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PDFtoChat
What it is
PDFtoChat is a free web and self-hosted application for asking questions about uploaded PDFs. Its stated uses include papers, textbooks, and contracts: create an account, upload a document for AI analysis, then chat about its contents. The free plan costs nothing and requires a free account. The homepage says the source code is available on GitHub to read, review, or contribute to. The project describes a Next.js app using Mixtral through Together AI, with LangChain.js and Chroma Cloud for retrieval. Chroma Cloud supplies hybrid dense and sparse vector search using Qwen and SPLADE embeddings. Bytescale stores PDFs, Clerk handles authentication, and Vercel hosts the application and Postgres database, with Neon as an alternative for self-deployment. The template can be deployed to Vercel or another host after configuring service credentials. Scanned PDFs are not supported, and image support remains a future task.
For and against
For
- Free account and plan
- Web and self-hosted access
- Open source on GitHub
- Supports papers, textbooks, and contracts
- Hybrid vector search described
Against
- Scanned PDFs are not supported
- PDF image support is a future task
- Free account required
- API route protection is a future task
The verdict
PDFtoChat offers a focused way to upload PDFs and ask questions at no cost. Its open source stack supports self-deployment, but scanned documents and some security and image features are still listed as future work.
Who it suits
PDFtoChat suits readers who want to question papers, textbooks, or contracts through a browser. It also suits developers able to configure the listed services for self-hosting.
Plans and prices
Free
Have a conversation with papers, textbooks, and contracts · Free account required
Read 7 Oct 2026 · pdftochat.com
On the record
- AI providers
- The homepage says PDFtoChat is powered by Together.ai and Mixtral.pdftochat.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Application stack
- The repository lists Next.js and LangChain.js among the technologies used by the project.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- The repository README lists Clerk for user authentication.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Document retrieval
- The repository says Chroma Cloud provides hybrid dense and sparse vector search using Qwen and SPLADE.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Free access
- The homepage says users can chat with PDFs for free and create a free account.pdftochat.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Hosting and database
- The repository README lists Vercel for hosting and Postgres, with Neon as an alternative database option for self-deployment.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Implementation limit
- The README lists support for images in PDFs as a future task.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Language model
- The repository says Mixtral inference through Together AI powers the language model.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Notable limitations
- The repository lists adding PDF deletion, protecting chat API routes, and support for images in PDFs as future tasks.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Open source
- The homepage says the source code is available on GitHub to read, review or contribute to.pdftochat.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- PDF storage
- The repository README lists Bytescale for PDF storage.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy and security
- The opened homepage and repository pages do not state a privacy policy, security certification, or compliance claim.pdftochat.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Project stack
- The maker’s repository README describes a Next.js app using Mixtral through Together AI, Chroma Cloud, LangChain.js, Bytescale, Vercel and Clerk.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- PDFtoChat lets users ask questions about uploaded papers, textbooks and contracts.pdftochat.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Security caveat
- The README lists protecting API routes by checking that users are signed in as a future task.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Self deployment
- The repository README says the template can be deployed to Vercel or another host and requires configuring its listed service credentials.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Self hosting
- The repository says the project can be deployed to Vercel or another host, with Together AI, Chroma Cloud, Bytescale, Clerk, and hosting configured.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Storage and hosting
- The repository lists Bytescale for PDF storage and Vercel for hosting and the Postgres database.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
