API Documentation to Markdown — Developer Docs Offline
API reference pages are the hardest documentation to scrape: rendered from JSON specs by client-side JavaScript, with collapsible endpoint cards and tabbed code samples. Our converter renders the page properly (headless browser when needed), then converts the resulting structure to a clean Markdown reference — endpoints as headings, parameters as tables, examples as fenced code blocks.
Why generic scrapers fail on API docs
Two reasons. First, most modern API docs (Swagger UI, Redoc, Stoplight, Mintlify, ReadMe.io) render endpoint detail by JavaScript from an OpenAPI/Swagger spec — a static fetch sees a near-empty shell. Second, even when content is in the HTML, it's organised by interactive cards that hide most data behind "Try it" buttons or collapsed accordions. Markdown has no concept of "collapsed", so a faithful conversion needs to expand everything first.
Endpoint extraction
For each endpoint, we emit: the HTTP method and path as a heading (## GET /users/{id}), a short description, a parameters GFM table (name, in, type, required, description), the request body schema as a code block, response schemas grouped by status code as code blocks, and any code examples in their original languages as fenced blocks. The result reads like a hand-written reference and is searchable with grep.
## GET /users/{id}
Return a single user by ID.
### Parameters
| Name | In | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|---------|----------|-------------------|
| id | path | integer | yes | The user ID. |
### Response 200
```json
{ "id": 1, "name": "Ada" }
```
Frequently asked questions
Can this convert Swagger UI pages that render via JavaScript?
Yes — Swagger UI is fully client-rendered, so we route those URLs through our headless-browser path automatically. The page is rendered to its final state, all collapsed endpoint cards are programmatically expanded, then we convert. See JavaScript SPA to Markdown for the underlying mechanism.
Are request/response schemas preserved as tables?
Parameters and headers become GFM tables (name, location, type, required, description). Request and response body schemas become fenced JSON code blocks with syntax highlighting. The split is intentional: tables for things you scan, code blocks for things you copy.
What if I have the OpenAPI spec directly — should I still use this?
No — if you have the raw openapi.json or openapi.yaml, use a dedicated OpenAPI-to-Markdown generator (widdershins, openapi-markdown) for higher fidelity. This converter is for the rendered HTML pages, useful when you can't access the spec but can access the docs site.
Are code examples in multiple languages preserved?
Yes — Swagger UI, Redoc, and Stoplight all surface code examples in tabs (curl, Python, Node, Go). We emit each tab as a separate fenced code block under a sub-heading (### curl, ### Python) so the language hint is visible and copy-paste works in any Markdown viewer.
Does this work on Stripe, Twilio, or GitHub-style API references?
Yes — those three are bespoke (not Swagger UI), but they all follow the same conventions: endpoint cards with method+path headings, parameter tables, code samples in tabs. The extractor recognises the major patterns. For private docs behind auth, the MDisBetter web tool fetches anonymously — you'll need a self-hosted script using requests with your session cookie and Trafilatura/html2text for the conversion step.
Your AI doesn't read PDFs directly. It first has to extract the text, decode the layout, ignore the metadata — before it can even start answering. A Markdown file removes all of those steps. Your AI reads it instantly. So you get faster responses, more accurate results, and zero information lost along the way.
Size-wise, it's 100 to 500 times lighter for the same content. A 15 MB PDF becomes a 30 KB .md file. So your AI knowledge base can hold hundreds of documents instead of a handful.
MDisBetter brings 19 free tools together for that — documents, videos, audio, web pages and prompts.
How does it work?
Drop a PDF, a video, an audio file or a URL. MDisBetter extracts the content and gives you a clean Markdown file. So you can send it to your AI, add it to your project files, or store it in your knowledge base — without losing anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert a PDF to Markdown for free?
Upload your PDF to MDisBetter, click Convert, and get structured Markdown in seconds. No signup, no installation — it works directly in your browser. The free plan includes 50 credits per month.
Why is Markdown better than PDF for AI?
Markdown reduces token usage by up to 95% compared to PDF. AI models like ChatGPT and Claude process Markdown far more efficiently because it contains only content structure — no fonts, no layout data, no binary overhead.
What file types can MDisBetter convert?
MDisBetter converts PDF, Word (.docx), plain text, YouTube videos (transcript), audio files (MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC, WEBM), and any web page URL to clean Markdown.
Is MDisBetter free?
Yes, free to start. The free plan includes 50 credits per month. All processing happens securely — your files are never stored.
Can I extract a YouTube transcript as Markdown?
Yes. Paste the YouTube video URL, click Convert, and get the full transcript structured as Markdown with headings and timestamps. Perfect for feeding video content to AI tools.
PDF → Markdown
Faithful and structured conversion of your documents
Text to MD, EPUB to MD, MD to PDF, MD Cleaner, Merger, Chunker, Token Counter, Context Builder
Free
—
Word to MD
0.5 credit
per page
Excel to MD
0.5 credit
per conversion
Single URL Scrape
0.5 credit
per call
Site Crawl
1 credit
per page
Translate
1 credit
per 10 000 chars (min 1, free re-translation on cache hit)
Prompt Optimizer
1 credit
per call
System Prompt Generator
1 credit
per call
Audio to MD
2 credits
per minute
Video to MD
2 credits
per minute
YouTube to MD
2 credits
per minute
Image OCR
4 credits
per image (0 on cache hit)
PDF to MD
4 credits
per page
PPTX to MD
4 credits
per slide
Questions
Yes! You get 50 credits every month to use any tool. Basic tools like MD Cleaner or Token Counter cost just 0.5 credit per use. When you run out, credits reset the next month or you can upgrade for more.
Wait for your monthly reset or upgrade to a higher plan. Credits renew on your billing date each month.
Yes, cancel anytime with one click. No questions asked. You keep access until the end of your billing period.
Pro gives you 30,000 credits for $29 — that's 30x more credits than Starter for just 3x the price. Every credit costs less, so you get far more value per dollar.