ChatPDF

About ChatPDF

ChatPDF is an AI tool that lets you chat with any PDF: upload a document and ask questions in plain language, and it answers from the document's content, with citations pointing to the exact page. It is made by ChatPDF GmbH in Berlin and launched in 2023. It is used by students and researchers working through papers and textbooks, and by professionals reading contracts, reports, and manuals. No sign-up is needed to try it.

Key features

• Conversational Q&A: ask questions about your document and get answers grounded in its text, with page citations you can click to verify.
• Automatic summaries: get a summary and key points as soon as a document is uploaded.
• Multi-file chats: organize files into folders and chat with several PDFs in one conversation (Plus).
• Many file types: PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx), Markdown (.md), plain text, and ePub, plus YouTube transcripts.
• Any language: upload a document in one language and chat in another.
• Side-by-side view: keep the chat and the document open together, so you can check the source.
• Smart model routing: queries switch between GPT-4o and GPT-4o-mini for a balance of quality and speed.
• Sharing: generate a link to share a document and its chat with others.

How to use it

1. Open chatpdf.com and drop a PDF onto the page — no account needed.
2. Read the automatic summary, or start asking questions straight away.
3. Ask specific questions, for example: what are the main findings, or summarize section three.
4. Click a citation to jump to the exact page the answer came from.
5. For regular use, create a free account to save chats, or upgrade to Plus for bigger files and multi-file chats.

Pricing

ChatPDF is free for light use: 2 documents a day, up to 120 pages each, with a daily question limit. Plus costs $19.99 per month, or $139.99 per year, and adds unlimited documents and questions, files up to 2,000 pages, multi-file chats, folders, a higher-quality model, and bundled access to Jenni AI, a writing assistant. Prices vary by region and are shown at checkout, so confirm the current price on the official site before subscribing.

Strengths

• The fastest way to get answers from a long document without reading it cover to cover.
• Citations make answers checkable — you can see exactly where each claim comes from.
• No account needed to start, and the free tier is enough for occasional use.
• Works in any language, which matters for international research.

Limitations

• Answers are only as good as the document: a scanned or poorly formatted PDF gives worse results.
• The free tier is tight for heavy readers, and Plus costs about as much as a general AI assistant subscription.
• It is a reading aid, not a replacement for reading documents that really matter.
• Maximum file size and page limits apply even on Plus.