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PdfParse

AWS Textract alternative for tables, forms and fields at one page price

Published October 23, 2026

A guide for US engineering teams on AWS comparing Textract AnalyzeDocument with PdfParse subscription page allowances.

PdfParse is an AWS Textract alternative for engineering teams that need JSON fields, Markdown and CSV tables in one call at a flat page price. Schemas start on Growth, while scanned pages cost the same as digital pages. Consider it when AnalyzeDocument feature combinations and Block assembly code complicate your budget and application. Textract remains far cheaper for raw text OCR alone.

Try the PDF your pipeline already processes

Upload your own PDF through the web app and inspect the output. Choose a form with a table or a scan that currently needs custom Block parsing.

Try the page one browser demo without a card. Then evaluate complete documents through the API against your required fields and table structure.

Drop a PDF or scan

PDF, PNG or JPG up to 10 MB. Page one is parsed in full, right here.

Or try a sample file
Output

Optional. Comma separated field names, for example invoice_number, total, due_date.

Page one is parsed in your browser and never uploaded. No card needed to try page one.

What one call returns

Page one rendered with every block outlined, next to the JSON your code receives.

  1. Reading text layer
  2. Detecting layout
  3. Extracting tables
  4. Building JSON
Rendered page Page 1 of your document

Headings, paragraphs, tables and totals detected

heading
Invoice
paragraph
Harbor Street Joinery
14 Dock Lane
Portsmouth, NH 03801
key_value
Invoice no.INV-2026-0418IssuedOct 14, 2026DueNov 13, 2026
table
DescriptionQtyUnitAmount
Oak countertop, 2.4 m2640.001,280.00
Cabinet doors, shaker1285.001,020.00
On site fitting1450.00450.00
total
Subtotal2,750.00Tax 8.5%233.75Total dueUSD 2,983.75
paragraph
Payment by bank transfer within 30 days.
Quote the invoice number with your transfer.
Goods remain ours until paid in full.
footer
Harbor Street JoineryPage 1 of 2
Locked page

Pages 2 and later are parsed after you create an account.

Output 
{
  "document": {
    "pages": 2,
    "parsed_pages": 1,
    "language": "en"
  },
  "pages": [
    {
      "number": 1,
      "blocks": [
        { "type": "heading", "text": "Invoice", "bbox": [48, 52, 132, 84] },
        { "type": "paragraph", "text": "Harbor Street Joinery, 14 Dock Lane, Portsmouth" },
        { "type": "key_value", "pairs": {
            "Invoice no.": "INV-2026-0418",
            "Issued": "Oct 14, 2026",
            "Due": "Nov 13, 2026" } },
        { "type": "table", "columns": ["Description", "Qty", "Unit", "Amount"],
          "rows": [
            ["Oak countertop, 2.4 m", 2, 640.00, 1280.00],
            ["Cabinet doors, shaker", 12, 85.00, 1020.00],
            ["On site fitting", 1, 450.00, 450.00] ] },
        { "type": "total", "label": "Total due", "value": 2983.75, "currency": "USD", "confidence": 0.98 }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "fields": {
    "invoice_number": { "value": "INV-2026-0418", "confidence": 0.99, "page": 1 },
    "total": { "value": 2983.75, "confidence": 0.98, "page": 1 },
    "due_date": { "value": "2026-11-13", "confidence": 0.97, "page": 1 }
  }
}

Downloads from the demo include a watermark field and cover page one only.

Page one is parsed in your browser, so your file never reaches our servers.

Request
The same request from your code
Read the API reference 
$ curl https://api.pdfparse.ai/v1/parse \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PDFPARSE_API_KEY" \
  -F file[email protected] \
  -F outputs=json,markdown,csv
200 OK, 1 page parsed
Printed financial report pages with dense tables fanned out next to a highlighter and a calculator

Why teams look for a Textract alternative

Textract returns Block objects such as WORD, LINE, TABLE, CELL and KEY_VALUE_SET. Your code assembles those objects into tables and fields. That gives your application control over the mapping, but the mapping remains code your team maintains. A downstream consumer that wants named JSON fields, readable Markdown and CSV tables needs more than the Block response itself.

Billing also follows feature combinations. Enabling Tables and Forms together costs more than either feature alone. Teams adding field extraction to table processing need to revisit the estimate instead of treating every AnalyzeDocument page as the same purchase.

PdfParse bundles JSON, Markdown and CSV in the same call. Custom extraction schemas start on Growth, and Scale adds form field and checkbox detection. The PDF data extraction workflow helps frame the application contract. Compare the OCR API when scans are part of that workload, while keeping raw text OCR costs separate from structured extraction.

Textract and PdfParse compared

Compare the response your application consumes and the features your plan includes. These services have different output contracts, so a cost comparison alone does not establish equivalent results.

Area AWS Textract PdfParse
Billing unit Pages priced by API and feature combination, with volume tiers. Subscription page allowance; the same page price for scans.
Output shape Block objects that application code assembles into useful records. JSON, Markdown and CSV in the same call.
Tables TABLE and CELL Blocks supply table structure for your code. CSV tables alongside JSON and Markdown on every plan.
Forms and fields KEY_VALUE_SET Blocks; Forms and Queries affect the feature combination billed. Custom schemas from Growth; form field and checkbox detection from Scale.
Markdown for RAG Build the Markdown your retrieval pipeline needs from the returned Blocks. Markdown included; RAG chunking with metadata starts on Growth.
Async jobs and webhooks Multi page PDFs use StartDocumentAnalysis with polling or SNS notification. Webhooks and batch jobs start on Growth.
Deployment Managed service in AWS regions only; no self hosted option. REST API and web app; Enterprise offers an EU or US processing region.
SDKs and integration Keep your existing AWS client integration in scope when evaluating replacement work. Python and Node SDKs.
Who it suits Teams retaining AWS service workflows or needing specialized Textract APIs. Teams wanting bundled outputs and a predictable subscription for structured PDF work.

Evaluate PDF table extraction on continued tables, repeated headers and missing cells. Check whether the CSV is usable by its destination, then inspect whether Markdown preserves enough context for retrieval. Keep business validation around the extracted fields whichever service you choose.

Compare the feature combination and the full subscription

The following US West (Oregon) list prices come from the AWS Textract pricing page, checked October 23, 2026. Amounts are per 1,000 pages. The first tier covers the first 1 million pages a month unless a row states otherwise.

Textract API or combination First tier Over 1 million pages
Detect Document Text $1.50 $0.60
Analyze Document Tables $15 $10
Analyze Document Forms $50 $40
Tables + Queries $20 $15
Tables + Forms + Queries $70 $55
Signatures $3.50 $1.40
Analyze Expense $10 $8
Analyze ID $25 for the first 100,000 pages Not specified here
Analyze Lending $70 $55

For the Tables plus Forms budget below, the calculation uses the verified Tables plus Forms plus Queries rate of $70 per 1,000 pages and includes Queries. Tables plus Queries uses $20 per 1,000. Both workloads stay within the first volume tier. PdfParse prices show the entire covering subscription, including unused capacity. Yearly figures are monthly equivalents billed yearly.

Pages a month Textract Tables + Forms budget, including Queries Textract Tables + Queries PdfParse covering plan Monthly billing Yearly billing equivalent
5,000 $350 $100 Growth, 7,000 pages $149 $74 per month
20,000 $1,400 $400 Scale, 24,000 pages $499 $249 per month

The arithmetic is pages divided by 1,000, multiplied by the combination rate. Growth and Scale cost less than the $70 combination at both volumes. Tables plus Queries is cheaper than either monthly subscription here, while the yearly subscriptions cost less than that combination. An annual commitment changes the comparison.

PdfParse plan Pages a month Monthly price Yearly monthly equivalent Cents per page monthly / yearly
Starter 2,000 $49 $24 2.45 / 1.20
Growth 7,000 $149 $74 2.13 / 1.06
Scale 24,000 $499 $249 2.08 / 1.04
Enterprise 72,000 $1,499 $749 2.08 / 1.04

These rounded cents figures equal subscription dollars multiplied by 100, divided by the full allowance. At 5,000 pages, Growth's effective rate is 2.98 cents monthly or 1.48 cents yearly. At 20,000 pages, Scale is about 2.50 or 1.25 cents. Unused pages raise the effective rate.

Detect Document Text at $1.50 per 1,000 pages is far cheaper when you only need raw text. Tables alone at $15 per 1,000 can also undercut PdfParse. The bundled workflow earns consideration when you need forms, fields, tables and Markdown together and want to replace Block assembly work. Review PDF extraction API pricing for allowance rules. Parsing pauses at the limit, with no automatic overage charge.

When Textract is the better pick

Keep Textract when its AWS workflow or specialized APIs meet a requirement that a different output bundle does not resolve.

  • Your data must stay inside your AWS account and existing IAM setup. Treat that requirement as a purchasing constraint before evaluating an external API.
  • You only need raw text OCR. Detect Document Text has a much lower page price than PdfParse subscriptions.
  • Your workflow already uses Analyze Expense, Analyze ID or Analyze Lending. Evaluate those specialized APIs separately from a general AnalyzeDocument replacement.
  • You process more than 1 million pages a month. Apply the lower marginal rates to pages above the threshold before comparing a subscription.
  • Procurement and cost allocation already run through AWS billing. Include the work of changing that process in your decision.

For receipts and expense documents, keep Analyze Expense in the comparison; teams that need to turn receipts into structured expense data should evaluate that workflow separately from general PDF parsing. A broader shortlist can also include the Reducto alternative comparison. Read the checklist for PDF data extraction tools before settling on an output contract.

Replace Block parsing with a schema

Migrate a representative workflow before changing the entire queue. Preserve the destination records so you can compare useful results directly.

  1. 1 Inventory the values your Block parser produces. List required fields, table columns and missing value behavior. Separate business meaning from the Block relationships your current implementation traverses.
  2. 2 Select Growth or above for custom extraction schemas. Define fields around their meaning across document layouts. Choose Scale if you need form field and checkbox detection, and check file limits against your PDFs.
  3. 3 Request JSON, Markdown and CSV together through the Python or Node SDK. Use the document parsing API reference to map the returned outputs into your existing application records and retrieval pipeline.
  4. 4 Compare the same documents through both paths. Review scans, changed layouts, continued tables and empty fields. Validate totals and required values in application code before accepting an extracted record.
  5. 5 Adapt completion handling. Replace the relevant StartDocumentAnalysis polling or SNS path with the PdfParse webhook workflow where appropriate. Growth includes batch jobs of up to 500 files. Preserve job tracking and failure handling while evaluating delivery.

Switch traffic after reviewing output quality, page consumption and exception handling. Keep specialized Textract workflows that still serve their purpose, and include their remaining cost in the monthly estimate.

What is the best alternative to AWS Textract

PdfParse is a strong AWS Textract alternative for teams wanting JSON fields, Markdown and CSV tables in one call with predictable subscription billing. Custom schemas start on Growth. Choose based on representative documents and required outputs, while keeping Textract when raw text pricing or your existing AWS workflow matters more.

How much does AWS Textract cost per page

Textract pricing depends on the API and feature combination. US West (Oregon) list prices for the first million monthly pages are 0.15 cents for Detect Document Text, 1.5 cents for Tables, 5 cents for Forms, 2 cents for Tables plus Queries and 7 cents for Tables plus Forms plus Queries.

Is AWS Textract free

Textract has a three month free tier for new customers. Monthly allowances include 1,000 Detect Document Text pages, 100 pages for Forms, Tables and Layout, and 100 pages for Analyze Expense and Analyze ID. These introductory allowances do not describe ongoing production pricing. Estimate paid usage for the API combination you need.

Is Textract good for table extraction

Textract supports table extraction through TABLE and CELL Blocks that your code assembles into rows and columns. It can suit teams comfortable maintaining that mapping inside an AWS workflow. Evaluate your own tables before deciding. PdfParse provides CSV tables alongside JSON and Markdown, which may reduce the output assembly your application needs.

Can PdfParse replace Textract AnalyzeDocument

Yes, PdfParse can replace Textract AnalyzeDocument when your required workflow fits its outputs and plan features. It returns JSON, Markdown and CSV together, with custom schemas from Growth and form field and checkbox detection from Scale. Test field mapping, tables and asynchronous delivery before switching, and evaluate specialized Textract APIs separately.

Try your own PDF before replacing the parser

Choose a PDF that currently needs Block assembly. Inspect page one, then compare API fields, Markdown and CSV against your application contract and monthly volume.