud-based system to ensure that we always have enough processing power available to handle all workloads, even when thousands of conversion jobs are started simultaneously.
Yes - we provide a comprehensive user dashboard to give you a clear visual indicator of how many credits you have used and how your conversion jobs (both current and historical) are progressing. You can use the dashboard to download files and monitor progress.
No - we don't charge any setup or cancellation costs or tie you in to any long-term contracts. You can cancel your account at any time.
We offer a variety of different plans depending on your needs - All of our fixed cost monthly plans come bundled with conversion credits. For more information take a look at our pricing page.
For monthly plans we bill a month in advance.
No - you can cancel your account with us at any time, and for any reason.
Yes - we provide a full list of all possible conversions with details of how many credits they cost on our formats page. You can also use query the "/formats" endpoint of the API to get this information as well
Absolutely - If any conversion job fails for any reason, we automatically refund the credit cost for that job back to your account.
No - if you are on a fixed monthly plan credits are reset at the end of each monthly billing period.
If you are converting large numbers of files then signup or upgrade to a larger plan, as the "cost-per-conversion" is cheaper if you signup to a larger plan.
You can pay for the API using Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
You can download PDF invoices at any time from your user invoice page.
You can view or change your payment card details at any time from your user billing page.
You need to signup for an account with us if you want to test the API. You can signup for a test account without providing any payment details if you just want to try the service out. Just visit our pricing page for more information.
Just visit our pricing page, choose the plan that you are interested in and you can signup within seconds.
You can login to your account via our login page.
Sure - just visit our password reset page.
Yes - you can upgrade or downgrade your account at any time by visiting your user plans page and picking the plan you want to change to.
No, credits for the "Test" account do not renew - if you need more credits you will need to sign up to one of our paid accounts, or if you are still testing out the API we may be able to arrange a temporary increase - please contact us if that is the case.
Yes - we have built the API with security in mind. All of our hardware runs in world-class, highly secure data centers utilizing state-of-the art electronic surveillance and multi-factor access control systems. All traffic to and from our servers is secured by transport level security using 128 bit SSL to encrypt the data sent between your systems and ours. You can also use your account management page to administer multiple API keys and temporarily disable or permanently revoke any keys that are misused or abused.
Absolutely not - all files are private and viewable by you alone, unless you ask our support team to investigate a problem with a specific individual file on your behalf.
All of our hardware runs in world-class, highly secure data centers utilizing state-of-the art electronic surveillance and multi-factor access control systems. All traffic to and from our servers is secured by transport level security using 128 bit SSL to encrypt the data sent between your systems and ours. You can also use your account management page to administer multiple API keys and temporarily disable or permanently revoke any keys that are misused or abused.
If you believe you have found a potential security issue or vulnerability with any of Zamzar's services we want to hear from you - please email us at security@zamzar.com.
We support security researchers who are committed to a process of responsible disclosure for any security issues and will work with you to triage any issues and ensure they are fixed speedily. Where appropriate we may also pay a bug bounty if the find is warranted and reported responsibly.
When submitting your email please include a report of the issue at hand with: a title, details of the vulnerable (sub)domain and/or endpoint/component, a list of steps to reproduce and an assessment of the impact (high, medium, low). Hackerone has a good guide to writing useful reports.
We offer email support to all customers. The best way to contact our team is through our support form.
We aim to provide an initial response to all support enquiries within 24 hours - note: this will be from a real human being addressing your specific question, rather than a canned automated response from a computer.
From time to time it is possible there may be technical issues with the API - where possible we will communicate any problems via the website and in responses to calls into the API itself, but where this is not possible please check our Twitter feed and blog for further information.