PDF to MD Converter
Show HN: AI-Powered PDF to Markdown Converter
Last verified:
What is PDF to MD Converter?
PDF to MD Converter is an AI-powered tool that transforms complex PDF documents into clean, structured Markdown format. It uses layout detection and vision language models to accurately preserve document structure including headings, paragraphs, tables, images, and reading order. The converter processes PDFs asynchronously in the background, making it suitable for large documents with hundreds of pages.
Key features include 95%+ parsing accuracy on supported document types, support for Chinese and English languages, table extraction using HTML table tags, image extraction with asset archives, and the ability to handle long PDFs like manuals, reports, lecture notes, and research papers. The tool outputs Markdown that is specifically optimized for AI workflows, making it easier for AI tools to read headings, lists, tables, and captions compared to raw PDF pages.
This tool is designed for researchers, students, developers, technical writers, and knowledge teams who need source material that is easier to edit, search, summarize, and reuse. Ideal use cases include converting research papers, reports, manuals, lecture notes, product documentation, policy documents, and knowledge-base ingestion workflows. The converter has processed over 250K PDF pages and maintains a 4.8/5.0 average user rating.
The service stores PDFs privately on Cloudflare R2 storage and provides a task page for previewing and downloading results. Users can download either a .md file or a ZIP archive containing the Markdown plus extracted image assets. The conversion workflow detects page count, estimates credit usage, analyzes layout and reading order, then generates Markdown with proper semantic structure.
PDF to MD Converter pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
The tool uses a credit-based system where each PDF page costs 1 credit. Monthly subscription plans include: Basic Monthly at $9/month for 300 pages (best for personal use), Pro Monthly at $19/month for 1,000 pages (best for frequent research), and Team Monthly at $49/month for 3,000 pages (best for team workflows). Monthly credits reset at the end of the billing period. Users can also purchase extra credit packs when they need more capacity beyond their plan allowance.
PDF to MD Converter pros
- 95%+ parsing accuracy on supported document types
- AI layout detection preserves document structure
- Vision language models for better conversion quality
- Supports hundreds of pages per PDF
- Processes large PDFs asynchronously in background
- Extracts and preserves table structure with HTML tags
- Extracts images as separate asset files
- Supports both Chinese and English languages
- Markdown output optimized for AI workflows
- Over 250K PDF pages already processed
- 4.8/5.0 average user rating
- Private Cloudflare R2 storage for uploaded files
- Browser preview available before download
- Download as .md file or ZIP with assets
- Better than basic text extraction tools
- No need to keep homepage open during processing
- Preserves headings, lists, and reading order
- Ideal for research papers and technical documentation
PDF to MD Converter cons
- Uses credits per page (1 credit = 1 page)
- Monthly credits reset with billing period
- May not be cheapest option available
- May not be fastest conversion method
- Only supports Chinese and English currently
- Accuracy depends on source PDF quality
- AI parsing requires credit consumption
- Async processing means waiting for results
Frequently asked questions about PDF to MD Converter
What do I do first to convert a PDF?
Upload a PDF in the upload box on the homepage. The converter will submit it for background processing, then you can open the PDF tasks page to preview and download the Markdown result when ready.
What is the Markdown result useful for?
The Markdown result is easier to edit, search, summarize, publish, and send into AI tools than the original PDF. It is useful for research, documentation, reports, notes, and knowledge bases.
How good is the conversion accuracy?
On supported document types, parsing accuracy is above 95%. The converter is designed to preserve reading order, headings, tables, and images when the source PDF quality allows it.
Can it handle long PDFs with hundreds of pages?
Yes. The converter supports PDFs with hundreds of pages. Long files process in the background, so you do not need to wait on the homepage and can leave and return to the task page later.
Does it support Chinese and English languages?
Yes. The converter currently supports Chinese and English PDF to Markdown conversion.
What happens to my uploaded PDF files?
Uploaded PDFs are stored on private Cloudflare R2 storage during processing. The system analyzes layout, text blocks, tables, images, and reading order to generate high-quality Markdown output.
What exactly do I get after conversion?
You get a Markdown file (.md) that preserves headings, tables, images, and structure. You can download just the .md file or a ZIP archive containing the Markdown plus extracted image assets.
How are credits calculated for my PDF?
Each PDF page costs 1 credit. The system detects page count and estimates credit usage before processing. Your subscription plan determines how many monthly credits you have available.
What types of PDFs work best with this converter?
The converter works best with research papers, reports, manuals, lecture notes, product documentation, policy documents, and content with tables, images, captions, headers, and mixed languages.
How does this compare to basic PDF text extraction tools?
Basic extractors often return broken lines with lost structure. This converter uses AI layout detection and vision language models to preserve headings, tables, captions, and images, achieving 95%+ accuracy versus weaker results from text-layer or OCR-based tools.