ChatPDF vs SciSummary

ChatPDF lets users summarize documents and ask questions about their contents using conversational AI. Answers include citations that point to references in a PDF, and users can organize files in folders or discuss multiple PDFs in one conversation. It accepts PDFs in any language and supports conversations in any language; listed file types also include Word, PowerPoint, Markdown and text. Sharing links can be created, with access permissions managed or revoked. ChatPDF says documents are encrypted during transfer and storage and can be deleted by the user. Queries are routed dynamically between GPT-4o and GPT-4o-mini. The service works in a browser on any device and is listed for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows. Its backend API accepts uploaded PDFs or public URLs and lets users query them to build custom PDF chatbots. The API documentation limits each PDF to 2,000 pages or 32 MB and describes the chat API as stateless. The Free plan costs nothing and allows two documents per day.

SciSummary uses AI to help scientists, researchers, and students understand scientific papers through summaries, analysis, and extracted insights. Summaries are organized into abstract, methods, results, and conclusion sections. It can combine multiple papers into one summary and compare them, while folders and tags organize a research library. Figure chat interprets p-values, confidence intervals, and effect sizes. The service extracts abstracts, figures, and references and highlights key findings. Its web and API access includes a bulk API accepting PDFs, links, or full text, with hundreds of documents supported in one request. A REST API includes an official CLI and generated SDK clients from its OpenAPI specification. An MCP server connects with Claude Desktop and ChatGPT. SciSummary also summarizes webpages and accepts file uploads. Pricing is paid, starting at $4/mo (annual), with a 7-day trial and no standard free plan.