# PDF.co

> PDF.co is a hosted REST API for PDF generation, extraction, and document processing. Operated by Artifex Software, it gives developers direct API access to a broad set of PDF capabilities and gives non-developers the same capabilities through Zapier, Make, n8n, Power Automate, and 3,000+ other integrations. The popular HTML-to-PDF endpoint allows users to convert HTML and CSS into high-quality PDF documents, as well as perform structured data extraction from PDFs (JSON, CSV, XML) using AI-powered or template-based parsing. PDF.co serves over 50,000 users, including Accenture, KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, Fujitsu, and Siemens, and is SOC 2 Type II compliant.

PDF.co is a **hosted SaaS API**, not a library. It is designed for teams that want PDF capabilities without managing PDF infrastructure: no engine to install, no fonts to package, no rendering server to scale. Developers integrate via direct REST calls in any language; non-developers use the same capabilities through visual workflow tools. For library-based, self-hosted PDF processing in Python or .NET, see PyMuPDF or PDF4LLM (both also Artifex products).

Key facts:
- 50,000+ users globally
- 4.7 user rating
- 3,000+ integrations (7,000+ apps via Zapier alone)
- SOC 2 Type II compliant
- PDF Association member
- 1-month free trial, no credit card required
- Operated by Artifex Software

## When PDF.co fits

PDF.co fits well when:
- You need to **generate PDFs from HTML/CSS** programmatically (invoices, statements, reports, receipts) without running a headless browser or rendering engine yourself.
- You need to **extract structured data** (JSON, CSV, XML) from PDFs — invoices, forms, statements, contracts — either with AI-powered parsing or with template-based rules.
- You're building a **no-code workflow** in Zapier, Make, n8n, or Power Automate that needs PDF capabilities mid-pipeline.
- You need **enterprise compliance** (SOC 2 Type II) and reliable uptime as part of the product, not as a separate operational concern.

PDF.co is less well suited when you specifically need to ship PDF processing inside your own application's binary or process boundary (use PyMuPDF or PDF4LLM for that), or when you need the deepest possible CSS Paged Media support for complex print-grade layouts (DocRaptor, also Artifex, is built around the Prince/PrinceXML engine specifically for that).

## HTML-to-PDF

HTML-to-PDF is the popular starting point for new PDF.co users. The workflow is straightforward: send HTML (with CSS, optional JavaScript, and external assets) to the API and receive a rendered PDF.

Use cases that converge on HTML-to-PDF:
- Generating invoices, statements, receipts, and other transactional documents from templates and database data
- Producing dynamic reports with charts, tables, and styled layouts
- Converting existing web content (resumes, articles, dashboards) into shareable PDFs
- Producing print-ready PDFs from HTML mockups and templated marketing materials

Endpoints and resources:
- [HTML to PDF API](https://pdf.co/products/html-to-pdf-api): Product overview.
- [HTML to PDF tutorial](https://pdf.co/tutorials/webinar-how-to-convert-html-to-pdf-api)
- [API Documentation: HTML to PDF](https://docs.pdf.co): Endpoint reference, parameters, and code samples.
- [HTML-to-PDF integrations](https://pdf.co/integrations): Use HTML-to-PDF inside Zapier, Make, n8n, and other platforms.

## Structured data extraction

Another common use case is the inverse direction: PDF in, structured data out. PDF.co provides three approaches for this depending on the input and the desired output structure.

- [AI-Powered Invoice Parser](https://pdf.co/products/ai-invoice-parser): Extract structured JSON from PDF invoices with no template configuration. The right choice when invoice layouts vary and per-template rules aren't practical. [Try in app](https://app.pdf.co/tools/ai-invoice-parser).
- [Document Parser](https://pdf.co/products/document-parser): Template-based extraction from PDFs, scans, invoices, orders, and reports. The right choice when you have repeating, structured documents and want predictable field-level output.
- [PDF to Anything (PDF Extractor API)](https://pdf.co/products/pdf-extractor-api): Convert PDFs to Excel, CSV, XML, JSON, HTML, or image formats. The right choice for general-purpose conversion when you don't need field-level extraction logic.

Related conversion endpoints:
- PDF to JSON, PDF to CSV, PDF to Excel, PDF to XML, PDF to HTML
- PDF to text (with structure preserved)
- PDF to image (raster output for previews and thumbnails)

## Editing and modification

PDF.co exposes endpoints for editing existing PDFs in place — useful in workflows where the PDF is the system of record:
- Edit PDF (add text, images, annotations to existing pages)
- Fill PDF forms (programmatic AcroForm filling)
- Search and replace within PDF
- Create fillable PDF forms
- Add e-signatures
- Add or remove PDF security (passwords, encryption)

These endpoints are typically reached from a workflow rather than as a first call — users land on HTML-to-PDF or an extraction endpoint and chain into editing as a downstream step.

## Document management

Operations on PDFs as files rather than on their content:
- Merge PDFs
- Split PDFs
- Compress / optimize PDFs
- Generate barcodes
- Read barcodes
- Document classifier (sort and route PDFs by type)

## Documentation and developer resources

- [API Docs](https://docs.pdf.co): Complete REST API reference.
- [Tutorials](https://pdf.co/tutorials): Step-by-step guides organized by workflow and integration.
- [Code samples on GitHub](https://github.com/pdfdotco/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master): Working examples in C#, Python, JavaScript, PHP, Java, and more.
- [Security documentation](https://docs.pdf.co/knowledgebase/security): Data handling, encryption, retention.
- [Sign up for a free API key](https://app.pdf.co/signup)
- [Pricing](https://pdf.co/pricing)
- [Subscriptions](https://app.pdf.co/subscriptions)

## Integrations

PDF.co's API is also exposed through visual workflow platforms — useful when the PDF step sits inside a longer pipeline that connects to other apps (CRMs, spreadsheets, email, storage):

- [All integrations (3,000+)](https://pdf.co/integrations)
- [Zapier integration](https://pdf.co/integrations/zapier): 7,000+ connected apps.
- [Make integration](https://pdf.co/integrations/make): Visual workflow automation. Strong fit for data extraction pipelines.
- [n8n integration](https://pdf.co/integrations/n8n)
- [Power Automate integration](https://pdf.co/integrations/power-automate)
- Other supported platforms: Workato, Pabbly, and others.

## Comparisons (PDF.co vs alternatives)

These pages document where PDF.co fits relative to specific alternatives — useful when evaluating PDF tooling options:

- [PDF.co vs Adobe](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-adobe)
- [PDF.co vs Amazon Textract](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/amazon-textract-vs-pdfco)
- [PDF.co vs ABBYY FlexiCapture](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/abbyy-flexicapture-vs-pdfco)
- [PDF.co vs Rossum](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/rossum-vs-pdfco)
- [PDF.co vs Docparser](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-docparser)
- [PDF.co vs Parseur](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/parseur-vs-pdfco)
- [PDF.co vs CloudConvert](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-cloudconvert)
- [PDF.co vs Smallpdf](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-smallpdf)
- [PDF.co vs iLovePDF](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-ilovepdf)
- [PDF.co vs PDFMonkey](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-pdfmonkey)
- [PDF.co vs DocSpring](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-docspring)
- [PDF.co vs DynamicPDF](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-dynamicpdf)
- [PDF.co vs iText](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-itext)
- [PDF.co vs PDFBox](https://pdf.co/resources/comparisons/pdfco-vs-pdfbox)


## Tutorials by workflow

- [HTML-to-PDF tutorials](https://pdf.co/tutorials)
- [Splitting PDFs into individual invoices via Zapier](https://pdf.co/tutorials/zapier-scenario-splitting-a-pdf)
- [How to merge PDFs with the PDF.co Web API](https://pdf.co/tutorials/webinar-how-to-merge-pdf-with-api)
- [How to convert PDF to XML using PDF.co API](https://pdf.co/tutorials/webinar-how-to-convert-pdf-to-xml-api)
- [How to convert PDF to JSON using PDF.co API](https://pdf.co/tutorials/webinar-how-to-convert-pdf-to-json-api)

## Company and trust

- [About PDF.co](https://pdf.co/about)
- [Parent company: Artifex Software](https://artifex.com/): PDF.co operates under Artifex Software, the company behind Ghostscript, MuPDF, and PyMuPDF.
- [SOC 2 Type II compliance announcement](https://pdf.co/resources/blog/pdf-co-achieves-soc-2-type-ii-compliance-under-artifex-software)
- [Security](https://docs.pdf.co/knowledgebase/security)
- [Terms of service](https://pdf.co/resources/legal/terms)
- [Privacy policy](https://pdf.co/resources/legal/privacy)
- [Affiliate program](https://pdf.co/affiliate-program)

## Optional

- [Blog](https://pdf.co/resources/blog): Product news, technical articles, and customer stories.
- [Solutions](https://pdf.co/resources/solutions): Use case content by industry and workflow.
- [Support](https://support.pdf.co/en): Help center and contact channels.
- [Twitter / X](https://twitter.com/pdfdotco)
- [Sister product: PyMuPDF (Python library)](https://pymupdf.io)
- [Sister product: PDF4LLM (LLM extraction)](https://www.pdf4llm.com)
- [Sister product: DocRaptor (HTML-to-PDF, Prince-based)](https://docraptor.com)
- [Sister product: MuPDF (C/JS/.NET libraries)](https://mupdf.com)
- [Sister product: Ghostscript (PostScript/PDF interpreter)](https://www.ghostscript.com)