★ 6.2k
August 2026
MIT
Docs & PDF Q&A
What we checked ourselves
Not copied from the project's own blurb. These are things we opened and verified, with the date.
- 23 Aug 2026We checked that the link to the project still resolves.
- 14 Aug 2026We read the licence text itself (LICENSE). No unusual restrictions were stated.
- 31 Aug 2026We read the project's own documentation and found no sign that development has stopped.
Where this sits among the 63 tools we list in Docs & PDF Q&A
- No API key required32 of 63
- Keeps your data on your own machine20 of 63
- Commercial use confirmed as allowed52 of 63
- Requires terminal commands20 that do not →
Only 17 of the 63 meet all of the conditions above.
Counted from our own checks: every tool we list is examined against the same criteria.
What it does
Converts scanned PDFs into Markdown or EPUB, recognising tables and formulas, separating body text from headers, footers and page numbers, and running the whole pipeline locally given a GPU. Recognition uses DeepSeek's open OCR model, which executes on your machine rather than calling their service — worth knowing either way. Digitising a book you own for personal use is one thing; distributing the resulting file is infringement. MIT.
Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.
Screenshots & visuals
Before you start
- Setup difficultyEasy to start
- Command lineRequired
- API keyNot required
- Sends data onlineNo
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
pdf-craft FAQ
- Is pdf-craft free?
- Yes. It runs on your own machine, so there is no usage-based cost either.
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use pdf-craft?
- It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.
- Does pdf-craft work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use pdf-craft commercially?
- The licence is MIT, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.
How it compares
The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.
| Tool | Command line | API key | Sends data out | Phone | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pdf-craft (this page) | Required | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
| OCRmyPDF | Required | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
| Paperless-ngx | Required | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
| opendataloader-pdf | Required | Not needed | No | No | Yes |
"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.