PDFjet vs Adobe PDF Extract API
Both pull structure out of PDFs with AI. The difference is what you get back, how many APIs it takes, and what happens to your files.
Adobe PDF Extract API is a strong, mature extractor: Adobe Sensei reads complex layouts, tables and figures and returns them as structured JSON or LLM-friendly Markdown, with a generous free tier of 500 document transactions per month.
PDFjet covers the same extraction job in one call and adds what the Extract API leaves to other Adobe products — direct CSV, editable Word, a searchable-PDF OCR pass, plus convert, merge, split and encrypt — while never storing your files. Here's an honest side-by-side.
Adobe PDF Extract API vs PDFjet, feature by feature
| Capability | PDFjet | Adobe PDF Extract API |
|---|---|---|
| PDF → CSV (tables) | ||
| PDF → Markdown (RAG-ready) | ||
| PDF → structured JSON | ||
| PDF → editable Word (.docx) | ||
| OCR of scans / searchable PDF | ||
| AI / vision-model extraction | ||
| RAG chunking (heading-aware) | ||
| Per-element bbox provenance | ||
| Schema-guided field extraction | ||
| Convert files → PDF | ||
| Merge / split / encrypt | ||
| Files never stored | Partial |
Comparison reflects each vendor's public documentation as of July 2026. Capabilities change — check the source links below before relying on a specific detail.
When Adobe PDF Extract API may fit better
- •You're already in the Adobe ecosystem and want Sensei's proven accuracy on very complex, figure-heavy documents.
- •You need Adobe's enterprise footprint, SDKs (Java/.NET/Node/Python) and procurement standing.
- •500 free document transactions per month is a generous allowance for structure-only JSON extraction.
When PDFjet is the better call
- •You want CSV, editable Word or a searchable PDF directly — Adobe's Extract API returns tables only inside JSON/Markdown, and Word/convert/merge live in separate APIs.
- •You need one endpoint for extract + convert + merge + split + encrypt instead of stitching several Acrobat Services APIs together.
- •Zero data retention matters: PDFjet processes in memory and never stores files; Adobe's per-file retention for the Extract API isn't publicly stated.
- •You want RAG-native output — token-bounded chunks and schema-guided fields — not just raw structure to post-process.
Try PDFjet in one call
Point your PDF at one endpoint and pick the output — CSV, Markdown, JSON, editable Word, or a searchable PDF. No SDK required.
curl -X POST https://pdfjet.dev/extract/md \
-H "Authorization: Bearer pj_live_..." \
-F [email protected]FAQ
Is PDFjet a good alternative to Adobe PDF Extract API?
Yes, especially if you want CSV, editable Word or a searchable PDF directly, need convert/merge/split/encrypt in the same API, or require zero data retention. Adobe remains excellent for Sensei-grade structural JSON extraction inside its ecosystem.
What's the main difference between PDFjet and Adobe PDF Extract API?
Adobe's Extract API returns structure as JSON or Markdown and leaves CSV, Word, conversion and merging to other Acrobat Services APIs. PDFjet does all of it in one API and never stores your files.
Does Adobe PDF Extract API store my files?
Adobe supports processing via signed URLs to customer-managed storage, but a specific retention period for files processed by the Extract API isn't published. PDFjet processes in memory and stores nothing.
Switching from Adobe PDF Extract API? Start free.
100 pages/month, every feature, zero data retention. No credit card.
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Sources: developer.adobe.com/document-services/docs/overview/pdf-extract-api/·developer.adobe.com/document-services/docs/overview/pdf-services-api/dcserviceslicensing/