PDF.ai API
PDF.ai API v2 is a cloud API that processes PDFs through HTTP endpoints.
What PDF.ai API is
PDF.ai API v2 is a cloud API that processes PDFs through HTTP endpoints. Parse converts documents to Markdown or JSON and supports OCR, table formatting, and image extraction. Extract accepts a JSON schema and returns structured fields with citations to source segments. Split locates pages matching named section descriptions and provides confidence levels. Ask answers questions about one or more documents, provided each document has been parsed first. Requests use an X-API-Key header, and the maker says a generated key is shown only once. Documentation includes cURL, Python, Node.js, and PHP examples. Reusing Parse results with the same document ID and settings costs zero credits, and cached IDs can avoid parsing charges for Extract and Split. A private-document option keeps files out of cloud storage. The Free plan is free with 200 credits; Paid is $599 a month with 100,000 credits.
Good
- PDF parsing to Markdown or JSON
- OCR, tables, and image extraction
- Schema-based fields with citations
- cURL, Python, Node.js, and PHP examples
- Free plan with 200 credits monthly
Watch out
- Ask requires prior document parsing
- Generated API key is shown once
- Credit usage varies by operation
Who it suits
It suits developers automating PDF parsing, extraction, section finding, and question answering through HTTP. It is designed for product integrations and batch jobs returning JSON.
Verdict
PDF.ai API v2 covers parsing, structured extraction, section detection, and document Q&A in one HTTP service. A free tier is available, while higher-volume use requires paid credits and careful attention to operation-based charges.
Plans and prices
From PDF.ai API's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 200 credits/month · no credit card required · $0/month |
| Paid | $599 a month | 100,000 credits/month · $0.006/credit · $599/month |
| Custom | Priced on request | More than 100,000 credits/month · Contact us |
The facts
Each one read from PDF.ai API's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API purpose
- PDF.ai API v2 provides PDF parsing, structured extraction, section splitting, and question answering through HTTP endpoints.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- API requests use an X-API-Key header, and the maker says a generated key is shown only once.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Caching
- Parse results reused with the same document ID and settings cost zero credits, and cached document IDs can avoid parse charges for Extract and Split.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Credit usage
- Parse costs 1 credit per page at standard quality or 2 at advanced quality; optional image LLM processing adds 1 credit per 5 images, rounded up.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Developer examples
- The endpoint documentation includes examples in cURL, Python, Node.js, and PHP.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Document Q&A
- Ask answers questions about one or more previously parsed documents, and every document ID must have been parsed first.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Extraction
- Extract accepts a JSON schema and returns structured data with citations linking fields to source segments in the PDF.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Extract limits
- Extract costs 2 credits per page for schemas with five or fewer fields and 4 credits per page for schemas with more than five fields, plus parsing credits when needed.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Intended use
- The maker describes API v2 as suited to automation, integration into a user's product, and batch processing that returns JSON over HTTP.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Parse
- The Parse endpoint converts PDFs to Markdown or JSON and supports OCR, table formatting, and image extraction.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The maker says uploaded documents are encrypted during storage and transmission and offers a private document option that keeps documents out of its cloud storage.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Section finding
- Split identifies pages matching named section descriptions and returns confidence levels.checked 7 Oct 2026
Money
- Ask and Split costs
- Ask costs 3 credits per page across queried documents, while Split costs 2 credits per page, with parsing charges added when a cached document ID is not supplied.checked 7 Oct 2026
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