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PDFtoChat
What PDFtoChat is
PDFtoChat is a web app for asking questions about PDFs, including papers, textbooks, and contracts. To use it, create an account, upload a PDF for AI analysis, and then ask questions about its contents. The free plan costs nothing and requires a free account. Access is listed for web and self-hosted use, and the project’s source code is available on GitHub to read, review, or contribute to.
The project README describes a Next.js app that uses Mixtral through Together AI for language-model inference. LangChain.js and Chroma Cloud support document retrieval; Chroma Cloud uses hybrid dense and sparse vector search with Qwen and SPLADE embeddings. The listed components also include Bytescale for PDF storage, Clerk for authentication, and Vercel for hosting and Postgres, with Neon as an alternative database for self-deployment. The template can be deployed to Vercel or another host after configuring its service credentials. The README identifies PDF image support and sign-in checks for chat API routes as future work.
Who it suits
PDFtoChat suits readers who want to ask questions about papers, textbooks, or contracts in PDF form. It may also suit developers who want to review or self-deploy an open-source project and configure its required services.
What it does well
- Free plan lets users chat with PDFs.
- Works with papers, textbooks, and contracts.
- Source code is available on GitHub.
- Can be deployed to Vercel or another host.
What to know first
- Scanned PDFs are not supported.
- PDF image support is listed as future work.
- Self-deployment requires configuring service credentials.
Limits
The free plan provides conversations about papers, textbooks, and contracts. Scanned PDFs are not supported, and support for images in PDFs is listed as future work.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Have a conversation with papers, textbooks, and contracts · Free account required | Free |
As pdftochat.com lists them, read 7 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open https://www.pdftochat.com/.
- Create a free account.
- Upload a PDF for AI analysis.
- Ask questions about the uploaded document.
Verdict
Choose PDFtoChat if you want to ask questions about uploaded PDFs and value a free account or access to the source code. Consider its stated scanned-PDF restriction and the setup work required for self-deployment before choosing it.
Questions
Is PDFtoChat free?
Yes. Its free plan is listed as free and requires a free account.
Which platforms does PDFtoChat support?
Web and self-hosted access are listed.
Can I review the source code?
Yes. The homepage says the code is available on GitHub to read, review, or contribute to.
What does PDFtoChat do?
You upload a PDF and ask questions about its contents. Stated uses include papers, textbooks, and contracts.
Can I self-host PDFtoChat?
The project can be deployed to Vercel or another host. The listed service credentials need to be configured.
Does it support scanned PDFs?
No. Scanned PDF support is listed as unavailable.
Facts from PDFtoChat's own pages
- AI providers
- The homepage says PDFtoChat is powered by Together.ai and Mixtral. · pdftochat.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Application stack
- The repository lists Next.js and LangChain.js among the technologies used by the project. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- The repository README lists Clerk for user authentication. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Document retrieval
- The repository says Chroma Cloud provides hybrid dense and sparse vector search using Qwen and SPLADE. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Free access
- The homepage says users can chat with PDFs for free and create a free account. · pdftochat.com, 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. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Implementation limit
- The README lists support for images in PDFs as a future task. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Language model
- The repository says Mixtral inference through Together AI powers the language model. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Notable limitations
- The repository lists adding PDF deletion, protecting chat API routes, and support for images in PDFs as future tasks. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Open source
- The homepage says the source code is available on GitHub to read, review or contribute to. · pdftochat.com, 7 Oct 2026
- PDF storage
- The repository README lists Bytescale for PDF storage. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy and security
- The opened homepage and repository pages do not state a privacy policy, security certification, or compliance claim. · pdftochat.com, 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. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- PDFtoChat lets users ask questions about uploaded papers, textbooks and contracts. · pdftochat.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Security caveat
- The README lists protecting API routes by checking that users are signed in as a future task. · github.com, 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. · github.com, 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. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Storage and hosting
- The repository lists Bytescale for PDF storage and Vercel for hosting and the Postgres database. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The opened product pages do not specify a customer support channel or service level. · pdftochat.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The homepage describes using it with papers, textbooks, and contracts. · pdftochat.com, 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. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- What it does
- PDFtoChat lets users upload a PDF and ask questions about its contents. · pdftochat.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Workflow
- Users sign up, upload a PDF for AI analysis, then ask questions about it. · pdftochat.com, 7 Oct 2026
Where PDFtoChat stands on Freedom251
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