Comparison
A PDF.co alternative for form filling, merging and splitting
PDF.co is the incumbent: about 40 endpoints covering conversion, OCR, AI parsing, editing and forms, sold as credits. PDFops does a smaller set of jobs, filling PDF forms, listing their fields, merging and splitting, and charges one request per call whatever the page count. For form-and-merge work that difference is large. For anything outside that set, or if you need SOC 2, PDF.co is the better choice.
Quick verdict
- Stay on PDF.co if you need OCR, file-format conversions, AI document parsing or other endpoints PDFops does not have, if your buyer requires SOC 2, if you process files larger than 4.5 MB, or if you rely on its many ready-made Zapier, Make and n8n templates.
- Use PDFops if the work is filling forms, reading a form's fields, merging or splitting, especially multi-page documents, where per-page credits multiply the bill. It also has a hard quota (HTTP 429) rather than surprise charges, returns the PDF in the response, and has an MCP server for AI agents.
How each one charges
PDF.co sells credits, and each operation costs a number of credits per page processed. Its credits-per-function table lists, per page: fill form fields or add text 21, merge 2, split 2, rotate 7, delete pages 5, add or remove security 3, compress 35, info 7, HTML to PDF 9. Reading form fields is 8 credits per call. Its pricing page also carries a credit calculator and FAQ entries about charges for checking an async job.
PDFops counts requests. Every PDF endpoint is one request per call, whatever the number of pages or files, and a call that fails is not counted. When a key reaches its quota the API answers HTTP 429 until the monthly reset, so a bill cannot grow past the plan.
Side by side
| PDFops | PDF.co | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit of billing | One request per call, any size within limits | Credits, mostly per page processed; some operations per call |
| Entry plan | Free: 250 requests a month, no card. Indie $16 a month for 4,000 | Basic $9.99 a month for 16,500 credits ($8.99 a month billed annually) |
| Next plan | Pro $79 a month for 25,000 | Personal $22.49 a month billed annually for 37,000 credits |
| Over quota | HTTP 429 until reset; no overage | See PDF.co's credits pages for refill and expiry rules |
| Async job polling | None: the PDF is the response | Has its own credit charge (job/check), covered in PDF.co's FAQ |
| Output link lifetime | No link; nothing is stored | 60 minutes on Basic through Business 1, 1,440 minutes from Business 2 |
| Endpoints | Fill form, inspect, merge, split, extract, delete and rotate pages, watermark, page numbers, protect, unlock, metadata, invoice | About 40, including OCR, conversions and AI parsing |
| Compliance | No SOC 2 report | SOC 2 Type II |
| Size limits | 4.5 MB per request, 4 MB per PDF, 2,000 pages, 20 PDFs per merge, 100 parts per split | Not verified for this page; check PDF.co's docs |
| Free trial | 100 keyless requests per IP a month; 250 a month with a free key | 1-month free trial, no card |
| AI agents | pdfops-mcp: inspect, fill, merge and more on the agent's own files | An MCP server, announced in a PDF.co blog post (not reviewed here) |
| Automation tools | n8n community node, verified by n8n. Zapier app is in Zapier's review, not public yet | Zapier, Make, n8n, Power Automate and others, with many templates |
PDF.co facts from pdf.co/pricing and developer.pdf.co/api/credits-per-api-function, fetched 2026-11-12. The $9.99 monthly figure for Basic is as shown by PDF.co; the other prices are the "billed annually" per-month figures as PDF.co shows them. PDFops facts from /pricing.
What it costs per job
Five jobs priced on both sides. Cost per job is plan price divided by how many of that job the plan covers. PDF.co credits are per page processed, so the 15-page merge counts all 15 pages.
| Job | PDF.co credits | PDF.co Basic ($9.99, 16,500) | PDF.co Personal ($22.49, 37,000) | PDFops Indie ($16, 4,000) | PDFops Pro ($79, 25,000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-page form fill | 2 pages x 21 = 42 | 16,500 / 42 = 392 fills, $0.0254 each | 37,000 / 42 = 880 fills, $0.0255 each | 1 request: 4,000 fills, $0.0040 each | 1 request: 25,000 fills, $0.0032 each |
| 15-page merge (3 files x 5 pages) | 15 pages x 2 = 30 | 16,500 / 30 = 550 merges, $0.0182 each | 37,000 / 30 = 1,233 merges, $0.0182 each | 1 request: 4,000 merges, $0.0040 each | 1 request: 25,000 merges, $0.0032 each |
| Split a 1,000-page PDF into single pages | 1,000 pages x 2 = 2,000 | 16,500 / 2,000 = 8 splits, $1.21 each | 37,000 / 2,000 = 18 splits, $1.22 each | 10 requests (100 parts per call): 400 splits, $0.040 each | 10 requests: 2,500 splits, $0.032 each |
| List a form's fields | 8 per call | 16,500 / 8 = 2,062 calls, $0.0048 each | 37,000 / 8 = 4,625 calls, $0.0049 each | 1 request: 4,000 calls, $0.0040 each | 1 request: 25,000 calls, $0.0032 each |
| Merge two 1-page PDFs | 2 pages x 2 = 4 | 16,500 / 4 = 4,125 merges, $0.0024 each | 37,000 / 4 = 9,250 merges, $0.0024 each | 1 request: 4,000 merges, $0.0040 each | 1 request: 25,000 merges, $0.0032 each |
Read the table in three parts. Form fills and multi-page merges are where per-page credits hurt: PDFops is about 6 times cheaper per fill at the entry tiers and about 4.5 times cheaper for the 15-page merge, and the gap grows with every added page. The split shows the same effect at the extreme. Listing fields is close to even. The last row goes the other way: for tiny merges PDF.co is cheaper per job and its Basic plan covers more of them than Indie does (4,125 for $9.99 against 4,000 for $16), because two pages cost it only 4 credits.
The 1,000-page split assumes the source fits PDFops's 4 MB per-PDF cap and each response fits the 4 MB split output cap; a real 1,000-page file often will not, and then PDF.co is the one that can take it. PDF.co's credit counts are its sync-mode estimates, and it states that async mode could differ. Per-job costs are rounded; PDF.co's $8.99 annual rate for Basic would lower its Basic figures by about 10 percent.
Where PDF.co is better
- Breadth. OCR, conversions, AI document parsing and roughly 40 endpoints in total. PDFops will not replace those.
- Compliance. PDF.co advertises SOC 2 Type II. PDFops has no SOC 2 report.
- Large files. PDFops stops at 4.5 MB per request. Check PDF.co's limits against your files.
- Established integrations. PDF.co has Zapier, Make, n8n and Power Automate listings with many templates. PDFops's n8n node is verified by n8n, but its Zapier app is still in review.
- Tiny jobs. Single-page and two-page merges are cheaper per job on PDF.co, as the table shows.
Moving a form fill over
PDFops fills fields by name: send the PDF and a JSON object of values, and the filled PDF comes back in the response. First list the field names with /api/inspect or the field inspector, then send the values.
curl -X POST https://pdfops.dev/api/fill-form \
-F "pdf=@invoice-template.pdf" \
-F 'fields={"customer_name":"Acme Co","total":"$1,250.00"}' \
-o filled.pdfThat call runs with no key or signup; the sample invoice-template.pdf has both fields. The same thing in the browser: the playground. Endpoint details are in the fill-form docs and merge docs, and live prices are at /pricing.
Frequently asked
What is the best PDF.co alternative?
It depends on what you use PDF.co for. If you need OCR, file conversions, AI document parsing or one vendor for about 40 endpoints, PDF.co is the broader product and PDFops is not a replacement. If the job is filling PDF forms, listing their fields, merging and splitting, PDFops does those with one request per call regardless of page count, and a hard monthly quota instead of per-page credits.
How does PDF.co pricing compare to PDFops?
As of 2026-11-12. PDF.co charges credits per page for most operations: 21 credits per page to fill a form, 2 per page to merge or split, 8 per call to read form fields. Plans: Basic $9.99 a month for 16,500 credits, Personal $22.49 a month billed annually for 37,000. PDFops charges one request per call: Indie $16 for 4,000, Pro $79 for 25,000. A 2-page form fill costs 42 PDF.co credits, so Basic covers 392 of them a month against 4,000 requests on Indie. Merging two 1-page PDFs is only 4 PDF.co credits, so tiny merges are cheaper on PDF.co.
Does PDF.co charge for checking an async job?
PDF.co's pricing page carries a credit calculator and FAQ entries about the job/check endpoint, including why job/check charges are sometimes higher. Polling an async job therefore has its own cost on PDF.co. PDFops returns the PDF in the HTTP response, so there is no job to poll and no polling charge.
How long do PDF.co output links last?
PDF.co's pricing page lists a 60-minute output link expiry on Basic through Business 1 and 1,440 minutes from Business 2. PDFops stores nothing: the PDF is the response body, so there is no link to expire, and keeping the file is up to you.
Is PDFops SOC 2 certified?
No. PDF.co advertises SOC 2 Type II. PDFops has no SOC 2 report, and if your procurement requires one, PDF.co is the safer choice.
Does PDFops have a Zapier app and an n8n node?
PDFops has an n8n community node that n8n has verified. Its Zapier app is in Zapier's review and is not public yet, so today Zapier users reach PDFops through Webhooks or a custom request. PDF.co lists Zapier, Make, n8n and other integrations and has the larger set of ready-made templates.
What file sizes can PDFops handle?
A PDFops request is capped at 4.5 MB in total, a single PDF at 4 MB, 2,000 pages per PDF, 20 PDFs per merge and 100 parts per split. Larger files need a different approach, such as a tool without that cap. We did not verify PDF.co's file size limits for this page, so check its docs for the files you have.