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mdstill VS PDFShift

Compare mdstill VS PDFShift and see what are their differences

DocRaptor
As the only API powered by the Prince HTML-to-PDF engine, DocRaptor provides the best support for complex PDFs with powerful support for headers, page breaks, page numbers, flexbox, watermarks, accessible PDFs, and much more featured
Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Reviews
  3. ยป Alternatives

mdstill logo mdstill

Document-to-markdown preprocessor built for LLM and RAG workflows. Turn any document (PDF, Word, Excel, EPUB +20 formats) into clean, structure-preserving markdown ready for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or your RAG pipeline.Includes REST API.Free to use

PDFShift logo PDFShift

Convert any HTML documents to high-fidelity PDF using a single POST request
  • mdstill
    Image date //
    2026-04-21
  • mdstill
    Image date //
    2026-04-21
  • mdstill
    Image date //
    2026-04-21
  • mdstill
    Image date //
    2026-04-21
  • mdstill
    Image date //
    2026-04-21

mdstill is a document-ingestion tool purpose-built for LLM and RAG workflows. Where generic converters dump messy text, mdstill outputs clean, semantic markdown that preserves tables, headings, and document structure โ€” the things LLMs actually need to understand context.

What you can do with it:

Prepare documents for RAG pipelines (chunk-ready, semantic boundaries preserved) Feed PDFs, Word files, or spreadsheets into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini without losing tables Build knowledge bases in Obsidian, Notion, or Logseq from existing document archives Extract structured context for AI agents and embeddings How it's different: Deep-conversion mode runs layout-aware parsing (tables, OCR, multi-column PDFs) โ€” not just text dumping. Markdown output is ~40% more token-efficient than raw text, so your LLM costs drop. REST API available for pipeline automation.

Free tier, no signup required for basic use. Competes with markitdown, Unstructured.io, and LlamaParse โ€” but with a zero-friction web UI.

  • PDFShift Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-03-07

A powerful, fast and high-fidelity HTML to PDF conversion API.

Code examples and package ready for Node, Python and PHP developers.

Advanced features are available, including watermarking and encryption!

mdstill

Website
mdstill.com
Pricing URL
Official mdstill Pricing
$ Details
freemium
Platforms
Web REST API
Release Date
2026 April
Edit details

PDFShift

Website
pdfshift.io
Pricing URL
Official PDFShift Pricing
$ Details
freemium $9.0 / Monthly (500 conversions and up to 5Mb per generated PDF.)
Platforms
-
Release Date
2018 May
Edit details

mdstill features and specs

  • Supported formats
    20+ (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, EPUB, HTML, CSV, JSON, Apple iWork)
  • Output format
    GitHub-flavored Markdown (GFM) with preserved tables, headers, structure
  • REST API
    Yes โ€” for RAG pipelines and batch automation
  • Token efficiency
    ~40% fewer tokens than raw text extraction
  • Privacy
    Files deleted immediately after processing โ€” no storage, no logging, no training
  • Pricing
    Free tier + Pro plans
  • LLM integrations
    ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini โ€” output tuned for AI context windows

PDFShift features and specs

  • High-quality PDF conversion
    PDFShift provides high-quality conversion from HTML to PDF, preserving formatting, styles, and layout details accurately.
  • Ease of use
    The API is straightforward and user-friendly, allowing developers to quickly integrate it into their applications without a steep learning curve.
  • Batch conversion
    PDFShift supports batch processing, enabling users to convert multiple HTML documents to PDF simultaneously, which can save significant time.
  • API documentation
    Comprehensive and clear API documentation makes it easier for developers to understand and implement functionalities within their projects.
  • Customization options
    PDFShift offers various customization options such as headers and footers, page size, margins, and more, giving users control over the output.
  • Security and privacy
    PDFShift ensures data security and privacy by providing encrypted connections and automatic deletion of files after processing.

Analysis of mdstill

Overall verdict

  • I don't have verified information about mdstill.com in my knowledge base, so I can't confirm its legitimacy, quality, or reputation. Before using this service, you should independently research it.

Why this product is good

  • No reliable data available on this specific domain to assess product quality or service reliability
  • Unable to verify company background, ownership, or business history
  • No access to user reviews, ratings, or third-party evaluations for this site
  • Cannot confirm security practices, payment safety, or customer support quality

Recommended for

  • Anyone considering this site should first check independent review platforms like Trustpilot or Better Business Bureau
  • Users should verify the site's SSL certificate, contact information, and return policy before purchasing
  • Consider checking domain age and registration details via WHOIS lookup tools
  • Look for verified customer reviews on social media or forums before making a decision

Analysis of PDFShift

Overall verdict

  • PDFShift is generally considered a good tool for developers and businesses that need a reliable, fast, and easy-to-integrate solution for HTML to PDF conversion. Its functionality and scalability make it a competitive choice in the market.

Why this product is good

  • PDFShift is an online API service that allows users to convert HTML documents into PDFs with high fidelity. It is praised for its ease of use, speed, and the ability to handle complex HTML and CSS. Users appreciate its support for various PDF features like custom headers, footers, and page numbers. Additionally, it provides scalability for businesses due to its robust API and ability to handle high-volume requests.

Recommended for

    PDFShift is recommended for web developers, software engineers, and companies that require automated HTML to PDF conversion as part of their applications or websites. It is particularly suitable for those looking for an API-based solution to integrate easily into their existing workflows and systems.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to mdstill and PDFShift)

mdstill

PDFShift

Developer Tools
100 100%
Developer Tools
0% 0
PDF Tools
0 0%
PDF Tools
100% 100
Markdown Editor
100 100%
Markdown Editor
0% 0
HTML To PDF
0 0%
HTML To PDF
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing mdstill and PDFShift.

What makes your product unique?

mdstill's answer

mdstill is built specifically for LLM and RAG workflows, not generic file conversion. Drop any of 20+ document formats (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, EPUB, and more) and get back clean, structure-preserving Markdown that's tuned for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini context windows and vector-database ingestion. Tables stay intact, headers become linkable anchors, output is ~40% more token-efficient than raw text extraction. Free web tool + REST API โ€” humans and pipelines use the same engine.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

mdstill's answer

Alternatives fall into two camps: developer libraries that require setup, or enterprise SDKs that require a sales call. mdstill fills the middle: open a browser, drop a file, get Markdown in seconds โ€” and when you need to scale, the same conversion runs through a REST API. 20+ formats in one tool instead of picking a different parser per format. Tables survive the trip (most tools mangle them). Files are deleted immediately after processing. Free tier, no credit card, no signup for basic use.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

mdstill's answer

Two overlapping groups. Developers building AI features โ€” engineers feeding documents into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini APIs; teams building RAG pipelines and AI agents who need reliable document ingestion. Knowledge workers and researchers โ€” Obsidian and Notion users importing legacy PDFs, students preparing papers for AI analysis, analysts converting spreadsheets for LLM review. Common thread: anyone who's discovered that pasting raw PDF text into an LLM loses tables and wastes tokens.

What's the story behind your product?

mdstill's answer

mdstill started from a personal frustration: feeding documents into ChatGPT and Claude meant pasting messy PDF text with broken tables and lost structure, or paying for heavyweight enterprise tools just to preprocess a few files. The fix seemed obvious โ€” Markdown is what LLMs understand best, so the conversion should be a utility anyone can use, not a product you buy. mdstill was built to make high-quality document-to-Markdown preprocessing free and instant for everyone, with an API for teams who need to scale.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

mdstill's answer

mdstill launched publicly in April 2026 and is in the early-adopter phase. Currently used by individual developers, indie AI-tool builders, and small research teams โ€” customer logos will be added as early adopters opt in to share them.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

mdstill's answer

Python + FastAPI on the backend, Next.js + TypeScript on the frontend.

User comments

Share your experience with using mdstill and PDFShift. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PDFShift seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

mdstill mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of mdstill yet. Tracking of mdstill recommendations started around Apr 2026.

PDFShift mentions (1)

What are some alternatives?

When comparing mdstill and PDFShift, you can also consider the following products

Firecrawl - Turn any website into LLM-ready data.

DocRaptor - As the only API powered by the Prince HTML-to-PDF engine, DocRaptor provides the best support for complex PDFs with powerful support for headers, page breaks, page numbers, flexbox, watermarks, accessible PDFs, and much more

Reducto - Reducto is the complete agentic document platform for leading AI teams needing performance at enterprise scale.

pdflayer - Free, powerful HTML to PDF API supporting both URL and raw HTML conversion. Unlimited document size, lightning-fast and compatible PHP, Python, Ruby, etc.

Mindee - Extract any data point, from any document, in a second

HTML PDF API - Easily generate PDF documents from HTML code with our powerful API

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