PDFtoChat
PDFtoChat is a free web and self-hosted application for asking questions about uploaded PDFs.
What PDFtoChat is
PDFtoChat is a free web and self-hosted application for asking questions about uploaded PDFs. Its stated uses include papers, textbooks, and contracts. Users create an account, upload a PDF for AI analysis, and then chat about the document’s contents. The project is open source, with source code available on GitHub for reading, review, or contribution. The application uses Mixtral through Together AI for language-model inference. Its project stack includes Next.js and LangChain.js, while Chroma Cloud supplies hybrid dense and sparse vector search with Qwen and SPLADE embeddings. Bytescale is listed for PDF storage, Clerk for authentication, and Vercel with Postgres for hosting and the database; Neon is an alternative database for self-deployment. The template can be deployed to Vercel or another host after configuring the required service credentials. Scanned PDFs are not supported. The README lists PDF image support, PDF deletion, and signed-in API-route checks as future tasks.
Good
- Free plan costs nothing
- Supports papers, textbooks, and contracts
- Open-source code is available on GitHub
- Web and self-hosted access
- Uses hybrid dense and sparse vector search
Watch out
- Scanned PDFs are not supported
- Free account is required
- PDF image support is listed as a future task
- API-route sign-in checks are a future task
Who it suits
PDFtoChat suits readers who want to question papers, textbooks, or contracts through a browser. Developers can self-deploy the open-source project with its required service configuration.
Verdict
PDFtoChat provides document questioning with a free account and an open-source deployment path. Its current limitations include no scanned-PDF support and unfinished image and route-protection tasks.
Plans and prices
From PDFtoChat's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Have a conversation with papers, textbooks, and contracts · Free account required |
The facts
Each one read from PDFtoChat's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI providers
- The homepage says PDFtoChat is powered by Together.ai and Mixtral.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- The repository README lists Clerk for user authentication.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Document retrieval
- The repository says Chroma Cloud provides hybrid dense and sparse vector search using Qwen and SPLADE.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Hosting and database
- The repository README lists Vercel for hosting and Postgres, with Neon as an alternative database option for self-deployment.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Implementation limit
- The README lists support for images in PDFs as a future task.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Language model
- The repository says Mixtral inference through Together AI powers the language model.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Notable limitations
- The repository lists adding PDF deletion, protecting chat API routes, and support for images in PDFs as future tasks.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Open source
- The homepage says the source code is available on GitHub to read, review or contribute to.checked 7 Oct 2026
- PDF storage
- The repository README lists Bytescale for PDF storage.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy and security
- The opened homepage and repository pages do not state a privacy policy, security certification, or compliance claim.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Project stack
- The maker’s repository README describes a Next.js app using Mixtral through Together AI, Chroma Cloud, LangChain.js, Bytescale, Vercel and Clerk.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- PDFtoChat lets users ask questions about uploaded papers, textbooks and contracts.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Security caveat
- The README lists protecting API routes by checking that users are signed in as a future task.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Self deployment
- The repository README says the template can be deployed to Vercel or another host and requires configuring its listed service credentials.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Self hosting
- The repository says the project can be deployed to Vercel or another host, with Together AI, Chroma Cloud, Bytescale, Clerk, and hosting configured.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Storage and hosting
- The repository lists Bytescale for PDF storage and Vercel for hosting and the Postgres database.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The opened product pages do not specify a customer support channel or service level.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The homepage describes using it with papers, textbooks, and contracts.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Vector search
- The repository README says Chroma Cloud provides hybrid dense and sparse vector search, with embeddings generated using Qwen and SPLADE.checked 7 Oct 2026
- What it does
- PDFtoChat lets users upload a PDF and ask questions about its contents.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Workflow
- Users sign up, upload a PDF for AI analysis, then ask questions about it.checked 7 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Application stack
- The repository lists Next.js and LangChain.js among the technologies used by the project.checked 7 Oct 2026
Money
- Free access
- The homepage says users can chat with PDFs for free and create a free account.checked 7 Oct 2026
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