PDF Vector vs Azure Document Intelligence
Azure AI Document Intelligence is Microsoft's managed document analysis service, with Read OCR, Layout, pre-built models for invoices, receipts and IDs, and trainable custom models.
Facts about Azure Document Intelligence come from its public pricing and documentation pages, checked on November 11, 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on their site before you decide.
Feature and pricing comparison
| PDF Vector | Azure Document Intelligence | |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Developer API, TypeScript SDK, MCP server, no-code actions | Azure developer API and Studio web UI |
| Input formats | 27 formats, including PDF, Office, images, CSV, HTML, EPUB | PDF, images (JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, HEIF); DOCX, PPTX, XLS on Read and Layout |
| Output | Markdown (optionally per page), HTML on Max; JSON via Extract; answers via Ask | JSON with bounding polygons; markdown from Layout |
| Schema-based extraction | Yes, any JSON Schema per request | Pre-built and trained custom models |
| Layout and coordinates | Tables kept in markdown; no bounding boxes | Yes: polygons for words, lines, tables, figures |
| Integrations | Zapier, Make, n8n, MCP server, REST from any language | .NET, Java, JavaScript, Python SDKs; REST |
| Deployment and regions | Cloud (shared US instance); dedicated instances in UK, EU, US, Japan, Australia or Asia Pacific on Enterprise | Azure regions; on-premises containers |
| Pricing | Plans from $25/month; Document Parse $0.97 to $7.76 per 1,000 pages on Pro | Read $1.50 per 1,000 pages; Layout and prebuilt $10 per 1,000 pages (East US) |
| Free tier | 100 credits, no credit card | 500 pages per month (F0) |
When Azure Document Intelligence is a good choice
Enterprises on Azure that want region choice, on-premises containers, and pre-built or custom-trained models.
- Low-cost Read OCR ($1.50 per 1,000 pages) and a monthly free tier of 500 pages.
- Rich layout JSON with bounding polygons, selection marks and handwriting flags, plus markdown output from Layout.
- Pre-built and custom models, and Docker containers for on-premises use.
Things to consider
- Structured extraction uses pre-built or trained models rather than a JSON schema sent per request.
- Prebuilt and Layout models cost $10 per 1,000 pages; custom extraction $30 per 1,000 pages.
- Requires an Azure subscription and resource setup.
Why teams choose PDF Vector
- Extract any fields with a JSON Schema per request, without training or labeling.
- Document Q&A and academic search in the same API.
- Zapier, Make and n8n actions, an MCP server, and plans from $25 per month.