PDF.ai

What it is for

PDF.ai is a chat-plus-parse desk for PDFs: you upload (or call Parse / Extract / Split), then ask questions against the file. Use it when the job is PDFs metered in uploads and questions, not when you need a $20 chat seat.

What makes it unique: the cover is the official Parse playground — upload a document and see Markdown / JSON — not the marketing hero.

Key features

• Chat with PDF — questions against one file, or all files on paid tiers (pricing). One ask. Hobby 100 questions; Pro 1,000; Ultimate unlimited. Model tier (Basic vs Advanced) is SKU of this.
• Parse API — PDF → Markdown or JSON with OCR / VLM (API; playground). A structure job, not a chat turn.
• Extract API — fields from a JSON schema you supply (api.pdf.ai). A form, not a full parse.
• Split API — one PDF into focused pieces (same API hub). A cutter, not an extract.
• Chrome extension — chat a local or Drive/Dropbox PDF in the browser (how-to). A side panel, not the API.

AI Agents, Capture & Ask, and the chatbot widget are Ultimate+ add-ons. OCR page caps (Hobby 2 / Pro 10 / Ultimate 50 / Enterprise 100) are SKU. API credits ($50 = 1,000) are the meter of the API. “Send” in chat is ops.

Who it's for

Best fit: readers who will stay on Hobby $0 (1 PDF, 100 questions), then buy Pro at $10/month billed yearly when they need 100 uploads and 1,000 questions.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) from pdf.ai/pricing. Public paid cards show annual (“Save 25%”). Cancel anytime.

• Hobby — $0. 1 PDF upload. 100 questions / month. OCR 2 pages/file. 10 MB. Basic model. Chrome extension. Basic web audio.
• Pro — $10/month billed yearly. 100 uploads. 1,000 questions. OCR 10 pages. 50 MB. Chat with all PDFs. Basic model.
• Ultimate — $20/user/month billed yearly. Unlimited uploads + questions. OCR 50 pages. Advanced model. AI Agents. Team invites. Capture & Ask. Whisper + TTS.
• Enterprise — $30/user/month billed yearly. OCR 100 pages. 100 MB. White-labeled embed. Early access.
• Commercial API add-on — $50/mo for 1,000 credits; $112 / 2,500; $200 / 5,000; $350 / 10,000. Upload 2 credits. GPT-3.5 message 1. GPT-4 message 4. Ultimate API is non-commercial unless you buy this.

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Limitations / costs

• Hobby is one PDF. A second file is a Pro card.
• Ultimate API is not a commercial license. Production parse needs the API add-on.
• A PDF desk, not a warehouse IDP. For schema extraction at block prices see Nanonets. For layout parse see Landing AI.

Alternatives

• ChatPDF — a simpler chat-with-PDF when you do not need Parse/Extract APIs.
• Reducto — document parse for pipelines when you will not sit in pdf.ai chat.
• Landing AI — ADE parse when the job is visual layout, not a reader chat.

Official tutorial

No first-party YouTube embed on this pass. Written path: Parse playground plus Pricing and API.

Website

https://pdf.ai

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is the official PDF.ai Parse playground. Dollars checked on pdf.ai/pricing (Hobby $0; Pro $10 yr; Ultimate $20/user yr; Enterprise $30/user yr).

Last verified

2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.