ChatPDF Review – Is It Still Worth Trying?

When AI first grew to become standard, LLMs have been much more easy. A fast textual content immediate and it will probably generate partitions of textual content associated to your query. When corporations realized the complete potential of AI, they began considering of various methods to immediate. 

Thus, PDF-based AI chatbots have been born.

One of many first adopters of this expertise was ChatPDF. On the time, it proved to be helpful because it’s one of many few who can settle for PDFs as enter. However now, with standard chatbots similar to ChatGPT and Claude permitting multimodal prompts, does ChatPDF nonetheless have an area within the evolving AI market?

On this article, I’ll evaluation ChatPDF by discussing what it’s, its options, worth, and most of all, why it’s not related in 2024.

What’s ChatPDF?

ChatPDF is an AI-powered software program that lets you add PDF information as its fundamental information base. It’s primarily for college students who must digest giant PDF information of science journals and former literature. 

How To Use ChatPDF?

ChatPDF is a reasonably simple utility. All you could do is put together a PDF file. For the sake of this instance, I’m utilizing an outdated reviewer as my enter. To start out, click on the “Drop PDF Right here” subject within the entrance web page, then choose your PDF file.

From there, you need to be redirected to a chatbot whose UI seems like this:

Now you can ask the chatbot questions and it’ll reply primarily based on the PDF file. As an illustration, right here’s what its response once I requested what’s a knowledge warehouse::

One factor value mentioning is that, whereas it undoubtedly sources the reply from the PDF, it doesn’t simply copy-then-paste the knowledge out of your enter as its response. As a substitute, it analyzes the knowledge offered from the PDF and makes use of that as its context to present a totally new reply.

I additionally questioned what would occur if I requested ChatPDF a query unrelated to the PDF file I used. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t present any actual reply — as an alternative, it defaulted to a generic response about not having sufficient data on the subject material.

Should you create an account, ChatPDF additionally grants you entry to a chat historical past which incorporates all of your previous conversations with the chatbot. 

Options of ChatPDF

ChatPDF is a barebones utility. Right here’s a rundown of its few options:

• PDF Add: That is the primary draw of ChatPDF. It lets you add PDF information as its chatbot’s supply of knowledge. It’s also possible to add a number of PDF information in a single dialog, so ChatPDF can consolidate all data accessible within the enter.
• Chat Historical past: Like ChatGPT, ChatPDF has a chat historical past function that lets you revisit earlier conversations with the AI.
• Multilingual Assist: ChatPDF helps PDF information in any language.
• Supply Citing: When you ask ChatPDF a query, it can present a solution together with a supply quotation (which PDF, what web page, and so on.) throughout the PDF file.
• API: With fee, you possibly can implement ChatPDF into your individual utility or web site.

Professionals & Cons of ChatPDF

ChatPDF Alternate options

ChatPDF isn’t the one AI mannequin that may reply questions primarily based on an uploaded PDF file. Listed here are different chatbots to contemplate:

ChatGPT

ChatGPT doesn’t want one other introduction, however I’ll give one anyway. This AI chatbot took the world by storm in its public launch, and is broadly thought of as the place to begin of this new period of AI. The premise is easy: give a immediate, obtain a solution. Regardless of the quite a few controversies surrounding its firm, ChatGPT continues to be the most well-liked alternative of LLM for a lot of.

Is It Value Utilizing ChatPDF Over ChatGPT?

One among ChatGPT’s latest options is multimodal prompts. This implies receiving prompts in any format, whether or not it is spreadsheets, photos, and even PDF information. 

So, is it value it to make use of ChatPDF over ChatGPT? It relies upon.

One of many issues that ChatPDF has that ChatGPT doesn’t is that the core performance (importing PDF information) is just not locked behind a paywall. The latter solely lets you use PDF information as prompts once you’re utilizing ChatGPT Plus, which prices about $20 per thirty days.

Nevertheless, you get a lot extra in that $20. ChatGPT Plus can analyze every part in a PDF file, even photos. It’s additionally way more correct in responding utilizing the knowledge offered within the uploaded doc. You may even mess around with ChatGPT’s many options — for instance, you possibly can generate photos primarily based on data in that PDF file or reply math questions utilizing the Wolfram Alpha extension in ChatGPT Plus.

Claude

If not ChatGPT, then why not Anthropic’s entry to the LLM sport: Claude. Regardless of its comparatively late launch date, this chatbot is slowly gaining traction within the AI world for its good mixture of ethics, accuracy, and intelligence.

Is It Value Utilizing ChatPDF Over Claude?

For me, there’s no purpose to not use Claude over ChatPDF. In contrast to ChatGPT, Claude’s PDF add is just not locked behind a paywall. You may add any variety of PDF information as a immediate so long as it doesn’t exceed 25mb totally free customers.

What’s extra is that Claude 3’s benchmarks showcase higher outcomes than most of its counterparts. This implies you possibly can belief that Claude is extra correct in its responses even with bigger PDF information.

How A lot Does It Price?

ChatPDF has a free model that lets you add two PDF information a day with a most web page rely of 120 every. Past that, you could pay for his or her premium plan which prices $14.99 per thirty days or $104.99 per yr.

The Backside Line

Let’s return to the query posted within the title: Is ChatPDF nonetheless value making an attempt?

To me, the reply is no.

In comparison with different LLMs that allow you to add PDF information like ChatGPT, ChatPDF is lacking much more options that makes the applying extra accessible and versatile. And in comparison with Claude, ChatPDF’s free model is much extra limiting and fewer correct.

The cruel reality is that different AI fashions have utterly eclipsed ChatPDF in performance and accessibility. That’s why the reply is a stable no, ChatPDF is unquestionably not value making an attempt within the context of its opponents.

Need to learn extra about LLMs? I extremely counsel articles like this one or this one. Good luck!