Alex RaineyAlex is an experienced CTO and founder who largely focuses on all the technical areas of My AskAI, from AI Engineering, Technical Product Management and overall Platform Development.
Table of Contents
- What is PDF.ai?
- Why Should You Look For PDF.ai Alternatives?
- Criteria To Consider When Choosing PDF.ai Alternatives
- 5 Best PDF.ai Alternatives
- 1. My AskAI: Best for Quick Setup and Accurate AI Responses
- Key Features
- Pricing
- Pros & Cons
- 2. ChatDOC: Best for AI-Powered Q&As and Checking References
- Key Features
- Pricing
- Pros & Cons
- 3. Afforai: Best for High-level Security
- Key Features
- Pricing
- Pros & Cons
- 4. Docalysis: Best for Analyzing A Wide Range of Documents
- Key Features
- Pricing
- Pros & Cons
- 5. Omnisearch: Best for Making Thinkific Sites Searchable
- Key Features
- Pricing
- Pros & Cons
- Conclusion
Created time
Oct 5, 2023 07:24 PM
Author
Tags
Image
Publish date
Oct 10, 2023
Slug
we-explored-5-of-the-best-pdfai-alternatives
Featured
Featured
Type
Article
Ready to Publish
Ready to Publish
AI document interaction tools let you transform PDFs, documents, images, and other forms of content into actionable data.
PDF.ai is a popular example—just upload a PDF, and you can chat with it, search within it, and extract data from it conversationally. But it isn’t a perfect tool.
At My AskAI, we have a lot of experience building and using “chat with document” tools. So, we thought we’d share our list of the best PDF.ai alternatives. These tools offer an outstanding balance between customer experience and affordability—and they all have unique strengths.
Read on to find out more.
What is PDF.ai?
PDF.ai is an AI document interaction tool that lets you chat with your PDF files.
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
The process is simple—upload a PDF and ask questions in natural language for quick responses based on the document's contents. The tool features a simple UI, instant responses, source and page references, and a pro plan that allows for larger PDF uploads and access to GPT-4.
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
But like all tools, PDF.ai has its flaws (more on those in a minute). Alternatives like My AskAI improve on many aspects of the user experience, from document processing to customer support.
Why Should You Look For PDF.ai Alternatives?
Limited Free Features
PDF.ai’s free plan has limited capabilities and restrictions, like daily upload limits and limited question length (max. 1,000 characters). In contrast, My AskAI offers a free plan with customizable response styles, a Zapier integration, and web chat support.
Generic Example Questions
PDF.ai only provides one generic example query for each uploaded document, which may make it difficult for users to understand the file's contents at first. This can halt your productivity and negatively affect your ADO (AI Document Optimization).
Lacks Mobile Support
PDF.ai isn’t optimized for mobile devices, so you may experience issues when using the tool. In these cases, searching for an AI chatbot that offers mobile apps or compatibility is better.
Criteria To Consider When Choosing PDF.ai Alternatives
AI Features
Make sure your chosen tool has all the AI features you require. Remember to check its limitations and customization capabilities to see how flexible the tool is. For example, unlike PDF.ai, My AskAI allows you to build AI chatbots for different purposes, including Q&As and content summaries.
Cross-Channel Support
Your PDF.ai alternative should ideally allow for various third-party integrations, allowing you to connect your different tools for a more unified workflow.
UI & Accessibility
Finally, the best PDF.ai alternative should have a user-friendly interface for ease of use.
5 Best PDF.ai Alternatives
In a hurry? Here’s a quick look at the tools we’ll be discussing:
- My AskAI: Best for Quick Setup & Accurate AI Responses
- ChatDOC: Best for AI-Powered Q&As and Checking References
- Afforai: Best for High-level Security
- Docalysis: Best for Analyzing Wide Ranges of Documents
- Omnisearch: Best for Making Thinkific Sites Searchable
Now, let’s dive into the details.
1. My AskAI: Best for Quick Setup and Accurate AI Responses
My AskAI allows you to build advanced AI chatbots that use your data to form accurate, generative responses to questions.
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
The process is simple—you link data sources (like PDFs, websites, Google Docs, etc.), and My AskAI automatically builds the AI bot and helps you customize it to your needs. You can choose a response style that suits your needs (whether you’re looking for detailed explanations or quick insights) and even give your bot a personality.
When you ask a question, My AskAI interprets the query and generates accurate responses.
Key Features
- Multiple Data Sources: Connect various data sources to train your AI—from PDFs to Notion pages, Google Docs, websites, and more.
- Customization: We offer limitless customization capabilities. Personalize your AI bot’s appearance, response style, tone, and more.
- Analytics: Access AskAI usage analytics to discover frequent customer queries and capture leads.
- Enhanced Security: All your data is stored in an isolated container with bank-grade encryption (AES-256) for optimal security.
- Multilingual: Ask questions and upload files in 95 different languages. You can also ask questions in a language different from the uploaded content.
Pricing
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
My AskAI offers a completely free plan with 1 AI chatbot, ten file uploads, and 50 questions per month. For 3+ chatbots and up to 10,000 file uploads, you must subscribe to one of the following plans:
- Hobby ($13.30/month)
- Pro ($66/month)
- Beast ($666/month)
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Free forever plan.
- Custom pricing.
- Enhanced security.
- Multilingual.
- Cross-channel support.
- Fast setup.
- Accurate answers.
- Limitless customization.
- Full API control.
- Usage analytics available.
- Can upload various types of content.
- 7-day money-back guarantee.
Cons:
- Limited questions per month for every plan except Beast.
2. ChatDOC: Best for AI-Powered Q&As and Checking References
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
ChatDOC provides instant answers to your queries and cites every source, allowing you to pinpoint precisely which section they extracted information from. Aside from PDFs, it also supports epubs, TXT files, and websites and can respond in over 20 languages.
Key Features
- Suggested Queries: ChatDOC provides you with five suggested questions relevant to the document uploaded. Select the questions you wish to ask to receive instant responses.
- Ask About Selected Text: Highlight tables or text in the file, and click the button beside them to ask ChatDOC to explain or summarize the selected content.
- Check References: Every response contains citations that link back to specific pages of the document. Simply select a page number or footnote to view the source.
Pricing
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
ChatDOC has a free plan that allows two daily uploads, 20 questions per day, 20 pages per file, and PDF support. On the other hand, the paid plan ($7.99/month) accommodates more file types and expands your daily upload limit to 300 files per month (500 pages per file).
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Free plan.
- Supports multiple file formats.
- Cited sources.
- Five suggested queries per document.
- Responds in over 20 languages.
- Can ask about a selected text.
- Analyzes tables.
- Simple UI.
Cons:
- Free plan only offers PDF support.
- Daily upload limit.
- Daily question limit.
3. Afforai: Best for High-level Security
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
Afforai quickly summarizes text from various documents, such as spreadsheets, PDFs, and websites, and replies to any question in seconds. It can respond in different languages and offer high-level data security to ensure your information is kept safe.
Key Features
- Cross-Language Querying: Afforai can translate files into over 100 different languages, accommodating users from around the world.
- Multiple File Types Supported: They support various file formats, including PDF, PPTX, DOCX, XLSX, and URLs.
- Data Security: Afforai uses Azure server and Azure OpenAI API for advanced data security.
Pricing
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
Afforai has four different pricing options, which each comes with a set number of credits (1 credit = 10 pages):
- Pay as you go ($1.90/purchase, 100 permanent credits)
- Lite ($4.90/month, 500 subscription credits)
- Plus ($19.00/month, 2,500 subscription credits)
- Pro ($49.99/month, 7,000 subscription credits)
Their cheaper plans offer up to 5 chatbots and 50 file uploads while their pricier subscriptions provide up to 50 chatbots and 500 document uploads.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Supports 100+ languages.
- Free credits on sign-up.
- Multiple file types are supported.
- Data citation.
- Offers up to 50 chatbots.
- Cheap prices.
- Allows up to 250 MB upload size.
- Can download conversations as HTML files.
Cons:
- No free plan.
- Limited customization.
- Limited file uploads.
4. Docalysis: Best for Analyzing A Wide Range of Documents
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
Docalysis is designed to analyze a wide range of documents, from contracts to transcripts and financial reports. Handle multiple files simultaneously, upload PDFs, TXT, or CSV files risk-free with their data encryption, and delete files at any time.
Key Features
- Supports Multiple File Types: Upload different file types, such as TXT, PDF, and CSV.
- Multi-Doc Analysis: Docalysis allows you to interact with multiple files at once. Just place your files into a folder, and right-click on the folder to start chatting with multiple documents.
- Multilingual: Docalysis supports several languages, which include Portuguese, Korean, Arabic, and Indonesian.
Pricing
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
Docalysis provides a free plan along with three paid subscriptions:
- Plus ($14/month)
- Ultimate ($35/month)
- Business (custom pricing)
Free features include 600 page uploads per month, 50 questions per month, a 5 MB file size limit, and multi-file chat. If you upgrade to one of their paid plans, you get access to over 3,000 page uploads and 500 questions per month along with a 50 MB file size limit.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Free plan.
- Custom pricing.
- Multi-file chat feature.
- Email support.
- Multilingual support.
- Supports various file formats.
- Flexible billing cycles.
- Can delete files at any time.
Cons:
- File size limit for every plan except Business.
- Limited integrations.
- Limited customization.
5. Omnisearch: Best for Making Thinkific Sites Searchable
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
Omnisearch is a tool that indexes Thinkific websites and makes all the content within searchable for students. In addition to PDFs, Omnisearch supports images, video, audio, and more to help you boost the effectiveness of your online courses.
Key Features
- Search Any File: Omnisearch can analyze a variety of different resources, including PDFs, presentations, audio, and images.
- AI-Powered Search Technology: They utilize machine learning to extract information from any kind of content and can even convert videos into subtitles in seconds.
- Integrate Your Thinkific Website: Integrate Omnisearch with your Thinkific site to start analyzing your course data.
Pricing
.png&optimizer=image&quality=80&width=280)
Omnisearch has three paid subscriptions:
- Standard ($99/month)
- Advanced ($199/month)
- Power ($499/month)
As you upgrade your plan, you receive up to 150 hours of audio/video, 15,000 image megapixels, and 150,000 document pages per month. Regardless of which plan you choose, you get access to various Thinkific integrations, which include Course Player, Enrollments, and Collections integrations.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Analyzes images, videos, and audio.
- Machine learning technology.
- Thinkific integration.
- Transcribes videos.
- Supports various storage options.
- Supports 27 languages.
- Quick setup.
- Demo available.
Cons:
- Expensive prices.
- Limited monthly uploads.
- Limited customization.
Conclusion
While PDF.ai is great for automating your file management, its lack of flexibility and limited features can make it a difficult tool to invest in long-term. In these cases, it may be better to look into more advanced tools like My AskAI, which allows you to create personalized AI chatbots in a matter of minutes.
Sign up for our free plan today to start automating your PDF management with your customizable bot.
Written by
Alex Rainey
Alex is an experienced CTO and founder who largely focuses on all the technical areas of My AskAI, from AI Engineering, Technical Product Management and overall Platform Development.
