Docs & PDF Q&A

pdfGPT

Ask a long PDF a question, get the passage back

Visit official page 日本語で詳しく見る

Popularity

★ 7.2k

Last update

March 2026

License / pricing

MIT

What it does

One of the earliest open-source RAG implementations, still deliberately simple: embeddings but no vector database, no indexing layer, no framework — the author's argument being that accuracy matters more than architecture, and that the simple pipeline holds up. Answers cite the page they came from. A hosted demo exists for trying it, which of course means uploading your PDF to someone else's server; run it locally for anything confidential. 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 difficultySome setup needed
Command lineRequired
API keyRequired
Sends data onlineYes

Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.

pdfGPT FAQ

Is pdfGPT free?: pdfGPT itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.
Do I need to install anything or write code to use pdfGPT?: It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.
Does pdfGPT work on a phone?: No. It needs a computer.
Can I use pdfGPT 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
pdfGPT (this page)	Required	Required	Yes	No	Yes
OCRmyPDF	Required	Not needed	No	No	Yes
zerox	Required	Required	Yes	No	Yes
paper-qa	Required	Required	Yes	No	Yes

"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.

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What it does

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.

pdfGPT FAQ

Is pdfGPT free?

pdfGPT itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.

Do I need to install anything or write code to use pdfGPT?

It needs the command line. If you are not comfortable typing commands, expect to get stuck during setup.

Does pdfGPT work on a phone?

No. It needs a computer.

Can I use pdfGPT 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
pdfGPT (this page)	Required	Required	Yes	No	Yes
OCRmyPDF	Required	Not needed	No	No	Yes
zerox	Required	Required	Yes	No	Yes
paper-qa	Required	Required	Yes	No	Yes

"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.