Open
Description
https://dev.to/vtempest/pdf-gec
PDF Processing Tools Comparison Matrix
Tool-by-Tool Feature Comparison
| Feature | PDFMiner | Docling | Reducto | OpenAI PDF | Camelot | Tabula | PyMuPDF | Unstructured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text Extraction Accuracy | High (85/100) | Very High (95/100) | Very High (95/100) | High (85/100) | Medium (60/100) | Medium (60/100) | Very High (95/100) | High (80/100) |
| Table Extraction Quality | Poor (30/100) | Excellent (95/100) | Excellent (95/100) | Good (75/100) | Excellent (95/100) | Good (75/100) | Good (70/100) | Good (75/100) |
| Layout Analysis | Basic | Advanced | Advanced | Advanced | Table-focused | Table-focused | Basic | Advanced |
| Processing Speed | Slow | Medium | Fast | Fast | Medium | Medium | Very Fast | Slow |
| OCR Support | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Chart/Graph Support | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Limited |
| Learning Curve | Steep | Moderate | Easy | Very Easy | Moderate | Easy | Moderate | Moderate |
| Programming Language | Python | Python | API/SDK | API | Python | Java/Python | Python | Python |
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Starting Price | Enterprise Pricing | Cost Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDFMiner | Free | N/A | Open Source |
| Docling | Free | N/A | Open Source (MIT) |
| Reducto | $300/month | $1,825+/month | Usage-based API |
| OpenAI PDF | $0.001/token | Custom | Pay-per-use API |
| Camelot | Free | N/A | Open Source |
| Tabula | Free | N/A | Open Source |
| PyMuPDF | Free | Commercial licensing | Dual license (AGPL/Commercial) |
| Unstructured | Free | Enterprise plans | Freemium/SaaS |
Performance Benchmarks
Speed Comparison (Pages per minute)
- PyMuPDF: ~50-60 pages/min
- Reducto: ~30-40 pages/min
- OpenAI PDF: ~25-35 pages/min
- Docling: ~20-25 pages/min
- Camelot: ~15-20 pages/min
- Tabula: ~15-20 pages/min
- PDFMiner: ~5-10 pages/min
- Unstructured: ~5-8 pages/min
Accuracy Ratings (Based on research studies)
- Text Extraction: Docling > PyMuPDF = Reducto > PDFMiner > OpenAI PDF > Unstructured > Camelot = Tabula
- Table Extraction: Docling = Camelot = Reducto > OpenAI PDF = Tabula = Unstructured > PyMuPDF > PDFMiner
Use Case Recommendations
Best for Simple Text Extraction
- PyMuPDF - Fastest performance, good accuracy
- PDFMiner - Detailed layout information, customizable
- Unstructured - Multi-format support
Best for Table Extraction
- Camelot - Specialized table extraction with visual debugging
- Docling - Advanced table structure preservation
- Reducto - Enterprise-grade table processing
Best for Complex Document Processing
- Docling - Advanced layout analysis, free
- Reducto - Enterprise features, high accuracy
- OpenAI PDF - AI-powered analysis
Best for Enterprise Deployments
- Reducto - Full enterprise features, SLA
- Docling - Open source, enterprise-ready
- OpenAI PDF - Scalable API
Best for Budget-Conscious Projects
- Docling - Advanced features, completely free
- PyMuPDF - Fast processing, free for open source
- Camelot - Excellent table extraction, free