kitio.aiOCR.space vs PDF.co
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. OCR.space starts at See pricing page and PDF.co starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Free online OCR
- OCR web API
- Searchable PDF creation
- Handwriting recognition
- Receipt and table scanning
- 20+ languages
- PDF conversion and editing
- AI invoice parsing
- Document classifier
- Data extraction from scans
- Zapier and Make integrations
| Feature | OCR.space | PDF.co |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Free online OCR and API for turning images and PDFs into text | PDF API for extraction, conversion and AI invoice parsing |
| Category | Data & analytics | Data & analytics |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free trial |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | No, 30-day trial |
| Made by | a9t9 software | PDF.co |
| Based in | Germany | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
|
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Pricing compared
OCR.space starts at See pricing page and PDF.co starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
6 plans
Basic
$8.99/mo billed yearly
- 16,500 credits per month
- Full API access
Personal
$22.49/mo billed yearly
- 37,000 credits per month
Business 1
$44.99/mo billed yearly
- 80,500 credits per month
Business 2
$89.99/mo billed yearly
- 159,850 credits per month
- 24-hour output links
Business 3
$270/mo billed yearly
- 483,000 credits per month
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Over 500,000 credits monthly
- Priority support
Prices in USD, checked Oct 29, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
OCR.space
- Free API key for developers
- Handwriting support with Engine 3
- Outputs searchable PDFs
- Fewer languages than big cloud OCR
- Basic, dated interface
- Plan pricing isn't on the homepage
PDF.co
- Many PDF operations in one API
- Template-free invoice parsing
- Works with Zapier and Make
- Credit costs vary by endpoint
- Aimed at developers and automators
- AI covers only part of the toolkit
Which one should you choose?
Choose OCR.space if you want:
- Free API key for developers
- Handwriting support with Engine 3
- Outputs searchable PDFs
Watch out: fewer languages than big cloud ocr.
Choose PDF.co if you want:
- Many PDF operations in one API
- Template-free invoice parsing
- Works with Zapier and Make
Watch out: credit costs vary by endpoint.
OCR.space vs PDF.co FAQ
What is the difference between OCR.space and PDF.co?
OCR.space: Free online OCR and API for turning images and PDFs into text. PDF.co: PDF API for extraction, conversion and AI invoice parsing. Both are data & analytics tools.
Is OCR.space or PDF.co cheaper?
OCR.space starts at See pricing page and PDF.co starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do OCR.space and PDF.co have free plans?
OCR.space: Yes. PDF.co: No, 30-day trial.
Who makes OCR.space?
OCR.space is made by a9t9 software, based in Germany.
Who makes PDF.co?
PDF.co is made by PDF.co.
Which should I choose, OCR.space or PDF.co?
Choose OCR.space if you value free api key for developers and handwriting support with engine 3. Choose PDF.co if you value many pdf operations in one api and template-free invoice parsing.