ChatPDF Review 2024:
I Tried it for 14 days, Here's
What I Found [3 Pros, 5 Cons]

• ChatPDF Review Summary
• 3 Things ChatPDF Does Well
• 5 Big Mistakes ChatPDF Makes
• What Does ChatPDF Cost?
• What are Some ChatPDF Alternatives?
• Is ChatPDF Legit?

ChatPDF Review Summary

3 Things ChatPDF Does Well

• PDF Questioning: You can upload a PDF and just ask it questions about the stuff inside, which kinda makes it easier if you don’t want to read the whole thing yourself.
 
• Chatting About Content: It lets you chat or even joke about what's in the file, which is a bit different from just reading boring text.
 
• Info Accuracy: You might notice that it sometimes misses stuff that’s clearly in the file, so you can't always count on it to get everything right.
 
• More on the highlights of ChatPDF below.

5 Big Problems With ChatPDF

• Terrible Customer Service & Refunds: If you want to cancel or get your money back, good luck! Lots of people say ChatPDF just keeps charging your card even after you cancel, and getting help from support is like talking to a wall.
 
• Expensive Plans & Vanishing Credits: Subscriptions are pricey, and if you don’t use all your credits each month, poof—they’re gone! You end up paying for stuff you never even used, which just feels unfair.
 
• Uploads Don't Always Work: Trying to upload big PDFs is a mess. Sometimes they set weird page limits, and if your upload fails, they still count it against you. You waste your tries even when nothing’s actually uploaded.
 
• No Real Help When Things Break: If things get messed up, like your PDFs go in the wrong order, don’t expect any help. You write to support but nobody seems to know what’s going on or how to fix stuff.
 
• Misleading Free Upload Claims: They say you get free uploads, but it’s not always true. Some folks get blocked or are forced to pay way sooner than promised, which just feels like a trick to get your money.
 

What Does ChatPDF Cost?

• Free Plan – With this, you don’t pay anything, which is nice! But you only get a few tries, so if you try to do a lot, you get stuck pretty fast. It’s good just for testing or if you just have a few PDFs to check out now and then.
 
• Plus Plan – This one is $19.99 each month, which isn’t really cheap. You get to use ChatPDF as much as you want, and there aren't stop signs when you wanna work with bigger files. They also throw in Jenni AI writer, which is handy if you like that sort of thing.
 
• Should you buy ChatPDF? Well, for most folks, I’d say no. The free version runs out fast and the paid plan is pricey if you don’t need the extras a lot.

ChatPDF Review - What Does it Get Right?

1. PDF Questioning:
   • You can upload a PDF and just ask questions, so you don't need to read the whole thing if you don't want to.
    
   • It saves you some time, especially if you're dealing with long or boring documents.
    
   • Sometimes you may need to ask a bit differently for clearer answers, which can slow things down a bit.
 
2. Chatting About Content:
   • You can have a back-and-forth chat about what's inside the PDF, even joke a bit if you want.
    
   • This makes going through stuff way less dull than just staring at lines of text.
    
   • It's handy for day-to-day work if you just want quick details or fun conversations about your file.
 
3. Info Accuracy:
   • It sometimes misses things that are clearly written in the file, so you shouldn’t always totally rely on its answers.
    
   • Some people say you might have to prompt it again or differently to get the right info.
    
   • It's useful, but it's not perfect, so you still need to double-check important stuff yourself.

“Great product. Already helps with my daily workflow. It also has a lot of areas of improvement - sometimes needs extra prompting to get the real information (and misses information that is clearly stated in the PDF). That being said, I find it very useful!” ― Sigvards Krongorns

ChatPDF Review - What Does it Get Seriously Wrong?

• Terrible Customer Service & Refunds
  • If you try to cancel your subscription, you might still get charged. Multiple folks, including me, have seen money taken out even after hitting cancel, which is totally not okay.
   
  • The support team barely replies to complaints. It feels like nobody's there when your money is on the line or you have a big problem with the app.
   
  • I found their refund process to be super confusing, and getting your money back takes ages. You're basically stuck if you run into an issue.
 
• Expensive Plans & Vanishing Credits
  • ChatPDF charges a lot for its plans, but you don't always get your money's worth. If you don't use all your credits, you just lose them – no roll-over or refund.
   
  • You might pay for features or credits that vanish before you ever get the chance to use them. For the price, you expect more and better control over your account.
   
  • I get the feeling that you're pushed to spend more, but when you don't or if you miss a month, your money totally goes to waste.
 
Here's a review by Dan GR talking about their experience with cancellation and unauthorized payments:
 

“They stole my money after I canceled the subscription I did not authorize any further payment. I canceled my subscription and they charged me directly from my bank account anyway. Do not use this app because they will keep on scamming you, even if you stop working with them and will forever charge you money illegally.” ― Dan GR

 
• Uploads Don't Always Work
  • Uploading big PDFs is so hit-or-miss. They set these weird page limits, and if the upload fails, they still take away your upload for the day, which is just super unfair.
   
  • I've tried uploading a big document, and after shrinking it, it still wouldn't work. You waste all your tries even when nothing actually gets uploaded successfully.
   
  • The upload process is just not smooth, and you might end up wasting your credits or tries for zero actual results.
 
• No Real Help When Things Break
  • If something weird happens, like your PDFs getting all jumbled up, don't count on support. They often don't know how their own tool works or how to help you.
   
  • I reached out for help, but it felt pointless—nobody could explain or fix what was wrong with the file order or any other bugs.
   
  • It's so frustrating to pay for a pricey tool and end up feeling alone when you get stuck with a broken feature.
 
• Misleading Free Upload Claims
  • They advertise "two free uploads" but for some users, it doesn't work or you get blocked way sooner than promised. That just feels like a trick, not a real benefit.
   
  • I almost bought a subscription thinking the free uploads were real, but the whole thing feels like a marketing move to get your money right away instead.
   
  • The trust is broken when promises like free uploads don't actually happen, or are just there to hook you in.
 
Here's a review by Leapeppermint BE about their experience with upload limitations:
 

“4 reviews May 13, 2024 - 2 uploads wasted for nothing. Today I put 1 pdf of 365 pages and I got told by ChatPDF I needed to upload a document of maximum 120 pages or to buy to upgrade my version... So I tried to reduce my PDF to 120 pages and upload it again... But it didn't work again... I guess it is supposed to be 119... So I tried to reduce to 119 and ChatPDF told me I had used my 2 uploads for the day... Even though nothing got uploaded!!! If your document gets refused, your uploads count should NOT be taken into account!!!!” ― Leapeppermint BE

What Does ChatPDF Cost?

• So the Free plan lets you work with only 2 PDFs every single day. Seriously, just 2—after that, you have to wait till the next day!
 
• Each PDF can have up to 120 pages. That sounds OK, but if you’ve got longer docs, research papers, or books, you’ll hit the limit fast.
 
• This plan is honestly for folks who just want to test ChatPDF or maybe have a tiny project here and there. If you’re a student, researcher, or actually rely on PDFs for work, you’re gonna get stuck all the time—I've run into this wall more than I’d like to admit.
 
• No matter what, every single day your credits reset, and there’s no way to save up if you skip a day. So if you use nothing today, you still get the same in your account tomorrow. Kind of a waste, right?

• This plan jumps to unlimited PDFs per month, but you have to shell out $19.99 every single month.
 
• You also get to use files that are up to 2,000 pages long and up to 32 MB per PDF. Decent if you’re constantly churning through huge docs.
 
• Here's what really bugs me: You are locked into paying the same price every month, and it doesn’t matter if you barely use it one month. Your money’s just gone, forever, no rollover, no savings.
 
• There’s no option to pay only for what you use. Even if you travel, get busy, or stop using PDFs for a while, they’ll still bill you the same $19.99 next month. So it feels like burning cash for something you might not even use.
 
• From my experience, this plan adds up super quick, and honestly, it gets expensive—especially compared to other tools out there that let you buy what you need and use it whenever you want.

• If you pick the Plus plan, you also get access to 'Jenni AI', which is supposed to help you write better. In theory, that’s cool, but they’ve bundled it in so you ‘feel’ like you’re getting more value for your $19.99/month.
 
• But here’s the thing: you have no choice. Even if you never use Jenni AI, you're paying for it every month. It’s not really “free”—it’s just stuffed into the price tag.
 
• I tried Jenni AI, and unless you’re writing constantly, it doesn’t do much. Most people I know just want to chat with their PDFs, not get a writing tool they didn’t ask for.

• You’re paying monthly for the same exact credits—there’s no banking up unused days or months. That money’s just gone, whether you use the tool or not.
 
• Compared to other tools, ChatPDF is way more expensive. And honestly, it’s frustrating to feel like you’re always on the meter, having to pay again every single month just to keep access.

• AIDetectPlus gives you chat-with-PDF and tons of other tools (summarizer, AI detector, humanizer, plagiarism checker, LLM chat and more) – and it starts at just $9 one time! That’s not a typo: pay once, get actual credits that last you forever. See for yourself here.
 
• No monthly surprises. Your credits NEVER EXPIRE. You can literally buy as little as 5,000 words for $9, use them when you need, and come back whenever you want. That’s how it should be.
 
• It’s way cheaper in the long run. For the price of just one month of ChatPDF, you could have a tool that doesn’t drain your wallet every month and gives you way more flexibility.
 
• Ready for a real side-by-side of ChatPDF vs. AIDetectPlus? Jump down here to see all the details.

What are some ChatPDF alternatives?

#1 - ChatPDF vs AIDetectPlus

• Both tools support chatting with PDFs and summarizing content, but they target different user needs.
  • ChatPDF is great for quick Q&A on single PDFs, with a simple chat, references, and even works in different languages.
  • AIDetectPlus is like a Swiss Army knife for documents—it's got AI detection, plagiarism checks, humanizer, essay writer, paraphraser, PDF chat, PDF summarizer, and even a free chatbot. Perfect if you want everything in one spot.
 
• Where is AIDetectPlus Better?
  • You can upload up to 100 PDFs at once and chat with all of them—super handy if you’ve got a bunch of files. Plus, you can ask different AI models and compare their answers.
   
  • AIDetectPlus isn’t just for PDFs. It’s got an AI detector, plagiarism checker, and a humanizer—so you don’t need to jump between a bunch of websites.
   
  • You get a free trial (no credit card needed), and when you buy credits, they never expire. No monthly bills, no stress.
   
  • After you finish your research, AIDetectPlus can help you write a 100% undetectable essay based on what you found.
   
  • There’s also an essay writer, paraphraser, PDF chat, PDF summarizer, and even a free LLM chat. It’s way more than just a PDF tool.
   
  • And honestly, their support is awesome. If you get stuck, they actually reply and help you out fast.
 
• Where is ChatPDF Better?
  • Super simple chat: Just upload a PDF and start asking questions—no sign up, no fuss.
  • Free to try: You can use it for free with smaller PDFs, and it saves your chat even if you’re not logged in.
  • Works in lots of languages: It figures out what language your PDF is in and lets you chat in another one if you want.

#2 - ChatPDF vs AskYourPDF

• Both ChatPDF and AskYourPDF let you chat with your PDFs, but they kinda feel different when you actually use them.
  • ChatPDF is all about dropping in a PDF and just asking it questions, almost like texting with your homework. It’s simple and direct—no confusing extras.
  • AskYourPDF lets you upload a bunch of files and chat across all of them at once. And if you like using other apps, it hooks into lots of places, like web, your phone, or even your browser.
 
• Where is ChatPDF Better?
  • Super simple to use: just upload one PDF, ask away, and you don’t need to deal with any fancy menus. Perfect if you just want a quick answer without messing around.
 
• Where is AskYourPDF Better?
  • Multi-document chat: you can throw in a whole stack of PDFs and ask questions across all of them, which is awesome for bigger projects.
  • Easy to use almost anywhere—web, mobile, Chrome, and it even works inside ChatGPT and Zotero.
  • Just right for quick Q&A, summaries, and finding nuggets of info—no need to be a professor or anything!
  • More details on AskYourPDF at their official site.

#4 - SciSpace vs ChatPDF

• Okay, so both SciSpace and ChatPDF let you talk to your PDFs and ask questions, but they're kinda different in what they do best.
  • SciSpace is perfect if you’re a serious researcher or student who needs to dig deep into science stuff or lots of academic papers. It explains tough equations, helps with tables, and can even find other related research for you. Plus, there’s a Chrome extension and tools for citing, taking notes, and more. Check ‘em out here.
  • ChatPDF is for those times you just wanna quickly ask questions about a file, make jokes about it, or find something fast. The chat is simple and you can start without any big learning curve. See more about ChatPDF here.
 
• Where is SciSpace Better?
  • Bigger research tools: SciSpace makes it easy to break down hard science PDFs and helps you keep track of your notes and citations.
  • Smart connections: It can show you other important research you might want to check out, which is cool if you’re doing big projects.
  • All-in-one for researchers: Has tools for lit reviews, a browser extension, and all these academic extras ChatPDF just doesn’t do.
 
• Where is ChatPDF Better?
  • Super quick and easy: You just pop in a PDF, chat with it, and you’re done. No fuss, no big setup.
  • Good for small stuff: If you don’t care about giant research projects and just want simple answers (or even some jokes), ChatPDF gets it done.

Is ChatPDF Legit?

• Reason #1: Customer Service is a Nightmare: If your card keeps getting charged after you cancel, don’t expect help. I’ve seen tons of people complain that getting answers (or even a refund) is like yelling into an empty room.
 
• Reason #2: You Pay, But Credits Disappear: The plans are expensive, and if you don’t use all your credits each month, they’re just gone forever. I’ve tried it, and it really stings to pay for something and not even get to use it later.
 
• Reason #3: Uploads & “Free” Promises Let You Down: Sometimes uploads just don’t work—big PDFs get blocked, page limits pop up out of nowhere, and even failed uploads eat your credits. Plus, that so-called “free upload” deal? For a lot of people, it’s not even real. You just get prompted to pay sooner than you thought.

“Not worth your money So, it kind of works, but the pdfs go in a random order into the program, and when I tried to reach out and ask about what is going on, I got NO help whatsoever. They did not even know how the pdfs organize themselves!! Super weird and not at all professional way of communicating. If I pay over 20 euros per month for this, it is not worth it. Please, choose a better program then this.” ― Heli Saari (FI)

• #1 Super Fast & Smart PDF Chat: You can ask your PDF anything, get super clear summaries, and pull out the stuff you need in seconds. It’s perfect for homework, research, or just not having to read thick docs cover to cover.
 
• #2 Credits NEVER Disappear: If you buy credits, they sit there until you use ‘em. No monthly expiry, no sneaky tricks. You only ever pay again if you actually need more.
 
• #3 Actual Humans on Support: Whenever I had questions, real people answered me fast. No bots blowing me off or ghosting my emails. Usually, I’d hear back in hours, not days.
 
• #4 All-in-One Toolkit: AIDetectPlus isn’t just about PDFs. You get AI detection, essay writing, humanization, plagiarism checks, paraphrasing, and a free LLM chat—literally everything in one spot, whether you’re a researcher, student, or anyone who deals with documents. Just pick what you need from the menu above and you’re all set.