Upload your own documents and ask questions that only draw on those sources.
Presentations & Docs
ChatPDF
Upload a PDF and ask it questions, with answers that point to the page they came from.
3.9our rating
FreemiumFrom $0Works with Claude Code
Quick take
- Drop in a PDF and start asking questions. No account needed for the basics.
- Answers come with citations that jump to the right page, so you can check them.
- Free covers 2 documents a day. Plus removes the limits.
- NotebookLM does the same free with more features, so ChatPDF wins mainly on speed and simplicity.
What is ChatPDF?
ChatPDF does one thing simply: you upload a PDF and ask it questions. It answers in a chat next to the document, with citations that jump to the page the answer came from. It also handles Word, PowerPoint, Markdown and text files, works in any language, and you can put several files in a folder and ask questions across all of them.
You don't need an account to start, which makes it handy for a quick question about a manual, a report or a contract. A free account saves your chat history and adds multi-file chats, and you can share a document chat with someone by link. It also has a desktop app and an API, plus newer extras like summaries, flashcards and slides.
The catch: the free plan is limited to 2 documents a day, and Google's NotebookLM does the same job free with more features, such as audio summaries. Claude and ChatGPT can also read PDFs if you already pay for one. Pick ChatPDF for speed when you don't want to sign in to anything.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Students
- Researchers
- Small business owners
- Consultants
- Office workers
Anyone who needs quick answers from a PDF, like a manual, report or contract, without reading the whole thing.
Key features
Chat with a document
Ask questions in your own words and get answers beside the document.
Clickable citations
Each answer points to the page it came from.
Folders
Group several files and ask questions across all of them in one chat.
Many file types and languages
PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Markdown and text files, in any language.
Share by link
Send someone a link to a document chat. They don't need an account.
Desktop app and API
Use it as a desktop app, or build it into your own tools with the API.
How we rate it
3.9 / 5
Our rating
From using the tool ourselves. The average of the five scores.
- Ease of use
- 5.0
- Features
- 3.5
- Output quality
- 3.5
- Value for money
- 3.5
- Speed & reliability
- 4.0
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
ChatPDF pricing
Free
$0
The occasional document.
- 2 documents a day
- Chat with citations
- No account needed to start
- Our pick
Plus
About $19.99/mo, cheaper billed yearly
People who read lots of documents.
- Unlimited documents
- Bigger files and more pages
- More advanced features
Which plan should you pick?
Free is fine for a document or two a day. Before paying for Plus, try NotebookLM, which is free, or use Claude or ChatGPT if you already pay for one.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 3 November 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways ChatPDF can slot into your week.
- 1
Check a supplier contract
Ask "what happens if we cancel early?" and click through to the clause.
- 2
Get answers from a manual
Find out how to reset a device or configure software without scrolling 200 pages.
- 3
Summarise a report before a meeting
Ask for the five main findings and the numbers behind them.
- 4
Compare proposals
Put three proposals in a folder and ask which one includes ongoing support.
How it fits your tech stack
It's a quick standalone tool you open in a browser tab. For deeper research across many sources, NotebookLM or Claude Projects suit better, and Acrobat is the pick if you also need to edit or sign PDFs.
Pros and cons
Pros
- About as simple as AI tools get
- No sign-up needed for the basics
- Citations make answers easy to check
- Works with Word and PowerPoint files too
- Has an API
Cons
- Free plan is limited to 2 documents a day
- NotebookLM does more for free
- Answers can miss details in long or complex documents, so check the citations
- Paid plan price isn't shown until you upgrade
ChatPDF alternatives
The closest alternatives to ChatPDF in the library, best rated first.
Gamma
4.5
Best for pitch decks from notes
Compare with ChatPDF
Napkin AI
4.3
Best for diagrams for slide decks
Compare with ChatPDF
GPT for Work
4.2
Best for Bulk AI jobs across spreadsheet rows
Compare with ChatPDFBest for reports and proposals from research
Compare with ChatPDF
Why it made the list
It's one of the original chat-with-your-PDF tools, still one of the most used, and you can start without an account.
ChatPDF FAQ
How much does ChatPDF cost?
There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Prices checked 3 November 2026 against ChatPDF's pricing page.
Is ChatPDF free?
Yes, ChatPDF has a free option. Free is fine for a document or two a day. Before paying for Plus, try NotebookLM, which is free, or use Claude or ChatGPT if you already pay for one.
What is ChatPDF best for?
ChatPDF is best for quick questions about a single PDF, summarising reports and manuals and asking across a folder of documents. Anyone who needs quick answers from a PDF, like a manual, report or contract, without reading the whole thing.
What are the best ChatPDF alternatives?
The closest alternatives are Gamma, Napkin AI, GPT for Work and Claude Docs & Slides. Gamma is best for pitch decks from notes.
More tools in Presentations & Docs
Ask questions of your PDFs in Acrobat and get summaries that link to the source.
Cheap PDF editor for every device, with an AI assistant that summarises and translates.
Anthropic's chat assistant, at its best on careful writing and long documents.